Celebrate NYE in Los Angeles this year!!

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

Wow, in a blink of an eye, the year has ended. It's almost time to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome 2010. You know what that means? Yup, it's time to put on your boogie shoes and partttyy! When you think of New Year's Eve celebrations, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Times Square in NYC, right? Well, as fun as that might sound, I wouldn't really consider that an option for me. Imagine the hours of standing out in the cold, the crazy crowds, the city is basically a mad house. Definitely not the way to spend New Year's Eve.

However, I do know THE place to be this New Year's Eve. Yup, why don't you try the other coast? That's right. Los Angeles! It's warm and there's lots to do across the whole city, the perfect place to usher in the New Year! Also, there are currently tons of LA new year's eve hotel specials available at this moment. I was just looking through various los angeles hotels and boy, looks like they have something for everybody.

If your idea of fun is soaking up the sun at the beach, then you should totally check out the Beach House at Hermosa Beach. In the mood for people watching or rollerblading on the famous Venice Beach boardwalk? Then the Venice Beach Suites and Hotel is perfect, just for you. If you are in looking for a romantic gateway, the Malibu Beach Inn offers a serene oasis, in an enclave surrounded by multimillion dollar houses.

Maybe the beach is not your cup of tea, worry not. Nothing screams the rich and famous lifestyle of movie making like LA. Check out the many hotels that celebrities have stayed in or have made a movie in. Among the more populars ones are the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel ( Charlie's Angels, Mighty Joe Young, Internal Affairs, Beverly Hills Cops II, Catch Me If You Can), the Millenium Biltmore Hotel (Ghostbusters, Wedding Crashers, Cruel Intentions, Independence Day, The Bodyguard) and the Sunset Tower Hotel (Get Shorty, The Player, The Italian Job).

There also other types of hotels in los angeles that might be of interest to you. The list ranges from boutique hotels, luxury hotels to pet friendly hotels. So, get out of the cold this New Year's Eve. Head over to LA and have a party of your lifetime!

The New City View Diner

Kevin and I were in Whitehall, PA two weekends ago to get our car inspected. Why all the way to PA? Well, our car is still registered under the PA license, so yeah, we have to bring the car back to PA every year to get it inspected. We knew that since it was a Saturday, the lines would be really long, so we wanted to get there early. We left our apartment at around 6:30am and got there slightly after 8am. The guy said it would take a few hours to get it inspected and we can only get our car back at around noon. So, we decided to go get something to eat and then maybe go hangout at the Lehigh Valley Mall after that (which was just next to Pep Boys).

We didn't really know what was open at this hour, so we just walked down Macarthur Road and hope to find something (worst case scenario, there is always Dunkin Donut and McDonalds :P). We then saw a sign for The New City View Diner and it said "Open 24 Hours". Perfect!

The exterior looked like any regular diner but little did we know (at that time) that we stumbled upon a gem. We were also quite surprised to find the parking lot almost full! Mind you, it was only about 8:15am, on a Saturday morning. Boy, those people in Whitehall are sure early risers :P

We were immediately greeted and seated the moment we walked in the door. When we first walked in, the diner was already about 75% full. People continued to come in and by the time we left, it was so packed that people had to wait for a table! Not too shabby for a Saturday morning. Check out the Christmas decorations, isn't it nice?

We had some OJ and tea to kick off our hearty small town breakfast. Talking about small towns, we also realized that the people of Whitehall are really friendly. As in really really friendly. Not only am I referring to the waitresses, but also the diners. Everybody seems to know everybody and if they don't, they would still stop and say 'Hi'! It sure was a nice change from the NY Metro area, where everybody minds their own business and goes about doing their own thing. After living out there for almost 2 years now, I guess we pretty much got used to that. So, it was a pleasant change and pretty nice feeling generally to see so many smiling and friendly faces.

