Our Free Steaks from Marlboro are here!!

Remember me blogging about receiving two Omaha Steaks gift certificates from Marlboro last week? Yeah, both Kevin and I chose the steaks as our Level 3 reward from the "Marlboro Country Rewards" contest/giveaway. Anyways, we received our gift certificates in the mail last week and we ordered our steaks online. Omaha Steaks sent us an email yesterday telling us that they have shipped our steaks and that we should expect it to arrive today. True enough, our friendly UPS guy brought two huge coolers to our door early this evening! Woohoo! Our steaks are here! :D

I love the Omaha Steaks cooler. They always do such a great job in keeping the steaks frozen. We would also reuse the cooler whenever we go on picnics and stuff, they are just great. Check out the shipping label. "Prepare to smile...". Oh, don't you worry. Just thinking about those yummy steaks kept me smiling all day! :P
Here's what it looks like inside the cooler. A whole big slab of dry ice at the bottom and a big box of steaks on top of it. They also included a very nice cookbook filled with various recipes. All the steaks were nice and frozen when it got here. I guess the dry ice really works wonders. We had a whole lot of fun playing with the dry ice later in the evening. Made our own volcanoes and stuff. Yes yes, I know. Two 30 something year olds playing with dry ice...how juvenile. Don't judge us, I bet you would do it too if you had two big slabs of dry ice, just sitting around. LOL! :P
Mmmm mmmm mmmmmm, check out the yummy steaks. There are six boneless strips in each box. Just look at the marbling. It looks so so so good. Each steak is approx 10 oz and about 1" thick. Boy, I can't wait to grill em up! The retail price for each box is $163.99!
Ahhhh 12 pieces of yummy steaks, all lined up in a row. Just looking at them makes my mouth water. I can't believe we now have like over $300 worth of steaks, just sitting in our freezer. Looks like we will be having uber delicious steak dinners for the coming weeks (maybe months) ahead. Thanks Marlboro for the steaks, we love them!!!

Fun in the Sun at Myrtle Beach!

Wow, I can't believe it's already almost mid September. Where did the summer go? Summer seemed to have breezed by this year. Soon, it will start to get cold again. However, there is still time to squeeze in one last summer vacation before the cold comes. I have been searching online for somewhere fun to head out to and Myrtle Beach looks like a perfect vacation destination.

Just imagine, rounds after rounds of golf, evening walks by the beach, entertaining dinner theaters and shopping, loads of shopping! Sounds like heaven to me! I'm sold. We are going to Myrtle Beach! I then started to search for the perfect Myrtle Beach hotel and found The Horizon at 77th. Newly opened in 2008, it is known to many as one of Myrtle Beach best hotels. I am not surprised. Just steps away from the beach, this ocean view property is indeed the perfect resort for some fun in the sun. Not only is there an elevated plaza pool but guest can also enjoy the lazy river, indoor and outdoor pools as well as spas. They even have a roof-top sundeck for some sunbathing!

There currently have some awesome promotions, packages and specials going on. You can go check it out at http://www.horizonmyrtlebeach.com. The Spa Escape package as well as the various dinner theater packages looks really good to me. Don't take my word for it. Go visit their website and see all that The Horizon at 77th has to offer!

9/11 - We remember...

It's been 9 years since that fateful September day. The debris has long been cleared and each time we go into the city, we can see the new WTC slowly rising higher and higher from the ground. However, the memory of that tragedy is still very real in the hearts of many New Yorkers today. Not only did they lose friends, colleagues and loved ones, but for a moment, in that moment of helplessness, as they watched those towers come down, it also felt as though they had lost their freedom. We took this photograph from our living room window a few hours ago. The two blue lights, shot up from Ground Zero, is a grim reminder of where those two towers once stood. Even though we were not living in NYC during the time of the attack, we feel that we are very much a part of this amazing city today. Therefore, we just want to say that we too feel your pain and yes, we remember...

Kitchen Remodel Success Story

This is a guest post by Bruce Dunwor

Three years ago, my wife and I decided to remodel our home's kitchen. It was not an easy decision to make because a full kitchen remodel can be quite costly. But, we decided that the cost to remodel the space would actually be an investment in our home that would reap rewards when we decided to sell it. So, we went ahead and got a Sears Kitchen Remodel.

Looking back, I have to say that it was one of the best decisions we ever made. To this day, our kitchen is the centerpiece of our home and it is a space that friends and family just naturally gather in when they come to visit. It is comfortable, modern, and inviting.

The whole project took about two weeks total. We chose to reface our cabinets, replace the Formica Counter Tops with new granite, and install a beautiful tile back splash. The re-facing process allowed us to keep the existing cabinet framework in place, which kept costs down. That savings made it possible for us to afford a new tile floor. Add to all of that a new coat of paint, and we had a brand new kitchen that came in under budget and well over expectations.

If you have the time and the money, I highly recommend a kitchen remodel.

Have You Heard Of LocalTVSatellite?

