New School Term..

It's week 1 of the Fall term for me. A brand new start for everything. It's interesting how far I came along. From coming to the states, with the mindset of being a taitai for 3 years, to contemplating getting a masters in columbia (btw, 1 year masters in Columbia is equivalent to my whole 4 years degree in Mercy College) to ending up in taking a Vet tech course in a ulu college! Nonetheless, this is one of the rare few times in my life that I have the feeling that I might actually be doing the right thing.

Nonetheless, I just kept wanting to slap myself while I sat through the biology lecture and lab. Going into FASS wasn't a coincidence (nor a backdoor). It was more of "I'm SUPER sick of labs after 2 years in JC that I'm not going to step into one again!". Ironically, (and a pretty wicked twist of fate), I ended up have to take all 3 science modules again. Yes, that totally includes physics. =( Oh well, at least everything seems pretty manageable. So far so good. I'm just counting down to the day where I've to dissect a frog or a lizard. (Gulps~)

Time to head off for a Algebra class. WTH~ It's gonna last for 4.5 hours!

Dog attack.

Zim, Lil Sam and I were just enjoying a lovely Saturday brunch at an outdoor diner that we frequent when the little boy got attacked.

As per usual, Sam was just lazing under the table minding his own business while we engaged in our own conversation. Suddenly a lady behind me starting screaming. Almost immediately, I heard Sam yelping (Definitely the loudest I ever heard from him). When I turned around, I was shocked to see poor little Sam in the mouth of a much bigger dog (Probably a chow mix). The little boy was yelping and struggling to get out. I reacted as quickly as I could and pulled Sam out of the dog's mouth. Even after Sam was out of the dog's mouth, he continued yelping for a couple more minutes while recovering from the shock. By then, everyone at the diner was staring at us. While Sam was struggling to get out of the dog's mouth, all the owner did was to hold on to the leash and screamed. She did absolutely nothing to separate her dog and I had to pull Sam out of danger myself. Luckily, the bigger dog wasn't all that aggressive as I got away without any bites. The poor little boy had blood stains on his snout and body and he even peed on himself out of fear. (Totally heartbreaking.)

I guess I was never the confrontational kind of person and all Zim and I wanted was to make sure that Sam was fine. We ignored the lady and started examining Sam. At the point of time, several patrons and the waiter had stepped in to reprimand the lady for not controlling her dog. (And of course, being the ever 'reasonable' person, she insisted that it wasn't her fault and she didn't see our dog there.) They insisted that she left her contact details for us in case we needed to bring Sam to the vet, which of course she didn't. (We didn't bother insisting either) Best of all, she still wanted to have her brunch there. Fortunately, the waiter who was clearly annoyed, spoke up for us and chased her away. Frustrated, I just gave her a dirty look and asked her to leave. (Which she did of course).

After checking Sam out, we weren't able to find any puncture wounds on him. Thus, we concluded that the feisty little boy bit the bigger dog in self defense. (Way to go SAMMY BOY!) Interestingly, after Sam recovered from his initial shock, he immediately started growling and barking at the bigger dog. (Though his bark was pretty pathetic in comparison.) While this isn't the first time Sam got attacked (The first incident was pretty mild compared to this) nor the first dog fight I had witnessed, this is the first time that I have seen an attack that had happened without any triggers. It just felt as if the dog came in, saw Sam and attacked Sam. As far as I was aware, Sam didn't appear to have done anything that might have triggered the attack.

While I did not blame the big dog about the attack (since Sam came out unharmed), I really pitied the owner who was in such denial about her inability to control her dog or to admit her problems. I would think that it's pretty scary to be walking around with a ticking time bomb that is way beyond your control who is ready to jump on any dog any time. Maybe she would be better off having a smaller dog that she could at least attempt to pull back.

Well, at least Sam is fine and it seemed that the incident left no scars on him since he returned to his pesty ways soon after. But it was really heartbreaking seeing the little guy being attacked. What a World~

KeY's Life.

Pardon the MIA. So, Mom and bro came and left. While I was pretty excited having them over, the 15 days got pretty unbearable quickly. I guess I'm just too used to the freedom and routine I had before they came. I was actually excited prior to their arrival, annoyed when they were here and sad (which a huge pinch of relief) when they left. (What a ride.) It was in fact more of a bittersweet feeling when they left. On one hand, I was extremely thankful that I'm finally getting my usual schedule back (no more entertaining them and cracking my [already empty] brains for ideas of what to do and where to go) and of course, no more naggings. On the other, I'm missing the familiarity of the feeling of home and of course, Mom doing my housework for me. =P

That being said, I'm back to enjoying the little freedom (not so much of the housework though). It sure feels good to be back on my daily routine (Yes, that means revolving my life around Sam). Till Sept I guess.

The reading fever is ON~

I'm actually pretty pleased with my reading progress. (Well, it goes to show that I've put my kindle into good use, finally.) Recently, I managed to complete two books that I never knew I would even be interested in - "The Reader" and "Pride and Prejudice". Best of all, the books have enticed me to be interested in the movies as well (Time to check out NetFlick~). Plus, it's funny how I always thought "Pride and Prejudice" to be some tragic romance novel of forbidden love. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised that it was one with a really happy ending. What a misunderstanding. At least I'm sure the movie will be sob-free and heartwarming, though I'm pretty sure it's gonna be sob fest when I watch "The Reader". (Shall hug Little Sammy and dry my tears on his little coat. I'm sure he ain't gonna be too pleased with me for that though.)