Both Kevin and I ordered the City Feast ($6.15). Kevin has his eggs sunny side up, with bacon, home fries and two big slices of french toast. He also ordered a side of white toast ($0.95) to dip into his eggs. Having lived in Northern Jersey for almost two years now, I must say that we are blessed with having great diners all around us. Therefore, we expect a lot from diners (taste wise). I must say that The New City View Diner delivered! Boy, the food IS goooood!

I had my eggs scrambled, with two slices of pork rolls, home fries and two slices of french toast. The eggs doesn't look that great but I must say, it tasted soo yummy! It had this buttery/milky taste to it, sooo goood. The french toast was also amazing! Only one regret though, I shouldn't have ordered the pork roll. Since I am so used to the Jersey Pork Roll (nothing beats the pork roll from Jersey), this pork roll was just alright. In fact, I didn't even finish it. Oh well, I guess it's partly my fault, I should have known better not to order that :(

Overall, it was a great breakfast! Good food, great people. I later found out while researching about The New City View Diner online that it is THE place to go to in Whitehall for breakfast on a Saturday morning. No wonder there were so many people. It seems that it would be so packed, you won't even get a table if you arrive late (after 10am). Wow, looks like we hit the jackpot without knowing it. We got to try the food from one of Whitehall's best and what did we think of it? It's greeeaattt! So, what's the damage? The total bill was $14.05. Not too bad at all, for such a big and hearty breakfast coupled with some really friendly staff (and locals alike) from Whitehall's most famous diner :D

The New City View Diner
1831 MacArthur Rd
Whitehall, PA 18052
Tel: (610) 434-4366

Celebrate this holiday season in Branson, MO!

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

The countdown has begun. Christmas is only 10 days away! Amidst all the busyness of the season, time just flies by without you even realizing it. It feels like I haven't even digested my Thanksgiving turkey and now Christmas is almost here. Christmas...ahhhh. A perfect holiday and season to spend time with the family. Have you ever thought of doing something different this Christmas? Sure, it's nice to gather at home and have a big Christmas dinner, but what do you think of going away on a family vacation? Wouldn't that be just great? And guess what? I know just the place to go! Branson, Missouri! That's right, it's the perfect place to bring the family together in the warmth and comfort of an Ozark Mountain Christmas! Don't know where to stay? Well, both the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel are currently running some great promotions and packages, customized specially with you and your family in mind, this holiday season.

Among all the amazing packages offered, this is my personal favorite. Check out the "It’s a Wonderful Life" package. Starting at $329 per night and running from Nov 15 thru Dec 23, you’ll experience the ultimate holiday getaway for shopping, relaxation and entertainment. It includes breakfast as well as a Branson Landing passport loaded with discounts at dozens of shops and restaurants along with a treatment at Aspire Medical Spa. Ahhh, a day with lots of shopping and a relaxing treatment at the spa, this is indeed a wonderful life.

For those of you with little ones, you HAVE to check out the "Santa’s Coming to Town" package. From Nov 15 thru Dec 23 , every Friday thru Sunday, children will enjoy Story Time with Mrs. Claus in the lobby of the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel and Santa himself will deliver presents, cookies and milk to guest’s rooms! With prices starting at $189 per night, it's definitely a perfect package to build fond Christmas memories with your children and family.

With these exciting holiday packages at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, you are in for a true holiday treat! So, what are you waiting for? Head over to their website and book your package today!

Taste Of China - Belleville, NJ

We ordered in some dinner from Taste Of China about a month ago. As you can see from my past food reviews, I generally don't like to do bad reviews. I only recommend the good places and try not to blog about the bad ones. However, not only is the food terrible here but the service is horrible too. It took me a while ( about a month I guess :P) to decide if I want to blog about it, and came to the conclusion that people don't only want to know where the good places are but they would also want to know where to avoid. Soooo, here it is.

