Stupid dog..

While Sam has been really pesty (All his mis-pee and mis-poop and really destructive and painful bites), he is quite a joy to watch and laugh at.

The other day, the little pest decided to climb on Vaccky and refused to come down despite my commands. In the midst, he accidentally stepped on the activation button and Vaccky started moving with him on top. It was really funny watching the silly thing freak out in shock and finally got off. I think he was really tramautized as he had since steered clear of Vaccky! Lol..

Just today, I decided to use Vaccky to clean his really dirty puppy pen and that little guy freaked out again! When he decided to approach Vaccky to challenge it, he jumped back the moment Vaccky turned towards him! What a stupid little thing! He finally learnt his lesson and decided to watch from far instead!

Cute isn't it?


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Sam's day out!

I bought a doggy travel bag from Amazon (God bless Amazon!) and it arrived yesterday. Apprehensive that little Sam might be resistent to it (just as he is to the crate and the pen), we took a little longer to coax him in.

And we did it! Sam was able to stay in it calmly throughout our outing, from our home to Macy's and back! (Maybe he was dizzy from the motion sickness and thus couldn't be bothered to whine at all!) Lol. Nonetheless, it's really heartwarming to see him finally adapting to something new!

So we decided to make the travel bag his new bed too and it seems like little Sam likes the idea too!



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Sleepyhead!

After enduring about 1 hour of whining, barking and crying, little Sam finally succumbed to me and fell asleep in the exercise pen!!!!!! Hooray! Now I am finally able to shower and pee without worrying what the little thing is doing!

Hope it stays this way!



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Goodnight..

I saw him shaking on his bed. I went closer and realized that he was crying. Seeing him like that really makes me wanna cry too. It breaks my heart to think that I have taken him away from his family and now he is missing them terribly. I feel so guilty...

I wish that he would learn soon that we love him and that we are doing our best to give him a good home. I wish he knows that we are his family now. I wish he would smile for us and be a happy little thing...

Meanwhile, sleep tight little Sam. Sweet dreams..


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Peace time!

The little thing finally fell asleep! Peace on earth!


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Our new puppy!

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1st Night home...

Having a puppy is just like having a baby! It's a challenge understanding what they want and it's equally tough getting them to settle down! LOL. Welcome to 'dog' parenthood.

So Sam finally came home with us today! I was really relieved that we got home in one piece (after the restless drive and thank goodness, no poo-ing). I was initially planning to put Sam in a crate and keep him inside all the way, but he was scratching the door non-stop that I gave in and carried him all the way. (Sigh, you should check out my black coat. It's totally covered in dog fur!)

Nonetheless, Sam is such a darling. He is really really cute and a born charmer (He got woos and ahhs from about 5 people today!)! He is really funny when he slipped and fell when running around. OH OH, and his poo has fur! LOL. On the down side, the little thing seems to be suffering from some anxiety and just would not stop whining when we place him inside the puppy pen. This is quite worrying, especially since he does have full view of us when he is placed inside the pen! We were resisting but gave in eventually when he started crying. (It's really heartbreaking!) When we finally picked him up, he had cried so much that he was hiccuping! (My heart just broke...) Instead, we let the little thing run loose around the house and let him get used to the new environment. Sure enough, he started racing around the house (and we concluded that his favourite spot was the mirror at the front door as it was probably his first time staring at his own reflections!) and was happily wagging his little tail, which was a relief! But I guess I have to try to coax him into his puppy pen again tomorrow.

Anyway, after a couple of hours, we finally coaxed him into entering the crate (he was really resilient about it but I guess removing the door does help) and he gradually fell asleep! (HOORAY~) But he's a real light sleeper. I woke him up a couple of times (When I opened my can drink, when I was washing the dishes) that we decided to shift him into the bedroom instead. So now, the little thing is probably zonking out (with Zim beside him.). He freaks out when he wakes up alone, so we decided to take turns for now.