Now that the fever is on, I'm really kinda in the mood for some adventurous reading. So, next on my list - "The Time Machine" and "War of the Worlds". Sounds pretty 'exciting'?

Okay, I admit, the main reason why I have chosen these books is simply because it's free from the kindle store! Yes, I'm a cheapskate. =P

Oh well, wish me luck.

Dilemma...

So I was listening to my beloved "天冷就回来" soundtrack, and started feeling a strong sense of regret about the possibility of missing the one musical that I've been waiting forever for - "雨季" which I have already bought tickets for (Remember my insane entry here)!

When Zim learnt that he won't be returning to Singapore for his workplan this august (The govt has decided to work using teleconferencing instead), I am kinda glad and have more or less resigned to the thought of giving the musical a pass and giving up my ticket to my mom. But after listening to the soundtrack, I've a sudden H-U-G-E urge to fly back to Singapore to catch it. Afterall, I've been waiting for this musical for the longest time ever! (Well, it was pretty much my first exposure to musicals, and my love for them has grown tremendously over the years..) Thus, how could I ever forgive myself if I miss this? Plus, there's no guarantee that there will be a second time and even if there is, it might not be Kit Chan and George Chan!

Arggggggh... should I or should I not endure the 24 hours (x2) flight to Singapore to catch this musical? Mom and Zim have given the green light, but i'm still not sure... Sigh, if only the musical came one year earlier! Such lousy timing. =(

How~

I must be really insane....


----------------------------------------

Afternote: Okay, I fucked up and booked the air tickets wayyyy too late. As a result, I'm unable to get a ride home, so I guess I'm done for. May my brother and his gf enjoy the musical on my behalf.

RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRR~

Our NS Puppy!

Sam sam went for a grooming session during our stay in Orlando and came back looking/ feeling like a NS boy! His fur was trimmed so short that the texture felt as if I was stroking the crew cut head of a NS boy. (Zim was pretty nasty and added that it also felt like Sam was just out of prision.) Sadly, I have to admit that Sam's cuteness level had just declined following the haircut (I'm sorry Sam, it's mummy's fault!). In addition, without his fur, Sam looked emaciated! Oh well, at least I guess it also means that I could give him more treats without worrying that he will grow fatter as well. =P

Well, it goes to show that dogs do have bad hair days too.

Hard Rock Hotel Orlando..

We chose to stay in Hard Rock Hotel as it was one of the few pet friendly resorts available. But I had to say, I was really quite disappointed by the experience. I guess the reputation of the Hard Rock chain kinda raised my expectations and unfortunately, the experience fell short of the expectations.

There were several incidents that kinda cheezed me off. Here it goes...

1. The place was advertised as being pet friendly. Ironically, the only pet friendly thing about it was that it allowed pets in the rooms. Period. The room was pretty pet unfriendly in fact. Maybe I was expecting too much. The room was pretty much similar to hotel rooms around the world - fully carpetted with arm chairs in awkard position. Zim and I had a pretty stressful time chasing after Sam, making sure he didn't pee or poo wrongly (which he obviously did anyway). Besides that, there were nothing indicating that it was pet friendly. We had to make a call to the concierge to double check and then only then did they send us a pathetic bag of 'goodies' containing a door sign (to indicate that there is a bit), a bag of treats (that I threw away anyway), a plastic food and water bowl (which I didn't bother using) and a bottle of water. It was completely different from what I have expected from the Lowes Love Pet programme. I needed some advice from the concierge about other Pet sitting options (the hotel offered such services at a costly price) and the reply wasn't helpful at all. I was better off googling for information on my own. The only places that Sam was allowed in the hotel were our room, a courtyard (which was actually pretty good) and the lobby. He wasn't allowed near the pool area nor outdoor dining and Universal's citywalk, which was a complete disappointment. In the end, we decided to check Sam into boarding for a few days to spare us all the agony of having to chase after Sam.

2. After checking Sam into boarding, we kinda started chilling out at the pool a fair bit. The first day we were there, we were unable to order any drinks as we didn't have our IDs with us. So we went back to our room just to retrieve our IDs (our driver license - which we also used to buy alcohol at other places in Universal as well). The second day I headed to the pool on my own to chill (equipped with my ID and my room card) and attempted to order a cocktail. The stupid waiter stared at my driver's license forever and finally told me that he could not accept my driver's license as there was a policy that foreign driver's licenses are not accepted and I had to bring my passport with me. I was completely annoyed. Which idiot would risk bringing their passport to the pool side? What if it gets misplaced? And, why was I able to get a drink the day before and at other places in the area with my driver's license and not here. I stomped back to the hotel room and got Mr Lim to lodge a complaint via phone to the concierge. No surprise, no reply was given after they promised. We raised the issue to the staff upon checkout and was given a 'standard' reply that just simply put me off further.

