CoryStyle.com

HBS Newport Ball (Spring 2011)

 

Last Spring we had another wonderful opportunity to get all "glammed" up and put those Ferragamo Shiny Patent Tuxedo shoes (shout out thanks to Darnell!!) and cocktail dresses and gowns to good use!!

I'm not sure if you have guessed already, but Peter and I live a pretty "home-body" life haha, despite all the pictures of grand food tasting tours and travels, I'd say 90% of the time, we are hanging out at home, watching Law & Order: SVU or surfing the internet with Bow Wow snoring away next to us.  So when the HBS Newport Ball rolled around last April, we were super excited to gather with friends and classmates to celebrate the end of their first RC year of business school.

I was super impressed with everyone's fashion savvyness and style...here are some pics from Newport, RI!!

 

 

 

Maurice and Peter--don't they both look dashing hehe?

PZ--Ermenegildo Zegna Tuxedo, Ralph Lauren Tuxedo Shirt

 

 

With one of our very good pals at HBS, and amazing and soon to be famous writer, Manolya!!!

Me--Marc Jacobs Asymmetric Heart Dress in Black with White trim (LOVE LOVE this piece, the heart applique is soooo intricate, though I must admit it took me and a friend a VERY LONG time to figure out how to put this on LOL), Christian Louboutin Fuschia Suede Madame Butterfly Booties, Van Cleef & Arpels Magic Alhambra 16-motif Necklace (kind of hidden though), Cartier YG and WG Love Bracelets ;)

 

 

Peter with his Section D-mate, Koichi :)

 

 

 

Me with Fanni, isn't her pale pink gown so pretty??!!

Me--Chanel Gold Metallic Clutch

 

 

 

With T.Q. and Amy (love love the purple iridescent gown too, but Amy is always very "lady-like")

 

 

 

 

Outside the Newport Ball area--Peter wanted to get some different scenery shots, though it was freezing cold and I think it took about 10-15 different shots before we were able to get the lighting and everything right (so yes, I am freezing cos I think it was about 20-30 degrees at night still in late April...2010/2011 was a BRUTAL WINTER in Boston!!)

 

 

 

Peter and Me Outside the Newport Ball banquet :)

 

 

 

Petah and Bow Wow--such a cute pic!!!

 

 

 

Bow Wow saying "hii!!! welcome back to the hotel room, please take me out now!!" heehee

 

 

 

 

Asana Easter Buffet @ The Mandarin Oriental Boston

 

I used to be the one who loved holiday buffets at nice hotels, but I think that Peter is now hooked too.  Our favorite go-to place is Asana, at the Mandarin Oriental in the Back Bay.  We loved our experience there for the Thanksgiving Buffet back in Fall 2010 so much that we had just been itching for an excuse to go again.  

 

Here are pics of the Asana Easter Brunch Buffet with our friend Mike ;)

 

**Oh btw, if you ever go to Asana or actually, any Mandarin Oriental buffet, you can always ask for a bowl of white rice.  I've had that every time I've been to Asana!!  I just love rice with everything, even my turkey!

 

Despite not being able to see Peter's face here, I kind of like this shot, it's like a "Petah Silhouette" hehe

 

 

Peter at the Smoothie Bar--yes, they make fresh fruit smoothies, any way you like it!

 

 

 

Butternut Squash Bisque--with creme fraiche!!

 

 

Raw Bar Selection--Oysters, Shrimp Cocktail and Lobster!

 

 

 

Italian Meats and Cheeses Selection--so yah, this is probably not the strongest point of the Asana buffet, but still yummy!

 

 

 

Dim Sum and Fruits--yes, isn't it so cool they have dumplings and shui mai here?

 

 

 

Peter at the carving station...

 

 

 

Whole Roasted Suckling Pig--yum yum, hello piggy!!

 

 

 

Asana Dessert Room (with Mike)--I've always found it pretty cool that the room is adjacent to the kitchen and the large windows allow you to look inside and see the chefs at work :)

 

 

 

Peter and me being silly ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Dessert Plate Selection!!

 

 

 

Me--Dolce & Gabbana Green Satin Dress with Black Satin Belt, Valentino Couture Bow d'Orsay Pumps in Beige Patent, Bottega Veneta Woven Clutch in Curry Specchio (glazed goatskin)!

 

 

Bottega Veneta Woven Clutch in Curry Specchio (glazed goatskin)--love this bag and love that I got it on sale too!!! (with Cartier Love Bracelets in YG and WG)

 

 

Valentino Couture Bow d'Orsay Pumps in Beige Patent--though it really looks more like a nude patent than beige I think...