No wonder they say that a new 'dog' parent would barely have any sleep during the first few nights. And of course this is the hardest part. Oh well, fingers crossed and I sure hope that little Sam will grow to love us and of course, be more independent!

Day one of 'dog parenthood! More to come...

Dinner!!

Dinner without Zim - Homecooked Fried Rice!


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Online Shopping~

One huge thing I adore about simply being in the States is the ease of online shopping! Or more importantly, free and quick shipping! I am a huge fan of Amazon and has since bought tons of stuff from it. (Starting from my kindle & about 5 ebooks, to my handheld vacuum cleaner, to the potty training for Sam and a puppy pen!) It's amazing shopping on Amazon. There is always ample time for you to compare prices and check out reviews before the purchase is made. Definitely a good substitute for KeY's classic impulse shopping. The purchase is made with such ease that you could so easily forget that you still need to pay for it. (Don't worry Zim, I am still in control, erm, and so I hope! =P)

Anyway, my latest purchase is none other than a pet carrier for the puppy! Something I can bring the little thing in before he is all clear to walk in the 'dirty' streets of NYC! We need to avoid putting the puppy on the sidewalks where other dogs have been to, to prevent him from getting sick (from the other dogs) before he gets his vaccination during week 12. So I guess this should do it!

Next in line, shopping for scrapbooking items! I was quite disappointed that there isn't a decent scrapbooking shop in Manhattan. Hee...and maybe if I do get lazy eventually, I would explore the realms of online grocery shopping!

Happy~

I fell in love again...

with our new little puppy!

(Got this off the website of the breeder and it's supposingly our puppy! =D)

Yes, I had wanted to adopt from a shelter. But after doing a fair bit of research (I have not read so much since I graduated!), we kinda decided that it might be easier for a first time owner to bring up a puppy from scratch. So after selecting a breeder online, and making arrangements over email, Zim and I drove about an hour to the breeder's home to check out the puppy.

And it was looooove at first sight. Well, guiltily, I did make a list of things to watch out for at the breeder's place before selecting the puppy. But the instance we both saw the pup, we just melted away and the list of things were instantly thrown out of the window. All that matters now was that the puppy was such a sweet darling. He is such a happy little thing and sooooo cute. I also melted seeing how Zim handled and played with the puppy. (Especially when he isn't exactly a dog person to begin with and had to give in me for this.) The breeder was fantastic too! Really helpful and friendly, setting us right at ease immediately.

The little thing will be coming home to us this weekend and I really cannot wait. Meanwhile, I need to pack in some last minute shopping and reading to prepare our place for the puppy. We are also brainstorming for names for the little thing. Zim really liked the name 'Sam'. It's simple and short. I like it too, but I'm not quite ready to give in. (Well, I was hoping for a more exciting name actually.)

But again, Sam is nice and we might just stick to it...

Snowboarding!

Getting ready for snowboarding tmr! Rise and shine at 5.45am though.. -_-

Lucky we got our gears from Oakley in Chicago! Can't wait!!



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Supper for Zim

I just can't seemed to achieve the taste of the noodles that my uncle used to cook for me when I was young. Am I missing a secret recipe? Urgh...

Cab Drivers in NYC

These are a bunch of really annoying people. They do not give a damn about service and drive like crap. It's sad to say, but Zim and I are so sick of being bullied by them.

List of things they did:

(1) Refusing to pick us up because of the location we were heading to. We were moving our luggage from the hotel to our new apartment and about 5 cab drivers turned us away the moment they heard that we were not going to the airport! WTH! We were standing in the cold and a certain cab driver who was parked further ahead even signaled us to move forward. When we reached and told him our destination, he simply said change shift. Like real~

(2) Refusing to accept credit cards even though it was clearly stated in the cab that the cabbies are not supposed to say no. This happened twice. The first time was pretty understandable as the fare was less than 10bucks (but again, Americans pay everything with a card, including a Mc Value Meal!). But the second instance was when we were travelling back from the airport. The cab fare added up to about 50bucks and the stupid cabbie insisted that we pay cash. Argh....

