Big Apple Trip

Last words..

2005-12-22T12:55:00.000-05:00

Am changing the song to mark the christmas season that i was here.

Here's some math that involves why i chose this song

Home Alone + Manhattan + Christmas= Song

What's a better time than the christmas season to visit the Big Apple??

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

In a New York Minute, Pal!

2005-12-18T23:39:00.000-05:00

My last post of NYC, oh boy, i'm gonna miss this place!

I got up and tried to cram what ever i could into the last moments that i had.

i was surprised at how fast i managed to shower & get dressed. Must have been like 10 mins! Headed out and caught the train to Bloomingdale's to return some lotion that i deceided i didn't need. Then i looked around for money clips. The only one that i liked came with an unneccessary card case. And the price was gagging. So i headed down to the financial district allllllllll the way downtown. Whoa..there were plenty of people alright, being a Sunday. Tourist were all over taking pictures and looking at the sights. I made my way to Century 21 and i was sorely dissappointed there. There was only ONE miserable design that looked terrible. What a waste of time!

Then again, i remembered always wanting to head over to Brooklyn again to take a picture of NYC's skyline. And without further ado, i crossed over and walked towards the water in the bitter cold weather. There, i saw this tiny little dog chasing after a rather big black cat. While the cat looked like it was running, the dog seemed to be tottering instead. I found that hilarious that it was also yelping at the cat. Yelping, mind you, not Barking.

It was a clear day for pictures and Manhattan never looked better. Kinda wished it was night just so i could have a night view as well. But this was better than nothing.

Made it back to midtown for a last look around Times Sq & Rockafella. I remember saying to myself, one day, i WILL own something from Tiffany & Co....maybe even more than just one item!

1:32pm. I rushed back to the apt just in time to see my bro off to work. Passed the keys to him and said our goodbyes.

1:55pm. Made my way out and into the greek cafe across the road. Got a beef/lamb gyro to-go.

2:10pm. What in the world took them SO LONG to make my gyro!! I was seriously half-fuming, cranky and ready to beat someone down.

2:12pm. Hopped into a lady driven cab to the airport.

2:20pm. Hopped into a human crowd ingested airport...only to find out that the system has no reservation for my flight.

Yep...here is the highlight of my day...

NO RESERVATION!!! I waited in line for about 20 mins, tapping my foot constantly and when i finally got to an agent, i burst out my controlled anger at her and she did all she could and searched everything and finally told me: I'm sorry but there is no record of your flight today but rather, it is on the 18th of Jan. Oooo....i then remembered that i might not have made the change in the dates!!! *red-faced*

Still, i put on a yankee face and continued arguing with her and finally, i threw my hands up in exsasperation and said:" Fine, just tell me how much it is and i will pay the difference."

Yeah, a hundred bucks.

It kinda hurt to shell that George Washington bill out.....

So i got onto the 4:55pm flight on stand by and made it to dallas after a torturous flight! No in flight movies and i got a window seat. Snaps.

Upon landing, we were kept cooped inside the plane for another good 30 mins because the gate was NOT READY. I was pissed. I mean, come on!!! There should have been coordination and communication. It was my first & worst AA flight ever.

Luckily there was no one clustraphobic in the plane or else it would have been worst.

When i finally got out and picked up my bag, i was treated to a good meal of HK BBQ meats and great stir fry vegetables. YUM! Guess that somewhat made up for it.

And that, my friend, is my Big Apple Story.

What's yours?

*grins*

Since i had fun blogging, i might just keep on blogging....check on my profile page! Am still trying to deceide what is the best address for it.

Dinner at Upper East Side

2005-12-17T10:29:00.000-05:00

When your mom's friend becomes yours, what do you call them? By their title or simply by their name? Or better yet, what would you call them if they are not really too old, but yet significantly older than you? Auntie? Or Sister?

That's who i'll be having dinner with tonight. 敏慧姐姐's family. I remember back in the days when she came over from Shanghai to Singapore, joined the TV station to become an emcee and an actress. My mother met her in ballet school and took her under her wing. She had bigger sights for herself and took off to New York. In the years to come she was so busy, looking for jobs and tried to make ends meet. She found a job in the chinese TV station in Manhattan and she finally made a name for herself. Somewhere down the line, she met Ted, who is now her husband and they have 2 kids. Haven't seen them yet, but from the pictures she sent, they look cute.

Now, i have to find something relatively respectable to wear..hmm

//edit

Ah...the goodness of pasta...ohh, i'm getting ahead of myself. Let's take it from the top!

I headed over to Bloomingdale's to look at the fabulous mall. It has been in a lot of hollywood movies and i am so thrilled to see it! It is such a nice building.

I got my makeup done at the Clinique Counter and i must say, it sure was interesting. Got quite abit of tips from there. =) Now if only i can remember it.... Hmm...

Got a couple of stuff from there as well. I needed them anyways. I browsed around there for a while more and then i went out where the streets were jam packed with the holiday crowd. Got a lamb gyro. Yummy!

Walking around, looking and admiring the sights and sounds of NYC for the last time... at least for a while.

I walked my way uptown, and the transformation was obvious. The human traffic lessened, the neighborhood got more posh and the cars don't honk anymore. I was sure nervous meeting 敏慧姐姐's family. My heartbeat quickened and i was very much in shaking in my knees.

They stay on the top floor of their apartment building and it is such a quaint place. The black & white tiled floor brought a wave nostalgic memories of my younger days in my grandmother's shophouse. ...only our was green & white.

Upon entering the front door, i was greeted by light and a whole lot of plants. Polished wood floors, lovely ceiling patterns and a very very very nice slim HDTV that hung from the wall. 敏慧姐姐 is was youthful as before, but she sure is skinny! Almost stick & bones! My goodness!!! But she eats a whole lot! Hah! Kinda like my mom. We headed out to dinner at a really nice italian restaurant near the apartment. Caffe Grazie. Kinda like a hole-in-the-wall place, but it was a double storey. The ambience was elegant. We sat near the fireplace. We each got a mini bottle of champange. Brut. Fruity. Excellent.

I skipped out on the appetizer and got Linguine with N.Z Mussels & Sea Scallops. The word "Delicious" does not do it justice. The scallops was just nice and the mussels was fat, full and fresh. The linguine was al dante and the sauce was one of it's kind. The ingredients was very generous. I loved it. It's such a great meal to end my NY trip. This meal shall be my benchmark in all my italian meals in the future. Oooh...the pairing with my champange was perfect as well.

I throughly enjoyed my chat with 敏慧姐姐 & 王大哥. They are jovial people and we shared food stories and memories. I got complimented for getting prettier! =) I guess i do look better than when i was 14 when i first met her. Hah! I probed into their love lives since i missed the whole story. They were candid abt it and we joked.

Like many people, they mentioned about how different i was from my brother. 潇洒 is the word that 王大哥 used to describe me. 潇洒 = sauve/savvy. 敏慧姐姐 told him that i have always been that way since the first day that i met her. My brother is the more introverted one while i was the one that is extroverted. That made me smile.

As the champange entered into our bloodstream, we most definately warmed up to each other even more. They laughed at my childhood stories of my pet chickens & ducks, night safari trips with my mom and we discussed about ballet (敏慧姐姐 is a pro ballerina!), other world news and of course, like any true blooded chinese, food! We exchanged food tales and i peppered them with questions about the foods that the chinese pple still eat in China. From monkey brains to raw drunken river shrimps to dog meat to farmed rats meat to fried silkworms and many others. Yummmmmmmm...no? =)

They promised that if they visit Singapore, they would look up my family.

It was been so long since i met 敏慧姐姐....it was in 1998 that i last saw her! Wow...7 years! I am so glad that i made this trip to have dinner with them.

As my trip to NYC draws to an end, i will always have this journal to look back on and smile again.

Pity i didn't get a chance to take pictures and show you how 敏慧姐姐 & 王大哥 looks like! By the way, 王大哥 is 敏慧姐姐's husband.

