Being Pregnant in NYC May 5, 2013

Being a pregnant lady is no easy task and it gets harder in NYC. There are several reasons behind it including but not limited to crowded and insane public transportation, lack of pregnant friends, high food cost and intense lifestyle.

If you are like me and thousands other pregnant working women in NYC without a car, you are probably familiar with the commute on subway. If you are large, you are probably in better luck than I am. I don’t get noticed too often and that means no yielding. Besides, you have to watch out for drunk or reckless riders. You absolutely do not watch to get run into. Furthermore, the smell of unavoidable homeless, beggars and sometimes puke from drunk riders will certainly make your ride more miserable.

Even though I am in my early 30s, I have literally no other pregnant friends or moms. The age for people getting married in NYC is high and the age for couples to have children is even higher. So far, I am quite out of luck in this circle. Therefore, I have to seek online support group for advice and suggestions. NYC people, you need to start having kids instead of dating around!

Finally, almost all pregnancy literature advices pregnant women to eat organic. That is just great because everything organic charges am arm and a leg. So far, I am living off FreshDirect and occasionally Trader Joe’s. I just don’t understand why Whole Foods or other organic grocery stores charge so much in NYC? Do they think everybody makes banker or lawyer salary here?

However, it is not all bad living in NYC as a pregnant woman. There are some perks I do enjoy such as highly reputable hospitals and OBs, pampering salons for your aching body, and nice maternity boutiques! I am looking forward to the rest of my pregnancy journey.

Apple to get $6-8 for each HTC Android phone sold -- is Samsung next? November 12, 2012

Reblogged from VentureBeat:

Apple's now getting between $6-8 every time HTC sells an Android phone, according to brokerage firm Stern Agee's Shaw Wu.

Over the weekend Apple announced that it had reached a global settlement with HTC to dismiss all current lawsuits and license current and future patents held by both companies. The terms of that settlement are confidential but apparently include a per-unit payment into Apple's already-deep pockets.

Read more… 234 more words

I feel really bad for HTC. It has been struggling since last year and now they got slapped with this. Their revenue is going to slide even further downhill. Who really suffers is the employees at HTC and the whole Taiwan economy.

Lessons Learned after Hurricane Sandy November 4, 2012

Hurricane Sandy has hit New York City like never before. It has wrecked homes, bridges, electricity and many other things that New Yorkers take for granted. I was in the dark for almost 5 days without electricity, Internet, heat and cell phone reception as many other residents in Lower Manhattan.

I felt lost, abandoned and separated from the outside world. I had to walk 25 blocks to get any sort of civilization. I was running low on food and it was getting unbearable to live in our apartment without hot water to shower and cell reception to call anybody. We were lucky not to be directly hit by the flood and surge. However, we still suffered a great sense of lost and confusion as our neighborhood was in complete darkness and the possibility of looting and danger was lurking if the situation dragged on.

Fortunately, we got power back after 5 days in the dark but it has not been so lucky for the others who remain in the dark and have to face the cold and lack of power continuously for the days to come. It is not all bad coming out of the aftermath of hurricane Sandy. Here are some lessons that hurricane Sandy has taught me.

First of all, we can never over-prepare for a disaster. I have enough batteries, candles, flashlights, solar lantern and radio to keep us going and informed. The dried food was also keeping us from starving. Secondly, it is important to have friends. This sounds cliches but without them, we could not stock up on more non-perishables and get hot meals uptown. Finally, it is through this disaster we learned to appreciate more things that we tend to take for granted. The electricity that we have come to get used to, the heat equipped in our apartment and a hot shower that awakens our body and keep us clean.

New York city is still in the process of rebuild as residents and local businesses are coping with loss and trying to stand up on their own feet again. We don’t know when the next disaster might hit us again but I hope we as New Yorkers will be better prepared and the government has a better plan to keep New York safe.

P.S. Here is a link to an AP article, in which I was interviewed for my experience when power came back. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Cheers-as-power-returns-to-parts-of-downtown-NYC-4003745.php

Why Are We Americans Overweight? September 25, 2012

Just very recently, I was in Paris and Barcelona for 10 days and I did a lot of people watching, shopping and even more so, eating. To my surprise, it appears most Europeans are smaller than Americans.

When I was in Paris, I observed what the locals were eating. They consume a lot of fresh local produce. Their farmer’s market was busy with customers and they look colorful and delicious! Other than fresh produce, we all know that France is known for their strong cheese and wine culture. Oh and let’s not forget about their bread. They have bread and pastry for every single meal. Even I got tired of chewing bread no matter how delightful they taste. Regardless of the heavy cream, butter and carbs in their diet, most French are quite slim, or at least not overweight. Even when I was enjoying a cup of aromatic cafe au lait, I could not find Splenda or any sort of sweetener anywhere in any coffee shop.

When I was in Barcelona, which is also known for their food scene, I still failed to find overweight people. To my surprise, Barcelonians start their breakfast with anchovies in olive oil, some toasted baguette with fresh tomato spread and famous Serrano ham. If I ate this everyday, I am for sure gaining 10 lbs! Furthermore, they also tend to eat very late. They have lunch around 1PM and dinner after 8:30PM. Their cuisine is heavy with fresh local seafood, fava beans, wild games, ham/sausages and wild mushrooms. I do not see a lot of gyms. In fact, i saw only one fitness center and a few people jogging on the street.

