Jersey City
Today's adventures took us to the Filipino district in Jersey City. We drove around the city looking for Filipino drivers we could ask directions to Fiesta Grill for. I hadn't had lunch and I felt like eating everything in sight. Batchoy, bopis, dinuguan. They had this turo-turo (literally point-point) counter where steaming trays of Filipino dishes were begging to be picked, just like carinderias back home. A meal with two dishes and rice or pansit costs $3.95! Afterwards we went across the street to Tindahan where I got VCDs of Keka and Shake Rattle and Roll III, loads of goodies like sampalok (sweetened tamarind)and polvoron, and the last pack of Nissin's Yakisoba in the store. Then we passed by the Indian street fair and my friend haggled with an Egyptian guy to sell us these thick, incredibly warm, queen-sized blankets for thirty bucks. Not bad, especially because he was originally selling them for forty.
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My Netflix queue is just getting out of hand. 108 movies and I'm adding constantly. Lately I've been lagging behind my three-movies-a-week ideal rate. But then they're charging even less starting November ($17.99) so that takes some pressure off beating the system.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Monday, October 18, 2004
Life outside my apartment
Last night, Kuya Joel drove us back from White Plains. He had an awful cold but we talked non-stop all the way from Queens to Brooklyn. We talked about getting a drivers license, getting your first car, getting your first house, mortgages, real estate, God, faith, fasting. I love talking to older people, especially people who have a lot to say about things that they've been through that I haven't. Sometimes I feel so clueless about a lot of things. I'm a really good listener, though. These past months, I've met so many people who have done extra-ordinary things with their ordinary lives. I'm surrounded by people who have done amazing things. One of my friends decided to apply for culinary school and she's one of only two scholars in her school. Another got a Fulbright scholarship. How amazing is that. One of the girls I was talking to last night didn't have a job for a couple of months. She and her husband still managed to pay their rent and put food on their table. Inspite of my struggle with my faith, it's being made clear to me that no matter what happens, God will always provide. All my life I've never lacked for anything. I've always been comfortable. I might moan and groan about not having stuff but I've never been hungry. Going to the States after grad was a given. I found a job three weeks after I got here. Sometimes I feel like I'm being complacent about a lot of things and there's really nobody to blame but myself. I tend to be passive; to react rather than make the first move. I guess I've never really failed. But I guess I've never really done something that would have a remote chance of failure, either. I've always chosen the safest, most logical, most low-risk way. I need to go out there and just do it.
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Last night, Kuya Joel drove us back from White Plains. He had an awful cold but we talked non-stop all the way from Queens to Brooklyn. We talked about getting a drivers license, getting your first car, getting your first house, mortgages, real estate, God, faith, fasting. I love talking to older people, especially people who have a lot to say about things that they've been through that I haven't. Sometimes I feel so clueless about a lot of things. I'm a really good listener, though. These past months, I've met so many people who have done extra-ordinary things with their ordinary lives. I'm surrounded by people who have done amazing things. One of my friends decided to apply for culinary school and she's one of only two scholars in her school. Another got a Fulbright scholarship. How amazing is that. One of the girls I was talking to last night didn't have a job for a couple of months. She and her husband still managed to pay their rent and put food on their table. Inspite of my struggle with my faith, it's being made clear to me that no matter what happens, God will always provide. All my life I've never lacked for anything. I've always been comfortable. I might moan and groan about not having stuff but I've never been hungry. Going to the States after grad was a given. I found a job three weeks after I got here. Sometimes I feel like I'm being complacent about a lot of things and there's really nobody to blame but myself. I tend to be passive; to react rather than make the first move. I guess I've never really failed. But I guess I've never really done something that would have a remote chance of failure, either. I've always chosen the safest, most logical, most low-risk way. I need to go out there and just do it.
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Thursday, October 14, 2004
Is there anybody here who it doesn't suck to be?
My long week-end did not suck one bit. Friday, had dinner with my cousins at our usual Mulberry Street Chinese restaurant. Took out four mango puddings for midnight snacks or whatever. Cousin arrived from Texas. Saturday, went to meet up with another set of relatives visiting from Texas who are staying in New Jersey. The last time I'd seen them was about ten years ago. Had lunch at Japanese buffet restaurant Minado. Food was delicious and not at all expensive ($15 for lunch) and the waitress made origami chopstick rests out of our chopstick wrappers. Cool. Also bumped into a bunch of Filipino med students from UP.
Saturday night, watched Avenue Q with cousin and her friends. Show was great. Funny and fresh and smart. If you're a few years out of college and clueless, or was at one point in your life, you'll love this show, too. We had nosebleed seats, but they weren't bad at all. I'd watch it again. Ooh, one lady I was standing with outside got her third-row tickets just before the show started.
Sunday, hung out with friends. One day soon we'll be able to get to White Plains from the city without maps and arguments.
