wanna tango like al pacino?

Remember this amazing scene from Scent of a Woman? This is one of my favorite movies ever, where the blind Col. Frank Slade coerces his "babysitter", prep school student Charlie, to join him for a hedonistic trip through New York City with delicious food, beautiful women, fast cars, and culminating with a meeting with his loaded .45. Apart from being one of the most amazing movies ever made, it has left me with a lifelong yearning to learn the Argentine tango. 

So I was pretty excited when I saw today's Groupon deal: $49 for an unlimited month of dance classes at Paul Pellicoro's Dancesport! This package is valued at $395. And there's the fact that this only the same place that Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar learned to tango at—no big deal! Paul Pellicoro's Dancesport is also the official homebase of Dancing With the Stars, in case you've ever heard of that little show. They've got everything from Swing and Lindy Hop to the Foxtrot and even Zumba! And the Groupon is valid for a full year, so you can pick a month that you're totally free and take as many dance classes as you want. I have been on a Groupon buying rampage but this one is just too good to resist! If you'd like to get your Groupon, click here to get this amazing deal.

brooklyn boulders

Just scored an amazing deal on Living Social! Today's deal is a one-month membership to Brooklyn Boulders for just $49. It's so timely that this deal came up because I was just thinking that I wanted to take some rock-climbing and bouldering classes. I've been spending my nights researching for my upcoming road trip in the Grand Canyon and surrounding National Parks with Kate, and it's mind-boggling to see how many beautiful sights are just out there waiting to be seen ... if you know how to rock-climb, rappel and boulder!!! One of the places I'm dying to see is the Subway at Zion National Park, but I'm not entirely sure that we're capable of doing this because I don't have a lot of hiking or bouldering experience. And I have to say, I hate it when I can't do something that I really want to do!!! So just as I was thinking about adding rock-climbing to my to-do list ... Living Social goes and reads my mind! This is such a great deal: one month membership including all-day gear rental PLUS a month's worth of yoga classes. I mean, SERIOUSLY? How great of a deal is that for just $49! I just had to snap it up. You can avail of this membership until December 24, 2010. I plan on starting up the membership when the weather's cooler and I'm done with marathon training. It'll be great to have a cool activity like this that's indoors once the Fall and Winter come around. Plus, these puny arms of mine really, truly need to get whipped into shape!

I have to say, I love how these mass-buying sites have been giving me great options for half-priced workouts. Last Saturday I used my S-Factor Groupon, and tomorrow and on Tuesday I'll be using my New York Pole Dancing Groupon. I still have 4 boxing lessons in the pipeline, and now I've added rock-climbing to the list! You gotta love these great deals—clearly I do! To get in on this awesome deal, click here. And for more information on Brooklyn Boulders, visit their website.

butter by nadia online sample sale!

Have you heard about Butter by Nadia? I think these dresses are the most genius ideas on the planet! Most of them can be worn in a multitude of different, sexy ways. I don't know why I still don't own one! Well, okay, it's really because they're not all that cheap (the price for a dress hovers around $250) and I'm a little intimidated by the "one size fits all" thing. I'd love to get this dress on the left, for instance, but the length might hit mid-calf for me since I am not exactly supermodel-sized.

But non-munchkins should definitely check out the online sample sale going on until June 21st at the Butter by Nadia website! There are some great deals, like this signature dress on the left now at just $125. The versatile jersey ball gown is just $155, and there's a bunch of very cute dresses as low as $65. Check it out here.

Happy Saturday everyone!

monday night carnage at yakiniku west

You know you're with the right person at a yakiniku spot when you hear her repeatedly say, "I don't think we have enough meat." This is why I love bonding over food with Kathryn (you too, Adam). Like me, she's an Asian anomaly. For some rather petite girls, we can put away a lot of food. We were on a mission to hit up Yakiniku West after passing it one weekend and reading a sign that said up to 50% off short ribs on Mondays. Oh, hell yes.