When we first moved into our current apartment a little over two years ago, we had to choose between getting Cable or Satellite TV. Without doing much research, we went with cable. It was alright initially but we soon realized that maybe we made a mistake. There were frequent service disruptions, our decoder would freeze on us, the pictures would sometimes go fuzzy and worst of all, we couldn't watch our beloved Steelers play! Yup, we only get to watch the silly Giants and Jets play on Sundays.

I started to look around the Internet for some good satellite TV deals and came across LocalTV-Satellite.com. They are partners with Direct TV and offer all kinds of amazing Direct TV packages and offers. Prices start as low as $29.99 with the basic entertainment package. For us, the best thing about Direct TV is their sports programming. With the NFL Sunday Ticket, we get to watch every game, in HD, all season long! Not only that, but with NHL Center Ice, we can also watch the Penguins play and not worry about missing games that are not televised on national TV. To get more information about all the amazing Direct TV deals and packages, just head over to localtv-satellite.com today!

Free Steaks from Marlboro!

I have always been amazed at all the awesome gifts/prizes that Marlboro gives out for their contest and sweepstakes. If you are a regular here, you would have noticed that we have won quite a lot of stuff from Marlboro. Stuff ranging from sunglasses, a HD camcorder to a 4 days 3 nights all expense paid thip to the Marlboro Ranch in Montana. This summer, Marlboro has been running their "Marlboro Country Rewards" giveaway since July. What makes this giveaway/contest different from the rest is....everybody is a winner! Everybody wins something at the end of the day.
We received this two envelopes in the mail yesterday. Woohoo! Our gifts are finally here! Wait, hang on. You must be wondering, what do you mean by 'everybody is a winner'?. Well, here's how the giveaway works. This giveaway started in July. Everyday, Marlboro will feature a new destination (interesting places located all over America) on their website. All we need to do is log on and read about it. Then, we can collect three 'chips' by performing various stuff like rating the write up or viewing the pictures. There are three levels you can unlock, depending on the amount of chips you collected at the end of the contest period. We managed to collect enough chips to unlock the highest level, so YAY!
Wanna see what's inside the envelopes? Another envelope! LOL! Well, another envelope and a card thanking us for participating in this summer's giveaway. There are actually quite a number of prizes to choose from. The level 1 prizes are small prizes, stuff like personalized key tags or luggage tags, ashtrays, coffee and mug combos....things like that. The level 2 prizes get a little better. Among some of the nicer prizes are personalized Zippo lighters, engraved flask, a very nice looking poker set and even a harmonica! Now, we qualified for the level 3 prizes. We had six prizes to choose from. A Duluth utility pack, Lucchese cowboy boots, Weber grill, Sheplers Authentic Steer Horns, a RCA mini camcorder or Omaha Steaks gift certs. We have already gotten cowboy boots and a HD camcorder (way better than the one here) from Marlboro, so that's out. We do no need another bag or grill, so that's out too. Kevin really wanted the steer horns initially but decided against it in the end. Like seriously, what are you going to do with steer horns? Hang it in front of your Honda Civic and drive around town? :P Anyways, we both ended up getting the steaks!
Here it is! We received two gifts certificates from Omaha Steaks. Each certificate is worth 163.99 and is for 6 pieces of 10 oz Boneless Strips. There are four ways to redeem the steaks. We could either fill in our particulars and mail back the certificate to Omaha Steaks, fax in the certificate, call their 1-800 number to place our order or just redeem it online. Of course we just redeemed it online. Simple and hassle free.
Here's how it works. We just need to log into the dedicated URL that leads us directly to the offer page. Then, we just need to key in our gift certificate number and fill up our particulars. After we did that and hit "submit", an email was sent to our mailbox, saying that our steaks are on the way! Wooohoo! We should be getting our steaks by Tuesday, latest. Boy, I can't wait for our 12 pieces of yummy and juicy Omaha Steaks to arrive. Thanks Marlboro for yet another awesome gift!!!

Check Out the Film Trailer for Buried!

* This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of goviral. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm sure all of you would have known by now that both Kevin and I are big movie buffs. We watch a LOT of movies, from romantic comedies to action thrillers. As much as we enjoy watching those big budget epic Hollywood movies, what we really really love are those experimental indie movies. Yes, we are big supporters of indie films. There is something about indie movies that are just awesome. I can't really place my finger on it, I guess it's just the X factor. Maybe it's the raw creative talent that is involved in coming up with an indie film (especially on a small budget). Who knows but whatever it is, we love it!

There is a new experimental indie thriller that will be released soon (limited theatrical release on September 24, 2010 and a wide release on Oct 8, 2010). From what I hear, it's gonna be totally awesome! It's called Buried and it's starring Ryan Reynolds. Yes yes, that's the cutie pie that was engaged to Alanis Morrissette back in 2004 (engagement ended in '07) and is now married to Scarlett Johansson. I guess many of you will remember him starring next to Sandra Bullock in the ever so funny movie, The Proposal. Alright, so what's Buried all about? Well, its about Paul Conroy, a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis, he wakes to find that he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter, knife and a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap. Although he has no idea as to how he got there, he soon starts to remember what has happened to him. As you can imagine, a major chunk of the film surrounds Reynolds, in a small box. From the reviews that I read, not only does it keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entire movie but the spacing and plot of the film were nothing short of genius. Boy, I can't wait to watch this movie. For a short sneak peek, check out the film trailer for Buried below!

