Every little girl's dream...

...Is to live happily ever after... with her Prince Charming of course.

Thank goodness everyone has different views of who Prince Charming is (or we'll be fighting till the end of times no? O_o) ... :)

So my dear sister is finally getting married! *gasp!* (ok, I shouldn't use the word "finally"...that sounds too despo.. heh!) She was (is!) soooooo atas, she took a flight to NYC just to visit a bridal boutique to try out some bridal gowns...LOL

Playing Princesses was quite fun - I highly recommend one plays that many times before THE REAL STUFF. :o) Now that sis is down, the target has automatically turned to me..."When's your turn?" ..."Don't be so fussy!".... Aiyoh, how I know! Plus this kind of life decision, how can be ching chai?? A marriage can either be a bliss, or a blister! :)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven - Ecclesiastes 3:1

I forgive the loud ambience given it's a Saturday night at the bar/ tavern... LOL Thank goodness the food was good! I liked the appetizers and dessert here, though the main course was just about so-so. It's going to take a lot more to win Per Se's place in my heart - so good! (click/ see post below) When oh when, can my taste buds be tantalized in the same fashion again? :-)

Ok! 10.35pm now- time to hit the gym! ^_^ ...before I indulge in yet more Michelin food tomorrow! My current project has gone really well and bosses are well pleased so I'm treating myself to a Broadway Musical tomorrow, alongside my final 1-star Michelin gastronomical experience! (the last affordable one for my NYC adventure...) :P

3 points for Fruits & Vegetables

A Biometric Health screening was conducted today as part of my company-provided wellness benefit. I have always felt heavy... and corollary, I'd probably be the last person laying claim to be as fit as a fiddle. The results today stunned me:

What is this mann....why so cheem one??

I was particularly surprised with my Triglycerides score - I know mom won't believe that. For some reason, she always thinks I gobble fried food, fatty stuff, salty stuff, sweet stuff more than anything in the world. -_-''' Thank goodness there's medical technology to prove my (partial) innocent. Heh heh! :-)

The doctor said he thought that I was extraordinary happy and that my positive attitude and outlook was one reason why my Triglycerides level was so low. LOL. Really??? ^_^

Was also very surprised at my "good" cholesterol levels. It's >40% of my total cholesterol and has jumped since my last biometric screening at my old company! How come?! I don't know!

There was yet another test...

Lost 3 points to not eating enough fruits and vegetables...Yes, I plead guilty. So with my rejuvenated confidence in my "not all is lost"/"there is still time to treasure the wealth in my health" future - I went to buy a bag of ORANGES!!! LOL! To me that's a big deal because all my close friends and family know I will NEVER EVER EAT ORANGES ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS. Just because. LOL ;-)

Ok, time to keep the momentum going! 2am now and time for a run! (although they say lack of sleep causes pounds to add up...LOL)

USD$240 accrued in my pocket and a strong message that Preventive Health Pays!

3 Star Michelin- Jean Georges

One of the things on my 6-hour planning list is to treat myself to a 3-star Michelin feast! Given that there's only 4 of such restaurants in the entire food capital of the world (New York), and not even a 1-star Michelin in Singapore, my gastronomic desire was finally fulfilled and my tummy can rest in peace today. LOL

Was good but I still think it can't rival Per Se:

Martin Luther King Day

Guess I knew who Martin Luther King was, but I never really knew much about him until it was Martin Luther King Day today and I felt I should take a moment to understand this man who gave me my 1 day holiday break. :)

Part of doing so meant exploring Harlem, and I used the internet to search for some famous landmarks that should put me on the right track... At the subway station, this series of Diesel ads caught my eye and I couldn't help stopping to look at them:

Being stupid is cool. How's that for a change?

I managed to find my way to Harlem and was a little apprehensive initially given how people have told me "it's a rough neighborhood...make sure you go there with a friend". But how to have a friend when I've just moved to NYC? Actually I have tried my best to make friends from all sort of channels but none have materialized - hai... Just got to let go, let flow. Sometimes it makes me wonder if there's anything wrong with me - I think I'm a fairly interesting person with a fairly good personality... but.... where are my friends??? Guess this is just part of having to contend with being overseas and moving every so often. The roots of such a tree never grow deep.

Oh, this brings to mind something I have been thinking about a lot today... I think there's a lot of wisdom in the following 2010 goals:

• Heart to heart
• Purity of heart
• Guarding your heart
• Having a heart

Anyway..I've digressed. Here are some of Harlem's landmarks - the Apollo Theater, Lenox Lounge and then there's Blumstein where Martin Luther King was nearly assassinated... but nobody seems to know where that is...

I also had my life's first SOUL FOOD today. Now I finally know what's Soul food, and what's Soul music. Soul food = food eaten by African Americans in the south. :) Turns out to be a bunch of oily fried stuff... but well, I justify the calories by the new experience!

Interestingly, my subway line connected to the Museum of Natural History and I decided to hop off and check the museum out. It was afterall, part of my 6 hours of planning over the weekend of where to go, what to eat and things I want to explore in NYC within the month that I'm here. FYI- food is high on my priority list! I now have my own list of the TOP EATING SPOTS in NYC! :) Ask me if you'd like that list! :)


Again, by coincidence, the subway I have to take to get home makes a connection at Times Square...so I got off and bought my Broadway tickets to Lion King (click for video) and In The Heights (click for video)! :)

I thought it was funny to see the T-Rex in Toys'R'us when I've just seen its genuine predecessors at the Natural History Museum... LOL :) It was an unexpectedly good day, and this post has also taken unexpectedly long to create & post... I've gotta cut down Facebook and blogging time to start concentrating on CFA studying which starts TODAY!!!