My experience with this restaurant was bad from the beginning. The lady on the phone was really rude and it felt like she just couldn't wait to get off the phone. She was cutting me off and trying to get me to order as fast as I can, like she is in a hurry or something. Then, she told me that when they deliver, they won't bring it up to our apartment. I was like whaaaat? Why not? So far, all the delivery places, be it Chinese, Spanish, wings, pizza...anything....everybody brings it up. She said there are too many cars outside our apartment and there is no parking space. Hence, her delivery boy will call us when he is outside and we have to go out to get it. What a bunch of nonsense! There is always parking spaces outside and IF for any reason there isn't, most delivery boys would just double park and run up with the food. Why are they so special and need us to go down to get the food from them? Also, she already made up her mind that they won't come up...I mean, I would at least TRY to get a parking spot. If there is none, then only will I call the customer and ask them to please come down to get it (as a last resort). Since I have already ordered and stuff, fine, I agreed to go down and get the food when they delivered. Maybe the food is nice (since it's the first time ordering from them), then it will be worth it.

The food came, and yes, we had to go down to get it. I looked outside and I saw many parking spaces! Such a lazy delivery boy. Sooo, was the food good? Hellll no! Kevin ordered the General Tso's Chicken Combination Plate ($6.95). The egg roll was really really oily, way more oily than the regular egg rolls. You can actually taste oil squirt out when you bite into it. It was that bad. Also, the General Tso didn't come with any broccoli, it was just chicken. As you can see from the photo, the fried rice and General Tso was oily too. Terrible terrible...

We also ordered a small portion of Hot and Sour Soup ($1.95). Look at the crispy noodle that came along with the soup. It was soaking in oil..it was actually seeping through the paper bag. The soup was bad too. There wasn't any real taste to it, just super spicy! All you can taste is the spiciness!

Now, I have saved the best (or should I say, the worst) for last. I ordered the Steamed Chicken with Vegetables Over Noodles Platter ($4.95). It was just tasteless and bland chicken pieces and vegetables over equally tasteless noodles. It came with some sort of sauce ( I want to say maybe oyster sauce mixed with something else) that was just sticky and really really salty. It was so bad, the moment I opened the sauce, Kevin commented "What is that smell! Smells terrible". Now, Kevin doesn't really complain much, so for him to say that, it must have smelled really bad. It was. Our overall experience with this place was bad, really bad. From the bad service to the equally bad food. We threw away their menu after dinner that day, sooooo I guess we will not be ordering from them ever again :P

Taste Of China- Belleville, NJ
573 Belleville Avenue,
Belleville, NJ 07109
Tel: (973) 844 1868
Fax: (973) 844 1838

Have an Ozark Mountain Christmas in Branson!

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

Wow, I cannot believe that Christmas is almost here! You can hear Christmas songs in the malls and on the radio, our Christmas tree is up, we got all the presents bought and wrapped (and it's now sitting under our tree) and I'm thinking of starting with my holiday baking. Boy, we even had out first snow of the season last weekend! Do you know what I love about the holiday season? Well, it's spending time with the family. Not only that, it's also a great time to get away for a family vacation. Need ideas on where to go? Why don't you head over to Branson, Missouri? It's the perfect place to bring the family together in the warmth and comfort of an Ozark Mountain Christmas! Both the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing as well as the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel is currently having some wonderful packages, customized specially for you and your family this holiday season.

One of the more popular package offered is the " It’s a Wonderful Life" package. Starting at $329 per night and running from Nov 15 thru Dec 23, you’ll experience the ultimate holiday getaway for shopping, relaxation and entertainment. It includes breakfast as well as a Branson Landing passport loaded with discounts at dozens of shops and restaurants along with a treatment at Aspire Medical Spa. Doesn't that sound great? Shopping and spa, what more could a person ask for? This is definitely my favorite out of all the packages.

Now, here is another crowd favorite. If you have little children, this one is just perfect for you. You just have to check out the "Santa’s Coming to Town" package. From Nov 15 thru Dec 23 , every Friday thru Sunday, children will enjoy Story Time with Mrs. Claus in the lobby of the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel and Santa himself will deliver presents, cookies and milk to guest’s rooms! I bet your kids will thank you for this amazing experience! Sounds like fun for both the kids and adults alike. Oh and guess what? Prices starts from as low as $189 per night!!! How cool is that?