Leo's Bagels - Financial District, NYC

I think I mentioned a couple of times in my past few posts that my primary school friend from Singapore visited us last weekend. We managed to squeeze in quite a lot of NYC sights within those two days. One of the first places that we brought her bright and early on Friday morning was the Financial District. After all, you cannot really say that you have visited NYC unless you have seen the NYSE, Wall St, the Charging Bull at Bowling Green and Battery Park (among other stuff, of course). I also gave her a list of 'must eats' whenever one visits NYC. Apart from the ever popular NYC pizza and hot dogs, bagels are way up there on that list. I don't know why NYC bagels are oh so good. Must be the water :D
Since we were in the Financial District, Kevin and I decided to take her to Leo's Bagels for breakfast (well, it was supposed to be breakfast but it ended up being brunch :P). Located in Hanover Square, Leo's Bagels seriously have the best bagels in Lower Manhattan. Huge, chewy and uber delicious, this self proclaimed "Bagels with Chutzpah" are freshly hand rolled everyday. No wonder there are always a steady stream of customers pouring in and out of this small cozy shop.
The interior of Leo's Bagels is really small. You can find their rather large menu on the wall as well as check out their home made salads, a variety of spreads and assortment of smoked fish inside the glass counter. Of course you can also smell freshly baked bagels from the kitchen as well as we check out their bagel selections in wire baskets on the right side of the shop. The lines can be pretty long at times but it's usually rather fast moving.
Look at the variety of spreads offered at Leo's. They range from regular cream cheese, flavored cream cheese (scallion, vegetable, sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic, maple raisin walnut, kalamata olive, jalapeno, strawberry), organic tofu spreads, hummus to their popular "Toffuti" (Tofu Cream Cheese). You can even get spreads like butter, jelly, peanut butter and Nutella!
Also check out their home made salads as well as their selection of smoked fish and various types of cheeses. Among some of the salads offered are tuna (also available in low fat), whitefish, egg, baked salmon, herring, chicken, chopped chicken liver, shrimp, lobster and Waldorf. The Leo Salad is a popular choice among their customers. It consist of egg salad, Bermuda onions and smoked salmon. I was also very impressed with their huge selection of smoked fish. There are about 13 different types of smoked fish to choose from. Yummy stuff!
There are only limited sitting room available in Leo's. After ordering and getting our food, we couldn't decide it we should eat in or take our food elsewhere to eat. There is only one small counter with five seats available for dine in customers. We were pretty lucky that we managed to get seats, so we decided to just eat in. I guess most of Leo's customers take out their order.
Kevin ordered the Cinnamon Raisin Bagel with Regular Cream Cheese ($2.50). He said that it was very good. There are quite a lot of different bagels to choose from. There are thirteen different types of regular bagels (plain, multi grain, onion, poppy seed, pumpernickel, sesame..etc), three healthy organic flavors and five different types of Artisan breads (Jewish rye, onion rolls, country white...etc). If you were to just buy a bagel (minus the spreads), it would set you back $1 for the regular ones and $1.35 for the organic bagels. A 'Brokers' dozen (14 bagels) cost $12 for regular bagels and $16.20 for organic.
My friend Wendy also ordered the Cinnamon Raisin Bagel but with Strawberry Cream Cheese ($2.50). Leo's are really generous with the cream cheese, just check out the amount they slapped on her bagel. She also said that it was really yummy and good. Looks good to me too!
I decided to try something that they are famous for. Smoked fish and bagels. So, I ordered the Multi-Grain Bagel with Eastern Nova Scotia Salmon and Cream Cheese ($8.95). Look at the amount of cream cheese they slapped on. The bagel sandwich was sooooo huge, I couldn't even finish it. So, was it good? Yeah it was. It was super yummy!!! The bagel was really doughy and chewy, just the way I like it. Not only that, the smoked salmon was really fresh. Everything in the sandwich complimented each other so well, it was so so good! No wonder Leo's Bagels is known to have the best bagels in Lower Manhattan. Simple delicious! I must make a trip down to Leo's Bagel sometime soon to buy home a Brokers dozen or two!!

Leo's Bagels - Financial District, NY
3 Hanover Square
New York, NY 10004-4015
Tel: (212)785 4700
Web: http://www.leosbagels.com/

The World of Trade Show Pop Up Displays

I'm not sure if many of you know this, but I used to work for my dad's trading company while I was back in Malaysia. Since it's a sourcing agency, we naturally attending a fair bit of trade shows and exhibitions. That's where we get to meet new contacts, touch base with old ones as well as check out what's new in the market. Every time I attend a trade show, I've always been fascinated with the various pop up displays at each booth.

