Archive for the year 2013
Pictures from the ZIN Soiree
Posted on September 1, 2013 by Ching under Zumba.
The ZIN Soiree was one of the events I was most excited about but it almost didn’t happen due to a wardrobe malfunction. Since I’m not crafty, I bought an inexpensive costume online to wear to the event. It arrived early, at least a week or so before departure. Had I been smarter, I would have tried it on upon receipt and planned for contingencies but I made the decision to pack the costume as is because I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to fold it back into the same compact packaging if I took it out.
Fast forward to our arrival in Orlando. After we checked in and got settled into our room at the Peabody, I decided to unpack my suitcase and hang up my dress. I decided that I ought to try it on before hanging it up. That’s when I figured out that the zipper was broken. At the time, the gap was pretty small so I figured that I could use safety pins to close the gap. No worries.
The night of the event, the zipper was in worse shape than it was originally and now the dress was completely open along the side. I was faced with three options: skip the party, attend without a costume, or improvise. I’ve never been one to give up when faced with adversity so I decided to trudge on.
I threw on a Zumba tank top and wrapped a coin skirt around my waist to cover the zipper opening. Instead of being a generic fairy, I turned into a Zumba fairy. It actually worked out fine. I was still able to use the accessories (wings, headband, and light-up wand) that came with my costume. I’m glad I didn’t let the issues with the costume ruin my evening as I would have missed out on such a fun night.
Believe it or not, the simple rope around Brian’s neck got him into the party that was supposed to be for Zumba instructors only. I’m glad he got to hang out with me.
My awesome makeup was courtesy of one of several face painters at the event. The Zumba Fitness folks sure know how to throw a party!
Here are some more photos from that night…
My costume malfunction was actually a blessing in disguise because it gave me a reason to wear Zumba sneakers to the party. If it weren’t for the sneakers, my feet would have been screaming because we were standing around most of the evening.
Oh, I almost forgot one of the highlights. While we were in line to take photos at one of the photobooths scattered around the party area, this guy that looked like Marc Anthony got on the stage and started performing. Everyone thought it was Marc Anthony because the line to the photobooth cleared and in an instant we found ourselves at the front of the line. We didn’t really care so we just went on to take photos at the photobooth. Afterward, we worked our way toward the stage to see what all the commotion was about.
The impersonator they hired did a really good job. We all really thought it was Marc Anthony. It wasn’t until the next day that I realized it was only an impersonator. Brian was like, “No wonder he wore his sunglasses the entire time.” I was thinking that, had it truly been Marc Anthony, I would have been very impressed. Sean Paul is one thing, but I’m not sure the event could afford to hire Marc Anthony. They only charged $500 for registration after all.
As for my defective costume, it didn’t come home with me. My suitcase was full of new zwag so I didn’t have room for it. It ended up getting left in the hotel room trash can. The skirt still lights up and I probably could have gotten the zipper fixed. Oh, well.
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The Crepe Factory
Posted on September 1, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
The Crepe Factory is probably my favorite food stand at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC). The crepe options are limited but they are good. Then again you can’t go wrong with crepes. You can put just about anything inside and it’ll turn out delicious. I don’t think the Crepe Factory is as good as the Crepe Cafe, the crepe place that we tried when we were in Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco. It is pretty good, though. If they’d given us enough time for lunch, I probably would have eaten there every single day. LOL.
Be prepared to spend some cash at the OCCC, though. The crepes cost $10-$12. There are no cheap lunches at the convention center. That’s for sure.
Brian had Korean tacos from another food stand the first time that I had the crepes. I’m sure they were good, but I bet they weren’t as good as my cordon bleu crepe.
The next time I had a hankering for a crepe, he decided to try it with me. He got an American, which is basically a breakfast crepe. I wanted to go for the gusto that time though, so I added tomatoes to my regular cordon bleu. I also ordered a banana + Nutella crepe for dessert. It’s my favorite kind of crepe. Yum!
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Pictures from Zumba Kids Training
Posted on September 1, 2013 by Ching under Zumba.
Here are some additional pictures from my Zumba Kids training at the 2013 Zumba Instructor Convention in Orlando.
Gina, Jessica, and Lindsey were the presenters. It was an awesome training session.
We also got to see Gina’s kids and Jessica’s kids and also this cute little boy named Sebastian. It was a fun day of training. I’m actually excited to teach Zumba Kids.
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Zumba Wear Fashion Show and Live Concert
Posted on September 1, 2013 by Ching under Zumba.
These are pictures from the Zumba wear fashion show and Sean Paul concert.
I wondered if they got to keep all of the Zumba wear that they modeled.
Other pictures from that evening…
I lucked out and got a good spot toward the front again.
The event started late so it went on well past eleven o’clock. I didn’t want to stay for the whole thing so I left before it was over. Ran into Christina on our way back to our room so we stopped for a photo op.
The second day of convention was another great, fun-filled day. Wow!
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Mallards Bar at Peabody Orlando
Posted on August 29, 2013 by Ching under Food and Drink.
I only had a limited time to get ready between my training session and the live concert so instead of going to Pointe Orlando to eat dinner, we ended up grabbing something at Mallards. The quality of the food and drinks was good, but there are significant downsides to Mallards. The biggest one being the limited selection. Since it’s a bar, they just have a handful of options. And, it’s “bar” food. It may be upscale bar food, but it’s still bar food.
The service was also terrible that night. I don’t know what was up with our server, but she was inattentive and unhelpful. She was almost borderline rude. Immediately after she delivered our food, she brought the check over. That’s one of my pet peeves because it makes me feel rushed. Plus, I wanted to order some other stuff. It was really annoying.
Besides that, their drinks are super expensive. Then again, that’s probably normal for Orlando. I’m so glad I live in Wichita where I can get a couple of drinks for $13. LOL.
I think we should have tried one of the other restaurants located inside the hotel instead (there are a few inside Peabody Orlando). If only I wasn’t in a hurry. I probably would have been better off going back to B-Line Diner or grabbing something from B-Line Express (the diner’s to-go counter).
Possibly the one thing that Mallards has going for it is the march of the ducks at 11 AM and 5 PM. So just go for the ducks. Don’t bother eating or drinking. LOL. Or, save yourself the trip and just watch Brian’s video.
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