Sleeping Beauty

I must confess:  I did not go to Kid Koala as planned last night.

Instead, for the first time in months, I went to bed before midnight.

At dinner last night, I got a a serious lecture from Mama LumDimSum about the long-term consequences of my nightlife lifestyle.

According to her, every body has its own ticking clock and between the hours of midnight and 4am are the body’s most precious hours of sleep…the exact hours when my brain is most alert and functional and I feel I am most productive at work.

It may sound odd to you, but I am incredibly on-point at night. During the day, my phone is non-stop ringing, e-mails are constantly incoming, and I’m always running off to the next meeting.  And in the evenings (precisely between the hours of midnight and 4am), when everyone else is sleeping, when all the distractions finally stop, I can begin to write.  Only in the wee hours can I concentrate and find the time to get work done, so that I can have the peace of mind to get my beauty sleep.

And I’ve never been a morning person.  Even in high school when I was waking up for zero period at 6am, I was pretty much a walking zombie.  So to me, working nightlife is ideal.  I get to go out, I get to party, I get my work done quickly and efficiently, and most of all, I get to sleep in.

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Ghosts, Goblins..& Michael Jackson, Oh My!

It’s that time of year – HALLOWIZZLE!!

I guess the big question is: what to wear? who to be? (I anticipate a lot of Michael Jackson impersonators) …but most importantly: WHERE to go?

Coming from UCSB, the school most famous for its massive Halloween parties with over 10,000 out-of-town visitors each year, I was pleasantly surprised to find Beijingers to be just as festive in celebrating this holiday filled with mischief, imagination, creative costumes, darkness and  sinfully good treats. (who doesn’t love mini candy Halloween treats?)

So what’s good this year?  We’ve got a pretty hefty line-up of events for whatever kind of mischief you plan to get yourself into whether you’re into winning some big bucks or you like the idea of theme parks and haunted houses or freaky fetishes, you’ve got your fair share of places to choose from.

Bling's Cash Money Halloween Bash

From GOSSIP to Ghosts: Weekend Breakdown

Here’s the Weekend Breakdown for this week (starts on Wednesday, Oct. 28-Saturday, Oct. 31):

Wednesday, October 28:

GOSSIP @ [Touch] The Westin Beijing Chaoyang:

Every Wednesday GOSSIP continues to make it’s mark in Beijing as the party with beautiful people. (I love that Suzie’s ladies night is finally being replaced!)

Free drinks for ladies between 9pm and midnight, plus special GOSSIP menu and bottle prices for all table bookings.

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King of Ducks

If there is a visitor in Beijing, regardless if they are here on business or pleasure, their priority for dining should always be BEIJING DUCK.  End of discussion.

Here’s a list of my top 5 picks for Beijing Roast Duck (北京烤鸭):

1.  Made in China – Hands down my favorite duck restaurant. Best duck to ever touch my palette, great overall menu, and beautiful interior design.  Only down-side is that it’s located in a hotel and you need to make a reservation to get a table a few days in advance. A bit on the pricier side, but worth every penny.

2. Xiao Wang Fu 小王府 - If I’m not trying to impress any out-of-town guests and the priority is good value, then I opt for Xiao Wang Fu, a popular chain of duck restaurants with a good selection of classic Chinese dishes for a very reasonable price.

3. Duck de Chine - A place to impress visitors or business clients, the interior is exquisite and I’m sold by their special duck sauce (plum sauce with swirls of peanut and sesame sauce topped with roasted garlic). My mouth waters just thinking about it.  Great food, even better ambiance, so-so service, and expect to pay a pretty penny.

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If She Only Knew

Look who made theBeijinger’s classifieds!! haha

Apparently, I’m going to help her sell her left over whiskey bottle @ BLING.

Classified Ad Posted on theBeijinger Website

She may not know who I am, but in any case, whoever ends up with this bottle of whiskey won’t be disappointed as this ad is ironically and inadvertently accurate considering I am ALWAYS at BLING.  haha.

I encourage you all to help the girl out and make an offer.  At least if you do, you know I’ll be there to drink it with you!

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The Month of November

To Americans, the month of November rings fond memories of Thanksgiving holiday, family reunions, and turkey.

For the guys at Mellowparks.cn, the month of November is now being rebranded Movember (For the slower people out there: Moustache + November…Movember!)  Guys, I encourage you to join together in an effort to raise money for prostate cancer research – all while growing incredibly good looking/ridiculous looking mo’s.  Check it out:  www.movember.com for styling tips, donation info, and more.

For me, November means a month of gluttony (as an American who loves turkey feasts and I am probably the #1 Fan of all time of CityWeekend’s Gourmet Month!!)

For those of you who don’t know, CW holds two annual Gourmet Months (April & November) where about 40 of Beijing’s top restaurants are selected and placed into 3 categories (RMB 99, 150, and 250) and each restaurant provides a set menu available for the entire month that is worth more than double the set menu price they offer.

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Sasha Fierce

After going to “Beyonce’s I AM… Tour 2009″ last night, I believe the general consensus was that Beyonce deserves WAY more cred for her talent.  I have a new-found respect for this woman and so much that I was inspired enough to feel the need to share on LumDimSum.

Granted, Beyonce is already a super famous pop star and her name is known all over the world.  From her days as part of Destiny’s Child to going solo, she’s had a ton of hit singles that’s earned her a lot fame.

But even with all that under her belt, I also naturally assumed that a lot of her talent is exaggerated by the media and I think that most people think of pop stars as being famous for their talent as entertainers rather than their singing or musical talent…like Britney Spears – amazing entertainer, not such an amazing singer.

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From Chocolate to Hot Dogs, Here is this Weekend’s Breakdown

Looking for this weekend’s hot spots?  Here is this Weekend’s Breakdown (weekend for me starts on Thursday):

Thursday:  October, 22, 2009

It’s almost started to become routine to go to Xiu EVERY Thursday Night as all ladies are served free vodka cocktails until 1am, but I’m quite happy to have a great event to drive the crowds away from Xiu this week.

theBeijinger is throwing their 8-Year Anniversary Party @ Chocolate

RMB 90 All-You-Can-Drink from 8:30pm-Midnight.

Dress Code: Garish and Glam & Free champagne for the most flamboyantly dressed. (Seeing how crazy people come dressed is reason alone to go. If you don’t care for gaudy dress, then at least go for the 90rmb drink deal)

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