And for the brave hearted and curious, here's the recepie for raw drunken river shrimp:-

Ingredients:-

Live river shrimp (as many as you want to eat) (MUST BE RIVER SHRIMP!)
Really strong wine/brandy/or whatever is the strong alcohol you have
Chopped chives
Shreded ginger
Sugar (optional)
(i think that's about it...)

Steps:-

1) Take live river shrimps from tank & put them in a deep bowl

2) Pour in alcohol

3) Swirl the shrimps & alcohol togther and leave it (You WANT the shrimp to get DEAD DRUNK. plus, the alcohol disinfects them)

4) When the shrimp is no longer moving and conked out from drinking the alcohol, lay them in a nice shallow dish & garnish with the chives & ginger.

5) Peel the shell off & enjoy!

PS: If the shrimp happen to jump or wriggle when you pick it up, go ahead and dunk it into the alcohol again. AND make sure that you chew it well, if not it may wake up in your belly and tickle you like crazy! =) nah!

The Sun, The Snow and I got lost in Central Park

2005-12-16T23:47:00.000-05:00

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the snow was gleaming and the public transportation strike was called off. What can be better??

Yes, a strike. There was even a countdown to the strike last night on the news. It was scheduled to occur at 12:01am today, but somehow, negotiations ran til 4:30am and the managed to come to an agreement...for now.

i hopped, skipped and jumped my way to the South Ferry Terminal where i boarded the Staten Island Ferry again, admist the tons of other tourist to view Lady Liberty as well as the Manhattan skyline. There was such clear blue skies, everything looked pretty. But, the wind was blowing...and onboard a moving ferry, it was even worse. I carefully wrapped my hand around my camera, in fear that my numb hands would drop them into the water.

Pictures from the ferry:-

On the way back from Staten Island, there were some seagulls that kept following the ferry and one flew quite close. I was half afraid that it would poo-poo on my coat...but they didn't. (^__^) Good birdies! I tried to get them to perch on my arm but i guess i had no fishes to entice them..oh well!

Something that i must confess...I was somewhat shaky as i approached the railings of the ferry. The waters were choppy from the strong winds and being on the hurricane deck, i was perched relatively high from the water. I felt myself grip the bars tightly. I am not afraid of heights, but i do feel my legs going a little soft when i look down from great heights....though i go to all lengths to not show it. But i would still love to work onboard a ship, like a cruise ship and travel the world. That's my dream! Well, one of it.

I took the train up to 72nd St. On the way there, i realised that i had not eaten anything the whole day and i was STARVED! My nose followed the scent in the air and i found myself in front of a very New York-ish eatery. It's called the Gray Papaya. ?!?!?!?!?! Yeah...that's what i thought too! But the food is really cheap and good. In fact, they have many juices (all natural). Their specialty is hot dogs, and judging from the line, they must be good. I got the "Recession Special". It was 2 franks and a drink for a grand total of $2.75!!!! Oh boy!! i was excited..and hungry. So i wolfed my franks, with plenty of saukraut (yeah, i'm becoming a yankee!) and washed it all down with the house special concoction...Papaya juice. It took them years to perfect the drink and i could really taste the papaya in it! Yum! I wonder if that was the cause of my going to the loo...Hmmm... Not very funny...

Random:- So why are the pigeons in NYC fatter than the rest? Because they get fed all the time by the pple, especially old pple....

Made my way to Central Park. I started off at the west side and cut through to get to the east side. I came by a huge lake and it was frozen over. In fact, all the bodies of water in the park were frozen. I cannot believe that Central Park is actually a man-made landscape. It does look very very natural though. However, the city did let some parts of the park go untended for a while to give it a more "natural" look.

As i ventured deeper into the park, the sky got darker and i realized that i was pretty much all alone, minus the occassional jogger. I went around in circles for a while before i realized that i have seen the same squirrel eating his nuts and it was staring at me for the upteenth time as i passed it. Now if only it talks, like in a movie. But if that happened, knowing me, i would probably still be in the park talking to the squirrel and it's family and maybe the whole squirrel clan! Squeek, squeek, squeekity squeek.

Well, i humored myself and made the best of the beautiful park surroundings and took pictures...

This was taken while there was still some light...b4 i got lost...

And...i finally found myself at the Central Park Skating Rink. Nice..It's the one flimed in Serendipity. =)

Hung around at the rink, laughed at the pple who fall and when i deceided that i was nicely frozen as night fell, i made my way to the train station, which apparently, is quite a distance away. *sigh*

The wind picked up as i walked and once again, my body was shivering and shaking. Now, my muscles are sore from all that violent shivering. Dang!

Oh please, please DON'T let the fever come back....

PS: Hope the song on the blog gets your feet tapping to the beat! =) It's Frankie Valli & the 4 Seasons! But this is the broadway version, since it has a better sound quality. Lemme know what you think of the 60s!

International Territory

2005-12-15T21:17:00.000-05:00

Woke up to a cloudy sky and someone ringing the doorbell like nobody's business. I silently wished that Jack Frost would give that person a sudden frostbite and that the finger would fall off.....no such luck.

It was 10+ when i rolled out of bed. Fever still lingered around but on the whole, i think i am well. =) Washed up and headed out to visit the United Nations Building with my bro.

On our way there, guess who showed up? Dou Dou Xian Sheng!! (^__^)

When we got there, there were no flags flying on any of the 191 flag posts surrounding the perimeter. I asked my bro and this is his smart reply: "'Cos there is no one important here today." Yeah, bro...yeah.. =) UN Flag protocol states that when the temperature falls below 25 degrees F, all flags will not be flown as the pulleys might break from the cold. However, the only flag that flies 24/7 is the UN Flag.

So we proceeded into the visitor's entrance and had to go through security. 2 of the armed guards laughed at me as i raced with my bro to the front. I simply jumped across the roped off section...and started to strip for the check. Ok, not a full strip. You get my point.

UN is ...well, nice. technically, if you have watched "The Interpreter", you would have also seen the inside of the UN. It was nice and big, with lots of abstract art given from artists all over the world. Guess what's the theme? Peace.

That's the main room where the World Summit Meeting is held. "Interpreter" was flimed in this room!

I thought that the best gift was from China...a magnificent ivory sculpture carved from 8 elephant tusks that took 2 years to finish. It showed the railway project that connects Sichuan to Yunnan. It was very very beautiful, right down to the last detail.

Once you step into the UN grounds, you are no longer in America but on international territory that belongs to all of the UN member countries. Cool! They even have their own fire,police & postal department.

And...guess where the diplomats go to have their pearly whites brightened?

I didn't really understand a lof of the abstract art, but i guess everyone around me looked like they did, so i pretended that i was very impressed by it & gave my fair share of the "oohs" & "aahs". Inside, i was thinking..."what is this?!"

But i do like abstract photography though.

Other random pictures that i took:-

Here's MY abstract art..shoes on color. Geddit?

The fat international squirrel...

Went for lunch/dinner at an Italian place. It was not too bad. Mine was a little salty...hmm..When the bill came though, my eyes almost popped out. So you can pretty much guess the price range.

When onboard the train to Times Sq, i stood up for an elderly lady to sit but she declined and thanked me. Just at that moment, the train jerked and moved forward. That lady lost her balance and moved backwards, almost falling. It's a good thing there were many pple around to catch her, including me. She then smiled and still declined. I think a) she didn't think she was that old, b) she is even more embarressed to take my seat now.

The Staten Island Ferry Station is nice and big. The Ferry itself is huge. It was starting to rain but it fell as ice. Standing on the observation deck, my face was attacked by the rain of ice. Ouch! The view of Manhattan as the ferry pulled away was beautiful, with the Brooklyn bridge all lit up, Manhattan never looked better!