 

And when we got home, this is what we found:

 

Bow Wow looking like he's mad at us and turning away from us...maybe he heard about all the yummy food we just ate at Asana and was upset we didn't bring home any leftovers!! hehe

 

 

 

Afternoon Tea at the Taj Boston with Monica

 

One of my favorite past times is having afternoon tea with friends.  It's a nice and relaxing way to catch up and a good reason to get dressed up!

 

Here are pics from my first afternoon tea outing in Boston with my pal Monica.  We decided to try The Taj Hotel Boston's Afternoon Tea.  I would say everything was quite good and the service was attentive as well...just too bad we went during the hotel's renovation of the afternoon tea room, so we were placed in what looked like a large conference room converted to temporarily house afternoon tea guests.  At least it had windows and we could kind of look out onto Newbury Street below!

 

 

One of my favorite parts of afternoon tea...The Finger Sandwiches!!! 

Here we had Smoked Salmon, Egg Salad, Crab Profiterole and Proscuitto Cucumber.

Loved loved all of them!!!  YUM YUM YUM!

 

Our afternoon tea Dessert Tier!  I usually can only make it down to the second tier on this thing...I am not really a chocolate fan, but I can't turn down Milk Chocolate Dipped Strawberries OR Scones with Devonshire Cream.  I could eat devonshire cream all day, though I'd imagine that I may have to give up fashion altogether if I did stuff my face with that 24/7 haha...come to think of it, Peter already says I "stuff my face" so much.  Yes, can you believe it, my own bf says that to me regularly! =X

 

 

Monica looking very lady like at our table :)

 

 

Us very happy but excited to dive in to the goodies before us :)

Me--Lanvin Embellished Tee (I can't seem to get enough of these)

 

 

 

 

Neptune Oyster in the North End--a very New England Seafood experience

 

Ever since we moved to Boston end of Summer 2010, we had heard great things about Neptune Oyster in the North End.  We finally decided to give it a shot in March with some friends. 

Unfortunately, there is usually always a SUPER long wait at Neptune Oyster and they do not take reservations.  And like most all North End dining establishments, it's super cramped and small, so no space to wait inside. 

We figured going at 1:30pm on a Saturday in March wouldn't be too bad, we were wrong--we ended up not sitting down until 3:30pm and did not finish eating till like 6pm, so much for "lunch" LOL!!

 

While waiting around, we wandered next door to this cupcake place...these lollipops look sooo cute!!!

 

 

And of course I couldn't resist the Red Velvet Cupcakes there, though Peter snatched this out of my hand right after the pic, he was worried I'd fill up on cupcakes before Neptune Oyster =(

 

Hmmm...YUMMY!!! I LOVE Red Velvet Cupcakes!!

 

 

 

 

It was SOOO COLD that day, I actually had to go back to my car to get this grey blankie to throw over my jacket but you can still kinda see my Chanel Multicolor Pastel Fringe Jacket peeking out from underneath haha...we found temporary refuge in this coffee place.

We FINALLY got seated at around 3:30pm, YAY!!!

 

Yellowfin Crostini--warm brandade, roasted tomato jam, iggy's baguette (delicious!!!)

 

Crudo Special--I think it was hamachi crudo with sliced beets and mini croutons

 

Our GIGANTIC Oyster Platter--we figured we should try as many different kinds as possible...though I have to admit I really am not an "Oyster Connoisseur" so I couldn't tell you whether one oyster was more "buttery" than another etc BUT I CAN tell you that they were all delicious!

 

 

(Maurice, Sujin's friend, Sujin, Manolya and Me) cheers with oysters!!!

 

 

 

This was a picture worthy moment as it was his first time eating shell-fish/Oyster (I think in ever? or a VERY LONG time)...Maurice survived! LOL

 

Buttermilk Johnnycake--honey butter, smoked trout tartare, Little Pearl caviar...one of our favorite dishes at Neptune Oyster!! 

 

North End Cioppino--spicy stew of mixed fish, shellfish, and saffron rice...the broth was a light creamy flavorful concoction of yumminess!  Needless to say, I slurped it up! :)

 

Grilled Whole Bronzini--basil pesto, fingerlings and tomato olive broth with fennel salad on top...

 

 

Maine Lobster Roll--served hot with butter (you can also request it cold with mayo...but we figured it being like 20 degrees outside at the time, hot with butter was the way to go)

 

All in all a super yummy meal, and definitely very "New England-esque" cuisine.  We did find out upon our 2nd visit to Neptune Oyster that going on a WEEKDAY afternoon is much better, Peter and I were able to just walk right in and be seated with no wait!! YAYY...