So, with these exciting holiday packages and more, head over to the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel website and book your package today. Trust me, you are in for a true holiday treat!

John Lennon - We Remember...

Exactly two months ago, Kevin and I went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex in SoHo to join a whole bunch of other people in celebrating John Lennon's life. It was supposed to be his 69th birthday, if he had not left this world so prematurely. I've been meaning to blog about this for quite a while but never got around to it. Since yesterday was the 29th anniversary of Lennon's death, I figured today would be a good day to do so.

We have always wanted to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex since it opened it's doors in November last year. However, due to the steep ticket price ($26.50 per person and we were not even sure if it was worth it), we just never got around to it. The current special exhibit on display is "John Lennon - The New York City Years". Since it was Lennon's birthday, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex announced that they will be opening up the museum to the public for FREE, in celebration of his life! Since we are huge fans of the Beatles, we decided to go check it out. As you can see from the picture, the line to get in was really long. However, it wasn't that long of a wait and it was kinda fun, to stand in line with other John Lennon fans and just chill.

We are not allowed to take any photos inside the museum, so this is a stock photo that I stole off online. The museum on the whole is really not that big, it reminds me of a pimped up and bigger Hard Rock Cafe. Definitely not worth the $26.50! However, there were quite a few cool exhibits to check out. Among them were Modanna's pointy bra, Michael Jacksons hand written lyrics of Billie Jean, Elvis's bible (complete with little notes and highlights) and a whole of of other clothes, shoes, lyrics and memorabilia from other artist. The John Lennon special exhibit was cool though. I learnt that even though Lennon was originally from Liverpool, he always felt that New York was his home. There were all kinds of cool personal memorabilia from Yoko Ono's personal collection on display. His clothes in a hospital bag, still with the tag on, just like how Yoko got it back from them after his assassination. His famous New York City t shirt. All kinds of handwritten lyrics. His personal piano and guitars. All kinds of stuff from his life here in NYC. There was also a whole section displaying his immigration letters and green card petition (something I can identify with :P) as well as his original green card. I never knew that he took Yoko Ono's last name after they got married. The name listed on the green card was John Winston Ono Lennon. Hmmmm, maybe I should pitch this idea to Kev :P What do you guys think? Kevin Paul Wong Podany? Hahaha!

After visiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex, we took the C train up to Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Strawberry Fields was built in honor of Lennon and opened in 1985 on his birthday. The name of the site is taken from the Beatles’s song Strawberry Fields Forever and was also, for Lennon, an evocation of an orphanage in Liverpool by the same name. Lennon had taken many walks with his wife and young son through the friendly confines of Central Park, just a stone throw away from their apartment building. Every year, many Beatles fans from all over the would would flock to Strawberry Fields on his birthday, to just gather and celebrate his life.

Ahhh, here is the famous Imagine mosaic...donated by the city of Naples. This is also the central focus of the Strawberry Fields section of Central Park. Anytime you visit Strawberry Fields, be it in the summer or winter, there will be flowers from fans all over the world. Also, you can be sure to find a few hardcore Beatles fan band around the mosaic on the park benches, playing Beatles songs all day long.

Of course in every famous so called 'tourist attraction', there will be people trying to cash in. There were many stalls, just like this, set up everywhere near Strawberry Fields. There were selling all kinds of John Lennon stuff, from t shirts to posters and photographs.

Here it is. This is where it all ended. Just across the street from Strawberry Fields, is The Dakota (please excuse my crazy hair, it was a windy day :P). On the night of 8 December 1980, at around 10:50 pm, Mark David Chapman shot Lennon in the back four times in the entrance of The Dakota. He was brought to the Roosevelt Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. There was no funeral for Lennon and he was cremated Hartsdale, NY. Some people say Yoko scattered John's ashes in Strawberry Fields, some say she has it still in The Dakota (where she is still currently residing). Nobody knows, I guess it will remain as one of the many secrets of new York. With that, it concludes our day of remembering and celebrating John Lennon's life. RIP Mr Lennon...we remember.