We got off at Staten Island and boarded the Ferry for the ride home. While at the observation deck, i met 2 gentlemen who kindly offered to halp take a picture of me. his camera was really great! It sure looked liked a professional's! We exchanged pleasantries and they gave me their card. One of them was the president of Launch 5, which is a project group that does Search & Rescue(Sea), Environmental Cleanup(Sea), Historic Preservation(Boats) & Education. The other gentleman was also in the same project, except that he is the attorny for the group. Very nice. They are going to send pictures from his camera to me. Chatted with his daughter as well, who is currently a sophmore in UPenn. She thought i looked too young to have already graduated from college. *grins*

The ice-rain was really starting to get to me when we docked and the temperature was getting lower. My bro and I deceided to head home so that i can rest and get the last of my fever away from me and have an early start tomorrow to visit Lady Liberty.

I'm thinking of falling asleep to a movie tonight...but which?

Top 10

2005-12-15T01:10:00.000-05:00

So just as i was about to drift off to Slumber Land, somebody just called and apparently it was the wrong number.

Since my heart is sitll pumping from the adrenaline from the very hyper ringtone that i have, might as well blog to calm down.

Yesterday, my sole itinerary was to watch Jersey Boys again. And, this time round, my 60s music history has been revised and revived. Guess who was grooving along with the grandfathers and grandmothers?? You got it! (^__^) C'est moi!

Stopped at Columbus Mkt at the bottom of Central Park as i finished sending some important mail to my travel agent...It was cold. Actually cold is not defining enough. It was more than cold. It is the kind of cold that leaves your exposed body parts(eg, hands) hurting and numb. I had to keep looking to check if my hands were still attached. But, i bought a box of not-cheap-german-imported-crunchy-cookies. I bit into the sample and for a moment, i was brought back to my childhood where my grandmother fed me cookies like that. I have been looking for this taste for a long time now. Apparently, the traditional cookie vendor has seemed to vanished into thin air. But now, i have a box of something similar tasting. And i am smiling.

On a second thought, the cookies are not really helping my cough very much either. I was starving as i walked towards the metro and i started to wolf the cookies.

Cold, dry air + Action of wolfing down dry cookies + slow production of saliva glands = Majorly embaressing choking and coughing in the middle of the road.

On top of that, my nose started to run. Oh boy was i a sight. With no scarf in the 18 degree weather, i am so glad i made it home.

Fever's still hanging around but it went down to abt 100. Maybe it will be gone tomorrow. I've been drinking fresh grated ginger tea....

On the subway ride, my mind compiled a top 10 list of what i have learned in NYC (so far!):-

10) NEVER saunter across the road. You better be quick or you're asking for it.

9) NEVER saunter on the pavement. Move to the side or get ready to be peppered with angry words in italian, jewish,greek or just by any near object.

8) DO help other poor tourist who do not have their sense of bearings in order. EVEN if you are not a New Yorker(but know the place well), HELP THEM! I mean, pity them, man!

7) MOVE to the middle of the train car during rush hours or you're seriously asking for trouble, especially from angry old ladies whose their bling-bling rings will leave permanent scars and render you scar-faced...

6) NEVER stop to read your map right after you exit the subway. You'll get trampled over and get hospitalized, if not dead.

5) POP into every Starbucks on the block and get a cuppa "kuo-fee".
4) KEEP your hands to yourself, especially rgd. Old Ladies. I almost got pummeled by a granny with this huge umbrella for trying to help with her bags. I think she though i was robbing her.

3) DON'T breathe loudly, talk, move or even think about clearing your throat in a ballet concert...you're gonna get shushed by everyone around. Including from the baby behind you.

2) "TWALK" fast! If you stutter, better write it down and tell pple what you want. If not, you've guessed it...! You'll be asking for it.

1) EAT gum and chew it in such a way that your saliva is spitting out of your mouth and onto the faces of pple walking towards you. It's even better if you can add some italian accent plus a swagger...and go: " How you doin'? "

Have a nice night.

Bring it on, Wind!

2005-12-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

I think i should blog anyways...if not i will forget.

A whopping 19 Degrees. I think i was brave to venture out to the city. As expected, my fever came back again. But i'm not yet bed-ridden, so that is a good thing, right?

Was planning to catch Jersey Boys tonight but the seat was crappy. Will try again tmw. Now that i have the broadway CD, you can be sure that i will be grooving to the beats! Maybe i should just jump onstage, eh? Oh wait...i would probably fall into the pit...

Am not really in the mood to talk abt my day...but i will post pictures for you guys. You can pretty much tell from there.

*gloomy*

Trip to the Hershey's Candy Store....

The United American of Fat Birds...

then again, maybe they are just trying to keep warm...but then again, they sure look FAT.

Feeling naughty, anybody? :p

The famed Peninsular Hotel

At the Disney Store...i saw a cute version of my favs...

The Paramount Building's top...

On a happier note, my bro and i just spent the last hour talking to my cute baby cousin in Singapore. She is hilarious! She cracks me up! Apparently, she is easily tickled. Plus, my brother was really humoring her.

I feel a little better.

Sniffling thoughts

2005-12-13T23:58:00.000-05:00

Some how, my day sucked.

Actually, it was going well, kinda, minus the 19degree weather...and then i came home and talked on the phone, but when i put down the phone, it left me feeling like ................. .

Feverish Blah

2005-12-13T01:31:00.000-05:00

Got up from a short nap.

My fever in the big apple is official. It climbed up to 102. Man! I'm burning. My temples are sore from my pressing. I am COLD. Shivering.The air feels too cold for me to breathe and hence i breathe from under the covers.

I am pathetic right now. :(

I seriously need to trim my hair. But then again, the absolutely crazy amout that they charge in NY is enough to make my eyes go pop. Better do it when i get back. Plus, i can never figure how much tip to leave anyways. My standard of service is kinda high and if they dont reach it...sorry.. I guess i never really recovered from the time my ear got snipped when i got my haircut in Tulsa. Bled quite a bit too.. tsktsk.

My back hurts...spine actually. Maybe i should go befriend a chiropractor. Come to think of it, the chiro that i went to after my car wreck is an alumni. Too bad he doesn't have a practice in Dallas. He named his new baby daughter after me. I beamed when i heard it.

Alright, going to hit the sack again.

Just looked at weather.com. Frigid weather ahead....hmm..my bro is worried abt lending me his scarves....*grumble* Looking forward to my new scarf! *grins*

PS: I am feeling happy. Glad i did what i did the other day.

S.I.C.K

2005-12-12T18:54:00.000-05:00

Nope, I'm not sick of NYC. Rather, I am sick. =( I was just slightly feverish when i dragged my body out of bed. Sore muscles and even my bones felt sore...

I left for St. Paul's Church, which is also a part of the Trinity Church. There was a Messiah's Concert at 1pm. The choir had a beautiful voice and the musicians were just as good. In fact, they were the same orchestra from Trinity last week! =)

The Church itself is not as big as Trinity but there were 2 levels. Instead of a dark sactuary lighted by candles and dim lights, the stained glass were clear and there were lights from the ceiling were brilliant. I was a little tired from standing a whole hour. There was a family that left their seat somewhere in the middle and i quickly walked over to take a seat. A man turned to me and said that there were people seating there and he proceeded to put his walking stick across. I was like:"what?!" But of course i didn't said it out loud. I just left and stood at the back again.

The finale, Hallelujah, was a little weak. But hey, it was not a very large choir group either. And i was at the very end of the sanctuary. Eveyone stood up for it. Respect.

Looked around the church for a bit and learned of it history and how it played a vital part in 9/11. In fact, St Paul is right next to the WTC. Banners were hung up from people all over the world. Only some of them are still up today. Here's one for all the Okies from Muskogee...and the Tulsans too!

George Washington had his inagural at St Paul and he worshipped at the church until the capital was moved to Pennslyvania. Here's his personal pew...

Origami cranes from Japan after 9/11...

Visitors to the church write well wishes for the church...

...and my wishes for St Paul...

I managed to slip in with a Big Apple Tour, which takes pple around to the sights that they wanna see. I followed them to Brooklyn. We walked past the Civic Plaza, where the buildings were nice and old and then proceeded to cross the Brooklyn Bridge on foot. The structure of the bridge was impressive. In fact, it is the only bridge whose arch was errected in stone. The other bridges were all in steel. The wind was horribly cold. And i mean horrible. Once again, my hands were numb and i was unable to feel anything. I didn't even know what cut my hand. All i saw was blood dripping. Relax guys, not too much blood.