For those of you who don't know, pop up displays are used not only in trade shows but also at exhibitions, career/education fairs, road shows, retail shops...basically anywhere that needs a large portable display wall. Trade show pop up displays can be found in many different sizes, shapes and designs. You can also add graphics to them or order them graphic ready.

Even though there are many kinds of pop up trade show displays, all of them have one thing in common. They are all easy to set up and easy to transport. After all, you need to bring everything to the exhibition hall and set everything up within a specific time frame. How it works is the frame would open up like a EZ UP canopy or an accordion. Then, all you need to do is hang up either fabric or graphic panels to the frame. If you like, the case can also be convert into a podium just by adding a wooden/ plastic top and then using graphics or fabric wrap to go round the case.

We see those pop up booths getting more and more creative and elaborate with each trade show. I am guessing exhibitors are aware that they are given a fraction of an instant to attract attention to their booths. Gone are the days where just a basic booth is good enough. These days, there are all kinds of displays, ranging from custom pop ups, backlit pop ups, graphic mural pop ups to 3D pop up displays. Of course for the more budget conscious, table top pop ups are still in use. As the market becomes more and more competitive, many exhibitors come up with all kinds of flashy and attention grabbing pop up displays, just to get the crowds in to their booth. I can't wait for the next opportunity to visit another trade show with my dad in the future. Who knows what kind of pop up displays I will get to see then. Holographic or 4D pop up displays maybe?

It's Time for a Vacation at Myrtle Beach!

I was just watching a documentary on the Travel Channel not too long ago about Myrtle Beach, SC. I then remembered how Kevin's best friend would always tell us all about Myrtle Beach whenever he would return from his annual family vacation. You see, his brother works at a golf resort there and his family would always head out to Myrtle Beach for their family vacations. From the stories that we hear from him, Myrtle Beach sounds like a real fun place to visit. My parents and kid sister will be visiting us from Malaysia soon. We are thinking of taking them on a short family vacation, away from the hustle and bustle of NYC. After racking our brains and going through a list of possible destinations, we thought, hmmm, why not Myrtle Beach? It looks like a perfect place for a family getaway, with lots of activities for the entire family.

I searched the Internet for possible accommodation locations and found the Towers at Myrtle Beach. Conveniently located on prime coastline property, with private beach front access, this seems like an ideal choice for my family. We could choose between one, two or three bedroom apartments and each unit comes with a washer/dryer as well as designer kitchens. Sounds perfect! Oh, I just can't wait to check out all the museums, dinner theater shows as well as shopping outlets in Myrtle Beach. I just know that this will be an awesome family vacation! If you would like to know more about the Towers at Myrtle Beach, just head over to their website at www.towersatnorthmyrtlebeach.com for more information!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon

Sweet potatoes are actually really good for you. Unlike the carbo filled regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, B6, C, fiber, manganese, potassium and iron. It is said to also have healing properties as an antioxidant food. That's due to the high beta-carotene and vitamin C content. We are trying to cut off regular potatoes from our diet and replace them with sweet potatoes instead. Of course we still do indulge in the occasion baked potato or fries when we are eating out, but I try to avoid regular potatoes whenever I am cooking at home.

Out of all the sweet potato recipes that I have tried, this is probably one of my favorites. I make this a lot, probably at least once a week. It makes a great side dish as well as a snack. It's really simple to whip up and super yummy to eat. Start off by washing and peeling one large sweet potato. Depending on the size of the potato, you can use two or even three if it's really small.
Next, cut it up into bite size cubes. Try to cut them into a uniformed size, to that it will cook evenly.
Once you are done cutting up the sweet potatoes, place them in a large bowl. Drizzle in some olive oil. If you do not have any olive oil, you can just use regular vegetable oil instead.
Then, sprinkle in some cinnamon. Cinnamon is also another food that has a lot of health benefits. Studies show that cinnamon can lower bad cholesterol, regulate your blood sugar, significantly relief arthritis as well as boosts cognitive function and memory. Mix the cinnamon with the sweet potatoes and oil. Make sure that all of the sweet potato pieces are nicely coated.
At this point, you can choose to add in some brown sugar if you like. If I am making this as a side dish, I would omit adding in the brown sugar. I feel that the natural sweetness of the sweet potato is sufficient. However, if you are making this as a sweet snack, just sprinkle in some brown sugar and mix it with the rest of the ingredients.
Next, place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet that has been covered with aluminum foil. You can lightly spray on some non stick oil on the foil if you like. This is to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the foil. However, it is not really necessary because the potatoes have already been coated with oil. Pop it into a preheated 375F oven for about half an hour or until the potatoes are tender.
After roasting the potatoes for about half an hour, remove the tray from the oven. Use a fork to test the tenderness of the potatoes. It should just slide all the way in, without any problems. Then we know that the sweet potatoes are done! Let me tell you, our whole apartment smells just like the holidays whenever I make this dish. Such a lovely smell, reminds me of Christmas every time I make it. Not only does it smell great and is simple to make but it taste awesome too! Try it, it's goooood!