3. We bought our 2 days pass from the concierge at Hard Rock Hotel. We happily did our visits to the two parks, putting Islands of Adventure on our second day. While we were there on the second day, we learnt from the greeter at the park that there was a special arrangement between the Universal Resorts and IOA - apparently, hotel guests get the special honor of visiting the Wizarding World of Harry potter even before it's opened to public. I was ecstatic, yet angry. I was quite unhappy that we weren't informed of this privilege earlier and had to end up extending our pass for another day (we spent USD30 extra for this). Upon questioning the concierge, the explanation given was that it's a special arrangement by the park and the hotels and thus could not be publicised (Apparently, it was meant to be for a special group of ticket holders and they decided to secretly include hotel guests who happened to find out). I was pretty pissed actually. While I came with the understanding that the harry potter section will not be opened till 18th, I couldn't understand why the person whom we brought the tickets from didn't bother informing us. Mr Lim seemed to be more forgiving and kinda understood where they were coming from but I refused to do so. I simply could not understand any benefit of withholding such information from us. On the contrary, I would have blown my top if I had returned only to find out about this later. Thankfully, we had some time to spare and the weather was great. Otherwise, I would have screwed the management upside down. I can understand if we had bought the tickets online and thus was not informed. But on this occasion, we bought the tickets right from the counter at the hotel and I really could not understand why the arse behind the counter couldn't even share this little piece of information. Did they not realise how appreciative and thankful we would be then?

4. The ice dispenser was crap. We chose not to take the key to the minibar as we would not consume anything anyway, but it kinda slipped our mind that we needed to chill the drinks we bought from walmart. As a result, I had to rely on the ice machine. The first day I went, the ice was out. I decided to let it go. I went to the machine again several occasions and there was ice. On the last day, there was no ice again. I was pretty pissed by this point of time after all the experiences above and decided to call the concierge to inform them. (There was a note on machine stating that we can call the concierge to inform them if it was out of ice.) I called them and was told that they would send someone to fix it. At the back of my mind, I was expecting that he would send someone to deliver some ice meanwhile. (well, this is after a 4-star hotel, am I expecting too much?) To my horror, the person ended the conversation by stating that there were other ice machines in other floors and I could get ice there. I guess I could have react more sarcastically and demanded for ice to be delivered, but at the moment, I was just stunned by how lousy the service was that I was dumbfounded. He actually had the audacity to ask me to go to another floor to get my own ice! (Btw, it was a pretty long walk to the elevator from our room.) What kind of service is this? Self service? Geesh, I'm pretty sure I didn't check into a 4-star hotel to serve myself.

5. The brilliant housekeeping just seemed to want to clean our room at 8.30am! WTF. We couldn't even really sleep in peace. The knock just come seemed to come everyday at this time~ Sigh.

Of course, there were some pretty good things about the hotel as well, but the cons just triumphed the pros and I couldn't even bothered to compliment them anymore. Maybe I was expecting a tad bit too much, but again, at the price we paid and the reputation of Hard Rock Hotel, I don't think so. Nonetheless, I'm extremely sure I won't be back in another hard rock hotel in future.

Hogwarts!

Zim and I made our way to Hogwarts, by FOOT!

It was a really pleasant surprise that we could get into the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" as the official opening isn't till June 18 and I was quite resigned to the need to visit the park again in future. But by a twist of fate, we found out that Universal Studio Resorts hotel guests were given a privilege to tour the area before it's even opened to the public! OMG OMG. The only thing was that we didn't find out about it until the second day of our 2 day pass and we ended up spending abit more to extend our tickets, but honestly, it was WORTH IT! It was sooooo good. Universal Studios definitely outdid itself again.

The Wizarding World was amazing! It was as if we walked into the movie set of Harry Potter! The first thing that impressed me to the max was that they converted my favourite dueling dragon ride to a harry potter related ride - the Dragon Challenge! It was previously constructed to be a duel between the fire and ice dragons and has now been redesigned to be a duel between the Chinese Fireball and the Hungarian Horntail. I looove it the creativity and am really impressed by how well the harry potter theme fitted with this ride. And of course, the ride just as good as I remembered it to be!

The ride that blew us away, was none other than the "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" stimulation/roller coaster ride. It was AWESOME. Though it doesn't have the thrills of the hard core roller coaster rides I adore, the stimulation and the mechanism behind the ride was just pure brilliance. 2 thumbs up for it! I guess we were really lucky. We waited in line for about an hour before being turned away due to some technical problems and were even told that the ride would probably remain close for the rest of the day. Lucky us, the ride reopened before we left the area! The ride was built into the Hogwarts castle and we got to have a nice little tour of the castle as we queued for the ride. The touches were just so impressive - Kudos to the creators of the park!

The Hogsmeade street leading to Hogwarts was also filled with fun shops - from the Wand shop, Ollivanders to the Owl post, to Zonkos (The shop opened by Fred & George!) and Honeydukes (for some wizard chocolates). And of course, we had our very own taste of the authentic butterbeer! We experienced the wand choosing process and some really quite acapella performance by Hogwarts students and really cute little toads.

The little touches of the whole place was just amazing. It was truly a real harry potter experience. Overall, I am really really in awe of the awesomeness of the wizardry world. =D Looooooove it~

Two happy muggles invading into the world of wizardry!

Conversation between Husband and Wife

We brought Sam out with us for a champagne brunch today. Sam was on a leash and everytime he saw a dog, he would happily walk up to him and attempt to say 'hi' to it. He has a tendency to kinda ignore the dog after a couple of sniffs, even after he had earned the interest of the other dog.

So, after Sam did that continuously to about 3 dogs, Zim finally turned to me and said:

Zim: "Sam is a facebook dog."
Me: "What?"
Zim: "He goes up to dogs, add them as friends and then ignore them."

LOL.