My camera's battery died right when i reached the center of the bridge. Dang! The skyline view of Manhattan was the best right over in Brooklyn but i guess i will have to make another trip there to take pictures. It took about altogether 20+ mins to get into Brooklyn. Nice....

The bitter cold sea winds must have gotten to me because in Brooklyn, i started to feel achy and i was coughing again. Uncomfortable. My body felt like it was gonna snap.

Finally bade out goodbyes as the tour ended and i took the train back to Manhattan. I was gonna go get food, my first meal of the day, since it was already abt 4pm. Hungry and Cold do not go together. Apparently, someone advised me to get on the WRONG train and i ended at the far end of Greenwich Village. And the Italian Restaurant that i wanted to eat at was faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from where i was. Maybe not too far, but in the cold, yeah, it's far. So, deceided to hop into a cab and have him take me there.

Flagged one down, ask him if he knew where it was. He said No and apparently he was off-duty. So i shut the door and he drove off, along with my knitted scarf as well as half my life. The moment of strangulation that i felt caused by my scarf left me with my arms waving after the cab,wide-eyed and coughing on the pavement. Too much coughing....made my throat dry. I breathed slowly, watched the cab drive off like a drag queen in my scarf. When i regained my other half of my life back, i trudged to the train station again, shivering even more without a something around my neck.

Just how many scarves can i possibly lose in NYC?! *grumble,grumble*

Made it to Times Sq, almost half collapsing....and hungry. I stood in the middle fo the neon sea of lights as the human crowd walked around me. Stepped into Virgin Megastore to listen to the CD of Jersey Boys and comtemplated if i should buy it. ($15) And i haven't come to a conclusion yet. I had no clue where was a good place to eat and somehow, american was not appetizing at that point. After walking around the blocks, thinking, i deceided to get a Knish first.

Knish:- Some potato puff in a light batter. Looks fried, tastes baked. Eat with mustard.

I don't think my stomach liked me very much for chomping down the knish. Ate too fast. Stomach felt bad...felt like throwing up. Body hurts, my legs on the verge of collapsing, cranky from hunger...ARRRRRGH...whatever, i took the train back.

*sigh* Moral of my day? Eat. and hydrate. Stay warm.

A Perfect Family rambling

2005-12-11T13:22:00.000-05:00

As i sat on the R heading home, there was this good looking family that boarded the train. 2 boys and 1 girl (youngest). Looking at them, something popped into my head...there was a time my family was like them:- Father is the protector and security of the family, Mother was looking beautiful and elegant. The 2 boys, playing rough with each other on the train. It looks as though they will grow up to protect their little sister from the boys when she is in high school. As for the little girl....the baby of the family, as she clings tightly to her dad as her mom smoothes her hair.

Watching them, they gave me the feeling of being a happy family. Almost perfect. But of course, who am i to know? But the appearance sure is perfect!

Italiano Jersey Boys Mafia

2005-12-10T23:09:00.000-05:00

1 word. Super-fantastico. Wow! Jersey Boys was absolutely fabulous! It blew my mind! The power in the singers voices and the smoothness of the stage props change-over and all. It sure made my night!

What's it about you ask? Well, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Technically, Frankie was one of the original Four Seasons, with Tommy Devito, Nick Devito and Bobby-Something. They are all originally from Jersey except for Bobby but they are all Italians.

Tommy Devito discovered Frankie Valli when he was like 14 or 15. He got Frankie to sing in gigs with him and slowly, they added Bobby through introduction from Joe Pesci. (sp?)

They rose to fame after Bobby, who is talented in writing and producing songs, came up with not 4 but 5 hits, including Sherry Baby, Walk Like A Man, Oh What A Night, Bigs Girls Don't Cry and Stay.

Unfortunately, interal strive broke apart the Four Seasons and all that was left was Frankie and Bobby. Tommy was in trouble with the Mafia and Nick deceided that he wanted to just go home.
Frankie and Bobby found 2 other guys to sing with them and they continued their tour around the country. Later on, Bobby springs on Frankie that he doesn't like to be in the spotlight singing. He wants to write and produce songs. Finally, the sought a drummer, 2 guitarist and a sax player. They are renamed :- Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons.

Francine to Frankie on their first date:-

You're Italian! And all italian last names end with a vowel. Degato, Devito, Pizza!

Snowflakes are falling on my head

2005-12-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

Another day blanketed with snow. I could hardly open my eyes at all! The light reflected off the snow was so bright! Everything looks beautiful, minus the sludge. Yuck.

What shall i do today? Maybe head up to Flushing? Have not had some good chinese food in a while. And then maybe after that i could head to midtown again to uptown. Better go get washed up & changed.

My parents called this morning and they realliy liked those pictures that i sent them. (^__^) And i even included the picture of my brother looking like a Bean-Head. Muahahaha...So cute though. Makes me laugh.

This was taken at the subway. *grins* Mr Bean...Dou Dou Xian Sheng!

//edit

Sorry for the late edit... was tired and rested when i came back.

Went out to 5th Ave to visit the St. Patrick Church. It's a catholic church alright. I was uneasy when i stepped in...lots of statue of mother mary, st louis, st micheal, etc....there were even bodies of the past bishops under the pulpit!! Dang.. It was huge and beautiful on the inside though. The ceilings are high and arched, lots of stained glass. Here are some pictures that i thought looked good and not freaky. (^__^)

About the double doors pictured above, you see, the one of the left says St John, Patron of this Church, while the door on the right says St Patrick, Saint of this church. Puzzled, i asked my brother which church this was last night when we were here. I guess the cold was really getting into him and he quickly answered: "Aiyah, if you go in this door, it's St John Church. If you go in that door it's St Patrick's Church loh!" I laughed so hard!

Anyways, more pictures...

Didn't really go around much after that. Walked around Rockafella again and then headed to Whole Foods to get dinner and took the train home.

Hmm..then again, if i DID do something after that, i don't remember it anymore since i do not have pictures to help chronicle it.

*sheepish*

A day like today

2005-12-08T23:50:00.000-05:00

What a day! Today was really fun! Got up earlier today and got dressed to my brother's rhythmic snoring. Headed downtown to the Financial District.

The R train took me right to Rector and Wall, where Trinity Church stood. After a quick lunch at the World Cafe, I was just in time for the Church's Concert at One. It was the New York Bach's Choir and a small group of strings performing. They were good. Plus, the architecture of the Church made the music sound even better.
When the church was built it was claimed as a Gothic Revival. Many churches started to be built in the same manner after that. In fact the current Trinity has been destroyed twice. Once by a great fire and the second time was unexplained. The last time it was built was in 1864. The doors are full slabs of bronze and the figures are carved from the actual slab. Amazing! I wonder how much hours must the artist have put in, labouring under an oil lamp...

As i wandered the church's courtyard, there were tombstones around. One of the oldest known craved tombstone belonged to a 5 yr old boy named Richard. He died in the 15-hundreds. Here are more tombstones :-

There's really a body under this tomb! And it is indoors too!

The stained glass in the sanctuary was beautiful. They are one of the oldest stained glass in America. The artwork is simply breathtaking. I cannot even start to imagine how talented those stone masons are. Pictures of the Church's interior :-

Above is the Prayer Room...

Here is a slab in memory of a Navy man...

The baptismal and a portrait of the Father, Son and the Holy Sprit (Dove).

After the church, I headed out to Wall Street where the New York Stock Exchange is at. It is a fine building. The pillars were decorated in lights and there was a large Christmas Tree right outside. Too bad that i could not go in. Ever since 9/11 it has closed its doors to the public. Dang it! Dumb Terrorist...*grumble grumble* Love the pictures though. I think i will come back again. I just love how NYC is full of christmas lights. But then again, New York IS the city of lights! It's christmas at NYSE!!

