BLOODY RED AT THE VENETIAN

Venetian,to me, is synonymous already to luxurious intricate hotel interior design.  I have been to the Venetian at Macau so it was not really a big surprise for me to see this hotel's interior.  Nevertheless, it still left me breathless.  It was even a big plus to find an ongoing travel photography exhibit which left me drooling over everything.

The Las Vegas Venetian is the original Venetian hotel; much older than the Macau one.  They both have the inner canal feature, the blue sky ceiling as well as the huge plaza areas.  But I guess, Vegas' shining point is its exterior Grand Canal which spans the whole facade of the hotel.  Baroque ceilings and mouldings are everywhere inside the hotel, reminiscent of the old Italian grandeur.

WHAT I WORE:

red off-shoulder dress from H&M

caleen boots from ISABEL MARANT

charcoal gray tasseled tote from STEVE MADDEN

eyewear from COTTON ON

in the shadows

holding hands with my munchkin

people watching

red

the photography exhibit

the inner canal

the grand canal

ORANGE PICKING AT PAUMA VALLEY

I had the chance to visit a large orange orchard when I was in SoCal; and when I say large, it means a really....really massive farm that stretches from the valley up to the mountain.  We even had to ride the car just to reach some of the orange and lemon groves from the farm house.  I dared not to go up the mountain because I am not built for mountains anymore.  Sometimes, I could not even believe that I used to hike a lot when I was a whole lot younger.

The farm is owned by the lovely Uncle Ben and Aunt Marge Burgos, who hosted a sumptuous lunch for us as well.  The kids enjoyed the trip and frolicked around the "not-so-friendly to adults with back problems" areas.  The adults on the other hand enjoyed picking oranges, lemons, tangerines and blood oranges.  We even got to bring home a rather huge pumpkin!

WHAT I WORE:

shirtdress from H&M

black vest from WALMART'S  CLEARANCE SALE (yup!5 dollars only)

flared pants from HAIDUOYI

scarf from H&M (gift from a good friend)

bag from LUXE

caleen boots from ISABEL MARANT

with Blake

with my lovely Aunt Lou and Uncle Ben

yes, that is my tattooed arm

the Burgos, Almenana ,and Palisoc

LOVELY LAKE ELSINORE

It was a very nice morning when we headed out to check Lake Elsinore after going to church.  It was a tad chilly but nevertheless, the sun was up and shining, so that made my day.  Lake Elsinore is just right next to Wildomar and I am telling you, the place is really gorgeous.  I mean, they have a lake a historical downtown, and beautiful sceneries--all the primary components of a must see tourist spot.  However, it could benefit even more from a lot of Landscape Architecture  and Planning to maximise the town's potential, and eventually make a mark as a tourist destination.  My Aunt said that it had its glory days a long time ago. In fact, it used to be really frequented by tourists.  I do wish it can bring back its brilliance once again one of these days.

WHAT I WORE:

black turtleneck from ZARA

striped wide legged pants from H&M

tote bag from COACH

eyewear from MIUMIU

Caleen boots from ISABEL MARANT

couldn't resist taking a shot

in action

how quaint can it be?

California living...palm-lined roads

the ortega mountains as the backdrop

plantation house

sea gulls

the lake

mini me frolicking at the lakeshore