Posh Asian Nosh

That's "asian" as in "indian" food.

The lonely alcoholic:

Always the first to arrive at dinners, my mission is to try and get trashed before the others get there *grin* Unfortunately, milk and vodka don't mix very well and it took me awhile to down this lassi cocktail.

Benares food pr0n


Party mode on my camera. W00t w00t!

Wall of Fame

"I piddy da fool... that smells like Wazzz" *grin*

Thanks KC&B for everything :) I'm betting that wall is going to fill up pretty dang quickly!

29 years and 7 days

It's the point in my life when my body betrays me. It's _very_ obvious that I'm not 18 anymore. It's the point when, last night, I stood in a line for a club and I couldn't face it. 30mins later, I was in a cab home. Toooo cold. Shivering in my puffy jacket, the prospect of having to wait another 5 mins seemed like torture. Tonight, I was given a choice of going to a bar for cocktails, or chilling out at home. Option B please! As KC says, "Reenie's soft!" *lol*

To everyone who thought of me on my big day, thank you :) Thank you to Missy W, KC&B for the birthday lemon meringue and chicken wings *grin*

KC - What's with the clevage shot?!?

PIKACHU

...I CHOOSE YOOOU!

I could almost see the giant Pikachu breaking free from the ropes and rampaging through NYC. Stomping on those little screaming kids, "Mommy! It's Pika - *squish*" Pikachu's soo cute :)

Our yummy Butterball turkey (good job Becky!):

The story goes, Butterball turkeys are so-named because they've been injected with butter to make it tender and tasty. I just did some research on Google: "Butterball has become a Thanksgiving staple and is known for its tender and juicy turkeys. In fact, the Butterball name was chosen to characterize a new, special breed of broad-breasted white feather turkeys, not because the turkeys contain butter, as many mistakenly believe."

Hehehe... Next Turkey Day, I might actually try injecting a turkey with butter just for fun :)

Conflicted

In the land of consumerville, I'm torn between what to buy.
The girly girl in me goes, "Get yourself a nice clutch!"
The nerd in me goes, "*Gasp* 1TB hdd!"

Is there a compromise? Well, in 6 days, I've bought:

• A top from Armani Exchange
• A hoodie from Abercrombie & Fitch
• An iPhone
• A singlet top & jumper from Esprit
• 3 pairs of socks that I didn't really need (but were really cheap!)
• A haircut and an eyebrow wax
  
• A pair of Jessica Simpson heels (*shocking*, I know)
• Half a copy of Leopard (family version to be shared with KC)
• A 500GB external hdd!

Everything seems unbelievably cheap. I'm not sure if it actually is, or if I'm just buying for the sake of buying. I walk into Armani Exchange to be greeted by Felipe.
Felipe: "Hello, is anyone helping you?"
Me: "No, but that's ok, I can help myself."
Felipe: "Oh, let me take that for you. I'll start a room for you and when you're ready, you just let me know."

"Start a room" for me? Wow. Well, if it's really necessary, I guess I should make the most of it. I'm assuming he's on commission.
Me: "Felipe, I need a smaller size... Felipe, this one has hanger marks on the shoulders, can you get me another?... Felipe, they _all_ have hanger marks. Can you get me one that hasn't been hung up?"

Sometimes, I just like taking the piss *grin*

So, what was I doing in Armani Exchange to begin with? Well, I was on Fifth Avenue, and I was store hopping just for fun :) I didn't really think I'd be buying anything. Until I tried on a really nice red top from AE, "just for fun". And realised, "Hey, the exchange rate means divide the price by 2. HEY, it's only 30 squids for an Armani top!! I could never get an Armani top for 30 squids in Rondon!"

There begins my first taste of American consumerism.

The iPhone is a whole new ballgame. I should've done my research better. Don't really want to get into it here, but I'm really not cool enough to have one. I have too much fear of bricking a very expensive toy. However, with the help of BL and AdF, I've managed to get it to some sort of state. The rest remains to be seen. Thanks BL & AdF :)

What's with the 500GB external hdd? Well, to be realistic, I don't really need one TB. However, I do need to backup my sht before I do an upgrade to Leopard ;) So 500GB is my compromise. It also means no more deleting my fave movies from my laptop! :D

Unfortunately, it also means that until I do my expenses for the month of October, I shouldn't be making anymore extravagant purchases. The gorgeous red Gucci clutch will just have to stay at Saks *sigh*

How on earth am I going to lug home all my crap?

Bon Chon

I really look forward to dinners in NYC. Especially when there are locals to take me around :) Food here, it's on a whole different scale from Rondon. Something as simple as Bon Chon crispy chicken wings, can keep me happy for the entire night. Happy enough to even survive a night out at an RnB club! *lol*

I have decided. If I could create an animal, it'd have at least 10 wings. No drumsticks :P Yummmm...

How to eat chicken wings:

The "Pincer" technique
Use two fingers on each hand only. Less mess, however, more chances of wing flying out of your hands if munching too enthusiastically.

The "Praying Mantis" technique
Use your nifty forefingers to clamp and position the wing while feasting.

The "Oriental Hybrid" technique
When fingers aren't enough, bring on the chopsticks.