 

 

 

 

 

Brazil: Spring Break 2011 (Salvador)

 

Our last few days in Brazil were spent in Salvador...

 

 

Dinner Party with the HBS Brazil peeps =)

 

 

 

 

Mike, PZ and Adrian

 

 

Our table, with Monica and Mike poking in LOL

Me--Dolce Vita Evie Romper 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PZ and I exploring the historical parts of Salvador...

PZ--Kid Robot Dunny Apple tee, Penguin Plaid shorts

 

 

We were all excited to buy this fresh coconut-juice...

 

 

The excitement lasted about 2 seconds till we found out how NOT sweet it was LOL poopy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Found some delicious Garlic Shrimp at a mall food court in Salvador

 

 

I'm exercising!! ;)

Me--Nation LTD Light Blue burn out tee (love all their tees!!), Current Elliot Brass Studded cut off denim shorts, Balenciaga cat eye black sunnies =)

 

This is such a cute pose by Petah, he barely fits inside hahaha

Our last meal in Brazil...at Fogo de Chao!!! haha, so funny to think we could go to it any time in L.A., but this was probably the most "authentic Brazilian" meal we had there during our week in there!!

 

 

 

 

 

Me--Sass & Bide Gold Sequins Vest top over Sass & Bide gold metallic cotton tank and Blank Silver/Gold studded black denim shorts

 

 

Funny thing at Fogo de Chao, we both realized our favorite item there were the "free fried plantains" they have there...we ate so many, I think they had to replenish our plate 5-6 times!!

 

 

With our Fogo de Chao pals =)

 

Bye bye Brazil...

Brazil: Spring Break 2011 (Buzios)

 

After a few days in Rio, we were off to Buzios...a beach town in Brazil.

 

Peter waiting for the "Boat Party" on our first day in Buzios...

PZ--Retro Vintage Harvard tee, Villebrequin swimming trunks (love their designs and colors!!)

 

 

Everyone waiting at the docks...

 

 

Hmm, so for some reason when I read "Boat Party" I thought it meant a yacht...when this thing approached and people started making their way over to it...I was thinking "where is the yacht?" then I realized this WAS the "boat" LOL

 

 

 

 

Our travel buddies enjoying a dip into the water...

 

 

 

 

I was on Dramamine since I get seasick super easily, but basically that meant I was ready to fall asleep any moment =X

Me--Bread & Butter Neon Pink tank, Balenciaga cat eye sunnies, LA Dodgers cap, Tiffany & Co. Star Platinum Diamond earrings and Roberto Coin WG Diamond Heart earrings =)

 

 

"Captain" Peter heehee

 

 

I love this shot of the water and mountain in the backdrop...so tranquil, so sleepy...I mean, so pretty!

 

Breakfast at the hotel in Buzios:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two nights in Buzios, two nights of Italian food...I was craving Thai one night but was shocked that a Pad Thai for 2 was around $59 USD!!! Plus, thankfully Peter reminded me that we were in Brazil and that Asian cuisine may not be the best idea LOL

 

 

Brazil: Spring Break 2011 (Rio de Janeiro)

 

Back in March 2011, Peter and I went to Brazil for Spring Break with a bunch of other HBS kiddos.

It was the first time visiting South America for both of us, so we were pretty excited to see what Brazil had to offer and also to be able to check this continent off our list too haha.

After a nightmarish experience with US Airways and arriving in Brazil one day later than anticipated, we were just happy to have escaped the miserable cold winter of Boston (which literally lasted like 6 months in Winter 2011 I think).

After the amazing HBS trip we had in South Africa back in January, I would have to say this trip was definitely a "fail."  Why?  Well, part of it was our fault for not researching more, but when we signed up, we figured the organizers (HBS kids from Brazil) would have it all covered and ensure that we got in all the historical/cultural sights as well as eat all the yummiest local foods etc.  Instead, it felt more like a Spring Break in Cancun during undergrad years, lots of time spent on beaches, sitting around drinking, party at someone's pool house and worst of all, the hotels were super subpar (sheets/pillow cases with odd stains and bugs--I seriously contemplated buying new sheets and blankets there if I could have) AND on top of all this, I cannot say we had an "authentic Brazilian" meal there that we had not had already in the U.S.!!  Like the Brazilian Churrascaria places, one of our best meals in Brazil was near the end of the trip when Peter and I went off on our own to Fogo de Chao!!!  I kid you not, and to think I could go to Fogo de Chao anytime I want in L.A. or in any of the other U.S. cities they're located in haha...