(3) Super terrible driving. They accelerate, brake, accelerate, brake, accelerate, brake like crazy. And it's really annoying especially for the passenger. Do they not realize that such driving is super petrol consuming? Sigh, I always get a terrible headache after a cab ride. (And when I try to sleep, my head will keep bumping by the side.)

(4) 'Fantastic' attitude. There was one incident when the driver refused to make a u-turn because he said that the traffic was too bad. After we got off, he u-turned to pick up another passenger! AND there was another incident where the driver took a wrong turn and ended up being stuck in a terrible jam. He was ultra rude when Zim tried to advise him to do a left turn. (which he did eventually and the best part was, there was NO jam on the correct road.)

Gosh, I am so sick and tired of being bullied, being treated and driven around like crap by the cabbies. This is one reason why I would rather walk 1 hour than to take a cab. But me and Zim have decided. If we really have to take a cab, we are gonna be hard on our stand. Don't accept credit cards, fine, we don't have enough cash, does that mean it's gonna be a free ride?

Sigh, another situation that reminds me that Singapore isn't that bad afterall.

The most expensive meal of my life...

We decided to join Zim's colleagues for dinner at Sushi of Gari. When we heard that it was a rather costly place, we googled to find out the price range and it appeared to be pretty decent. (Probably about USD40 per pax for dinner.) So, we decided to give it a go...


It was a nice little restaurant at 46st which is about 15minutes walk from our place. To our pleasant surprise, there are plenty of lovely restaurants along that stretch! So Zim and I will definitely set aside some time to venture around the area!


We decided to order "Omakase" Sushi platter under the really strong recommendations of Zim's colleagues.


And of course, what is a good sushi meal without sake~ (I've no idea what sake they are but they were goooood.)

And so the meal begins. (There was NO turning back~) The set consisted of 1 appetizer and 3 trays of sushi (shared among 3 persons.)



The best of the tray, was the third from the left - Tuna sushi with homemade tofu sauce. The tofu sauce was just brilliant. First taste just blew me away and it blended fantastically with the tuna. (I am not a fan of tuna sushi, but this was just breathtaking.) *Floats in the air...*




The first sushi from the left tasted like pizza. It was so goood. *Rolls on a sushi blanket~* It was served warm and the texture was really good. The pizza simply melted in my mouth. Awwww~

At the end of the 3rd tray, we were given an option if we wanted to try more. Oh hell, YES~




The oyster sushi was by far my FAVOURITE. Once I put it into my mouth, it just tasted soooo heavenly that I was speechless. The gravy was exceptional and I loooooooved it. (Damn, why isn't Zim allergic to Oysters? Than I can have two! Arghhh..)

At the end of the 4th Tray, we were once again asked if we would like more. Though we were stuffed, we just couldn't bring ourselves to say no. And so on it went.


The first sushi was actually a foie gras sushi! OMFG. I do not like the taste of foie gras but this was out of the world. FANTASTICAL. T_T

The rest the sushi were just as drop dead good! (And I really take my hat off food critics. I am totally running out of words to describe the meal of my life.) This is by far one of the BEST meals I have. The interesting thing about the menu is that everything is prepared by the chef and the items after the standard 3 trays vary from time to time. Thus, it never gets boring. In addition, the sushi were made to taste and thus no condiments were needed nor given. So once you get it, just pop the whole thing in your mouth and enjoy the moment. That's what I did and there were no regrets.

And the moment of truth arrived with the check. The meal cost a whooping USD1500 for 10 people (And about USD1800 after tips). That adds up to about USD180 per person! It was insanity. The waitress earned about USD300 just from tips! But all in all, I have to say that it was sooo worth it and we would love to come back for more. (Well, maybe on special occasions or when my dad comes visiting!) And what more could I say, sushi will never taste the same again.

Two happy but broke people!