You could get your MAT@USC degree ONLINE!!

* This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ahhh summer is coming to an end. The weather is getting cooler and the kids are starting to go back to school. I bet they must be really excited to see their friends again and also looking forward to a whole new year of learning. Teachers, are you all excited to go back to school also or are you dreading to go back to your dead end jobs? Are you looking to give your career a boost by earning an advance degree? To the rest of you, are you wishing that you could also go back to school, as a teacher? Do you want to get your masters degree and become recommended for a teaching certificate in your home state? No matter what you are looking for, you can get it all online with USC Rossier School of Education’s MAT@USC!

That's right, USC Rossier School of Education’s MAT@USC offers current educators and aspiring teachers the prestige of earning a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from an elite research university with the convenience and flexibility of studying online! Ranked #22 in the United States, and #9 among all private universities by US News and World Report, it is an internationally renowned research institution with a 100-year history of educating teachers to be agents of change. MAT @ USC offers an accelerated program you can complete in as little as 12 months! Not only that, it also offers highly interactive online learning combined with field-based experiences in your local area. Worried about finances? Well, stop worrying. They also offer scholarships as well as a groundbreaking tuition reimbursement program designed exclusively for MAT@USC graduates!

Did you know that Rossier and the MAT@USC were awarded by AACTE for innovative use of technology in education? That's right. You can even visit the MAT@USC Student Blog, where you can hear insights about the program from actual students! In fact, the first cohort of the MAT@USC graduate in May! Just because you are earning your degree online doesn't mean that you will be missing out on student life. You will get full USC student status and benefits, as well as participation in commencement ceremonies and free lifetime Alumni Association memberships. You will also get the opportunity to learn from distinguished USC faculty recognized for their contributions to modern education. So what are you waiting for? Head over to their website to get more program information and do not give up the opportunity to become part of the elite USC Trojan Family today!

Kanna Curry House - Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

One of my all time favorite South Indian delicacy is the Banana Leaf Rice. I have yet to find a banana leaf rice restaurant here in NYC (if you know of any, please please please let me know!). Therefore, every time I am home in Malaysia, I would make it a point to eat as much banana leaf rice as I can. There are only two banana leaf rice restaurants that I would usually go to (I think they have the best banana leaf rice ever!). One of them is Nirwana Maju in Bangsar and of course, the ever popular Kanna Curry House in Section 17. Nirwana Maju is located right in the heart of Jalan Telawi 3, just opposite Bangsar Village. Since Kanna Curry House is located nearer to my parents house (compared to Nirwana), I would usually end up in Kanna.
Kanna Curry House occupies two shop lots at the fringe of Section 17., near the Rothmans Roundabout There is an air conditioned non smoking section inside and there are also tables and chairs under the big shady trees opposite the restaurant (I guess you can call it the smoking section :P). Yup, if you choose to smoke, you will have to brave the heat and sit outside! Parking is always a pain at Kanna. It's quite normal to see cars double (sometimes even triple) park along the streets and back streets around Kanna. We once spent almost half an hour just circling the neighborhood, looking for a spot. You know what? The food in Kanna is sooooo good, it was worth it!
For those of you who are not familiar with whole concept of banana leaf rice, here's how it works. A huge pile of steaming hot parboiled rice will be place on top of a banana leaf in front of you. Yes, the leaf is your plate! Three (sometimes four) different types of vegetables will then be scooped onto your leaf. They can range from cooling cucumber salads to potato chutney. Usually, crispy papadams will be served too. The rice, vegetables and papadams are free flow, so if you want seconds or even thirds, you can just get the waiter to top it up. The rice and vegetable combo in Kanna cost RM4.80 per person (approx US$1.50). It's almost the same price in Nirwana but you get something extra. They serve the best deep fried bitter gourd ever! Seriously, that's the main reason why I would go to Nirwana. It's all about the deep fried bitter gourd. Really good!
Alright, so now you have your rice and vegetables. Next, the waiters will bring out different types of curries. This is complimentary and you can help yourself to as much as you want. Most banana leaf rice restaurants would serve the usual three types of curry - fish curry, chicken curry and dhal (a non spicy dried lentils curry). In Kanna, you get two extra types. They are famous for their crab curry and salted fish curry. Now, THIS is the reason why I come to Kanna. The crab curry as well as the salted fish curry is AMAZING! I would usually mix all 4 (minus the dhal) curries together and just pour it on top of my rice. Thinking about it now makes my mouth water. Sooooo good. You must be thinking, wow, four curries at one go? I thought you always say that you have a weak stomach and have a low tolerance to heat? Yeah I do. However, this is so good, I would just go for it and then chug about half a bottle of Pepto Bismol later :P
Some people are just happy with the curries and vegetables but most people would order some dishes in the middle to share. The waiters would walk around with small plates of meat and curry and we could just pick out what we wanted. We chose a plate of mutton chop curry (RM5.50 = US$1.80) to share. The curry was really thick and the mutton was tender. Pretty good. There is also a deep frying station outside, where you could pick whatever meat/seafood that you want and they would fry it on the spot for you. There are all kinds of stuff to choose from. You can get pigeons, calamari, fish eggs, various types and cuts of fish, potato croquettes, shrimp or just regular fried chicken. We chose three pieces of chicken drumsticks/thighs (RM14.40 = US$ 4.60), two fish cutlets (RM9.60 = US$3) and a portion of deep fried fish eggs (RM5 = US$1.60). I loveeee the deep fried fish eggs. Super high in cholesterol but super yummy! I guess it's alright to eat some once in a while, just don't make it an everyday affair.
The total bill came up to RM62.50 (approx US$20) for four people. This includes 2 iced lemon tea, 1 hot milk tea, 1 mango lassi and a banana (yup, my dad ordered a banana for dessert :P). A little pricey for lunch (especially for Indian food) but I guess it's worth it. You cannot put a price tag on good food, can you? Oh and for those of you who are not familiar with Malaysian banana leaf rice culture, here is a little trivia for you. After you are done with your meal, the way you fold you banana leaf tells the owner of the restaurant if you enjoyed your food or not. If you were to fold the leaf inwards (towards you), it signifies that you had a good meal. If you were to fold the leaf in the opposite direction, it shows that you didn't enjoy you food. So yeah, the next time you are at a banana leaf rice restaurant, remember to fold your leaf correctly after your meal. We don't want the poor owner to think that he did a bad job when in reality, he didn't! :P