Food Capital...

It's 5.36am and I've officially spent 6 hours pulling together all the sights, musicals and food I wanna try in NYC for the next 3 weeks! :-) HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAO PA!!!

Sights:
- Metropolitan Museum (MET), MOMA, Guggenheim museum, SOHO, East Village, Greenwich Village, Harlem, West Village, East Village...

Musicals:
- Lion King, In The Heights, West Side Story
Just check out the amazing grandeur of Lion King - literally breathtaking mann! (remember to pause the music dog on the left)

Food:
- Ooh...how can I even begin listing?? I have 24 on my list, 5 of which are Michelin rated restaurants, 8 are street food carts/ random establishments and the rest are somewhere in between. Yum! ...and ouch$$$$! But...don't try now = confirm regret later, so... Just do it! :p

Liking NYC more and more...

Was supposed to go to some Personal Dynamics events night today - an introduction to a course that's been highly recommended by my cousin and his friends as being life-changing. But online forums say it's cultish... -_-''' In any case, my visit there flaked when the New Yorker hotel (where the course was held) had a private 80th anniversary party.

It was actually quite cool - I stumbled in unknowingly, folks thought I was one of them and I joined in the party and even got an instant photo taken in what was 15mins... :p lol The funny thing is, I don't know how I stumbled in given how they've set up like TONNES of security guards clad with communication devices as if Obama was in town... -_-'''

Given the New Yorker wasn't too far from Times Square, I ended up taking a walk there to get Broadway tickets and with each step, I couldn't help but feel so grateful for the opportunity to smell the air, admire the lights, listen to the blend of exotic languages that filled the air...I'm bad with words but NYC felt special to me. For the first time.

I think I understand why American has become a debt nation. There's temptation everywhere - shops at every corner, like a magnet attracting the dough out of your pocket. Working at Rockefeller center has sent me shopping during lunch time at H&M, Brookstone etc. :)

But today, I didn't have to spend anything to get a DVD (which I ended up not watching because I was caught up on a documentary about the U.S Special Forces..hee.)... :) Singapore should really have these DVD rental booths mann...I think there's some good $ to be made. :p

Kingdom of Lesotho

Everyday we learn something new. New York is such an amazing cultural melting pot / mixing bowl that I always keep my eyes peeled for new stuff. Today while walking home, I caught sight of a sign that looked like an embassy sign... "Kingdom of Lesotho". Am reminded again of just how big the world is... and how despite so, we're all connected.

New York, New York!

Never in my life did I dream that I'll get a chance to work and live in New York. Well, maybe the brief thought once crossed me in 2005 when I first laid my feet on Times Square. I was then 19 years old. Dear oh dear, I haven't even seen the big "2" then and now I'll be at a "3" if we play the rounding-up game... :(

So life is queer with its twists and turns, as many of us sometimes learn... with my life in 2 suitcases in 2 years, I think I've really gotten to see a lot, experience a lot, grow a lot. The journey hasn't always been smooth, but it has been good.

My company has put me up in a A-class fully furnished corporate apartment. I feel undeserving of so much attention but am grateful nonetheless for this little 1-month perk. More of what my current place looks like -

I have had 5 places to call home (Santa Monica, Irvine, Koreatown, North Hollywood, New York) in the past year - isn't it crazy? I definitely have a clearer idea of things to consider when buying one! :) But beyond that, I think it almost reminds me that there can be no home on earth that isn't temporary.

And given that home is where the heart is, I think one reason why NYC is growing on me is because I've got at least a family member here - my cousin! He's a wild one - but has taught me lots of wisdom about life, and I'm so glad I get to see this part of him that I never knew in all my >20 years of knowing him. Sometimes life can be so unique and interesting - you know this guy for 20 years and you've barely spoken more than 20 sentences. Then you come to a new place and suddenly in 2 visits, you feel like you've known each other for 2 lifetimes... :)

This is also the same cousin I visited last October, where I spent my weekend painting his brand new apartment and helping him get set-up. Now we can compare and contrast the differences in his house - isn't it amazing? :)

Almost reminds me of the phrase: "Live life once at a time and make it a masterpiece!" I really think there's a reason for everything. Really.

A friend loveth at all times - I'm glad we're connected!

Stop to smell the roses

Stop to smell the roses. I totally did so (& then more!) on the 3rd day of 2010. Stopped to a truckload, nono...many float loads of roses at the 2010 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

I had watched the parade live on 1 Jan 2010, with the live marching bands, equestrians, dogs, donkeys, ponies etc. and the atmosphere is something I will remember for a long time. I was really lucky to be able to get a standing place really near the floats when the folks around me had been queuing since the night before to get their place. :)

Seeing the floats up close was still a pretty phenomenal experience. The Rose Parade is apparently very famous with live broadcasts across the USA and in many parts of the world. Funny how I never heard anything about it when I was growing up in Singapore...

I knew it would be a great time out with the gorgeous sunshine and rare opportunity to see so many flower floats and got my landlord (sister) and baby princessita to come along. I was so glad to be able to let my surrogate sister experience something new. :) I should create more of such new experiences/ wonderful moments in 2010!