Walked a few streets down to the Charging Bull..It's good luck to rub it!

World Trade Center Ground Zero Site...They took the Viewing Platform away! So i could only take pictures from ground level. That's just a random building that i thought looks good. (^_^)

Went shopping at Century 21, which is right next to the site. It huge! And it has many branded goods at cheap prices! I am so going back there again!

Met with my bro for dinner at midtown & had sushi. It's really good! Yummy...It's an all you can eat. Here's a glimpse at their "rules". Took shots of my bro and me at the restaurant. It's named COCO SUSHI. Interesting name... We were stuffed by the time we finished! We lugged out heavy butts to Rockafella Sq to see the lights and ice skating ring. Nope that is not the one that Serendipity filmed at. I think that one is at Central Park or Woolworth. Still trying to get my bro to take me to that Serendipity Malt Shoppe. Oprah said it was the best milkshake that she ever had! And i guess when Oprah says something, it means something, right? =) NBC Studios is at the Rockafella building, so check out the picture of me & Trump! (^__^)

Embarassing story : I was taking a picture with a christmas bear and at the end of it the character held out a christmas stocking to me. I thought it was candy inside since there were many children taking pictures so i reached in and felt around. There was no candy inside but money! Oh man...i was so embaressed. I quickly took my hand out and gave some coins that i had in my pocket and walked away.. Haha..

This window display on Fifth Avenue caught my eye. *rubs hands with glee*

And finally...the buskers on the streets wish everybody a merry, happy christmas!!

PS: My next stop sometime this week - St Patrick Church on Fifth Ave. Hmm.. I wonder if pple come for confession for spending thousands of dollars shopping? Heh heh...

They call me the Naked Cowboy

2005-12-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

Woke up feeling all warm and snuggly - the heater was blowing comforting air to my face. Still feeling good from the post-effect of The Nutcracker, I got up and started to finish up my blog of last night.

Missed going to the Financial District today since my bro didn't budge until past noon. He stayed up til 7 this morning to finish Full House! I took some picture of his "Mohawk". I think my bro has an interesting face.

Lunch was at Han Bat's, same place where I went for supper. Bro was craving Bibimbap (due to Full House) so I brought him there. It's his first Korean meal in NYC. I feel special. (^_^) We had a whole lot of appetizer and some kind of Korean seafood pancake. He had his Bibimbap of course and I had my Seafood Tofu Soup again. We were stuffed! At the end of the meal, bro was feeling sleepy again. Hah!

I recorded a bunch of guys doing street dancing / break dancing at the Times Sq Subway. They were rather good. There was an Asian amongst them. I thought it was funny. Looks like a Japanese. Short guy. Hah! Am trying to upload it to youtube. Will post the link here when I get it.

The cold was bitter today, making me wince at almost every step. I guess my jeans are not that warm for my legs, eh? Brr!! My back muscles are sore from the combination of walking and violent shivering.

We walked Times Sq again today because there were other places that I didn't get to see the other time. The Lion King Broadway production is going on now at the New Amsterdam Theater.

I am so tempted to watch it but I also want to watch Jersey Boys really badly. I saw them perform at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and they were SO GOOD! The story's abt Frankie Vallie and his band.

At one point where my hands were turning numb and heavy from the cold, my bro went to his beloved Starbucks to get himself a hot drink and I looked up at the sky. I liked what I saw. Do you?

There was this McDonald's with bright lights and I thought it looks fabulous. No other fast foods places that I saw at Times Sq but MacD. Of course, the American icon of Fast Food, right?

I tried to take more pictures of the gigantic electronic billboards, sights and pple. It was quite painful to take pictures since I had no idea of my hands were gripping the camera of not!

Interesting sight of the day:- Naked Cowboy. Not, not completely naked, just down to his briefs. He had a guitar and he was posed with the ladies. I tried to get a picture together but the other more salacious ladies beat me to him. Poor guy! He must have been cold because he started to leave and I bet he was going to get clothes on. Hahaha...I mean come on! It's like bitter cold! I think my parents saw him this summer and they laughed and I bet my mom was embarrassed for him. *grins* That look on her face must have been worth a million dollars! Oh, I wish I could see it.

Popped in to the Times Sq Alliance Building and looked around. They have a free tour every Friday at noon and they take you around and show you what's what in Times Sq. Bro & I even took a digi picture and sent it via email to my parents - compliments of Yahoo! Mail. It was fun.

Random:- Am craving McDonald's. Hmm..weird.

Finally, my bro decided that he could not take the cold anymore and he headed back first. We parted and I went to the greatest toyland on earth - TOYS 'R' US!!! I just love that place! I took more pictures of the inside since the last time I came, my camera had no battery. There is a Ferris wheel in there but no rides for me. Headed to candy central on the 2nd floor and took a picture with Blue M&M.
I was planning to make out with it but I decided to keep it clean for the sake of the kiddies everywhere. (^___^) The Lego structure of Empire State Building, complete with King Kong look quite real from a distance. I almost mistook the Tyrannosaurus from Jurassic Park to be made from Lego too. When it started to move and roar, I realized I was wrong. Bad Dino, bad, bad Dino!

Headed back after my toy euphoria & got a shish kebab on my way to the subway. Nice vendor. he let me take a picture of him and the stall.

I think i am hungry enough now to eat. Oh man..chinese take out again huh? Oh well!

Ballet, Champange and a Japanese Lady

2005-12-06T23:02:00.000-05:00

Impulse is good. It was impluse that lead me to watch the NYCB's Nutcracker. I have never enjoyed a ballet as much as i did tonight. The energy that the ballerinas had in their twirls and jumps was amazing. Even the little children from the American Ballet School did such a fabulous job that they stole half the show away from the adults! It sure beat Tulsa's production hands down! The costume design was beautiful and the stage prop was really something! There was a 12 foot christmas tree that later on "grew" to be 40 ft tall!

The Lincoln Hall was where the event was staged. It was such a majestic hall. It had 5 levels of seating, plus the orchestra seating on the first floor. The live orchestra was good but not the best that i have heard. I think the London Symphony Orchestra is so far unbeatable. (^_^)

Backtracking a little.....Today's first meal was indian (again!) at the Whole Foods Market. It was really nice..but a little too much fiber as nature sure did it's calling a little while later! At Whole Foods, they charge you not by what you take but rather, by the pounds. Interesting concept... It sure made me a happy camper! They had some interesting light show going on as well. That's me at Time Warner Building after Whole Foods...

Was at Borders for a bit, look at the business section but i could not really find much on administration. But I did find a book by John C Maxwell on being an INFLUENCE to others. I think i will get that book back in Dallas. There were also a whole lot of NY Postcards and paranomic pictures cards. I was tempted to buy them but i am sure that i can get them at the streetside NY Souvenier shops. The photographer did such excellent work capturing the architecture and energy of the city.

I ventured into Mandarin Oriental, only this time, i went up to the conceirge and asked about where are some interesting places to go to. He showed me a brochure of the Lincoln Hall and the events that were going on. I deceided to check out the Julliard Music School which is about 1 block from Lincoln Hall. On my way there, I stopped at the lobby to check my map for directions and i had my brows furrowed for a while. A MO employee took the initiative to come up to me and offered to help me locate my destination. She even gave me precise directions! Very nice. Way to go, MO! I'm proud to be one of you guys!

As i passed by Lincoln, i saw a group of pple standing outside and suddenly, the great hall doors opened and the pple started thronging in. Curious, i deceided to check it out...and lo behold, The Nutcracker was on! I am glad i made that ticket purchase. That will be my standard for the Nutcracker from now on, until a better company tops it.

I got a champange during intermission and after i gluped it down, i could feel my muscles relaxing and a fuzzy feeling running through my body. I felt good..... I enjoyed Act II even more. After the show, i walked out to the balcony to take some pictures. A japanese lady came up to me and offered to help take my picture. I thanked her and in return, helped took a picture of her. I spoke with her in japanese (Thank you J-drama & Lions Club Exchange Programe!) and she was rather impressed. Of course, she could tell i was not japanese but she thought i did a good job. I bumped into more japanese ladies who are just as tiny as she is and they all smiled at me. I bowed, and they all bowed back and started laughing. "How funny!" they must think of me, a non-japanese, bowing to them.