Kanna Curry House - Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
29, Jalan 17/45
Section 17, Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: (603)7958 4814
Fax: (603)7958 2829

Fashionable Scrubs from Blue Sky Scrubs

After moving to Jersey for almost 3 years, we finally found ourselves a good doctor. We have been to quite a few over the years but somehow, those didn't really work out. It's either they were not that good or they were not covered by our insurance. So yeah, we were really happy to have found this particular doctor. We were at the doctors office a little over a month ago for our annual physical and while waiting for our turn, I noticed the scrubs that the nurses were wearing. They looked really nice and I dare say, very fashionable looking. I also remember the dental scrubs that I saw at my dentists office not too long ago. Those were very nice looking too.

That made me think where nurses and other medical staff get their scrubs from. There are just so many designs and patterns out there. Very nice looking ones too. So, I went online to try and see where can one go to if they are looking for fashionable but cheap scrub sets. I then found Blue Sky Scrubs. There are all kinds of scrubs available there, from medical scrubs to cotton scrub uniforms. You can even custom make your own scrubs!

The best thing about Blue Sky Scrubs is their Project Blue Sky. What Blue Sky Scrubs does is, they will send a free hat to a cancer patient or to the customer with every purchase. We all know that losing their hair is one of the top fears of a cancer patient. By giving them a hat, it's the least we can do to tell them that it's alright and everything will be fine. How cool is that? Not only will you be wearing very fashionable yet affordable scrubs, but you will also get a chance to put a smile on the face of a cancer patient.

Baked Wild Salmon with Plum Tomatoes

Fresh wild salmon fillets were on sale at our local grocery store few of weeks ago, so we decided to buy a couple of lbs. The fillets were really fresh and nice, not to mention, huge too. One fillet could be made into three portions. I searched the net for some salmon recipes and found this lovely recipe from Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis's website. I just love Giada's Italian recipes. They are always so simple to make, yet so yummy to eat. Here's how you make Baked Salmon with Plum Tomatoes, Giada style. Check it out.
Start off by flipping the salmon fillet over on it's back. Then, drizzle some olive oil on the salmon fillet. Next, crack on some black pepper followed by some sea salt. Giada cut her salmon fillets to individual serving sizes but I decided to bake my whole.
Then, slowly lift the salmon fillet and place it on some aluminium foil, marinated side down. You can pre spray the aluminium foil with some non stick cooking oil if you like. This will help prevent the salmon from sticking to the foil when it's in the oven. Once you have done that, set the salmon aside.

Now it's time to prep the plum tomatoes. Clean a few plum tomatoes under cool running water. Using a sharp knife, cut the plum tomatoes into small bite sized chunks.

Once you have chopped up all the tomatoes, place them in a small bowl. Marinate the tomatoes with some freshly cracked black pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme and a tiny bit of sea salt. If you have fresh herbs, you could use fresh herbs too. Then, add in about two tablespoons of lemon juice and mix everything together. Your plum tomatoes topping is done! Wasn't that easy?

Now, gently scoop the tomatoes and place them on top of the salmon fillet. This can be a little bit tricky, cos the tomatoes tend to slide down from the salmon. It just requires a little balancing act :P Make sure that you also pour whatever that's left of the lemon juice from the bowl onto the salmon.

