Archive for "Travel"
Cocos Asian Bistro and Bar
Posted on February 7, 2016 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews, Travel.
Brian and I had dinner with our friend Glynda on the eve of the Zumba cruise. We invited her cruise roommate Kate also, but she was too tired from all the shopping they did at the mall. Only Glynda was able to join us.
I remember craving Thai food that evening but Brian wasn’t in the mood for it and Glynda had never tried it before so we decided to play it safe and picked Gilbert’s. We got our Uber driver to pick us up at the hotel and drop us off at Gilbert’s only to find out that they’re closed on Sundays. We looked around the shopping plaza and there weren’t many restaurant options. There was a very loud bar across the parking lot which seemed like fun but it did not appeal to Brian. As luck would have it, Cocos was just a few doors down from Gilbert’s and they were open. The three of us agreed to eat there instead so I got my wish of eating Thai food after all.
We got to the restaurant early enough that we beat the crowds. The restaurant was considerably busier when we left.
Glynda was having problems with the Uber app so Brian helped her install and set it up. And then he explained how to use it and gave her a code for her first ride free.
Here are some of pictures of our meal…
We splurged a little bit and had a few samplers. The calamari was a little spicy for me but otherwise fantastic. I wish that Brian like calamari because he would have enjoyed the sweet, spicy flavor of this dish.
The chicken satay was delicious.
The fried dumplings was another great starter.
Glynda had some miso which she said she enjoyed.
She also wanted a salad but I’m not sure that the soft shell crab papaya salad was quite what she expected. I think she found it a little odd.
We already had several starters so Brian decided to have lettuce wraps for his meal.
I always try the yellow curry everywhere that I can get so I ordered the chicken massaman. At $30 it was a bit more expensive than I’m used to paying. I usually get curry around town for about $10 or maybe $15 if it’s a nice restaurant. That said, this was the best massaman curry I’d ever had. It had just a hint of spice and ample sweetness. I felt it was worth the higher price.
Overall our Cocos experience was pretty good. The menu prices were a tad high but it’s a pretty minor complaint considering the quality of the dishes I tried that evening. If I had some time to spend in Fort Lauderdale, I wouldn’t mind eating here again.
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We’re Back!
Posted on February 6, 2016 by Ching under Travel, Zumba.
Hello, everyone! We’re back! Actually, we’ve been back for a week. We’ve just been super duper busy so I haven’t had a chance to post anything on the blog. Of course, if you’re on Facebook then you’ve already seen lots of pictures and videos because it’s easy and convenient to send those there from our phones.
Here’s the trip in a nutshell.
Brian and I are not really fond of cruising and I didn’t really care for the ports of call on this trip. I went for one thing and one thing alone: Zumba.
These are all the classes I’d registered for:
We did way more dancing than this, though. We crashed a few other classes during the week and attended some late night parties. We were on our feet and dancing the whole week for sure!
Let’s start from the very beginning: flying out of ICT really early. Our ride to the airport picked us up at 4 AM on Sunday, January 24. We wanted to arrive in FLL the day before we board so we wouldn’t have any issues with missing the ship in case of flight delays or cancellations. This was a very real concern because of the way the weather has been. Several people from the East Coast actually missed the cruise for this very reason.
Glynda got to Fort Lauderdale before we did so she was already shopping at the mall when we landed. We stayed at the same hotel so the three of us (Glynda, Brian, and I) went to dinner together that night. Missy and Todd had arrived in Florida on Saturday night but they went to Beto’s class in Miami and were busy cruising around town so we didn’t get to meet up with them before boarding.
The three of us ended up having dinner at Cocos Asian Bistro and Bar. I will post separately about this because it deserves a story all its own.
Here’s our boarding day selfie. Whee!
Brian is up now and we’re supposed to deep clean the house so rather than writing one, really long blog post I’ve decided to break this blog up into the separate days. Keep checking back for the continuation of our trip recap.
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First Time at the Eldridge
Posted on November 24, 2015 by Ching under Travel.