I was going to head on to Julliard after my 2 hour detour, but hunger struck me and i deceided that Korean Tofu Soup was the order of the night. I had to use the bathroom so bad so i went back to MO again to use the nice and clean bathroom that they had. At the same time, i got to enjoy the 35th Floor night view again.

The korean restaurant that my NY guidebk recommended was closed so i went next door, a 24 hr place. The soup was satisfying to the last drop. The clams were so fresh and the prawn was huge! Loved it. Will most definately be back and i will bring my brother because i know he will like it too!

After being all nice and toasty, i head back out to the sub and i caught sight of Macy's. There we displays in the windows that seem to come to life at every the stroke of the hour. Each window had a different theme that springs out of a book. At the sound of the chime, a huge book in the middle of the window would slowly flip open and there would be a display of the birth of Jesus, the Nutcracker or a christmas tree.

A funny sight was a public toilet smack in the middle of the pedestrian walk. I thought it was funny. It looked almost like a kiosk than a public toilet!

The temperature must have dropped about 10 degrees while i was eating because i was shivering so bad. Brr!! And to think that i lost my scarf yesterday. Luckily my bro has a ton of scarfs for me to borrow. *grins*

Saw a band called Susan Cagle Band perform at the underground tunnel at Times Sq when i was switching trains. They were really good! I liked their songs. Was gonna buy one until i found out that not all the songs that they performed were on it. They were new songs.

Now that i have a NY guidebk, a plan to make the rest of my stay more adventurous. Stay tuned! (^_^)

How Much Is That Doggy In The Window

2005-12-05T12:21:00.000-05:00

Wow. I sure got up uber late today. Didnt have my first meal until 6pm. The Sky was dark when i left the apartment. Took the sub to Lexington Ave and deceided to look for an Indian restaurant. Armed with NO map and NO clue where the heck i was going, i started to walk towards uptown. There was an animal store with puppies in the foreground display of the store. Reminds me of : "How much is that doggy in the window? Arf, Arf!!"

I walked by Bloomingdale's, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Marriott Hotel, W Hotel, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Doubletree Hotel, Inter-Continental Hotel and the Grand Central Market.

Since i was really hungry, i didnt exactly popped into those nice hotels. But finally, driven by the cold and hunger, i sought out refuge at the Market and looked around. It was not a very big place, but it sure was long! There were pple selling fresh fish, vegetables, nuts, pasteries, cakes, breads, coffe & tea, german sausages, cooked food and soups. It sure was a bustling place! Many pple were buying food on their way home. I saw this really nice crystal drop ornament hanging from the ceiling of the Market and took a picture of it. I thought that it would reflect off from my flashlight and look more brilliant but i guess i was wrong! Hah!

On my way out, my eyes caught some interested looking small cakes and i couldn't help but take a picture. It looks great but on the other hand, it also looks very very sweet. My teeth hurts just thinking about the amount of sugar it has!

Bracing the cold, i head out again in search of indian curry...i spotted Grand Hyatt and deceided to go in and ask for directions to the nearest restaurant to the hotel. There were some kind of annual business function going on in the lobby and lots of companies were represented. I was tempted to mingle among them but apparently, their section was sealed off and they had security stand around the perimeter.

Grand Hyatt sure looked grand! Very nicely done. Crowded too! It seems like a good deal of tourist were staying there.

I finally got to the restaurant which was about 7 blocks away and sat down for my nann and spinach & cottage cheese. It was not too bad but i was really craving something spicier and more curry like. All in all, i give it a 7. Fact that i DIDN'T get any service at all, i will rate the place a 4. I was the only chinese there and the waiters were all looking at me weird. Hmm..i guess not much chinese pple in Ny eats indian eh?

Funny thing that happened - I forgot to sign my receipt! Hmm..i wonder if they will still charge it to my acct since i didn't sign it. *ponders* And i left my scarf behind in the restaurant too!

I felt better after having food in my tummy. I browsed some book store and i guess i must have entered an upscale one since the sticker made my eyes almost jump out of their sockets. Leather bound, First editions of famous books etc...yep, i was in some place where the rich buy these books as an display item!

Made my way back and stopped at a thai place to get some tom yum soup. Funny, it tasted better when i ate it at thet restaurant it self as compared to when i took it home. Quite disspointing. Plus, my irritating ulcer made it hard for me to actually chew anything. Maybe i should be on a soup diet from now on. Hearty soups, anyone??

It started to snow last night while i headed towards the apartment. Yay! It was came down in light flutters and when i tilted my head up, i saw it against the light of the street lamp and the orangy light that reflected off the snowflakes looked gorgeous. After an hour or so, the snow stopped but somewhere during the middle of the night, the snowflakes became larger and fell harder. Such a pretty sight....

"I'm walking in a winter wonderland..."

Winter Snow-nata

2005-12-04T11:54:00.000-05:00

Woke up to a world blanketed in white snow. Very nice. Looks as if God gave the world a fresh coat of paint and deceided that it should be white.

Heading out to Dimsum in a bit..that is when my brother deceides to move he butt from the sofa where he is currently slumbering at. Maybe i should assist him by playing some music? Ooohh..he's up now. (^___^)

Will try to have some interesting pictures to post today!

//edit

Sorry pple! I was rather tired that day after i came back from eating dimsum. In fact i still am...

Anyways, Dimsum was not bad. The siumai is so far the BEST that i have ever tasted. The others..was so so. My brother's friends didn't show up in time to eat with us so we went to drink hot bubble tea afterwards. I thought it weird so i didn't. Took some pictures to pass time as my bro drank his tea...It was uber cold outside. Everyone, young and old alike were all wrapped up tightly.

We deceided to go sing some Karaoke...which was like *bleh*. There were not much new songs and my bro sang about 99.5% of all the songs. :)

It was dark by the time we left the KTV place. So wedeceided to make our way home and settle in for the night. We ordered chinese take out with his housemates and watched Extreme Home Makeover. It was a sad story but some pple started sobbing and bawling before the makeover part of the show even started.. Hah! So, it is abt this father an dhis 3 daughters who are living in this house that is really beat up and old and leaky. His wife and him bought the house in hope of fixing it up so that one day the will have their dream house. But his wife died in her sleep on their bed and the world came crashing down after that. Dang!

So, anyways, the get a whole new house, and i mean brand new, including appliances and all. 1800 volunteers, and whole lotta other help. It was a nice house on the inside but i didnt like the exterior too much at all. It was baby blue on the 2nd level of the house but it was brick on the 1st level. Weird combination.

After that show, i watched Full House online and then had conversations and then finally went to bed. I was flat out tired by then and i was out even before myhead touched the pillow.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, everybody!

32 degrees & screaming kids

2005-12-03T20:17:00.000-05:00

My eyes popped open at 9am today. Room was kinda stuffy and i was parched. Got a cup of water & i plopped down on the sofa & went back to dream-land.....until the landlord's kids were like screaming and shouting outside the door and along the stairwell. #@!#@%#%$#$

Thai food for lunch around Astoria and then it's on my own again. Where shall i go today? There is a 3 story Barnes & Nobles in Chelsea. Got a map of the main sights in downtown NY. I want to visit them all!

Tried to head for the Strand Bookstore @ Union Sq but i missed the station and tried to walk there. Got distracted many many times on the way and ended up in Chinatown instead!! ARGH!! Oh well, but i had a good time walking though. Lots of human traffic as well as cars..The honking and shouting and colourful profanities sure added to the NYC atmosphere!

Saw an old church upon surfacing from the sub station. It's called Grace Chruch. It's in teh process of restoration to preserve the marble and interior. It's really old. There was a holiday concert going on while i was there.