Next, seal the aluminium foil tightly on all three edges. It should look like a little pouch once you are done. Remember to poke some holes at the top before popping it into the oven. This is to allow the steam to escape while cooking. Then, pop it into a 400F preheated oven for about 25 - 30 minutes (until the salmon is cooked through).

There you go. It's done! Doesn't it look yummy? Not only does it look yummy, it taste really awesome too. Just be careful when you peel open the foil. The sudden gush of steam might scald you if you are not careful. This portion is enough for 3-4 servings. After allowing it to 'rest' for a few minutes, gently cut the salmon into individual portions and serve. I served this up with a side of stir fried spinach with garlic and some brown rice. Yummy yummy stuff!

Our Very Own Lil Bistro at Home

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always dreamt of opening up my very own bistro. In my bistro, there would be freshly made muffins, cookies and cakes sitting on the counter everyday. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked cookies would fill the entire shop, so strong that you can smell it a few blocks down the road. Mind you, this was back in the 80s, way before big coffee chains became popular. Yup, way before yuppies decided that sitting in a bistro with an overpriced skinny latte and bran muffin was the IN thing to do.

You know what? After all these years, that dream never really died. Yeah, in the busyness of life, it was pushed to the back for a bit. Of course opening up a real bistro at this point in my life is not an option, so I figured, why not bring that bistro into my home? After all, I already have a nice cappuccino and latte machine and I do bake ever so often. All I would need to do now is look at bistro sets and pick out a nice one! I could set it up by the big picture window in our apartment. How nice it would be to sit by the window, sipping on some hot chocolate or coffee while enjoying the view of the NYC skyline.

I have started to look around at bistro sets and boy! There are just so many different kinds! I do like the Hillsdale Cierra Bistro Set a lot. It looks really elegant and comfortable. However, I also like the Home Styles Kitchen Island with Bar Stools in Black and Cottage Oak. I love how you can just fold everything up and tuck it away when you are not using it. It's such a space saver! As much as I love those two sets, I am also loving the Wildon Home Ridgeway Soda Fountain Bar Table Set in Black. It looks like something directly out from a 50's diner! So cool! It's like bring back a slice of Americana into your home. So many choices, what should I pick? Oh, I can't wait to take one step closer to realizing my childhood dream, even if it means setting up a 'bistro' just for Kevin and I.

Shake Shack - Madison Sqaure Park, NYC

One of the youth from my home church in Malaysia was visiting NYC a couple of weeks ago. He was in town for a few weeks, en route to Milwaukee, where he will start his 4 year degree at Marquette. So, we figured we will take him out to dinner and introduce him to some NYC good eats. We initially wanted to take him to the original Papaya King on the Upper East Side for some NYC style hot dogs, but I later found out that it's close for renovations this summer. We finally ended up at the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Park for some of the best burgers and frozen custards in NYC!