Yeah, meet Sam, the facebook dog.

The sick little puppy...

Sam is like a vacuum cleaner - he sucks up everything on the floor. Unfortunately, his stomach is an absolute lousy vacuum bag as it simply is unable to handle all the trash the stupid thing sucks. As a result, that little guy fell terribly ill.

Well, Sam had have diarrhea for the longest time (probably about 2 weeks) and we didn't think much of it, especially since we have been to two vets and his energy level was still insanely high. And suddenly, it all began with a whole night of vomiting. The little guy woke up 5 times (and of course, so did I). It started with undigested food, twice. It went on to yellow bile (the equivalent of our gastric juices), twice as well. And lastly, white foam.

This wasn't the first time Sam vomited, though probably the first with the most frequency. I was really worried, but decided to wait it out to see how he will react the next morning. Sadly, the little thing didn't get any better. He woke up acting so lethargic, refusing to eat his food and didn't even react when I waved his favourite snack at his face (He usually would get all excited and start jumping up and down). His energy level was seriously low and he just looked so depressed. I even force fed him some water using a syringe to prevent him from getting dehydrated. Finally, I started to call all the vets that we had previously visited about his diarrhea.

I made a couple of calls to the 'budget' vets that I found and they were simply unable to fit in any slots for me. (One offered to take a message and said that the vet would call me back later in the day. I was quite annoyed as by the time the vet called back, it would be wayyy too late to visit a vet as most would have closed by then.) Finally, I took the last resort and contacted the super duper expensive vet. (Mr Lim was in SF at the moment and wasn't of much help.)

Guess paying more does make a difference. The receptionist managed to fit in an afternoon slot for me and even pushed it up after I called to inform that Sam threw up again. The vet was great with Sam and after several tests (thankfully, he tested negative for all parasites and viruses) and x-ray, he concluded that Sam's stomach was badly inflamed due to something he ate (which till now, we are unsure what). As Sam was still a puppy and had probably lost one tenth of his weight due to the vomiting, it was recommended that we kept Sam hospitalized for a night. They brought Sam out to me before they admitted him (kinda to say bye and not let him think that I've abandoned him) and when I held him in my arms, he looked so sad and tired.

And that's when I kinda lost it. I quickly passed Sam to them and left. As I walked out, tears just started coming. It was so heartbreaking to see the little guy so sick. All I wanted was just for him to be back to his usual pesty self. It sure was a huge relief when we picked Sam up the next day. The little guy was back to his good old self and was clearly happy to see us (Well, it's definitely a mutual feeling!). He had a little 'war injury' - a shaven paw that was used to insert his IV drip which looked kinda cute on him.

Now for the heartache - the bill came up to a whooping USD900 and the insurance we bought has yet to kick it. (How brilliant.) Another big hole in Mr Lim's pocket. But seriously, seeing the little guy back on his paws and his mischief, this was money well spent. (I'm not sure if Zim agrees though, since he's the one paying.)

Anyway, on a good note, Sam has been doing well for the past week - stools are firmed and eating GREAT and of course, chewing even more. But we have learnt to be more cautious with feeding him and decided to stick to a healthy low residue diet and limited treats. All in all, it was an awful experience and I sure hope that little Sam will grow to be a healthier dog, so that it will be good for my heart and Zim's pocket!

Nonetheless, It's good to have him back again!

Scapbooking!

Lucky me found a friend here who happened to enjoy scrapbooking as much as me! (But I sure do think that she's wayyyy better at it than I am.) So together, we went for the scrapbooking convention in New Jersey. It was an eye opener and I had such a blast! There were just tons and tons of scrapbooking materials at dirt cheap prices.

And sure enough, I simply went insane shopping. Though the damage was rather significant and lugging the items back home in shoes that gave me blisters weren't exactly very fun, the convention really did re-ignite my passion for scrapbooking and I just can't wait to get started again.

So with my once again burning passion, I made Mr Lim order a storage system (my scrapbooking supplies were still in the Crown box and has yet to be unpacked) that caught my eye at the Container Store and a brand new set of dining table from Walmart (I need a place to scrapbook ma~).

The storage system fitted all my scrapbooking supplies wonderfully and I am soo pleased with the overall look!

The high dining table from Walmart cost only USD200 and was perfect for our little living room.

I guess I'm finally ready to scrapbook once again - but, maybe after I return from Orlando~ =P

Timid Sam

Well, Sam finally had a taste of his own medicine after terrorizing tons of dogs in the park. Sam has a reputation of being fearless and a truly big dog in a small package. And he finally met his match.

He was disturbing another dog (a bulldog) who had a ball in his mouth. As usual, Sam tried to snatch it away. The bulldog kinda lost it and snapped at Sam. At that moment, Sam gave out the most awful sounding yelp I ever heard from him and the yelping lasted for a good 10 seconds! I was a distance away, chatting with another dog owner and by the time I got to Sam, he was hiding under a bench and his tail was tucked between his hind legs (a strong indication that he was terrified).

The weird part was, even though the bulldog did snap at Sam, there were no injures on Sam at all! (To think of it, the dog had a ball in his mouth anyway.) But again, I wasn't paying attention to know what exactly happened though I was really quite surprised by Sam's reaction, given his existing reputation. After the dog left, Sam took a while to 'recover', before his tail went up. Soon enough, the little guy was back to his acts of mischief.