So last Monday, we finally sat down for a whole lot of meat. On this plate: short rib, prime short rib, short rib on the bone. My favorite was definitely the heavily marbled prime short rib. The meat is just so tender and flavorful. Another similar-looking plate followed because this, of course, is not enough meat for one very tall guy and two tiny girls who can individually eat as much as a family of three. If you've never had yakiniku, you're probably wondering what the deal is with all this raw meat. Well yakiniku is basically barbeque-your-own-food at the grill on the table. Although it can be cumbersome to work for your dinner, I do like having control over how cooked my meat is. I'm not just a carnivore after all, but a bonafide bloody meat-lover, as you can tell from my last brush with yakiniku in Japan.

We also had some salmon, which you sprinkle with lemon juice, wrap up in foil, and leave to steam on your little grill. As you can tell from the picture, the salmon was pretty fresh and succulent. After some steaming, it was absolutely delicious.

We also had some sake and beer because the restaurant it was happy hour when we got there. The damage was $30 per person for two plates of different types of short ribs, salmon, edamame, kimchi,  rice, a bottle of sake and a pitcher of beer. Not too shabby!

We spied a yummy looking avocado and seaweed salad on another table, and were bummed we didn't get it. It was huge and looked so fresh, plus it only costs $7! So getting that next time.

Because clearly, we will be back here for many more Mondays to come. 

Yakiniku West is located at 218 East 9th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues

P.S.: You have to take your shoes off at the door so make sure you're wearing matching socks or have a decent pedi when you go

today i'm loving: im-hm resort

Nothing puts me in the mood for summer quite like gorgeous swimwear shots. I am just loving these pictures from up-and-coming online boutique IM-HM Resort. The site launches in July and will be fully stocked with all sorts of sexy little things to wear to sunny locales year-round, from ultra-flattering swimwear to decked-out statement jewelry. I am just smitten with these two pictures below. The bikinis are by Gottex, but the true eye-catchers in my opinion are those accessories! These stunning necklaces are by Nicole Whisenhunt, a old friend of mine from Manila. I still remember when she first started dabbling in making accessories, and it's simply thrilling to see how her pieces have evolved.

Thanks to another very dear friend and in my eyes, the ultimate authority in beach chic, Erin Campos, who let me have a little sneak peek at what IM-HM Resort has in store for us. I absolutely cannot wait for this website to launch!

Photographed by Paolo Pineda, modeled by Cristina Garcia, make-up by Xeng Zulueta

belmont stakes 2010

I can be pretty clueless about the mechanics and quite frankly am a tiny bit scared of horses, but I do love going to horse races! It's a great excuse to get decked out and drink all day. And of course, it's a total thrill to see those thoroughbreds thunder down the track.

Today I joined Zoe for the second year in a row at the Belmont Stakes. I was smiling from ear to ear because I FINALLY did not choke while putting together a horse-event outfit. I wore a straw fedora that I got from the Brooklyn Flea last year, a polka-dotted sundress from H&M, and my sparkly new sandals from Zara.

My fedora could not hold a candle to Zoe's fabulous feathered hat, which was born and gussied up in London:

What I love the most about Belmont Stakes (and horse races, in general) is the people-watching. I loved the total look this woman had, from the old-fashioned cloche to her little black gloves. That's dedication to a look, if I've ever seen it, because it was steaming hot at the Belmont race track today and you'd have to pay me to put on any more clothing.

It was pretty hot under my straw fedora and I found myself at some point wishing I'd thought about just pinning a gigantic flower to my hair like this girl. She looked very chic despite the lack of a hat, and I'm sure she felt much cooler than all of us.

We also ran into some total characters down by the paddock. You gotta love how they went for it. This couple was in matching bright green outfits, and the guy is wearing a coat and hat studded with pins. Clearly, they are total Belmont Stakes fans. 

I did not make out with any winnings this year. We all put our money on Ice Box, who ended up eating Drosselmeyer's dust. Oh well. It was still a wonderful afternoon of drinking Jameson-crans on the sly and whooping it up for some truly majestic animals.

Next up: polo at Governor's Island! Another great excuse to hunt down a summer straw hat ... 

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!