What was our favorite part of the trip?  Hmm...probably drinking fresh fruit juices from the outdoor stands in the streets.  I was worried I'd get super sick if the fruit was dirty or from unsanitary hands, but I actually was okay and got to enjoy tons of different fruit juice mixes.

The other problem Peter and I ran into was that we had been repeatedly warned about crime in Brazil and how it was really unsafe to go anywhere alone (even just the two of us), even in the daytime when a few of us went off on our own to tour Rio (during the pool party day at someone's house) we still felt worried about safety.

Anyhoo--Here are pics from our Rio de Janeiro stay:

 

 

 

Oh Katrina!  We love you too!! hehe

 

On our way to the Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf Mountain) via cable cars--lets hope these things get their routine maintenance checks!!

Me--LA Dodgers Cap, Missoni-esque caftan/tunic (found this in LA at some random boutique, I don't do "similar" design copies but hadnt had any luck finding Missoni ones that weren't too long for me), Okabashi sandals and just a cotton Ron Herman Tinkerbell soft tote :)

 

Night View of Rio from Sugar Loaf Mountain!

 

 

Yes, we ate Japanese food in Rio!!  Didn't know where to go for authentic Brazilian cuisine (that was safe to get to on our own etc)...

Surprisingly, it wasn't the worst Japanese food I've had and we didn't get sick or anything, BUT we did drop $200+ usd on dinner, totally unexpected spending on food in Brazil!!

 

We fit right in...right? (Adrian, Monica, Olga, Maliha, Me...and some random people walking by)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside the National Library--this was right before we were told we couldn't snap pics inside haha (with Monica, Olga and Maliha)

 

That day, Monica killed so many trees cos she kept stepping into wet muddy pools of water and splashing herself in the back of the leg (it was indeed a very odd thing since no one else seemed to have this problem hahaha) and needed endless tissues to wipe it off every few hundred feet... =)

 

 

We are not lost ;) (Olga and Adrian)

 

 

Meanwhile, we figured we'd help, by taking more photos (not something tourists would do) with Maliha and Monica :)

 

Peter wandering off on his own...

PZ--Zanerobe Purple tee, Penguin Plaid Shorts, Salvatore Ferragamo Brown Patent Strap Sneakers

 

And then there were 5...jk Peter's taking the pic =)

(Olga, Me, Monica, Adrian and Maliha)



 

Here's Adrian modeling for an ad for SKOL beer haha

 

 

 

 

We actually found some awesome photo ops for group shots, this one almost makes me feel like it's a promo pic for "Real World MTV..." or something haha

It was funny cos when we came past this area, all of us had the same idea for a photo op, so while Peter went off in search of someone to take our group pic (who would actually take the pic and not run off with his camera or something LOL)...we all got into position =)

 

 

This sand castle totally reminded me of Waikiki for some reason...

 

After much walking and exploring, we were famished and thankfully found ourselves at the Copacabana Palace Hotel Brunch Buffet! As soon as we all walked into the lobby of the hotel, we were like "hmm, why didn't we stay here instead?" haha...



As you can see, us girls wasted no time getting to the buffet table!

Me--Seneca Rising White-Blue romper with stud detailing (from my pals at Helianthus NY--love all their casual cute pieces, great price points too!!) 

 

I would say though that the fruits and cold dishes were much better than the hot items at the buffet, but we weren't complaining =)

 



 

 



 

Well, what I meant to say is that at the Copacabana Palace Hotel's buffet, we discovered THE MOST AMAZING mango!!!  I think I actually stumbled upon it cos I thought it was sweet potato/yams in this other dish, turned out to be mango and was oh-so-sweet!!  I let Peter try a bit and he basically made a mad dash to the mango plate and soon everyone else on our table caught on and became as addicted as we were.



Here's Peter quite pleeased with how he stuffed his plate with mango LOL

PZ--Zanerobe Purple tee, Harvard vintage distressed cap



One of my favorite shots, Peter's expression (as Monica reaches over to take some mango) is priceless!!!




And if our table already hadn't caused enough of a scene, running around and making multiple trips to devor the mango plate each time they replenished it, I went and asked them to just slice up as much mango as they could for us at our table...and I think we basically cleaned out the mango stash at the Copacabana Palace Hotel that day...hey, it was like a $100 usd buffet (in BRAZIL nevertheless!!) so we felt we had to eat our moneys worth...in MANGO!!!