Our Apartment - The NYC Sty..

Our furniture from Singapore is finally in. Hee, now our little NYC sty is really like a replica of our Senja Sty except that it is probably half the size! But still, it feels great to have familiar pieces (that are pretty as well!) of furniture around and equally great to have our 46-inch TV working again. We are still missing another lamp and maybe a dining table, but for now, we are happy as it is~ And of course, I am trying to ignore the unpacked boxes in the adjacent room. =P (shhh, don't remind me..)


Well, anyway, seems like the two little pigs are enjoying themselves~

Updates (That is finally unrelated to food!)

I was just scanning through my recent entries and realized that the focal points were mostly on food. Well, it's kinda sad to say this but that's what my life has been rotating around for the past 1.5 months!

Okay, that aside, it's time to share a bit of other updates. So I did attempt to school scout. I managed to identify a couple of courses in Columbia that I was interested in but fumbled when I realized that I needed at least two reccomedation letters. A couple of people did pop up my mind, but the hassle of asking them and the possible inconvenience to them made me hesitant to ask. Another struggle I had was whether I'm studying for the sake of studying or it's because I really wanted to. I guess I kinda realized that if I were to pursue my masters, that would imply that I'm definitely going to re-enter the workforce in time to come. It's not that I don't want to work anymore in the future (it would be nice of course, LOL), but it's more of the possible baggage and expectation from my parents and people around me that make me oblige to return to work and put my masters in good use. And it scares me that I might end up in something I don't enjoy once again.

Another repelling factor was none than the school fees. I know that grad school isn't cheap but I certainly wasn't expecting it to be THAT expensive. It would cost approximately USD40,000 for a year of studies in Columbia and possibly twice as much in NYU. Insane isn't it? And this is extremely discouraging considering that I would like to venture into non-profit organizations in future which would not justify the investment at all. (Yes, I've an urge to return to my roots, finally..)

After some thoughts, I have decided to shelf this aside for now. Meanwhile, I've signed up for volunteering opportunities with a couple of agencies. Hopefully I would be accepted and put my time here to some use.

On a good note, I'm having a better sense of direction of what I would like to do in life. At least I'm able to spend the remaining of my stay exploring my options and hopefully, settle on something before I head back.

I guess I'm prouder of who I am now than I was a year ago, having a better sense of direction and of course, not being stuck in something I don't enjoy. So that's a good start I guess and I'm just hoping that things would now fall nicely in place.

All the best to me.

- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

KFC here..

I've to admit, I was surprised. Who would have thought that the chicken in KFC NYC would be wayyyyyy tinier than that of Singapore! What happened to the genetically engineered chickens? They seriously shrunk, yet the price stands HIGH! (I paid about USD10 for my tiny winy chickens!)

So I guess no more complaints in future..


- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

2nd Ave Deli

Under the recommendation of Zim' s colleague, we popped by a restaurant - 2nd Ave Deli at the East side of Manhattan.It was about an hour's stroll from our apartment. LOL. But I guess, with the great weather (And the high cost of the Subway ride), no distance is too far.


I like the deli the moment I saw the menu - there was no calorie counter! (Well, most of the restaurants in NYC have indicated the calories per dish in their menus to remind patrons of their calories intake. In my opinion, it's there to make you feel guilty and attempt to eat better. And I'm not exactly a fan of it...) Thus, I am at least able to order whatever I want without feeling guilty! (okay, this is a delusion.. but who cares~)


I ordered the 'Pastrami Burger Deluxe, on toasted bun with French fries, lettuce, tomato, onion and cole slaw'. The Pastrami tasted like smoked salmon (which wasn't quite what I expected) but at least the beef patty was gooood - thick and nicely done!


Zim ordered 'Pastrami Omelet' which wasn't very fantastic. The meat and the egg didn't appear too compatible unfortunately. But I like the home made fries!!!


The deli added a nice touch by serving yummy chocolate soda at the end of the meal! (Pity it went in my stomach quicker than my camera..)