Visited the NYU Bookstore. Their school colours are purple and white. Nope, didn't see the Olson twins - they must be out drinking and having a typical NYU freshie lifestyle.

Walked more & took pictures of some sights that didn't turn out that great. Bummer. Got a nice snapshot of the famous DKNY wall mural though. Looks great! Now if only i had someone with me to take a picture for me. *sigh* It's funny how the Wendy's looks snazzy in Broadway, as compared to the other Wendy's i've been to. Basically, that area where i alighted the sub is mainly a NYU hub. There are lots of NYU buildings scattered around that area.

It was really cold today, but not as cold as last night. Tomorrow, it is supposed to snow a little. Let's see how accurate the weatherman is.

Oh yeah, saw a Jesus action figure. Hilarious! There was also a Beethovan, Mozart,Shakesphere and other famous historical figures. Check out the picture above!

On the way home, i heard this asian and black lady who were in a verbal squabble. Wow. That asian was sure fierce. Her voice was so loud too! Kinda feel sorry for the black girl but i have no idea what the squabble was abt though. The asian was throwing profanities in the black girl's face and insulting her. The black tried to retaliate but her voice was much softer and you could so tell that she was embaressed. At one point the asian kept saying shut up and finally she went: " Talk to the hand." Man! I really pity the guy that was sandwiched between them both. Poor thing! He was initally leaning forward when the verbal abuse was going on. There was a slight pause and he thought that it was safe to lean back against the seat and that was when the whole thing started again. Haha..so he leaned forward again and shook his head. By this time, pple in the train were staring and looking (including me!) and laughing.. *sigh* all i can say is that there are Yankees who are nice and there are Yankees who are total morons.

Will be staying in and having dinner & a movie from blockbuster. Bought Roast Pork from Chinatown and fresh Soymilk too! Dim Sum tmw..so that makes the 6th time i will be in chinatown in 6 days.

Alrighty..time to wash up and change into comfy clothes and wait for food!

Sniffle & Burn

2005-12-02T11:53:00.000-05:00

Yeah, the title is kinda weird but it makes sense to me. Sniffle from the cold weather, burn refers to the slight fever that i have. Yup. What a wonderful start to Day 3 in the Big Apple.

So after walking about 5 hours non-stop yesterday, i woke up to a rather stiff back. I have deceided to NOT use a sling bag for looooooong time. Gonna take my trusty backpack with me.

My mom called this morning and i tried to pretend that i was NOT sleeping. I dont think i fooled her. Mr Ho came back at abt 4:30 and i remember i took his "extra firm" pillow away for myself. Haha.

Was supposed to go to Saten Island today to check out Lady Liberty but according to my bro, it is too cold to be out near the waters. Bummer.

New plan for today:
- Chinatown for lunch
- Walking around Rockafella
- Browse a cool bookstore
- Eat a dirty water dog

Am supposed to watch some kind of movie tonight. I wonder what my bro has in mind. If it is gonna be Narnia, I think i might pass. Why? Just cause i am not into that kind of stories. Ask me in abt 3 yrs' time, i might relent and watch it and maybe, just maybe get hooked up onto it like LOTR.

Ok, time to go get some yummy food. What should i have? Pho? Wonton Mee? Charsiu Rice? Chicken Rice? Decisions, decisions....*sigh*

Randomly remembered something i wanna share from Readers Digest:

One day, my 5 yr old son & I were heading to MacDonalds when we saw a huge car accident along the way. There sirens and the police were trying to regulate the traffic flow. Usually, in such situations we say a short prayer for whoever might be in the wrecks. I turned and ask my son:"Shall we pray?" From the back seat, i could hear my son's earnest voice going:" Dear Lord, oh please don't let those cars block the entrance to MacDonalds!"
- From the Readers' Digest

Okay, now how do you get the paragraph to align after you type a quote??? Blogspot should come with a guidebook. Figure it out later. Gotta eat!
//edit
Seriously, man, why is it that everytime i plan a day, i do not accomplish it, except for eating at Chinatown?? Dang you, Murphy's Law!! =(
Met two Taiwanese mothers in Manhatten while eating my noodles. They sat at the same table as i did. When my Charsiu Wonton noodles came, they looked at it very obviously and compared it to the one that they ate at another store. So i smiled at them and started chatting abt food with them. I found out that they are from Flushing, NY and that there is also a chinatown there. It consists of mainly Shanghainese, Shandongren, Beijingren and Taiwanese. Whereras in Manhatten, it is dominated by the Guangdong pple. According to them, the "standard" is better in flushing as the pple are not as kasar...in english that means "rough". They gave me the name of the best dimsum restaurant in Flushing - East Buffet. I recall seeing that in the movie "Saving Face". *grins*
Since it was so cold out, i didn't have the mood to walk around too much and plus, i bought food home for my bro - which according to him, was not that tasty. The charsiu & siuyok was rather tasteless...sorry! *sheepish*
An nicely toasty now in from of the computer in the apt, which always has this armenian smell floating around...the landlord is i think armenian/arab/something like that.
Ok, gonna go enjoy my cuppa tea now. Laters.

Cold Apple

2005-12-01T11:33:00.000-05:00

Day 2 in NY. Slept in again, only this time, my bro is refusing to open his eyes...Took some pictures of him Zzzz. That should make an interesting picture. His head filled the whole screen.

Plan for today:
- Trim hair
- EAT!
- Go to Time Warner Building
- Look See around
- Barnes & Nobles
- Meeting bro's friends for dinner.

I think i shall now wake him up. Am hungry.

By the way, as this is NOT my own PC, i will download and get Picasa when i return and hopefully find out how to post pictures like other pple in their blog..Yes, i am not too blog savvy.