Bidazzled.com - Redefining Online Auctions

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

I've always been a big fan of online auctions, ever since I first moved to America about 7 years ago. Not only can I find pretty good deals on those sites, but the excitement of bidding against other people and winning the bid gives me an adrenalin rush! There are a few major online auction sites that has been around for the longest time but guess what? There is a new kid in town! Move over eBay, Bidazzled is here and it's here to stay! Launched in early November, Bidazzled.com is redefining the online auction market by offering savings of up to 90% on name brand merchandise all while funding a charity. That's right, not only does it offer savings of up to 90% but it was designed and created to fund The Jimmy Ruch Foundation - a lung cancer charity which promotes awareness about treatment alternatives and resources for Small Cell Lung Cancer.

So, how does this work? Well, commonly called Penny Auctions or Pay-Per-Bid auction sites, bids are purchased in advance and then used to bid on merchandise. The price increases a few cents with each bid placed and a few seconds are added to the countdown clock to give others a chance to bid. The auction ends when no other bids are placed. So if a new laptop ends at just a dollar, then you win the laptop for a dollar! In their first month, there have been 2 winners of Nintendo Wii's who have won with just their 5 free bids! Isn't that great? Bids cost $1 at Bidazzled and are available for purchase in bid packs as low as $25. You also receive bonus bids when you purchase a bid pack. The highest cost of a bid when you dilute the cost with the bonus bids you receive is only $.67 per bid and often much lower!

Among the highlights of this new auction site is that auction winners usually save over 80% off retail. This means, there is a high possibility you might end paying only $40 for a $200 iPod! Also, if you don't win, you will receive up to 50 Bonus Bids as a "thank you" for participating and you can purchase the auction item less the investment you had in the auction. If you do win, Bidazzled typically make an offer to buy the item back for either cash (paypal or check), cash and bids or just bids. How cool is that?

Sounds good? Well, it gets better. Here is an exclusive offer for all our readers. If you use the code below while registering before January 15th, you will receive an additional 15 bids (all you have to do is enter it on the registration page, there is no obligation or cost of any kind).

• Blog: BBP1202A
• Twitter: BTP1202A

Bidazzled also has a lucrative Viral Referral program that you can read up more about on their website. So, what are you waiting for? head over to their website and start bidding today!

Yong Gee - Chinatown, NYC

After buying our bak kwa from Malaysia Beef Jerky, it was already almost noon. So, we figured we should start looking for a place to have lunch. As usual, there were just so many eating places in Chinatown, we couldn't really decide where to go.

While walking down Mott St, we saw Yong Gee. What really caught my attention were the giant words PEKING DUCK and CANTONS NO. 1 CHICKEN on the signboard. Also, they had really yummy looking pictures of various types of Cantonese food as their storefront wallpaper. That made us cross the street to have a closer look at their menu! :P

Once we crossed that street, we were hooked. Look at the yummy looking roast duck, chicken and pork hanging in the window. We also noticed a lot of traffic going in and out of the restaurant, mostly older Chinese couples and families. Now, that's a very good sign. Soooo, we decided to give it a try.

The restaurant was packed to the brim when we walked in. Boy, it felt like walking into a restaurant in Hong Kong! Loud chattering, servers in colored vest and bowties walking around really fast with steaming hot plates/bowls of food and not a single gwailo is sight! I think Kevin was the only non Chinese in there. Everybody was speaking Cantonese, even the waiters and waitresses. I'm not very sure if they are able to converse in English or not but since they started talking to me in Cantonese, I just replied in Cantonese (my Cantonese is not that great, but I guess it's good enough for basic conversation). My guess is that they can speak English if the need so arise but they were more comfortable in speaking Cantonese. Anyways, they managed to get us a small table at the corner...that's fine with me. It's better than waiting for a table or having to share a table with strangers!