All in all, although the food wasn't fantastic, the vibes of the place was pretty good. It was apparently a rather popular place as there was a queue even when we left at about 8.30pm. Thus, I would definitely love to return again!

December Rains 雨季

This is it. I am definitely coming back to Singapore this August for this!

I'm super excited! I recall watching this musical on TV when I was about 12 years old and being totally mesmerized by it. I could even remember that Xiang Yun and Jiu Jian were the leads (There was another male lead that I could clearly remember his face but I just can't put a name to it.) and this was probably my very first exposure to musicals in general. And I guess it's just went off from there. (I am officially a sucker for musicals...)

I absolutely cannot believe that it is FINALLY back again. Best of all, it's gonna be Kit Chan and George Chan. OMG OMG OMG OMG....

I think I am insane, but I HAVE BOOKED THE TICKETS!!!!!!!

I really really really really cannot wait......

SUPER HAPPY~

We found a rainforest...

in wicked cold Chicago in the Rainforest Cafe!


It definitely strikes us as a tourist attraction, but any delusion of warm tropical weather was enough to draw me right into it. So, in we went..


The menu was pretty typical, nothing exciting. It's probably more mexican than american.

I ordered the Rainforest Appetizer to share. The serving was huge and came with salad. It was okay (I'm not that impressed..) and the sauce for the chicken tenders was quite interesting. It was a mixture of mango and coconut!

The honey mustard sauce was really nice, so I guess that was why the salad was pretty enjoyable.

As usual, Mr Lim settled for burger! He ordered the Rainforest Burger. Funny, I really don't quite remember how it taste! LOL (So it didn't leave much of an impression. =P)

Okay, conclusion, it's a tourisy place hands down. The meal was so-so but the ambience was pretty fun. (It really feels like a rainforest!) Guess it's probably a family place as the environment seemed to really amuse the kids (And guilty, me too! LOL). But I doubt we'll be back again...

Well, nonetheless, we enjoyed the meal. Guess it's the company huh~ =D

Next on the Menu....

Shepherd's Pie! The tough part of this recipe, is that it is supposed to serve 4-6. So I had to estimate the quantity of the ingredients to customize it for two.


(1) Yes, it's beef again! (LOL, no Qian, I'm not directing this at you. *Wink*)

(2) The main ingredient - potatoes and some veggies on the side. As usual, I simply grabbed what I had - carrots and onions, and did away with the rest.

The preparation time was longer than I expected. The chopping of the vegetables (Onions finally made me teared ALOT) and mashing of the potatoes was pretty fun but messy. Oh, and the pretty Martha Stewart's mixer bowl came into good use. LOL

And yes, DINNER IS SERVED!


Baking time was supposed to be for 30 minutes at 400F. But as Zim came back later than expected, I googled the method of keeping food warm in the oven and kept the pie in the oven for another 30 minutes at 160F. Supposedly, it would be better if I had it covered in aluminum foil to contain the moisture. But pathetically, I DON'T HAVE ANY! LOL, so I just kept my fingers crossed...


Thank goodness, the food turned out pretty decent! Zim liked it, so did the pigs!!!

And it's reward time once again!!!!

My new obsession is...

The Martha Stewart Collection!!!


Everything is so neat and pretty! From the baking equipments to the cooking utensils, everything is super cool! (Okay, I'm beginning to sound Auntie + Bimbo-ish) I guess the influence came from her cookbook that I bought. So I told Zim I want everything from the collection (that means new pots and baking ware) and he simply rolled his eyes at me. (I hate u..)

Since Zim is my cash cow now, guess I have to settle for less...


Hee, no worries, I shall invest in one item a month! And by the end of 3years, I would probably end up with the whole collection anyway.

Wahahahhaa....

LUCKY~

I got my hands on the lottery ticket for 'West Side Story'! Front row seats (I really mean front row.) for only USD26.50 each!

Sweet...