How NOT to eat chicken wings:
The "Serenade the Wing with a Boy Band Song First" technique.
+10 points for style, -50 points for effectiveness :)

Balthazar!

It's the place everyone keeps mentioning, and when we tried to get in on Saturday, it was packed. So Missy W and I decided to try our luck this morning. We got there just in time for...

... the change over. Meaning, at 11:45am, we were 15 mins too late for brekky, and 15mins too early for lunch! D'oh. Didn't stop us from splitting a croissant while waiting for the lunch menu to kick in though :)

Biggest bowl of mocha I've had in my life:

And it's not just the camera angle:

It was big enough to cover the menu!

Everything looks like Lego

This city will eat me alive. I got lost on my first day here, and I was only a block away from KC&B's place *lol* Serves me right for getting distracted by M&M World.

1.5 hours in a line, and 86 floors up the Empire State Building later, the view looks like this:

Can you spot the Statue of Liberty? :)
The New York skyline blows my mind.

Guggenheim

The trick is, start from the top and work your way to the bottom :) I walked up one level before I realised there was a lift :P

I love just looking at this museum. Clean lines and minimalistic.

Actually, it was a bit of a shock for me to see it in real life. I had only previously seen it in scenes from Matthew Barney's Cremaster 3. I don't think I realised it was the Guggenheim when I was watching the movie. So it felt eerily familiar to walk through the doors and see the spiralled levels. If I had to say what was worth it about the 8 hours of my life that I lost in watching Matthew Barney's Cremaster series, I'd say the scenes from the Guggenheim were amongst my favourite. They were visually spectacular. From my blurry memory anyway.

The rest of the 8 hours in Cremaster were pretty much rubbish. However, I did remember the Chrysler building scenes and made a special effort to visit that building too. Meh. Not very exciting, especially since visitors are only allowed to enter the lobby area :( But, I can at least tick it off my list.

Central Park

I never realised how huuuge this park is!

MoMA

I think it's hilarious when people stare at paintings like these up close.

Yes. It's red :)

The great thing about the Museum of Modern Art, is that you're allowed to take as many photos as you like of the artworks.

Guess the artists:

(Top: Seurat;
Bottom: Klimt & Van Gogh)



(Top: Warhol;
Bottom: Magritte - bet you thought it was Dali ;) )

This took me by surprise. Well, I wasn't actually suppose to photograph this one since it's part of an exhibition :P

This is a drawing by Seurat! The guy who paints with dots (pointilism). His drawings are pretty close to perfect. It's amazing.

Welcome to the Big Apple

Traffic here in NYC is horrendous. It took me TWO HOURS on the shuttle van to get from JFK to KC&B's place. I was traumatised. Lesson learnt: Always listen to the locals when they tell you to catch a cab ;)

Just quickly

So, what does a paranoid neurotic oriental carry in her handluggage? Anything precious:

• Passport + e-ticket
  
• 10 pairs of undies (Lost my luggage once, never want that experience again. My undies go where I go)
• Toiletries
  
• Nintendo DS - Zelda, yay! Thanks AdF!
  
• Camera
• Shuffle
• Multiple adapters/chargers
  
• USB cables
• Sunnies (fingers crossed there will be sun)
• Laptop
  

I can't remember the last time I went on holidays for this long... Daliborus, I took your parents card with me! Hopefully, will get around to writing it on the plane :)

Errrr

I think I'm a little unprepared for New York. I looked up Google Maps today to check out where I should be heading, and I was a little surprised by...

HOW HUUUGE this city is!

Ruh Roh. At least everything's in a grid. You know what's worse? I tried looking up a subway map...

What the hell?!?

Here in Rondon, the tube looks like this:

Nice straight lines, and I barely leave Zone 2 :P

You know what?

Snazzy interface or not, facebook is too fcking messy and I can't figure out how to do anything!!! It's one of those applications which requires friends to show you how to do something before you can do it. Personally, I'd like to know how PdF mentioned my attendance at Bacon University with him.

Wtf.

I can't be arsed. Thank gawd nobody's introduced my Mother to facebook.

Faux pas

A team calendar has been setup. So I decided to organise a team drinks event.

Note to IT guys:
"Hey, where's a nice bar for team drinks? Promise to invite you ;)"
Reply to me:
"Majingos"

I do some research, Majingos looks alright.

Note to everyone:
"I need something to look forward to at the end of the month, let's go out on 30 NOV"
Reply to me:
"Sounds good, where shall we go?"
Note to everyone:
"Majingos. Apparently it's where all the cool kids hang out."
Reply to me:
"That's a STRIP CLUB!"

I look up from my screen and stare at my colleague, "NO WAY".

Who exactly is included in "Note to everyone"? My boss. Global Head of Learning & Development.

The IT guys hear about it and call me up: "Did you seriously send that out? Why did you listen to me?"
Me: "I didn't know that's what a Dancing Club is!"

Dang nerds.

Grease me up, lassie!