I had the opportunity to stay at the Eldridge in Lawrence a couple of weeks ago when I had to work in Topeka. I wouldn’t have stayed there were it not for everyone else staying there. I figured I should stay where everyone else is staying and take advantage of the opportunity to bond with my project teammates.
I was initially just going to stay in Wichita and call in to the meetings but our Project Manager convinced me that I needed to be onsite with the PwC Functional Lead Rahima (my counterpart) so that we could use the time in between meetings to prepare for the Enterprise Design (future state) workshops. I’m glad I decided to travel to Topeka that week, despite Wednesday being a holiday, because the time I was able to spend with Rahima proved truly valuable. We worked long hours but also had a great time since we all stayed in Lawrence.
I had a cute little room at the Eldridge with a great view of Mass Street. Here’s a picture of the separate sitting area that you walk into upon entering the room.
My room was small but comfortable. The room was just wide enough for the bed but I didn’t really spend much time there. Most of my time was spent at work.
This is the view from my hotel window. I didn’t really get to see it until Wednesday when I was off work because the entire time I was there I left well before the sun was up and didn’t get back to the hotel until late into the evening.
The hotel’s location is fantastic. There are lots of great restaurants and bars just right outside the door. The only thing I didn’t like about my room is that the ceiling fan wobbled and clicked and kept me up all night. Of course, it didn’t help that Joey, the PwC Project Manager, told me about the ghost in room 506. Incidentally, the PwC Project Director Pete actually got that room. He said he didn’t hear any funny noises and had no problems sleeping. I, on the other hand, because I’m highly susceptible to all forms of suggestion, dreamt that I had a ghost in my room and stayed up all night.
Anyway, I really like Lawrence and the Eldridge is a great hotel. I may have to go back and bring Brian. Perhaps on Valentines Day. It’ll be a lot like the time we stayed at the Oread over Valentines. It’s been a while since we’ve spent the weekend in Lawrence. It should be a lot of fun.
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Home Away From Home
Posted on November 17, 2015 by Ching under Travel.
Hyatt Place Topeka has quickly turned into my home away from home. Been staying here for days at a time as I work on my new project assignment. It’s not the greatest hotel in terms of how comfortable the bed is and how clean the rooms are but the staff members are friendly and they’re starting to get to know me. I think that counts for a lot. Unless the place is absolutely gross like that time that Carmen and I got stranded in Atlanta and had to stay at that terrible hotel, I think I’m pretty tolerant of minor misgivings.
Anyway, the Hyatt Place does some pretty cool stuff. For instance, they had a staff pumpkin carving/decorating contest over Halloween. The staff members got really creative. Here are some photos of their unique designs.
I actually voted for the towering cupcake pumpkin one.
There were actually two winners. The witch and the cupcake tied for first place. What do you guys think? Which one is your favorite?
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Standing Tallgrass Short Film
Posted on August 5, 2015 by Ching under Things to Do, Travel, Videos.
Here’s the film that inspired our visit to Flying W Ranch.
Standing Tallgrass | Imagine Kansas Short Film Series 01 from Westar Energy on Vimeo.
http://ImagineKansas.com From early on, Jim Hoy was involved with the Symphony in the Flint Hills that helps bring attention to preserving the tallgrass prairie near Clements, Kansas. He and countless other Kansans are working to protect this picturesque part of our landscape so that the next generation will be able to enjoy its beauty. Westar Energy shares Jim’s passion to push Kansas forward and is working right alongside him and our fellow Kansans to make it happen.
This film is part of the #ImagineKansas Short Film Series presented by Westar Energy. Watch all the films at http://ImagineKansas.com.
Filmmaker: The Hadley Group, Stilwell – http://RussHadleyFilms.com
Original music: Sam Billen, Lawrence – http://PrimaryColorMusic.com
Narrator: Jason Aldrich, Bonner Springs
Still photography: Mark Feiden, Mission
Still photography: Harland J. Schuster, Morrill
Still photography: Austin Colbert, Hays
You can learn more about the ranch in the next video.
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