Afternote: the musical was a disappointment. =( Glad I didn't pay too much for it.

- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

My first ebook~

Kindle is brilliant. I just go online and purchase the book, wah la~ it will be transferred to my kindle in less than 1 minute!

Love it~

My home away from home...

I found a place that brings me closer to home than I can ever imagine...


I was so touched...T_T... This minimart actually sells things that I would normally buy from NTUC!


I was soo happy that I seized two big bags of loot. (I spent only half hour inside and see what I bought~) The items were surprising cheap. The two huge bags of barang cost less than USD30! (okay, I'm calculating in USD now, thinking in SGD just makes me puke blood...)

Now to show off my loot:


(1) Oyster Sauce!!! Bottled Garlic!!! Thai Sweet Chilli (A huuuuge bottle too. =D) and some other sauces (not shown above, but I also bought light soya sauce, sesame oil!)
(2) Maggie noddles and cup noodles...sigh~ what else could I ask for.
(3) My precious - 旺旺! (Zim loves it too!) And Yam-yam + Mango pudding with nata de coco (Something my dad always buy for me.)
(4) Ready made prata (I had a few packets in Singapore!) + crabmeat. Best loot of the day, is the instant 葱油饼! I can't even find that in Singapore!!!! I looooooooove it.

I was like an idiot lugging two heavy bags home through the subway and a couple of avenues. I nearly died from carrying them. But the moment I bite down a packet of 旺旺, I knew in my heart that it was all worth it - it was the taste of home.

=D

Home cooked Dinner - Yummy Steak...

So Tai-tai Loo decided to embark on her second cooking attempt and chose to challenge the meat that Zim and her both adore - BEEF~

After some thought (and considering what's in the fridge - mushrooms + onions), I decided to attempt pan grilling the steak! Once again, some adjustments here and there - Oven was preheated at 450F instead and I eliminated the garlic powder (I forgot to buy!).

Here goes the ingredients...


1) Boneless ribeye steak (x2) - I was quite impressed by how dirt cheap steak in USA is! (For that two fat slices, we only paid less than USD5!) Best of all, the meat was pretty decent. (Or maybe it's just that the cook is good. Muahahahha..)

2) Veggies to make it a balanced meal. (sigh, no choice la. recently cannot DB. =/) The onions and mushrooms were stir fried to kinda add some taste to the steak since no sauces were used. Not exactly very successful, but at least I had my fill of onions. YUMMY, I LOOOOVE Onions~

As Zim wasn't able to give a helping hand (=/), I decided to simplify matters and simply boil the broccoli and carrots. Well, it's healthier that way too anyway. I added in a crabmeat salad. as I was craving for crabmeat!

One lesson learnt was that I need to pay more attention to the recipe before begining. Sigh, while seasoning the meat, I suddenly realized that I had to throw the pan (after searing the meat) into the oven. After a quick google, it appeared that my tefal pan would not be able to tahan the temperature. (Stressed~) So, I had to substitute it by leaving the baking tray inside the oven for a few minutes before transferring the seared meat over.

I think I was a little bit too ambitious as I attempted to cook everything together within an hour. It was mad rush - Season beef, cut veggies, boil water, heat pan, preheat oven, sear beef, boil veggie, wash pan, stir fry onions, turn over the beef, mix crabmeat salad..blah blah blah... Insanity huh? But I sure am glad things worked out just fine.

And dinner is served!!!!

The meat turned out great! (Medium Rare, nicely done~)

On a funny note, all the searing and me washing the pan immediately after searing the steak (I only have 1 pan and needed it to stir fry the onions and mushrooms), set off the fire alarm! For a moment, we panicked wondering if the fire department is going to show up at our door. Thankfully, a quick call to the concierge resolved the issue. (Isn't the fire alarm a little too sensitive...)

And of course, reward time! Well, at least Zim did something, he scooped the ice cream. LOL


Time to think about what's next on the menu....

It's here!!!

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