At work we have started playing a game where we earn points for visiting different airports in different cities and other various bonus items. Perhaps Xanga can help me keep track of my trips I take and let my friends see what fun cities are out there. Despite the economic slump we are in, saving money to take a relaxing vacation once in awhile will still help us rejuvenate. **Trip #1: Las Vegas** Yes, this was my last trip destination in 2008 and it has become my first trip destination for 2009. >_< However unlike my Dec 2008 trip when I traveled with a group of friends for a few days, this trip was only 24 hours long. A short trip like that isn’t a big deal if you live in LA, but I live in Houston, Texas . . . if I drive 3 hours I’d only end up in Austin or 1 hour away from Dallas. Anyway, moving along. HIGHLIGHTS · Hotel: Bellagio; room- Tower Deluxe King w/ Fountain view o Positives: 2 times house keeping daily; bed prepared for your sleep time too! o The fountain view is worth it if you like scenery; I finally got to see the whole fountain show and it was from the room & you can hear the accompanying fountain music on a certain channel on your tv. o Room was located in “Spa Tower” so it was in a quiet area off to the side of the hotel (reminded me of Venezia tower in Venetian but not so far in the boonies) o Negatives: we didn’t get a flat panel tv as they advertise online, but it wasn't a big deal o Dual sinks in bathroom, but one had very low water pressure · Food: Of course I had IN-N-OUT burger & fries , but besides that I can only give a mini review on . . . o Yellow Tail sushi restaurant (located in Bellagio): Waitresses/Hostesses are dressed in sexy but tasteful attire (or so I thought). Sushi rolls here are not very traditional and Sashimi/ Raw sushi pieces were not big at all and it was pricey (of course . . . it’s vegas!) Examples of “non-traditional sushi” - I was chosing between a sushi roll that contained strawberries or pop-rocks. (yea . . .don’t ask) o I don’t think I’d come here again unless it was for the awesome view. The restaurant looks out at the Bellagio fountains o Picture below shows appetizers of cucumber salad and thinly sliced scallops.
o Picture below shows (left to right) spicy crab roll w/ pop rocks; yellowtail roll; and baked crab “hand roll”??? § And I don’t think I’ll be putting pop rocks in sushi soon, but if you want to try something different, be my guest 
· Drinks: Anne introduced me to this . . . . o Sensi Restaurant (also located in Bellagio): They have food too, but we went to try the drinks § Secert drink not on the menu = Sensi-hito ; aka Mojito ($12? I think) § It taste good, but might have been a bit on the sweet side. I had a teeny tiny buzz after 1 mojito at the casino floor & 1 at sensi, so it creeps up on you · Transportation: Cab o helpful tip: if you’re strapped for cash and need to take a cab, ask for a Desert Cab that takes Credit Card. o Vegas strip is 10-15 minutes away depending on where your hotel is. Cab fare is around $15 (w/tip to south end of strip like MGM), and maybe a little under $30 (w/tip to north end of strip like Wynn) if traffic is “normal”. (And by that I mean you hit a few lights but aren’t stuck at them forever.) LOWLIGHTS § I <3 Vegas! There are no lowlights! Jkjk § Bad News was when I found out that they charge $12 for a mimosa at the Continental Presidents Club in LAS airport o Premium alcohol costs $$ but cheaper liquor is free. o Hey I shouldn’t be drinking at 10am anyway. Hmph… § I didn’t get to eat any treats at Jean Phillippe Patisserie – they have really cute looking cakes, fruit tarts, and lovely chocolates. § And I was basically stuck at Bellagio the whole trip. Except for going to MGM to see a concert. And now we come to the purpose of my trip. WANG LEE HOM CONCERT!!!! I tried to post some videos on FB but they were quite large and took too long to upload so I gave up. Instead I will share some pictures. Oh, and Lee Hom had his 1st USA autograph signing after the concert. Poor guy had a bunch of autographs to rush through so he barely looked up or spoke to the fans. Well, at least he wasn’t speaking much to the people at the last half of the line. Maybe the crazy fans in the beginning of the line wore him out. It also didn’t help that the concert workers were rushing people to get the line moving. It was like this: Fan pass CD to worker à worker pass to worker à lee hom signs à lee hom sticks hand put for a shake à repeat. So when my turn came up I quickly told him the concert was great and he mumbled “thanks” while keeping his head down on the table to sign the next CD. Then when I was about to walk away, he suddenly looked up at me with this “deer in headlights” expression. It was as if he was surprised someone spoke to him. Strange. I thought everyone would be trying to chat with him. It’s ok, Lee Hom, I’m not mad that I almost got ignored. I was having a bad hair day anyway. =) Here’s some eye candy for the ladies . . . and guys. 
(sorry, it's blurry . . .) 
(Yes, he was somewhat "shirtless") 
(yes, that's a violin) 
(and piano . . . ) 
Lee Hom came down my isle, I was right behind security, but crazy fans were pushing from behind. Hard to get a steady shot! And now for my favorite picture . . . 
So Lee Hom was walking right by me, but my camera decided to lag on me that one moment and he was already past me and then this girl decides to implant a strange facial expression smack in the middle. I'm sure other people had better pictures but I got this crazy one above. Until next trip! ^_^ p.s.- yes i just noticed that the entry below is also about vegas and wang lee hom. >_< now i just feel silly | 
Sorry we didn't sit too close so my pictures aren't the best out there. I think gambling, going out, and food took away most of our budget. 
