New York 2009 -- 2010 Part II

~*Day 4 (27th December)*~

I slept till 12 noon and woke up to the kids wailing that the snow had melted and that we could not build snowman anymore.




I wrote down some notes for the day with a personalised "ourfeistyprincess" pen from one of our supporters.




These are what I wore indoors every day -- T shirt and shorts with $2 knitted leg warmers from Daiso and slouchy ballet "bedroom slippers" that unfortunately didn't belong to me. They're Charlene's.



The other residents were amazed at how we Singaporeans dressed in winter. Cyn explained to us that even though it was warm and snug indoors, the residents would still dress according to the season. Thus, everyone would be wrapped up in long sleeves, knitted cardigans, jeans, trousers etc indoors. She finally felt like she wasn't an alien with big char and me around walking around in our T shirt and shorts too.


Cyn's menu for the day -- mee sua for longevity.

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We headed for a walk in Central Park after lunch.




The sun was setting so quickly that it became too dark to snap any photos w/o flash by 5pm.




The sky was a beautiful hue of purple and pink while we faded into the beautiful background without the use of flash.






Soon, the blackened night sky descended upon the beautiful purple and pink which sighed beneath the horizon.

The kids got so excited running around the open space in the dim light, beckoning for us to catch them.

The kids ran so quickly that they disappeared into the darkness ahead. With gloved hands, we joined our freezing hands and started chasing after them. Cyn watched from the back and took lots of candid shots.




At one end of the park, we saw people gathering. Cyn and I pressed forward to catch a glimpse of what was happening. The mob was grooving away to music. Some had extended foldable chairs and were sitting in the centre of the crowd. We weren't too sure what was happening but we quickly walked away when more rowdy people joined the circle.




A solitary star hung high above the city skyline. Can you spot the elusive star?




Here it is in black and white.




Accidental beauty caused by shakey hands.



We finally reached the other end of Central Park where there was a quaint little eatery with lots of horses and carriages.

By then, I was freezing for the trench coat I wore that evening wasn't meant for winter.






~*Day 5 (28th December)*~

Off to the nearest Bath & Body Works with big char and jase...

Jase loved being a little helper.




Some random shots a long the way....







The disorganised beauty of nature



I got quite overwhelmed at Bath & Body Works. I was in love with so many range of scents that I wanted to buy the whole shop! I also had difficulty choosing gifts for my family and friends there coz each time I chose something for someone, I would also want the same item for myself.


In the end, we ended up with 2 big bags of loot.




cyn and char joined us after that and we headed for lunch.




We decided to eat here.







I finished every single morsel of my bento set. However unlike before, I could not be the trashbin and help finish the rest of the unfinished food. My stomach space had shrunk. Besides, their chicken yakitori and sushi did not taste authentic at all.

I am so going to learn how to tie chopsticks with rubber band such that they are user-friendly for kids.




Their macha green tea ice cream did not taste very authentically Japanese too.




They look like they were performing magic tricks!




Random shots along the way back...





exhausted!




I do not know who came up with the idea of pampering the princess with a manicure and pedicure session.




If you haven't already know, I slept a lot in NYC. I guess it was to replenish all the lost sleep in Singapore. After the manicure, I just lay on the bed and soon drifted into slumberland. I even slept through dinner. I only woke up at about 11 at night when the kids told me I was sleeping on their bed and taking up space.


They saved little bit of rice and 3 mini chicken wings for me. Cyn also specially saved this Puerto Rico traditional alcoholic beverage for me since char don't take alcohol. Along with the drink, there was also a traditional cake given by one of the puerto rico neighbours. I'm not so sure the names of the cake and drink but I lurve them!





Jase, the aspiring photographer got creative and used a toilet roll as a frame to some shots.



Blissful life of shopping, eating, sleeping and then eating and sleeping again.


~*Day 6 (29th December)*~

That day, we had to go to Chinatown to stock up on some supplies. I love visiting Chinatowns and comparing them with our local Chinatown.


The kids decided to pin on the name badges I got for them. I told them nobody was going to see the badges under their marshmallows but they insisted.



On our way to watch Alvin & the Chipmunks and Chinatown thereafter.



The cinemas in the States operate on free-seating mode. We were late and sat right to the left of the front row. All the chipmunks had humongous chipmunk faces that slanted to the left.


Bustling bustling Chinatown!



When we got there, we experienced some flurry and they looked absolutely beautiful with the sunlight from behind. The flakes were too small to be captured in the photograph though.



I thought that this photo up there is unwittingly ironic. The sign board for an erotic movie was above the Buddhist temple sign. Wicked!


We had dim sum for lunch. Food presentation wasn't high on the restaurant's list but the food was good.






I can't remember where we walked and for how long but by the time our tummies were rumbling, the kids had fallen asleep. Char got tired quite easily due to the medication and all so we always had to bring the stroller out in case she was too tired to walk. Jase would also try to squeeze in whenever he was tired but he was really getting too big for it. Besides, we were quite firm on him being a big boy and walking on his own no matter how tired he was.


KFC dinner



After dinner, cyn and the kids headed back home while big char and I went to...

macy's again!!!




This time, I pulled big char to the Christmas window display and forced her to take pictures.





Bright splashes of colours, toys and candies made me feel like I'm in some Christmas Land-- if there is even an imaginary one.


And then we went to the place of every woman's dream and every man's desire



I did not get anything from there. Yes I know, nobody could resist coming out from Victoria's Secrets without a shopping bag or two but I just could not find anything I like enough to spend money on some grossly overpriced items.


Big char kept laughing at my static hair whenever I stepped indoors and removed my furry hoodie.

"How does it look? I can't see my back!"

"Wait ah, I take a picture for you."



I could not stand the crackling sound whenever I removed my hoodie. It reminded me of those static charges that so often pricked me.


Back at home, we were keeping and folding the clothes from the laundry room when I saw how much my maroon mook top had shrunk. It looked more like charmaine's clothes than mine. LoLz... we had to stretch and pull but still it wasn't its original length.



Gasp! I looked like I had no legs in the above picture! I was wearing black leggings causing my legs to melt into the dark background behind.


The kids decided to amuse themselves by going "camping" at the bottom of the bed and watched DVDs.



Oh guess what we bought from Macy's? We each bought a Pierre Cardin trolley luggage to store all our shopping loots.



There's a luggage inside the big one with another hand carry bag. So the price was really good for (I forgot if there were) 3 or 4 baggage items in all! The hand carry bag came in very useful for us throughout the trip. We also bought a few other similar items and even similar items for our other half. That's what happens when good friends go shopping together.

Part III will take a little more time as I'm trying to rush lots of work, run lots of errands plus editing the pictures all in a hectic week.