They had a pretty extensive menu and everything looked good. I didn't really know what they are famous for, so we just ordered whatever we felt like eating. They were also having a dim sum combination dish promotion. So, we decided to order that as our appetizer. For $7.99, you get 2 pieces of mini egg rolls, 2 pieces of har kow (shrimp dumplings), 3 pieces of siu mai (pork dumplings) and 1 char siew bao (steamed roast pork bun). It also comes with free coffee, tea or soda. The mini egg rolls were a tiny bit too oily but it was alright overall. Both the char siew bao and siu mai was alright, nothing to really shout about. However, the har kow was terrible! The skin was sticking to the surface of the container and everything ripped open when we tried to remove it. Also, the shrimp didn't taste all that fresh and I think it was sitting in the steamer was way too long. Mental note: if you want good dim sum, go to a dim sum house, not just any random Chinese restaurant :P

For our mains, we both shared a noodle dish and their famous Peking duck. There were a lot of noodle dishes to choose from and we ended up ordering the Cantonese Style Pan Fried Noodles with Fish Fillet ($10.99). That was a very good choice! I love it! They were really generous with the fish fillets and it tasted really good and fresh. The portion was really big too. Even after sharing, we still could not finish and had to take about 1/3 of the dish home. Very very nice.

Ahhhh the famous Peking duck. We ordered half a Peking duck ($15.99) and it came with 6 pieces of buns, Peking duck sauce, some cucumbers and spring onions. You can see from the above photos, the waitress showing us the correct way to assemble it all together as well as the finish product :P The skin of the Peking duck was nice and crispy and overall, it was nice. I wouldn't rave about it and say that it was the best I have ever eaten, but it was alright. I wouldn't order it in the future though, I guess I'll just stick to the $1 per piece Peking duck from that corner store in Flushing. I later found out that Yong Gee is famous for their Congee (which explains the steady line of steaming big bowls coming out from the kitchen) and their Hot Claypot Rice. Also, their Guang Dong Style Chicken and Fish Soup Noodles is said to be really good too. I guess we will have to try those out the next time we are in Chinatown :P

Yong Gee Chinese Restaurant
104 Mott Street,
New York, NY 10013
Tel: (212) 925-1118/6661
Fax: (212) 925-2886

Lighting by LUX

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

Kevin and I have been trying to redecorate our apartment bit by bit over the past few months. We are beginning to get tired of our cheap dorm room looking IKEA furniture/lighting and we are currently hoping to create a more sophisticated and 'grown up' look for our pad. Redecorating doesn't come cheap though, that's why we are taking it slow, one piece at a time. I was looking for some lighting ideas online not too long ago and came across Lighting by Lux. It's an online lighting store and boy, did it really catch my attention. Not only are there so many different styles, looks and brands available, the prices stood out too. Most of the items on there are cheaper than what you can get in regular shops.

When you talk about energy efficient lighting, many people like the idea of using energy efficient lights but are somewhat put off by the lack of choices in design and style. Well, over at Lighting by Lux, there are just so many different ones to choose from. Now, you can help protect the environment while looking good and stylish! Check out this Acadia ENERGY STAR 4 Light Vanity. Doesn't it look good? You can get it for only $159, that's a $106.50 savings from the list price!I also love the contemporary style lighting that they offer. That is exactly what we like and I bet it will add to the look we are trying to achieve. The prices are really affordable as it is but check this out. They also have a sale section that offers even more savings and discounts! There are plenty of lightnings to choose from - chandeliers, floor lamps, wall sconces, table lamps, outdoor lighting and a whole lot more! They also offer free shipping on selected items and there is no sales tax added (except for orders from Georgia)! Not only that, they also have a low price guarantee. If you find an item cheaper elsewhere within 30 days of your purchase, they will give you the difference plus a 10% discount! So, if you are looking for some new lighting, remember to head over to Lighting by Lux and check out what they have to offer.

Malaysian Bak Kwa in Chinatown, NYC

One of the things that I really miss since moving to the States is Malaysian style Bak Kwa (pork jerky). Yes, you can find some sort of pork or beef jerky in Asian grocery stores but it's not the Malaysian type. It's usually the ones imported from Taiwan or China, vacuum packed and not really that fresh (since it came all the way from Taiwan/China). Also, Malaysian bak kwa is usually soft and tender, where else, the ones you that you can find in Asian grocery stores are usually very hard and chewy.