I brought the little guy back to the park several times after the incident and he was generally fine. But it so happened that the same dog was there as well today. Not to be mean, but it was hilarious watching Sam wandering around and jumping in shock the instance he saw the dog. Within seconds, he quickly hid under the bench again. (See la, bully other dogs, now got retribution!) The other dog was all friendly and nice towards Sam but Sam still kept his distance. By the time we left, Sam still appeared terrified of the dog, but at least he gave the dog a little goodbye kiss. (A peck on the snout.)

I was really surprised to see this side of Sam, but I guess it's all part and parcel of growing up. It just goes to show that the little boy does have his own timid side after all.

Vaccination!

Sam is finally done with all his shots! He is officially street legal! No more worrying that he will fall sick from sniffing on the ground and what not.

Plus, Sam is microchipped too!!! So, no worries that the little baby will be gone and never returned.

Now that we've gotten the green light from the Vet, he has an exciting month ahead - NYC Pet show, trip to Orlando, walks to central park, obedience classes (and hopefully, agility classes soon) and more~

Happy Sam = Happy KeY!

Visit to the Vet

The last visit to the vet with Sam was rather disturbing for me and Zim. (Well, nope, it had nothing to do with Sam. He's just there for another stool test due to his never ending diarrhea. Yes, it's back AGAIN!) This time, I got smart. I did tons of research and found a cheaper vet (it cost half as much!) that was located inside an animal shelter.

Here's what happened: We met a lady in the lift carrying a pet carrier box. Out of curiosity, I asked if she had a puppy in it. She mentioned that it was a kitten that she had just for a night. She added that the kitten had have seizures the whole night and she wasn't able to handle it. Well, when she said that, she looked really worried and frantic. In my mind, I was like, "oh dear, no wonder you rushed to the Vet so early in the morning."

It turned out to be a whole different story when we reached the reception. I was filling out the registration form while eavesdropping to her conversation with the receptionist. It appeared that the lady had NO intentions of bringing the sick kitten to the vet. She was here to drop off the kitten as she couldn't handle it. (OMFG.) She explained that she bought the kitten from a friend the night before and she was completely freaked out by the occurrence of the seizures and thus concluded that she did not want the kitten anymore. Not one time did she even mention about getting vet care for the kitten.

Zim and myself were pretty upset after hearing this. Shouldn't the priority for any owner of a sick animal be getting the right medical treatment for the animal asap? I really couldn't believe that all she wanted was to push the poor kitten away. Well, apparently, the vet did not accept drop off. The owner indicated that she would then return the kitten to her friend and would not pursue to get her money back either. Still no mention of Vet care!

Sigh, I can't believe that people like this even exist. I know vet care isn't exactly cheap in NYC, but if it means saving the life of a young kitten, it's definitely worth it. I guess it's not a bad thing that she chose to give up the kitten anyway. Hopefully, she would stay away from all animals in future.

Oops, I'm being to sound more and more like an animal activist! =P

Orange Sam!

Little Sam with his new harness. Hm, I think orange is his colour!



- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

My voice.

I'm not really complaining. Really. I just needa voice it out.

Life in Nyc? Good or bad? I'm not sure. While I'm totally free from work stress, I'm a little overwhelmed by my aimless day to day routine. So I wake up when Sam does (which is REALLY early by my standards). I bring the little guy for walks to tire him out. I come back and pray that he will stay asleep till it's time for lunch or the next walk. I watch trashy shows and sneak to the toilet to avoid waking him up (this I never succeed, unfortunately). I countdown to the time Zim comes back when he's not out of town. I contemplate for hours whether I'm in a cooking mood. He comes back, we eat dinner, Sam sleeps, Zim works, I watch more trashy shows. Period.

I'm not sure what I've signed myself up for by being here, leaving behind a job I had (okay, this isn't a bad thing I suppose), family and friends I adore and activities I really enjoyed. Sadly, Fridays don't mean any thing to me anymore. (It used to mean the world to me.) Weekends are just days when Zim is either out of town, or days when he worked from home. Of course, not all is bad. There were days when I truly enjoyed myself and thank god that I'm here, yet there were also days when I just waste my days away watching trashy show, cleaning after the dog (I still love Sam despite this) and doing housework. It's especially horrid when Zim's out of town which actually is becoming increasingly frequent.

Ironically, Sam is the only thing that is keeping me sane. (well, he does drive me insane too.) His stupid acts and cute face bring lotsa smiles to my face. Bringing him for walks and to the dog park is something I always look forward to. Meeting other dogs and dog owners is probably my only socialization on weekdays. In addition, it's also a blessing that our social circle is expanding. There are more activities planned for us on weekends too.

Okay. I'm just whining. Yes, I am working to find some aim in my life. Keeping my fingers crossed that things will fall into place. For now, I'm just feeling really sianz. Guess I need a break from being a homemaker. LOL. Maybe the break in Orlando will do me some good.

Meantime, it's a just another boring friday night, a zimless saturday and hopefully, a better Sunday?

And the Auntiehood continues...

My very own shopping trolley!


- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

Playtime!

Seems like Lil Sam found himself a friend!



- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

Dog Parenthood...

Hm, having a dog really gives me a good experience of how it would feel to have a kid.

