Free wi-fi @ JFK Airport, NY :)

The free wi-fi's only for 20 minutes...but still, it's free :)

The JFK Airport departure terminal is really quite nice

Lotss of restaurants...

Pleasant deco... (I like the poster of the fish :) )

Souvenir shops with the signature "I heart NY" t-shirts

A "caviar bar"
It's my first time seeing a caviar bar & it amazes me how a business model that's based entirely on serving caviar & wine survives (especially at an airport terminal)!
that place is so darn expensive
wouldn't people rather have a really nice meal at Haru's, Buddakan, or Maialino?
or purchase something with more "volume" -like, a nice tailor-made suit?

okay,..maybe those people were just sitting there having drinks & not eating caviar
well, then shouldn't "caviar bars" offer more food items on their menu?

I have a hard time understanding the rationale behind "caviar bars"
I know it's meant to be classy, sophisticated, etc etc
but eating caviar at a fine-dining restaurant is different!
you'll probably have caviar & then followed by entree
so, you needn't worry about having bits of black eggs sticking in between your teeth
I guess you're at a "caviar bar" with your family, then it really doesn't matter even if you coloured your tongue black
that caviar bar is no "family dining place"
no no no

oh...well, I digressed :p
what else is in JFK?
- CNN Newsstand

Funny NYC Subway ads :)

 

"Still a virgin? 

For help call 888-743-4335

Toll free"

(but...why would virgins need help?)

 

"PUBLIC B.O. NOTICE:

Persons emanating foul body odor in confined spaces may be reported and cited for olfactory violation"

(Olfactory violation? lol :) hehe)

The real NYC:)

I was pleasantly surprised to find colourful tulips along sidewalks/buildings in New York:)

I had always thought that the 'real' NYC is dusty, polluted... graffiti on walls, just like how it's portrayed in Flight of the Conchords- a popular comedy series in New Zealand


(Below: Flight of the Conchords cast)

(Image source: http://whatsontv.co.uk/blogs/tvspy/files/2008/12/flight460.jpg)
In Flight of the Conchords, the musicians depict the hardship of the artist community - NYC is fun if you have money & a job, but it can be depressing living in this big city if you're an unknown musician and you don't get any gigs. There are too many talented musicians/artistes!
__________
Another thing that is distinct to NY is the ubiquitous breakfast carts where you can get fresh muffins, bagels, donuts & other types of pastries:)

'American breakfast' = home fries, omelette with Swiss cheese or Americn cheese, & toasted bread

The portion's unbelievably huge

There are many things that's nice about NY...but I remember that I was quite shocked to find that there are no washing machines in apartments here.

No washing machines, no clothes dryer

But the laundry services here is far more affordable compared to most other cities :)

It's quite easy to find $1 per pound laundry services

...and they wrap your clothes nicely into a litlle parcel

Neatly folded too :)

"Bagels" are the new (Dunkin) "Donuts"?

In Malaysia, Dunkin Donuts sells donuts

In Australia, New Zealand, Singapore + anywhere else, I bet DD sells donuts

But in the US, Dunkin Donuts no longer sells donuts as much as it used to

Walk into a Dunkin Donut shop in New York 

- you'll see...

more "bagels" than donuts

"flatbread sandwich with eggwhites" 

(very healthy, I'm not complaining :) I hardly eat donuts. I'm glad DD has other healthier items on the menu, but the egg whites taste 'weird' - spongy. I hope they're real eggs;p)

Malaysian Organ Donor Card :)

I'm lucky to have very liberal parents.
I signed up as an organ donor back in 2006, and I still carry the Malaysian Organ Donor Card with me wherever I go.
Organ donation is against my parents' religious practices, but they didn't stop me from wanting to be an organ donor.
Of course, I wouldn't dream of donating parts of my kidney as long as I'm alive :p
I'm not that selfless...
but when I'm gone from this planet, I'd like the idea of being able to have my body parts reused to save other people's lives - eyeballs, teeth, heart, lungs, intestines ;p anything - rather than letting them go to waste

That's a very radical thing for a Chinese to do.
Chinese culture believe in burying or cremating bodies of dead people.
When it's my turn to leave this planet some day, I wouldn't want a funeral.
I'm supposed to want a funeral, shouldn't I?
After all, people that I know of who passed away - relatives, neighbours, etc - all of them had funerals.

When I was in school, I used to be more religious (I think ;p). For instance, I'd burn incense during exam period because Mum told me that I'd get better grades;p ;p lol

I stopped doing it when I was 14 and an avid reader of the Environment column in The Star newspaper - I came across an article about how incense-burning cause pollution & cancer.
 

Fake "breakfast seafood" in Manhattan :p

I'd consider myself as quite the seafood connoisseur, but even then I was fooled :p

For weeks, I had been dying to try the breakfast 'lobsters' served only at one Japanese-owned cafe that I pass by quite often in midtown Manhattan.

When I finally tried the "lobsters", I realised that they're actually 'lobster cakes' : MSG-laden flour + artificial colouring & loads of other chemicals

They look like real lobsters, don't they?

But that fake stuff taste disgusting. They should be banned (at least, from the breakfast menu)!
Silly me, I was craving so much for seafood that I bought 3 of the fake lobs

Other food items at the Old Bridge Gourmet Deli are probably okay

The ambiance is good

Free water for diners

But at the moment I'm still very traumatized by the "fake seafood experience", I don't thimk I'm likely to revisit that deli anytime soon

Thanks, Old Bridge
From now on I'll stick to bagels & eggs for breakfast
I miss New Zealand yogurt ;p
NZ's got the best yogurt in the whole world

American "Tuk-Tuk"s?

Wasn't expecting to find "Tuk-tuk" carriages in New York :)
I was taking a walk in Central Park and saw these!-

 

There you have it :) It's the American version of Tuk-tuks

 

This reminds me of the New Zealand BAXIs