I found out online that there is a Malaysian Bak Kwa shop in Chinatown and boy was I excited! After watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, we headed downtown to Chinatown, in search of this shop. With the help of the Chinatown Information center, we managed to locate this bak kwa shop. If you don't look hard enough, you might just miss it. It's just a tiny little shop, well, it's not even a full shop, it's just half a shop :P It looks kinda old and run down but the familiar smell of freshly BBQed bak kwa coming out from the shop was just intoxicating!

We checked out the old menu board outside the shop and saw that they had most of the stuff that bak kwa shops in Malaysia would have. They sold the bak kwa by weight, ranging from $17 to $18 per lbs. We can see from the board (old sticker marks) that it used to be between $15-$16 per lbs, but hey, I guess inflation happens everywhere :P

We walked in the shop and it looks like any of the bak kwa shops in SS2 or Petaling Street. Rows of different types of bak kwa in see through display cabinets. They had pork, beef and chicken jerky, available in spicy and regular. You can also choose between the sliced or minced version. They were also promoting their recently launched new flavor, shrimp flavored pork jerky. Too bad they didn't have the gold coins bak kwa or the gourmet bacon bak kwa, both my favorites (not to worry, two more months before we go back to Malaysia for CNY. That's when we can eat as much bacon bak kwa as we like!! :P).

Look at the guy behind the grill. He was BBQing the bak kwas non stop while we were there....smells so gooooood. We bought a lbs of regular pork jerky ($17), since I prefer the minced type to the sliced type. The lady was trying to push the shrimp flavored pork jerky to us but errr I think we'll give it a skip :P She also proudly told us that we can now buy the bak kwa online and they ship them all over America. How cool is that? :D

Check out our loot! They even have those yellow plastic bags with red letterings, just like all the bak kwa shops in Malaysia :D She also slipped in their menu as well as their business card, with their website url.

Here's how they pack the bak kwas. They would of course seal it air tight if they were shipping it cross country but for walk in customers, they would place it in a wax paper bag and then in a resealable plastic bag. This way, it keeps the bak kwa nice and fresh.

Mmm mmm mmmmm, doesn't that look good? One lbs of freshly BBQed pork jerky. It's so tender and nice, unlike the ones we can get from the Asian grocery store. Also, I just love the charcoal burnt sides, it just makes it even more authentic tasting. Of course we cannot compare the taste to the big time bak kwa companies like Kew Bros or Bee Cheng Hiang in Malaysia, but compared to the pork jerky that we can get here, it tasted like heaven. I think that it's as good as it can get. So, the next time you are in Chinatown and need a little dose of 'Malaysia', head over to Malaysia Beef Jerky Inc and get yourself a lbs of yummy jerky!!! :D

Malaysia Beef Jerky Inc
95A Elizabeth Street,
New York, NY 10013
Tel: (212) 965-0796
Web: http://www.malaysiabeefjerky.com/

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2009

As promised, here is my post about us heading down to the city to watch Macy's 83rd Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. We've always watched the parade on TV every year but it's our first time watching it live. Usually we would be back in Pittsburgh or will be too busy cooking/hosting Thanksgiving dinner to even think about going to the city. However, since we didn't go back to Pittsburgh and it's just the two of us this Thanksgiving, we decided to go check it out.

We woke up bright and early (we left the apartment by 6:30am) and headed to Journal Square to take the PATH to the WTC station. Look at Kevin's sleepy eyes and unshaven look...yup, it's early! :P Even though the parade only starts at 9am, many people would go early just so that we can get a decent spot to watch the parade. We learnt from various past parades in the city that you have to arrive at least 2 hours before the parade to get a decent spot or you will end up just looking at the back of other peoples heads.

From the WTC PATH station, we took the C train uptown to Columbus Circle. You can see from the crowd forming that there will be lots of people at the parade. You see all those people standing behind the barricades? That's not even part of the parade route. They were just hoping to catch the big balloons in a distance!

