VEGAS...baby!!!

Yesterday, my sister and I flew from San Jose, CA to the city I love to visit, but could never live in...Las Vegas. Ironically though...my parents, who are now in their pseudo-retirement years, now call this city home. So the trip here was mainly to spend some quality time with my parents before I jet set to Europe for a couple of months.

I don’t know why, but I seem to be getting less sleep now that I am on hiatus from work, than I did when I was back home in Hawaii living my normal day-to-day life. I’ve come to realize that it is much easier to function on a few hours of sleep, when you know that there are no deadlines to meet or sales forecasts to exceed. I can honestly say that I have done everything possible to make the most of this first week of my Leave Of Absence. I can already feel that these three months will go by in the blink of an eye, but I promised myself that during this time, I would always live in the moment.

Duder (for those of you who don’t know, this is the nickname I gave my sister) and I were all about trying to find a Las Vegas Bikram yoga studio to practice at this morning, until a more tempting offer was thrown our way. Instead of torturing our bodies with 26 yoga poses in a 105 degree heated room for an hour-and-a-half (which we did yesterday in Fremont), we opted to hang out at one of the Palms’ poolside cabanas in 105 degree Vegas heat instead. We ate lunch (an ono lobster club sandwich) and had a couple of drinks poolside. I don’t know how anyone can stand to lay out and tan in that ridiculous heat, but there were a lot of people doing just that. The atmosphere, the food, the service, the amenities, and the music at the poolside cabanas were awesome. It definitely doesn’t hurt to know the right people either...thanks to Rico the GM at the Palms’ pool for hooking us up (courtesy of my sister).

After lounging around for most of the afternoon, we returned home and got ready for my early birthday dinner at Social House in the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. Mom, Dad, Auntie Fely, and my sister were all there to celebrate with me. Social House's menu is similar to Nobu's (it is meant to be eaten family-style and in a particular order). The atmosphere was modern chic, the crowd seemed to reflect popularity amongst 30-somethings, and the menu surprisingly included upscale Filipino cuisine (chicken adobo fried rice and sushi rolls). However, if given a choice, I would recommend Nobu over Social House. Once we finished dinner and dessert, my sister and I decided to hang out at the bar downstairs, since it was still too early to head to the club. The bar was packed when we arrived, with a group of young twenty-somethings from Pure Management, whose sole job it is to find clientele to come to the weekly MGM pool party. The Vegas scene is too funny, I really don't know how anyone can live in Vegas, party constantly, and still keep their day job.

My cousin Tina ended up meeting up with us and we headed to Tangerine (the outdoor/indoor club at Treasure Island). The music was terrible and there were way too many people, so we left and stopped by Mist (a smaller loungy-style bar in the casino which definitely had a much better vibe). After that we took a cab to the Palms and went up to the Ghost Bar. Everyone knows that as long as there is good music, I can stay on the dance floor all night long. We ended up doing just that, until Duder and Tina dragged me downstairs to grab a bite to eat at the 24/7 cafe. This is for you Thao...yes, I wanted to stay out longer and tried to convince my sister to go to the after-hours club, but once at the cafe, I laid my head on my sister's lap and took a quick nap until the food was served. We got back to my parents' house at 4am...just another typical night of partying in Vegas. And that is why I love to visit, but could never live in this city!

If you were to have asked me in my twenties, what I thought my life would be like at 33, I am not sure I would have predicted it to be what the reality of my life is today. However, I can honestly say that I do not regret any of my decisions that have brought me to where I am at this moment in time. I can only hope and pray, if asked that same question at any point in my future, that I would be able to say the same. Thanks to my family for a wonderful pre-birthday celebration. I am so blessed.

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