Lil Sam fell ill over the week. He had a series of really bad diarrhea that lasted over 3 days without any signs of recovery. Ironically, his energy level was still insanely high and his appetite remained the same. On one hand, Zim wasn't too concerned and suggested that we wait it out a bit more before deciding what to do since he was behaving as per normal. On the other hand, I was totally freaking out and googling about puppy diarrhea made it worst.

We finally decided to bring Sam to the vet. (I guess Zim kinda gave in after he saw me stressing out over it) It was really tough looking for a vet on a sunday, but I managed to find one that was a few subway stops away. The vet and her assistant were really nice and good with Sam. A quick diagnosis and a lab test revealed that Sam's stools had traces of bacteria, thus explaining the diarrhea streak. The little guy was put on a course of antibiotics, a strict diet and a ban on treats.

Sam's been a darling and didn't resist much when we fed him his medication using a syringe. Sam's doing great and his first poop of the day was hard and firm! (The first in a few days! T_T) I could feel a huge relief that the little guy is finally doing much better! It also seemed like Sam has forgotten the existence of treats and is enjoying his new strict diet. We kinda concluded that he was being fed too much treats previously and thus was really picky over his staple. Well, I guess Sam will be given less treats and more staple in time to come~

Sigh, now I understand the stresses parents feel when their child falls ill. It's really scary and worrying. Thank goodness Lil Sam is doing better! Hm, he better be, especially after we paid USD270 for the Vet visit!

On the down side, due to his illness, Sam's been kinda grounded and is not allowed to go to the dog parks or play with other dogs. As a result, his biting streak kinda returned and it sucks for me.

Oh well, praying that the little guy recovers ASAP!

Me Time..

I guiltily indulged in "me-time" today, the first since the arrival of the little thing. It begun with an invitation from Yee Lyn to watch the Martha Stewart show. (THANKS GAL! =D) Thus, after some research, I located the nearest puppy day care (which was conveniently only 3 streets away!), did a field visit and was satisfied. After some thought, I decided to deposit Sam for a full day care (from 7.30am to 7.30pm) to allow some time to run some errands. I dropped little Sam off, with a bag of food and a couple of toys (just in case). The little guy was so excited that he didn't even 'say' bye and happily wagged his tail when he was carried away from me into the room. T_T 死没良心的！

The Martha Stewart show was definitely an eye opener. It was recorded 'live' and everything just moved so quickly and within an hour, everything was over. I guess it was a good experience and I'm game to do it again! But of course, I would be wayyy more excited if it was the Oprah show. Oh well, I'll make do for now. Lunch and dessert were gooood too! (Separate post some time soon.)

And of course, 'me-time' = SHOPPING + errands. Within the few hours, I accomplished so much! (Well, it's really tough to do these things when you have to watch over a little pup.) I actually managed to do some shopping for summer clothes (REALLY PLEASED!), some grocery shopping, had yummy sushi for dinner and also squeezed in some quick household chores.

While it was refreshing to indulge in some timeout from the puppy, this 'me-time' also made me realize how attached to Sam I have become. Every dog I walked past reminded me so much of Sam. (Its like I am seeing Sam's face on the faces of the dogs.) I strolled along the streets thinking things like 'oh, this is a great place to walk Sam.' and 'Hm, I can bring Sam here for lunch.' The house seriously felt so empty without the little thing scampering around and it really feels weird walking around the house without the kpo dog following. Note: Sam has a habit of coming up to me or Zim when we leave his peripheral vision to see what we are doing, before returning to his post to continue his chewing/biting. I would always say "Yes little Sam, why you so kpo?" and of course, he would give a blank look and scamper off. (I actually love it when he does it.)

I couldn't be more happy and relieved to see the little thing when I picked him up. (I couldn't say the same for him - he gave me the usual blank look again. diaoz~) Well, unsurprisingly, Sam was a big hit with the people there (Aiya, he is a fraud la. He gives the innocent face all the time, but he is a terror in disguise!) and I guess he did have ton of fun as he was so tired (and was such an angel) when he came back. And yes, I'm definitely sending him back there again for more 'me-time' indulgence in future.

Thus, it proved to be a great day for me - a good show, good meals, good shopping and good quiet evening (with no biting!). And all these definitely make KeY a happy girl! Looking forward to more 'me-time'! =D

Vet school..

I've been giving this some thought. It has kinda always been my hidden ambition to be a vet. But as life unfolds and with some really lousy decision making (E.g. dropping physics in JC, choosing to go Arts Faculty), I just kept drifting further away. After having Sam in my life and interacting with animals, I realize that the ambition is still burning inside. Is it a sign that maybe it's time to pursue it?

To be honest, I don't really have the confidence in myself. There are some uncertainties that scare me; things like the possibility of tons and tons of memorization, the need to dissect a reptile (*gulps*) or even things like having to study/write essays all over again. But there is a nagging voice inside me, telling me that it's okay and that I can do it if it's really my passion.

While it's impossible for me to get into a Vet school now, my doors are still opened. I could pursue the longer route of entering a Pre-vet school and if I do well, I could proceed further. Alternatively, I could just enter a Veterinarian assistant program and be contented with being a animal nurse. My heart for now is on the first option. Yap, that means that I'm going to be stuck in school for a loooong time. (Let's not discuss finances as yet.) That also means that when Zim's posting ends, I might just have to stay behind. (At least I would have Sam's company!)

Sigh, guess I really need to put in more time to think about it. I don't even want to think about my parent's reaction to this. Geesh, I hate decision making. =(

My Favourite Picture of Sam!