Here is the parade route. This year, they unveiled a new route. For the first time ever, the parade will skip Broadway. As usual, it will begin at Central Park West and 77th St. It will then make it's way down to Columbus Circle and turn into Central Park South. It will then go down 7th Avenue, pass Times Square, make a turn on 42nd St and ending in Macy's (of course) Herald Square. We decided to watch the parade from the corner of 57th St and 7th Ave, just by Carnegie Hall.

I'm glad we arrived early. Look at the crowd forming behind us! There were only about one to two layers of people in front of us, so we had a pretty decent view! :D

The parade started at around 9am up on 77th St. So by the time it made it's way down to us, it was already about 9:20am. The parade opened with the Macy's marching band and the Radio City Rockettes marching down the street. The atmosphere was just electrifying. It's something that you can't see or feel from watching it on TV back home. Everybody was excited and cheering, a pretty amazing feeling.

The first giant character balloon that came down the street was the giant Spiderman balloon. It's one of the four new balloons introduced to the parade this year. The other three are the Sailor Mickey balloon, Pillsbury Doughboy balloon and the Ronald McDonald balloon. Here are some of the other giant balloons from the parade.

This is my favorite float from the whole parade. The Sesame Street float! I've pretty much grown up on Sesame Street and to actually see the cast and muppets in real life was really cool. Most of the cast looked way older than I remember them to be, but of course. I'm not exactly that young anymore myself :P

There were all kinds of floats with various themes. In total, there were 24 floats, 10 marching bands, 15 giant character balloons and 35 novelty or ornament balloons, balloonheads and balloonicles. Seen here is Miss America 2009, Katie Stam and NYC Men's Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi on the Spirit of Liberty float and The Pizzarelli Quartet riding on the Marion-Carol Showboat float.

Apart from floats and giant balloons, there were also a whole lot of performers and entertainers. In fact, the parade featured a total of 800 clowns and 1,500 dancers, cheerleaders, singers and performers! How cool is that? :D

With fancy floats, giant balloons and a host of clowns, performers and entertainers, what else could a parade offer? Celebrities! Lots of them! Some of the celebrities that took part in the parade were Gloria Gaynor, Carly Simon, Cyndi Lauper, Bello, Andrea Bocelli, Keke Palmer, Grandma and the cast of the Big Apple Circus, the cast of Hair, Boys Like Girls, DJ Lance Rock and the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba!, Kermit the Frog and Tiffany Thornton, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, cast of Billy Elliot, Sarah Hughes, Jane Krakowski, cast of Bye Bye Birdie, Ziggy Marley with Judah Marley, Miss America 2009 - Katie Stam, the Radio City Rockettes, Katharine McPhee, Mitchel Musso, The Pizzarelli Quartet, cast of Shrek and Jay Sean. Not only could you spot celebrities in the parade, but you can also see them watching the parade from the balconies/windows of their expensive West Central Park condos. Among those spotted were Antonio Bandares and his wife Melanie Griffith as well as Michael Douglas and his kids. Seen here in the pink castle is Cyndi Lauper and you can also see Jimmy Fallon and The Roots on the giant Les Paul guitar.

The parade lasted over 2 hours and the finale to the parade was an appearance by the big man himself - Santa Claus on his sleigh! With that, it officially marks the beginning of the Holiday Season and the end of the parade. With such a big crowd, you would think that it was a pain to get home. Well, we figured that out from the start. We chose a spot that was only a few steps away from the elevator that takes us down to the subway. From past experiences, we knew that the Santa Claus was always the last to appear in any parade. So, the moment Santa came by, we just made a dash to the elevator, took it down to the subway and jumped on the first train there is out of that area. With that, we managed to get out of the area fast and also avoided the crowd. So, where did we go after that? Ahhh, keep on reading. That will be in the next post! :D

* For more photos of the parade, all the balloons and floats, head over to my Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade album on Facebook. Just click here