Monday, did my laundry. (Yey!) Had lunch with my cousin in Chinatown. We were supposed to meet up with her friends at this restaurant. They were an hour late so we just decided to go ahead and eat. Turns out they were at the other restaurant. Of the same name. On the same street. What are the odds. We never got to meet up with them. My cousin wanted to buy Chinese mary janes but they were all too big for her. What ever happened to Asian sizes?
Afterwards, we caught the 1:30 Circle Line three-hour full island cruise. It was very interesting. The boat started out on the Hudson River and crossed over to the East River going under several bridges. I never realized New York had so many bridges! The weather was great. The skyline looked fabulous.
From the pier, we took a cab to Central Park and walked around for a bit. Went to the rink and asked other tourists to take our picture and took pictures for other tourists. Then we took another cab to the Met, which was closed but still photogenic. Outside the museum, there was a girl selling her boyfriend's digital artwork. He took two or more photos and digitally fused them, turning them into quirky and unexpectedly beautiful works of art. I bought a small print for 25 bucks called Day/Night Prospect Park.
Dinner was at Serendipity Cafe . Their food was good but their desserts are just too delicious for their own good. Three of us shared a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and a Strawberry Fields sundae (cheesecake, fresh strawberries, and strawberry ice cream). Our waiter, who incidentally created Strawberry Fields, was very friendly.
After dinner, we trooped over to the Empire State Building. Twelve bucks for a 360 degree view of the city? Definitely worth it. It was too cold to stay out too long, though. So we went around the observatory, oohed and aahed over the view and pointed out buildings, huddled for a picture and then hung out at the souvenir shop.
Tuesday night we had dinner at a Polish restaurant in Brooklyn. The food was great. Three kinds of cabbage and carrots with apple juice, tripe soup, cucumber soup, chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms. Pierogis (potato dumplings with spinach or mushrooms or whatnot) are the best.
And now I will go and sing along to my Avenue Q soundtrack! Yipee! It sucks to be me!
My long week-end did not suck one bit. Friday, had dinner with my cousins at our usual Mulberry Street Chinese restaurant. Took out four mango puddings for midnight snacks or whatever. Cousin arrived from Texas. Saturday, went to meet up with another set of relatives visiting from Texas who are staying in New Jersey. The last time I'd seen them was about ten years ago. Had lunch at Japanese buffet restaurant Minado. Food was delicious and not at all expensive ($15 for lunch) and the waitress made origami chopstick rests out of our chopstick wrappers. Cool. Also bumped into a bunch of Filipino med students from UP.
Saturday night, watched Avenue Q with cousin and her friends. Show was great. Funny and fresh and smart. If you're a few years out of college and clueless, or was at one point in your life, you'll love this show, too. We had nosebleed seats, but they weren't bad at all. I'd watch it again. Ooh, one lady I was standing with outside got her third-row tickets just before the show started.
Sunday, hung out with friends. One day soon we'll be able to get to White Plains from the city without maps and arguments.
Monday, did my laundry. (Yey!) Had lunch with my cousin in Chinatown. We were supposed to meet up with her friends at this restaurant. They were an hour late so we just decided to go ahead and eat. Turns out they were at the other restaurant. Of the same name. On the same street. What are the odds. We never got to meet up with them. My cousin wanted to buy Chinese mary janes but they were all too big for her. What ever happened to Asian sizes?
Afterwards, we caught the 1:30 Circle Line three-hour full island cruise. It was very interesting. The boat started out on the Hudson River and crossed over to the East River going under several bridges. I never realized New York had so many bridges! The weather was great. The skyline looked fabulous.
From the pier, we took a cab to Central Park and walked around for a bit. Went to the rink and asked other tourists to take our picture and took pictures for other tourists. Then we took another cab to the Met, which was closed but still photogenic. Outside the museum, there was a girl selling her boyfriend's digital artwork. He took two or more photos and digitally fused them, turning them into quirky and unexpectedly beautiful works of art. I bought a small print for 25 bucks called Day/Night Prospect Park.
Dinner was at Serendipity Cafe . Their food was good but their desserts are just too delicious for their own good. Three of us shared a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate and a Strawberry Fields sundae (cheesecake, fresh strawberries, and strawberry ice cream). Our waiter, who incidentally created Strawberry Fields, was very friendly.
After dinner, we trooped over to the Empire State Building. Twelve bucks for a 360 degree view of the city? Definitely worth it. It was too cold to stay out too long, though. So we went around the observatory, oohed and aahed over the view and pointed out buildings, huddled for a picture and then hung out at the souvenir shop.
Tuesday night we had dinner at a Polish restaurant in Brooklyn. The food was great. Three kinds of cabbage and carrots with apple juice, tripe soup, cucumber soup, chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms. Pierogis (potato dumplings with spinach or mushrooms or whatnot) are the best.
And now I will go and sing along to my Avenue Q soundtrack! Yipee! It sucks to be me!
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