Isn't he just a darling?

Far far away..

I was youtubing a performance clip - 梁文福精选组曲 X 新加坡青年华乐团 @ 新加坡e乐大赏2010 and was suddenly reminded of the musical (If there're seasons..). It felt like I was back in Singapore, back in NLB, reliving the musical once again. Gosh, that is by far my favourite musical. I wonder if there will be an opportunity to watch it again. (And yes, for now, I CANNOT wait till December Rains!)

For a moment, I forgot that I was far far away. It was only when I looked out of the window then I came to realize that I am actually still in NYC.

Nope, I'm not homesick. It's just that I find it really interesting how the internet can really bring home to you no matter where you are. And I'm looooving it~

Conversation between Husband and Wife..

Zim and I were watching TV and at the corner of the eye, we saw little Sam scampering towards his potty corner and started peeing. We both waited and when he was done, he jumped off and I offered him a treat.

Zim: "He dripped a drop of pee on the floor leh."
Me: (Getting up and ready to clean the drip) "Hm, maybe you should teach him how to shake off."
Zim: "......"

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....

So Daniel Wu got married.... T_T

Guess I am stuck with Zim and Sam for life....

Well, on second thoughts, that's not too bad afterall.

Dinner time!

You know the little guy is hungry when he gives you THE look while you are preparing dinner. So, as requested, dinner will be served!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Conversation between Husband and Wife..

Zim and I brought Sam to Puppy class and mid way during the class, little Sam decided that he wanted to poop. So out Zim went and when he returned...

Zim: "You know, if we divorced, can I have Sam?"
Me: "What?"
Zim: "When I brought Sam out to poop for just 5 minutes, there were at least 5 pretty girls who commented that Sam was cute. He is a chick magnet~"
Me: -_-" (thinking of Sam's pesty acts and how he succeeds in pissing Zim off) "SURE!"

Orlando 2010!

Yes, I am finally going back to Orlando once again!!!!! It has been 4 years and I am sooo thrilled! And thanks to little Sam, we will be staying in Hard Rock Hotel Universal!!!

While Zim isn't too pleased with the selection (Erm, we didn't have much choices as there were limited pet friendly hotels in Orlando and this just appeared to be the best deal!), I am sooo excited. It's like my first time staying in a Hard Rock hotel and we are going to be there for a whooping 7 nights! I'm still deciding where to go - Universal Studios, Seaworld, Disney World, dog beaches.

HAPPY!!! We are going to be there from June 1st to June 8th! ^_^

Our weekend in NYC..

It has been a while since we actually had a good weekend - one that Zim gets to stay in town on both days and one with great company!

So we started off with a good workout session - BASKETBALL! Though it wasn't as intense as I would like, it was good! I was freezing initially but as I started working out, it was gooood. Zim and I had planned to call it a day after the game as the rest of the gang was planning to go for ktv and we didn't think it was convenient to bring Sam along. But nonetheless, after little convincing, we were sold. Thus, off we went to Flushing and KTV, with poor little Sam in a travel bag.

Flushing reminds me of Taiwan (the whole atmosphere and food selection) and I looove it! It was so much better than the Chinatown in Canal St. Pity it's about an hour away. The songs at the KTV were surprisingly updated too! Sam did wonderful and was in the bag most of the 5 hours we were there. We did bring him out for poop-ing a couple of times too. (I wasn't very comfortable as the streets were filthy but luckily we managed to find a relatively deserted alley.) Last but not least, dinner was great too - we had steamboat!!

Sunday was another blast! It kicked off with Sam's puppy kindergarten class. We were almost late and were rushing our asses off. Thankfully we made it! He was such a bully in class, crawling over all the other puppies (and I think he found himself a girlfriend - a dashund!). It was also a joy to watch him being bullied by others too! The class was pretty informative and I'm glad Sam had tons of fun! (He was completely zonked out for the rest of the day after that!) Lunch was good as we baked in the sun outdoors. (I'll update on this later!) And of course, the sunday was completed by a good mahjong session and really yummy home cooked chinese food! LOVE IT!!!

Sigh, wished all the coming weekends would be just as good. ^_^

How to Train Your Dragon

I caught my first movie in NYC (and it's also my second time watching a movie alone!) after being here for 2 months. Well, there were plenty of shows that enticed me but I was reluctant to spend money to watch them. Not to mention that Zim barely has any spare time to indulge in a movie date.

When 'How to Train Your Dragon' came along, I decided that this was the movie I wanted to watch. I reasoned that once little Sam comes home, I would probably have no time for such indulgence (Ain't I right!). Plus, this is the kinda movie that would work great in 3-D and thus probably makes sense to watch it in the theatre. I chose to watch it the weekend before Sam came home and unfortunately Zim was out of town, but whatever.

The theatre was just a quick 10 minutes walk from home and I chose the IMAX version. The movie tickets cost a whooping USD19!!!!!! (OMG). Hm, and I'm amazed that people are actually willing to spend that much to watch a movie!

Overall, the movie was pretty decent. Entertaining and cute. (Though probably not worth the ticket price) The person sitting behind was wayyy annoying as he/she kept kicking on my chair. The thing is, there was plenty of leg space for me thus I had no idea why I kept getting kicked! So I retaliated by lending back more and giving a hard jerk back. I was tempted to turn back and scold the person but stopped in time after reminding myself that I am now in USA and I was alone. (You never know what's gonna happen!) Okay, fine, I was scared that I might get whacked or shot. LOL. So I never actually got a look at who the idiot was and I guess things were better off that way. Oh well, this just further reminded me why I am not a fan of the theatres - especially idiots around you.