I am led by conventional theory that if you eat a lot of butter or and carb and you eat close to bedtime, you tend to pack on pounds. Strangely, it did not seem this way in these two cities. They consume a lot of cheese and butter. They don’t even bother with sweetener and use sugar instead. Furthermore, they also drink plenty of wine. However, their waist size is smaller than that in the U.S.

This got me thinking. How do Americans get so over-sized? I do not believe I consume as much cheese, or butter or even wine in my daily life? What did I do wrong? What do Americans do wrong? Here are my theories. First and most of all, Americans eat huge portions. We are so used to the over-sized food that is being fed to us that we tend to over-eat. Secondly, there is this weird American culture about excessive drinking among adults because drinking is not allowed before 18. hard liquor and beer contains a lot of calories and a lot of Americans drink quite a lot frequently. On the contrary, Europeans drink more wine and treat it as a way of life. They are not trying to make up for loss time. Finally, I think Americans snacks too much. You see Gelato or fro-yo shops, falafel places, bakery and hot dogs everywhere on the street. There is temptation everywhere! In Europe however, I do not see that many food stores other than restaurants, bakery and cafes.

After the trip, I really wish I could control my intake at restaurants and even better, restaurants can charge less and give me less food! So I can save my wallet and my waist line!

NYC Top Italian: Marea July 28, 2012

I brought my hubby here for his birthday dinner because he deserves the best At any rate, Marea has a great name and we both love Italian and seafood so Marea comes natural to us.

We both got the set menu of $95 each. It is actually a great value. You got an appetizer, pasta, main course (fish or meat) and a dessert. They only made the appetizer and pasta slightly smaller but they keep the entree at the original size. I was very impressed.

For starters, we got the branzino crudo, which is super fresh and tender. In addition we had the lobster appetizer and it was so refreshing and flavorful. For pasta, we both ordered the octopus fusilli with bone marrow. Wow! It is absolutely delicious no wonder Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern both love this place.

We were quite satisfied by now and we got the Tilapia Filet and sirloin steak for entree. The steak was gigantic and it was very nicely done. You do have to pay $17 more than the set menu price. My fish was tender and meaty. It has a great flavor and the marinate sauce was delicious. They actually accidentally brought me the wrong fish dish so I got to have two dishes for the night! It was a nice treat!

We ended the dinner with some really sweet and delicious desserts. Mine was a lemon tart and his was a panna cotta. Thanks to the occasion, the pastry chef provided us an additional hazelnut ganache dessert on the house.

We walked out happy because the storm outside stopped and they gave the lady, aka me a muffin to go!

I will be back Marea!

Astice July 21, 2012

Lobster Burrata

Honeymoon in Thailand – Koh Samui, Thailand April 14, 2012

I know I haven’t been writing for a good while. I blame it on wedding planning and my time devoted to workout so I can look sexy in my wedding dresses. However, I am trying to get back to the game and write more other than just food reviews. So I would like to start with one of the best trips I have been on in my life – honeymoon in Thailand!

It was a fun, exciting and romantic experience. We arrived in Koh Samui, Thailand in the early afternoon. The airport is tiny and tranquil. We took a cab ride to our resort, Hansar Samui on Bophut Beach. During the short ride, we got to see the undeveloped and original sides of the island. People were riding on scooters without helmets fiercely. Or they were on the back of a truck without sea belts. The low-rise houses or shacks along the road is a sharp contrast to the resorts they built for tourists.

Our resort has breath-taking views, infinity pool and extremely friendly staff. In addition, our suite is very sexy, just perfect for honeymooners. Our room is facing the pool as well as the beach and has a balcony right on the porch so you can relax on the couch and take in the beautiful views and feed the mosquitos.There are so many damn mosquitos! The shower is right in the center of the room with glass windows and shower comes right down from the ceiling. It is very sexy indeed!

We enjoyed every single day on the island and wish we could stay forever. We started our day with fabulous breakfast buffet, which comes with traditional Thai breakfast and even Pad Thai! Of course they also serve Western breakfast such as cereal, yogurt, pastry and bacon/sausage. After a feast, we went skinny dip in the infinity pool so we could get a healthy color on our skin and stayed cool under scorching sun. Reading by the pool was also a must do during the day before the sun went down. It was also nice to walk around the Fisherman’s Village and explored the neighborhood.

The highlight of the island really lies in their gorgeous beach, fresh and delicious food and friendly locals. I have never experienced water that clean, warm and welcoming. The food is cheap and you can try so many different food if you are up for it. You have to get fresh coconut everyday because it costs a merely $1.5. The locals are very friendly and love to help, except the cab drivers.

For the short period of time we were on Koh Samui, I felt totally immersed in the surroundings and forgot all about the hustle bustle in New York City. It was a shame we couldn’t stay longer and enjoyed the peace and quiet longer.

We shall be back real soon to celebrate another life milestone!