 

 

Tram ride up to see the Christ the Redeemer :) (Katrina and Carl)



View from up top :)

 

 

Peter and I trying to replicate the pose :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And ofcourse after all that "sightseeing" we were famished and guess what we found at the little cafe stand? MANGO!! (not quite as delicious as the one from the Copacabana Palace Hotel, but still very very sweet and yummy!!)



Tram ride back down with Rafael and Rica getting into the groove of things (there were some musicians on board keeping us entertained haha) 

 

 

PZ's Parents Visit Boston and HBS

 

Peter's parents came for a short weekend visit to Boston earlier this Spring in March...it was still freezing but we managed to see some sights and show them around Cambridge. 

Though I think their favorite part of the trip was spending 2 hours at Macys where they made out like bandits with about 3 huge shopping bags full of clothing to bring back to China with them LOL

 

 

His parents outside our old Watertown home...*sniff sniff, miss this home...well, not really but we still had a good year's worth of memories there*

 

 

Oddly enough, we took them to MIT first, I think they were super excited to see it, even though I found most of the buildings to be pretty boring (grey concrete/cement buildings without much character--inside the labs and hallways, it just reminded me of CMU all over again haha)

 

 

 

At HBS Peter with his Mom and Dad :)

PZ--Thom Browne Moncler Gamme Bleu Padded Jacket, Retro Brand Harvard Tee

 

Me with his Parents

Me--Alexander Wang Grey Leather/Fleece Hoodie Jacket, (and kind of peeping in the pic) Dior Granville Large Leather bag in Black :)

 

 

I'm back...and catching up on posts!!!

 

After a pretty tumultuous and eventful summer...Corystyle is BACK!

Sorry for the long silence, but here's to the first post in a long while (yes, I'm still catching up thus, these posts happened back in early Spring 2011...)

 

Hei La Moon Dinner with HBS ABC peeps :) (back in February 2011)

 

Delicious Jellyfish with Smoked Pork Hock (i think...either way, this is one of my favorite appetizers at Chinese banquets!) 
 

 

 

Seafood Basket...needed a little more seasoning for taste I think 

 

 

 

Classic Chinese Lobster with Ginger and Scallions...delicious! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike, Me, Peter, Krizia and ZiHan--all of us happily stuffed! 

 

 

 

 

 

Me--MaxMara Red Down Puffer Jacket, Burberry Lurex Metallic scarf, Salvatore Ferragamo Red Hairband

 

 

  

 

 

Cochon 555 Pork Extragavanza in Boston!

 

If you love Pork, you cannot miss Cochon 555!!

Thanks to Peter staying on top of the foodie news, we snagged tickets to the Cochon 555 event in Boston back in the end of January this year.

We had no idea what to expect, other than lots of pork I guess LOL, and we definitely got LOTS AND LOTS of it!  In every shape, size and form...who knew pork could be in dessert too?!!

 

Cochon 555 Boston--held in the Fairmont Copley Hotel, so gorgeous inside AND they have a hotel lobby pet, the doggie just sits there and greets (or actually gets petted by) all the incoming guests of the hotel!  So cute! 

 

 

The Chefs of the Cochon 555 Boston event for 2011 

 

Some menus detailing what we were in for:

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...everything definitely was very "pork-centered"

 

...from the shapes of the menus in little piggies 
 

 

 

to making sure we remembered who was sacrificed for this yumminess in our tummy 

 

 

 

Our friends Michael, Fanni and Hill being silly...must be "pork overdose" haha 

 

 

 

 

 

 

yes, I am quite sure we consumed A LOT of this that night! 

 

 

I didn't realize how pork themed this event was, I actually felt like we did not dress appropriately for it haha 

 

 

These were pork rinds, delicious but oh so bad for you!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Incase you're wondering, yes, that is Bacon Cotton Candy 

 

 

 

 

And if you're wondering who would eat such a weird thing as "Bacon Cotton Candy"...well, actually, Petah! haha, he actually LOVED it and I'm quite sure he devoured about 5 sticks of this stuff that evening!!

 

Petah very happy with his stick of Bacon Cotton Candy, I found it a bit odd since it was salty and sweet, but I also was never a huge fan of cotton candy either... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me--Future Classics Red White Striped Hooded Tunic, Iosselliani Fringe multicolor metal necklace

 

 

 

PZ--D&G Grey Cotton Hoodie, COH denim, Neil Barrett for Palladium Taupe Suede Boots (soo cool, LOVES!) 

And by the end of Cochon 555, we could all barely move...I actually had to go home early since I was feeling sick from all the PORK!!! haha...but would I go back again? 

 

Yes, I think so hehehe