Think I will be better off watching Movie on Demand at home for just less than USD5 per movie in future. And what else to enjoy it in the comforts of your own home..

Burnt and almost bitten!

I accidentally burnt my palm while removing the baking tray (I was baking honey baked wings for dinner) from the oven. AND it really hurts. Guess I should have just invested in two mittens. I was removing the tray with a cloth on my left hand while wearing a mitten on my right. Carelessly, I lifted my left hand too high and it came into contact with the metal grills of the oven. =(

It doesn't help that little Sam is on a biting streak again and has attacked my palm (almost exact same place as the burnt) twice.

T_T



- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

KitchenAid Mixer!

I finally invested in a Kitchen Aid Mixer ! I've been eyeing on it for a while and was anxiously waiting for the price to drop. And it did! Macy's finally had a blowout sale and the mixer was going for only USD199! (Okay, this is considered cheap as compared to what it cost in Singapore!) Pity the one on discount was a smaller model and only came in white. I was actually eyeing on the red 5-quartz one. But oh well, it's still bigger than the one I had in Singapore anyway! (Poor Zim had to carry it home for us, and we gave up half way and simply took a cab back as it was REALLY heavy...)

I can't wait to start using it to bake. So what should I start with.. Hm...

He loves us, he loves us not...

Okay, yes, I admit, I just cannot resist not blogging about Sam. So, please bear with it. Come on, he only gets to be a puppy once and I want to remember all the little incidents for as long as I can ma. =P

I was complaining to Zim that Sam doesn't seem to want to lick our faces anymore. The first day we saw him, he was happily licking our faces (and that totally bought us over). But since he came, he hasn't done it yet and that made me pretty sad. The few attempts that I tried to put him near my face ended up pretty bad as he tried to nip me instead. (His teeth were scary!) I can't help but wondered if it's because he doesn't love us.

After being with him and watching him, I guess it doesn't really matter if he licks our faces anot. It's little things he does that reassure us that he does love us. Things like, climbing on my lap while I am watching the TV and staying on it contentedly chewing his toy. Things like him hiding under the sofa to sleep but coming out once in a while to check that we are still there before heading back to sleep. Things like following us around the house when we move from room to room.

I've a tendency to disturb him when I am bored. When he is just sleeping at a corner while I am watching TV, I would always attempt to kajiao him when the advertisement is on. He would get pissed with me and crawl further away before sleeping again. And often, without me even realizing, he would quietly crawl back and I would find him sleeping beside me again. (And of course, the cycle continues...)

I guess he does love us afterall, just that he prefers not to show it openly....

KeY without a Life..

Zim was commenting that my recent blogs and tweets are all about Sam. But the truth is, that's what my life has been revolving around for the past week and a half! It sure felt like forever since Sam has been here. Sam has taken so much of my attention/time that I barely have time to do anything else. I can't even prepare dinner, pee or shower without worrying what he is up to. And sad to say, yes, I probably have no life.

We concluded that his pestiness could be due to his high energy level and the best way to wear him out is to bring him for walks. So after researching a bit online, it appears that it's highly recommended to keep puppies who are not fully vaccinated (which would be about 4 months) away from the streets. But Sam's biting streaks and misbehaving have pushed us to the wall that we decided to bring him out anyway. Thus I have been trying to bring him to a dog park (where he's kept safely in a bag) to observe the other dogs and then to a far away ulu plot of land along hudson river to walk him. At least it appears to be working a little since Sam does get quite tired by the end of the day and is now at least able to sleep through the night. Hopefully the puppy class this sunday would do him some good. (And to us too..)

For now, I am just waiting for him to grow up quickly so that he can for longer walks and I can get my social life back (and possibly widen it)! I won't deny that there is a tiny weeny bit of regret (and disappointment) as Sam really did throw our lives upside down. I do miss being able to walk the streets without carrying an extra bag (and worrying that he might pee in it), go shopping for me (for the past week, everything I bought is for him. None for me! =( ) and being able to dine at nice restaurants with Zim. But with a decent sense of humour and a mountain of patience, he is quite a joy to watch and laugh at. I've absolute confidence that things will get better. And if it doesn't, maybe I can convince Cesar Milan to come rehabilitate Sam. LOL...

Good luck to us...

Puppy gate

Sam's pestiness is spreading to our foyer. After he consistently chewed the floor mat, peed on the floor and pooped on our shoes, we had have enough. Thus, in the attempt to restrict him from reaching there, we invested in a puppy gate from Amazon (God bless Amazon again!).

The gate arrived and Zim dilligently assembled it. And guess what, the gate fitted perfectly but... the partitions are too wide apart that the little pest was able to wriggle through! OMG. Lol. What a joke. So now all we can do is hope and pray that the little brat will put on more weight asap and not be able to get through!!

Meanwhile, I've since cleared his pee twice and his poop once at the 'restricted' area! Ahhhhhhh..

Caught him in action once!

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?


- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

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!



- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

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!



- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

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..


- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

Peace time!

The little thing finally fell asleep! Peace on earth!


- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

Our new puppy!

- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

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!


- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

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!!



- Greetings from KeY's iPhone!

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~