Madison Square Park is located at the northern end of the Flatiron district and is formed by the intersection of 5th Ave, Broadway and 23rd St. We took the 33rd St PATH from Journal Square and got off at the 23rd St station. From there, we just walked a few blocks and there we were. You can also get there by subway on the R or W train on 23rd St. That stop directly in front of Madison Square Park. When we arrived, we saw this crazy long line that circled almost all the way around the park. So many people, one would think that they were giving out free burgers or something!
We joined the line and patiently waited with the rest of the people, as we slowly inched our way towards Shake Shack. At this point, we were not even close to the actual building, let alone the order window. Something tells me that it's gonna be a long long night :P
After about half an hour or so in line, we inched our way around the park and Shake Shack was finally in sight! By then, the sun was already beginning to set and the lights all around the park as well as the fairy lights around Shake Shack was slowly coming on. It was quite a pretty sight actually. Just a little 411 about the Shake Shack. There are quite a few outlets located all over NYC (Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Theater District & Citi Field), at the Saratoga Race Course and even one outlet in Miami, Florida! However, this Madison Square Park outlet is the original outlet. Yeah, this is where it all began back in 2004.
Finally, after about 45 minutes in line, the order window was in sight! Darren looked quite happy cos he finally gets to try the much talked about Shack Burger and Kevin, well, Kevin just looks relieved that the wait was finally over! Actually, it wasn't all that bad a wait. It was a nice cool evening and Madison Square Park is a very beautiful park. There is actually a webcam (the Shack Cam!) on the roof of the building, streaming live feeds to the Shake Shack website. So, if you are standing anywhere around here and beyond this point, there is a high chance that you will appear on cam! :P
Once we got closer to the order window, we noticed that there are actually two lines. Here's how it works. The A-Line is the long line that stretches all the way around the park. You can order anything from the A-Line. Now, there is a way shorter line (sometimes there isn't even anybody in line) called the B-Line. That's the line for drinks, desserts, gifts cards and Shake Shack merchandise. Well, that makes a whole lot of sense. I mean, say you line up for an hour to get your burger and fries. Of course you would want dessert to go along with dinner rite? However, if you order your frozen custard or sundae together with dinner, it would melt by the time you finish your burger. We don't want that, do we? Also, it doesn't make sense to get back in line and wait another hour or so just for an ice cream cone. So, the B-Line is the perfect solution!
After about an hour in line, we were finally there! Getting here feels like winning the lottery :P The Shake Shack menu is pretty basic. They have burgers, flat top dogs, fries, frozen custards, shakes, sodas and alcoholic drinks (beer and wine). Nothing fancy, just your typical all American burger, fries and soda thing. Hey, it's simple but it works.
Once we have placed our order and paid at the order window, we were given a little device that says "When I'm shakin', come on up to the shack!". It would shake and buzz once our order is ready. Then, we could go pick up our order at the pick up window. Since there were so many people, we expected to wait for quite a bit for our food. So, we walked around to look for a table and sat down to wait. Actually, I was pretty surprised that it was relatively easy to get a table. I guess a lot of people either get burgers to go or maybe we were just lucky. Who knows...
After waiting for about 10 minutes or so, the device started shaking and buzzing. Woohoo! Looks like our food is ready! We went up to collect our order from the pick up window, all neatly packed in a brown box. There was also a large counter next to the pick up window, where we could help ourselves to condiments and stuff like that. The boys each had a Double Shack Burger ($7.25 each) and I had the Shack Stack ($8.75). We also shared two servings of Cheese Fries ($3.75 each) among the three of us.
Both Kevin and Darren each ordered a large Fresh Squeezed Lemonade ($3.25 each) and I had the Arnold Palmer ($3). The Arnold Palmer was really refreshing and pretty good. It's a combination of half Fresh Squeezed Lemonade and half Fresh Brewed Iced Tea. A very yummy combination! I also liked it cos it wasn't really sweet but it was just lightly sweetened. Nice.
Ahhh the Cheese Fries. Actually, the Cheese Fries were pretty disappointing. If only it tasted as good as like looks. The fries were soggy and it really tasted a little weird. It had some sort of a powdery aftertaste. We didn't even managed to finish the fries. Yeah, it was that bad. :(
However, whatever that lacked in the fries, our burgers made up for it. They were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! So so so so good! I didn't manage to snap a close up of the boys Double Shack Burger but they said that it was awesome. All of Shake Shack's Black Angus burgers are 100% natural, with no antibiotics or hormones. Also, they are ground fresh and hand formed daily. They are then cooked to medium and served on a toasted potato bun. The boys Shack Burger consist of two burger patties, fresh lettuce, plum tomatoes, American cheese and topped with their special ShackSauce. My Shack Stack (shown in the picture) has one burger patty, American Cheese, a Shroom (crisp fried portobello mushroom with melted muenster and cheddar cheese), plum tomatoes, lettuce and also topped with the special ShackSauce. Seriously, the burgers were so awesome. Sooo juicy and good. It was so juicy that you could feel the juices squirting out, with each bite! No wonder people don't mind lining up for an hour or so, just to get some. It's like a drug, you just want to come back for more and more! Shake Shack has one of the best burgers in NYC. There, I have said it!
After our burgers, the boys wanted to get some dessert (not me, I was too stuffed to eat anything more!). So, off they went to the B-Line (yes, thank god for the B-Line :P) to get some frozen custard. Shake Shacks frozen custards are made in a real custard machine, which spins the custard at really fast speeds, thus making it dense but soft with an intensely rich consistency. They each got a Hand-Spun Shake ($5.25) and added on a topping each (extra $0.75 per topping). Shown in the picture is Darren's Vanilla Hand-Spun Shake with Hot Fudge Sauce. Kevin ordered Vanilla too but with Bananas. I took a couple of mouthfuls of Kevin's frozen custard and it was yummy! Good stuff! :D Overall, I think that Shake Shack is totally awesome. Definitely worth the long wait! Come for the uber yummy burgers and stay for the frozen custards. In my opinion, it's one of the best burger joints in NYC!

Shake Shack - Madison Square Park
Southeast Corner of Madison Square Park
(near Madison Ave & East 23rd St)
11 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tel: (212) 889 6600
Web: http://www.shakeshack.com/

Edward G. Robinson is the Man

The Author of this post is Solomon Dejesus

Edward G. Robinson was an actor not given his proper due. At least not by enough movie critics. Tonight I am going to catch his flick entitled "Confessions of a Nazi Spy." Being interested in the time frame in which the Movie takes place, this is a film I am looking forward to seeing, again.

In this film he is an FBI man tracking down Nazi spies prior to the U.S. involvement in World War II. After setting my adt home alarm which is easy to manipulate, I set off for the theater. Only recently I got into the habit of having a preference for the classic films. With these films it is not imperative to have the high definition screens. That is for viewing sporting events.

Going to the Movies is a great opportunity to relax and recharge your batteries. I prefer the classic style of acting where facial expressions and non-verbal gestures were worth a thousand words. I don't see the actors of today being as good as those of past generations. Tom Cruise is an exception in my opinion.