Monday, June 14, 2010

Jess & The City....Central Park

16th May 2010, it  was another sunny Sunday morning in The Big Apple.

I woke up to this wonderful view outside my hotel window. The lil patch of green...well that's Central Park in the yonder, beckoning me to wander far from the maddening crowd.
And so I made my way north....passed Columbus Circle at the edge of Central Park West.

There's the start of Central Park with all its glorious foliage.

'Twas a beautiful spring in the forest.

A view of the towering buildings from Central Park.
Lovely.

Heaven....I'm in heaven....

.....and my heart beats so that I can barely speak....

The carousel in the distance.

The arc of justice ensconced in a backdrop of spring bouquet. The benches of Central Park are adorned with paid inscriptions. I think it's a most romantic gesture to bestow upon a loved one.
Sigh....

The Mall.

Roburt Burns with an apple.

Jazz is in the air.

Look what I got....free vanilla ice cream.

Ice cream sandwiched by chocolate biscuits.

The folks handing out free goodies.

O say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave....in the land of the Free and the home of the Brave!
The lovely Lakehouse.
Perfect.

Heaven is a lingering stroll through Central Park on a sunny day.

Spotted on a bench.....sigh.

Wes is a hopeless romantic.

Shakespearean.


God Bless Central Park!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Why is BN so f***ed up? (pardon my French)

Well, maybe because it (and all the people in it) possesses not even one miniscule iota of any such beliefs, ideals and integrity to speak of....


I believe in the supreme worth of the individual and in his right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.



I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.



I believe that the law was made for man and not man for the law; that government is the servant of the people and not their master.



I believe in the Dignity of labour, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.



I believe that thrift is essential to well ordered living and that economy is a prime requisite of a sound financial structure, whether in government, business or personal affairs.



I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order.



I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a man's word should be as good as his bond; that character not wealth or power or position - is of supreme worth.



I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.



I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God, named by whatever name, and that the individual's highest fulfilment, greatest happiness, and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmony with His Will.



I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate; that right can and will triumph over might.



- John D Rockefeller Jnr.



Prayer inscribed in the Rockefeller Centre, New York



 
God Bless America!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Jess & The City....Food Fair/Bazaar/Flea Market on 6th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) NYC

New York, New York!

15th May 2010....it was a glorious Saturday afternoon when I found myself in a cab from JFK  headed towards Manhattan island after a 24-hour journey in an airplane.


The hotel I crashed in...perfect location, just a few paces from Times Square.

What do I do after checking into the hotel? Why, go catch a Broadway show, of course! Just made it in time for the 2.00pm matinee. Jersey Boys it was this time around....I'm a great fan of oldies and Franki Valli & The Four Seasons was right up my alley (literally). I spent a good 2.5 hours in the August Wilson Theatre mouthing along to classics such as Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Let's Hang On, Oh What a Night....etc. Had a blast!

Show over, I headed to the 6th Avenue where I knew had a flea-market/bazaar/food fair going on when my cab passed by earlier on. Lots of people milling around in the warm afternoon.

Gyros, kebabs, pita are really popular in NYC. Many stalls were selling these.

That's Radio City in the background and my favourite flag! The police barricaded the entire midtown section of 6th Avenue for this fair.
Scarves and pashminas on sale....cheap by NYC standards.

More food....mostly meat-based. Everyone's a carnivore.

Corn dogs.

Deep-fried mozarella cheese sticks and fries.

Some kind of cheese-filled pancakes.

Meat.

Lots of meat. Crispy pork rinds....yummm.

Chocolate/candy-covered fruits.

Pretty.

Candy apples.

A guy peddling Obama rubber.....lol!

A pushcart selling all types of sandwiches/burgers, where I bought my snack.


Italian sausage wrap (USD7.00). Loved the smoky sausage, wished the wrap had more stuff in it, though.


God Bless America!

The Nyonya One Restaurant, Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur

Back in May, before I left on my Manhattan sojourn, I read this article in The Star. It was about a Nyonya restaurant in Sri Petaling, and since it wasn't too far away, hubby and I decided to check it out. I am a big fan of Nyonya food, after all.


The restaurant is located just opposite/across the road from the Shell and Esso petrol stations in Sri Petaling.

The very friendly proprietor Madam Leong recommended I try the Nyonya Teh Tarik (RM2.50) which was basically milk tea with pandan juice. The pandan was very fragrant, but the milk and tea could have been thicker, methinks. I do think that this combo was a rather unique idea nonetheless.

We both had the pandan rice (RM3.00) which came sans santan, and with some dried shrimps and sambal on the side.
The BMO Chicken (RM8.50) had really strong contrasting flavours. Chicken coated with basil, mint leaves and sweet oyster sauce in a very hot mini wok....it was definitely memorable. 

We also ordered the sambal pucuk paku (RM8.00) which according to the cook, had no belacan. It contained fermented soya beans instead....which was unusual.

The otak-otak kadok (RM12.00) came all wrapped up in banana leaves. It was unlike the one that I'm used to (the Penang version), this one was drier and according to the cook, this dish also contained no santan. I fancied it a tad hard in texture, or maybe it's because my palette is so used to the Penang version which is almost custardy.

The bill amounted to RM37.50 for the 2 of us. I would say the restaurant does try to impress, but I do not quite understand the rationale for not using santan and belacan in their dishes when these 2 ingredients are pretty important in Nyonya dishes. Health concerns perhaps?  

The Nyonya One Restaurant
23, Jalan Radin Anum,
Bandar Baru Seri Petaling,
57000 Kuala Lumpur.
Mobile: 016-7028511 (Madam Leong)


3-bams!