Didn't believe me when I said I worked hard before go-live? WELL, I worked so hard, work gave me a voucher to spend at Mayfair Spa :) So 4:55pm today, I was packed up and out the security door! I thought I chose an aromatherapy salt glow therapy wrap, but I kept on getting asked what sort of detox wrap I wanted *Shrug* A wrap is a wrap, and I've never had a wrap before so it didn't really matter that much.

I tried out the sauna, and for the first time in over a month, I felt warm. A little too warm. My nose hairs were burning everytime I breathed in so I had to leave :P

The therapist hands me a pair of disposable undies.
Me: "Errr, this is going to sound really stupid, but, which side goes infront?"
Therapist: "I believe the big side goes infront."
(Which when you think about it, doesn't make sense. Look at your own undies, the big side is for your big backside!)

Getting wrapped itself was interesting. A body scrub/massage is always good. Except... suddenly, a woman is sensually rubbing her hands all over my chest! It's not much of a chest, but it's still mine! I try hard not to smirk or giggle as I imagine what I can tell my guy friends about this experience *lol* OMG! Awkward? A little, yes. Especially when it's chilly in the room and I was cutting some serious glass :P

'Nuff said.

Facebook

It's hard being anti-facebook. It's almost like friends pressuring you to take that first cigarette. I stood my ground, I really didn't want to join it. Now that I have, I'm kinda not impressed with myself :P The usual conversations around the table use to be:
"Facebook is great. You should join it! You'll love it!"

But why?

"Because everyone's on it. I've caught up with so many people since I've joined."

But I'm already in touch with those I want to be in touch with.

"People from primary/high school are getting in touch with me."

Primary school was a blur. I hated high school. With the exception of a few close friends I still keep in touch with, it really doesn't bother me to be contacted by randoms.

AdF was always right in describing me as a hater :) And I wish I knew earlier that I wasn't the only one standing against facebook. It would've been easier to deal with. It's funny, you'd think I had social leprosy for refusing to join facebook for so long. Even funnier, the ones that gave me the hardest time about joining, are still the ones that give me the hardest time now that I _have_ joined. The ones that never tried to coax me are the happiest to see me there. Actually, when I think about my past a little bit more, I shouldn't be surprised.

There's another part of facebook I don't like. It's too open. Everyone sees. Everyone can put things up about you. Now I'm worried friends are going to see the worst pictures of me, or read the worst things about me. Now I'm worried about my employers finding me on facebook. Do I have things to hide? Do you want _your_ employer to know what you get up to after work hours?

So why did I join? Two reasons: pictures of my niece are posted up on facebook, and LT told me to. For some reason I always end up following LT's advice. Ukrainians always give good advice, right? :)

I was also drunk from a night out with a Pole :P

If you really want to know why I think facebook is cool, it's because of the technology behind it. It gets about 100,000 new users per day. The interface is admittedly pretty snazzy. The main killer is that it's meant to be really easy to build and share facebook applications between users. Facebook has potential for viral marketing your product. But of course, nobody tells you these things when you ask them "Why join?"

Acid test

If you ask me, one of the hardest things in a relationship is introducing your partner to your mates. They're the ones who wouldn't think twice about being brutally honest when you ask, "So what do you think?". My parents would never say anything to upset me. I always get the usual, "Whatever makes you happy dear," line from my Mum. (Well actually, these days it's more, "You're getting closer to 30 dear," line from my Mum ;) ) Mates on the other hand, are the harshest critics.

I will admit, when I heard my mate had jumped on a plane to be with a girl half a world away, I was worried. Who was this girl? Who would jump on a plane for someone they hardly knew? Was this just a ridiculously romantic gesture to impress a hot chick? So I jumped on a plane last weekend too :P And met up with the new couple in Cologne.

I was... pleasantly surprised :) They get along so well together, you'd be forgiven for thinking they've been friends for years. She's lovely and not at all psychotic (my #1 concern). I know some of the girls my mate has fancied in the past, and none of them seemed quite right as a match. This one's different. This girl, is someone my mate can respect as an equal. Never saw that before in any of the other girls my mate's liked in the past.

I think back to the conversation I had with my mate in our D&M moment.
Me: "Make sure you're not doing this just for a girl."
Mate: "She's not just _a_ girl. I think maybe she's THE girl."

I think back to what Wicky said at his wedding speech, "You have to strike while the iron's hot, or you'll never know and you'll regret it".

I think back to all the times I questioned those people who told me, "When it's right, you just know".

I think my mate did the right thing by jumping on that plane :)

Blabbering

It was an honour that I personally got a chance to speak to George A Romero. If only I hadn't downed 4 beers beforehand *lol* I _actually_ missed Romero's screening of Diary of the Dead!

So there I was waiting in the foyer for the movie to finish, when Mr Romero comes out for the Q&A session! I stalk him into the theater and shuffle to stand next to him.

Mr Romero's back:

Me: "Mr Romero? Can I just say, I love your work. Thank you so much... Dawn of the Dead... (I lose my train of thought)... Oh! (I actually placed a dramatic hand over my heart. *That's* how drunk I was)"
GAR: "Thank you."

I shuffle away with a silly grin on my face. Alcohol. It's an incredible confidence booster :P Later on, I snag me some zombies. These guys spent an hour getting made up, turned up late and missed the movie too!