He who is hungry needs to eat, and eat well.
Avery Ho Yiling
//edit

Something is wrong with my blog. I can't seem to align it to the left. Phooey. I didn't know that i was this unsavvy of blogs...oh well.
Deceided to leave to eat anyways by noon because i was so hungry and my bro was still snoring away. He got up anyways after i finished my shower and technically we were supposed to meet his friends tonight at some club but i guess from my lack of "nice clubbing clothes" i deceided not to go. Hmm..if going to the club is for the purpose of " seeing what those placese are like", then why is my bro still going then? And if according to him, his friends dont go to clubs, but rather, they frequent higher class places, then again, why are you still going? 1 word pple...Whatever!
So after an unhappy & heated goodbye, i left for chinatown in search for food.
Came across this old lady with a small table full of goods that she was peddling. I felt upset when i saw her. I Will not let my parents or grandma or aunts end up in that kind of state. Ever. She looked so pitiful! My heart ached.
I started off with a bowl of viet pho tai, and then abt 12 Shangdong dumplings and a bowl of soymilk. Mmm..that lady at hte dumpling restaurant was so engrossed with talking with her co-workers that she forgot to take the customer's order! Funny. There was an elderly gentleman that entered the store and ordered the 2 different kinds of dumplings. He asked in english what's the difference and the lady just stared back at him incredulously, trying to make sense of his questions. I just opened my mouth and said "It's the same, just that the shape is different." They both looked at me and the man thanked me and sat at the table to eat his food.
The Shandong ladies kept talking among themselves while working and i watched them as i ate. Then, the head chef pointed at me and asked if i understood chinese. We had a brief chat abt where i was from and what i was doing here yada yada yada..until another lady came in. This time, the lady spoke in chinese but with a strong cantonese accent. It also took them a while to understand each other. I was chuckling inside.
Finally, the cantonese lady asked is they had soymilk but the chef was again, busy talking and waving her hands in motions with her speech. Cantonese lady caught my eye and asked me in cantonese if they have soymilk. I said yes and finally the chef heard her.
After i left that place, i walked around chinatown for about 4 hours without stopping for sitting. My legs were on the verge of kicking my own butt. But i did see lots of interesting sights though. Went into a chinese supermarket and caught a butcher in the act of skinning frog and chopping off the webbed feet and hands. I felt my face winced as i imagined myself as that frog. But after evesdropping on what dish the grandmother was gonna cook the frogs in, my saliva glands burst open & flooded my mouth.
It was a nice supermarket. Lots of junk food, the "healthy" kinds and the gwuailos kind. Got me some stewed sunflower seeds.
Walked into a meat market and found that they sold more than meat. There was sushi, sashimi, steamed dumplings, fried dumplings, steamed buns as big as Shaq's fist, an array of different dishes for you to mix and match with rice, colourful cakes and what caught my attention was the fish tanks at the end of the store. There was this tank of Tilapias and one of it, in particular had half it's head out ot the water, pretty much vertical. It kept swimming upwards and for a moment it looked as though it is going to jump out of the water and onto the floor. Makes you think about those fishing stories about fishes jumping right into the boats, eh?
Passed this street that mainly sold fish...they are really fresh! the fishes were still flipping and gasping for air in the trays! There were live eels & turtles as well. Reminded me of home. Minus the cold.
I was still too full to savour any more food so i just kept walking....until i arrived at Little Italy. There was a flim in progress. Some guy called John Legazamo or something like that was in it. It was a holiday picture due next christmas. Pple were just standing there and watching. Here's my conversation with some of the pple there.
Me: "Excuse me sir, do you know how i can get to Canal St?"
Man: " Please stay on the other side of the street."
Me: "And then i just keep walking down that way?" (pointing direction)
Man: " Yeah, if you stay on that side of the street you can watch the fliming but no flash cameras."
Me: " But...Canal St!?"
Man: "Well, there is a canal like right there!" (points to a small drain)
Me: "huh?!"
Finally i found Canal St and headed towards the train station. It was almost dark and the wind was most picking up. Walking, walking, walking and then...i saw the Manhatten Bridge and it looked splendid! Took some pictures and then i moved on again. I had EIGHT block of walking to do before i could get to A train which would take me to Columbus Circle.
Math time!
Strong cold winds + Need to pee urgently + Walking 8 blocks + 6 subway stops = Great satisfaction when i finally pee-ed.
Walked past the New York Philharmonic building on my way to my Lincoln Sq. It looks great. I hope i will have time to pop in there and hear some great music before i leave. Got a little hungry by the time i got my bro's workplace to grab the house keys so i went to Times Sq and ate at Sapporo again. This time i had the Miso Ramen and it was good too...except that my taste buds felt the soup was too salty by the time i finished the noodles. Was tempted to walk Times Sq again but i was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay exhausted. Lucky for me, the R train was just next to Saporro! Nodded to sleep on the way back but got up just in time before i missed my stop. Lucky!
Got home, and now i am done with my day. Time to go shower and relax in front of the TV. Ahhh...

New York, New York

2005-11-30T23:57:00.000-05:00

So I arrived in NY yesterday afternoon and i was surprised to see that the weather was really nice. It was not cold at all. Rather, there was a humid feel in the air. It rained cats and dogs last night.

Most of what i have seen of NYC is mainly Manhatten and those are usually the nice, glam areas like Times Sq & Rockafella Center etc... Most places are really not as glam as what TV protrays. Then again, when has TV ever been true? Lots of graffiti around. To others, it's art, yet there are also pple who think that it is just plain vandalism.

Went to Chinatown for my first meal in NY. The charsiu was great but the duck dissapointed. Walked from Chinatown to Little Italy. You could see the differences bwten the chinese stores & the italian stores. Classy and full of festive lights, the italian cafes and restaurants looks so much more posh than the chinese. Plus, on the poles or fire hydrants right outside the italian eateries, they painted those with the colours of the italian flag! Talk about country pride!

Went to AX and ZARA to look at clothes. AX was just plain expensive but ZARA was reasonable. Saw this earth-toned blazer that i really like. My bro is gonna take me shopping on Friday at H&M to look at similar designs at a hopefully lower price.

This morning, i slept in late. Real late. It was nice. Aired my bro's room and made open-faced tuna for him and me. One slice each. The bread was good but i think it was rye. Kinda sourish tasting. Not my cup of tea. Watch the Wedding Banquet while my bro was gaming online. He is such a gamer. But at least he doesnt bug me when he games. Hah! Peace...

Question: Do i really dress like the mid-west? Well, I have only been in NYC for like a day...duh...Plus, i think i most def. look better than those hispanic punks that wear seriously oversized clothes and pants that are 4 sizes too big.

Moving on...

Hoped on the sub to Manhatten. Had a quick look at where my bro works and i went to look aound at the sights. Lots of walking, but the cool air made it nicely bearable. Wind started to pick up so i pulled out my scarf. Mmm...nice & snuggly!

I was hungry so i was actually looking for some dirty water dogs but i could not really find a stand. Came across the Trump International Tower so i naturally whipped out my camera and started snapping away. There was this huge globe that i thought looked really nice. I met a couple from FL that helped took a picture of me & vice versa. We exchanged pleasantries and i found out from them that there are free tickets to the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" tapings at the ABC studios! Boy, was i excited!! I remembered seeing the guy who was giving out flyers and i backtracked my steps and found him. Took about an hour until we got seated and started taping. I was in the line by 3pm..as it said in the flyer.. It is such a great experience. I saw how the re-readings were done, how there are actually pauses in between the questions, etc. Most of all, by the end of the 2 hours, i was quite sick and tired of clapping after every few minutes or so.

2 pple walked off with $16,000, 1 guy lost at abt the $4000 mark and i think this lady is going back to the studio again to continue her contest since time ran out. Met some interesting pple. There was this guy that sat next to me and he is an events planner. Nice guy, travels a lot and his bf was the one in the game. His lack of eye contact when we chatted irked me a little. The 2 pple that won $16,000 were housewifes. Talk about a smart mom! I think both families actually home-schooled their kids. I actually knew most if the answers! Maybe i should try out the show back home. When it came to the audience poll, i got all my answers to the questions right!

A thought that ran through my mind - The housewives won some dough, however the gays lost. Hmm..God bless those who are right in Him(?)

The related person of the contestant is always seated next to me, so, you can technically see my hands clapping and half of my face. I think it airs on the 19 (hands) & 20th (1/2 face) of April.

Swung by my bro's workplace and i got a warm drink as it got way colder. but all that walking keeps you somewhat warm. Good excerise too! Went into a store called Gracious Homes. It seriously sold everything and anything that has to do with homes, minus food. Wow. It was huge! 3 stories of stuff. From bedding to shower curtains to door knobs to kettles to vacuums to pots & pants to stationary to air freshner. Wow.

The Pottery Barn that i went into was also nice although it did not have as much stuff as i thought it would. Got somemore ideas on how i want to design my bedroom-office. *grins* Spent about 45 mins in there look at the Pottery Barn design books and then it was time to go meet my brother.

Had dinner at a Japanese place called Sapporo. Specialty - Ramen Noodles. I had the Sapporo Special. Wish there were more since i was soooooooooooooo hungry. I am going to try to have more than one meal tmw.

Walked to Times Square after dinner. Took some pictures, but i think it did not look as good without flash so i'm going back there again maybe this weekend with my brother and his housemates.

TOYS 'R' US WAS GI-NORMOUS!!! Woo hoo!! It even had a ferris wheel in it! But you have to pay $4. It is filled with toys of all sorts. Man...i love that store. There's lots of candy too! Wahaha..saw kids as well as adults
with sugar high. It was funny. My bro and I just browsed and browsed. It was fun. I almost bought a light saber. But i didn't. Relaxxxxxxx~.....

Looked at the PS2 games with bro. I think i might just get back to playing games...Found this PS2 game called The Bible Game. Kinda like a quiz show format with biblical questions. It's seems like a huge fun to play! Have plans to bust it out when the CG comes over on Saturdays!

Popped into Sephora for a bit to look around and then it was time to go home. Caught a subway and took the R train home.

I think i will follow my bro when he gets his haircut tmw. I might just want a trim myself too! Hair's starting to look wild.

Apparently, bro is taking me to someplace nice tmw. Wonder where...hmm..

Am hungry again. Nah..i think i am more thirsty than hungry.