By juliana, on November 21st, 2009
Now, Manhattanites can bulk up, Costco style. Finally, the store at 116th Street off the FDR opened last November 12 boasting more than 105,000 square feet of selling floor with a selection of more than 3,500 products.
A friend of mine shared her experience at this Costco location, as she was there at the opening day. She was really surprised to see a wall of Chanel Classic Flap handbags retailing at $1,999.99 and Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 (Monogram Canvass) at $589.99. Apart from that, a massive wall of Ugg Ultra short boots(at $124.99) can’t be missed. I haven’t in my lifetime encountered a display of Chanel or Louis Vuitton in any of the Costco locations that I have been to. I assume that the Costco Merchandisers and Buyers strategically stocked the Manhattan location with luxury items because of the area.
The presence of Costco in Manhattan will now test the creativity of the city dwellers how they will store their 40 pounds bags of Kirkland dog food, 3 pounds of almonds, those 5 liter olive oil, those massive cases of San Pellegrino and all the items that are super sized. If you have been to a standard studio apartment in Manhattan, you will surely know what I’m talking about.
However, for those that have the luxury of space, this new location is a relief. They no longer have to go to Brooklyn, Queens or Jersey to satisfy their bulk-buy needs. This will also definitely mean it will be less crowded to the Costco warehouse that we go to.
By juliana, on November 20th, 2009
Nothing can be easier than this. As the name implies, no baking required.
I’m such a sucker for recipe. If you asked me where I got this recipe from, it’s none other than from the box of Nabisco Graham Crackers. I have been meaning to try it, and made up my mind to make it one Friday afternoon a few weeks ago. I was in a rush to head out to the nearest UPS drop off to send my friend in California the spa filters that she requested me to send her. And since it was late in the day already I wanted to make something easy and not time consuming.
I was done in no time. Needless to say, the 4 hour refrigeration time to chill it properly was met just in time for late night dessert. It was really yummy with green tea.
By juliana, on November 14th, 2009
Black Friday is two weeks away but I’m already well into my own shopping holiday. I can’t even wait for Cyber Monday anymore because I fear that I won’t be able to snag the specific merchandise that I want if I wait for the day. With two days of bad weather here, I have been confined in the house and canceled appointments and errands.
I haven’t shopped without abandon in awhile and the two days of online shopping really created a dent on someone else’s (the husband, who else?) bank account. Since I also had my cooking holiday (I didn’t cook food for dinner for a week), I had all the time in the world and kept adding stuff to my shopping carts into the wee hours of the morning. And that explains why I have dark eye circles now; something that I haven’t seen in ages. Two days of hitting the sack at 3:00 a.m. proved to be a disaster, but I can’t complain since I have enjoyed shopping immensely.
I’m not done yet. But I’m not sure about hitting the malls and stores on Black Friday. If you know me, I’m a perennial late riser, so I will not really stand a chance with those big savings on Black Friday. They are good only for those who have the patience and endurance to wake up early and be ready to storm the crowds. God bless them! To be honest with you, of the almost 11 years that I have been living here, I haven’t had the chance to hit the stores on Black Friday. Simply not for me, but if it was midnight madness sale, you can be sure to count me in. The time does make a big difference. I’m a night owl, that’s why.
By juliana, on November 12th, 2009
The November 3rd election is over, but I hardly felt campaign efforts from the candidates. Right where we live, there was no single campaign banner or posters. The only indication of the past election were some TV ads, fliers on the mail, and the very annoying multiple phone calls from the team of Mayor Bloomberg.
Our third term able and reliable Mayor of New York burned his own money to fund his campaign. With a record setting, almost $100 million(according to reports) spent on his campaign, it was not a big wonder how he was able to automate all the phone calls which where strategically sent to NY residents weeks and days prior to November 3. On the day of the election, as early as 8:00 a.m. there was an automated call(the good Mayor’s voice on the line) reminding us to vote, and towards the end of the day before the polls closed there was another automated phone call (from Mayor Bloomberg again). Oh, and how can I forget a flier asking me to become one of the ‘women for Bloomberg.’
Mayors are only allowed two terms. Mayor Michael Bloomberg made history when he sought to change the term-limit and got the vote from the City Council. Thus, he was allowed to run for his third term.
Just like many new Yorkers, we expected big victory for the independent Bloomberg, but it was a hard-won victory as he only garnered 51% of the votes. The win made him the fourth mayor to win a third term in the city’s history.
Now, Michael Bloomberg has his work cut out for him. With the $5 billion budget deficit, and the rising unemployment rate which is now above the national average at 10.3% he has a tough job ahead of him.
I love Bloomberg, and I voted for him. I know he is not perfect, but who is?????
By juliana, on November 9th, 2009
Food for two????? Well… If you’re with someone with a voracious appetite, the above spread of food for dinner is not much of a surprise. But it was probably a little too much for the waiter that served our table, as indicated by the impish smile as he was taking the order. Good thing, it was at a Filipino restaurant, and as always, I can use the convenient excuse of missing Pinoy food.
Truth of the matter is that, my husband loves these dishes: adobong kangkong (water spinach), chicken tinola(chicken soup), pancit bihon (thin rice noodles), pork barbecue, chicken adobo, sinigang na bangus (milkfish in sour broth) that whenever we dine at a Pinoy resto, he can’t restrain himself from ordering a tad too much or should I say, whenever we dine out anywhere.
No, he didn’t have a clean plate. As usual, we had some leftover, but it was not sizable enough to even consider having them wrapped and brought home. Do you believe me now if I think that down the road, my husband will be a good candidate for an effective slimming pill? The amount of food he ordered was really good for four people with average appetite. Oh and yes, this dinner was capped with halo-halo (see previous post).
Do I still need to spell it out that he indeed adores Pinoy dishes?
By juliana, on November 9th, 2009
It was unusually mild today. If it’s only realistic for me to hope for this kind of weather everyday, I would, but it’s not possible. As if my body was programmed to respond only to warmer temps, I also surprised myself by waking up very early. I haven’t done this in years unless it was extremely necessary. If the human body can be upgraded like a computer, I would certainly ensure that my body is equipped with a system memory that makes me do this repetitively for the rest of my life. I’m a perennial late riser and I don’t like it, but I have allowed myself to sleep in late anyway, all these years.
At exactly 7:00 a.m. today, I was up and away. I must admit that it really feels great to have an early start. For once, I was done with my errands early and I had the rest of the day all to myself.
It’s the start of a new week, and I’m hoping to keep this pace.
By juliana, on November 5th, 2009
It’s been cold right here in the Big Apple, and YES… this awesome treat is definitely out of place nowadays.
But, I kid you not if I tell you that I just had it a few days ago. Notwithstanding the cold, I didn’t want to pass the opportunity to indulge. It’s not often that we have the chance to take a trek and drive 40 miles each way to have this. I know that it’s just a matter of time before I finally succumb to fat burners (and for now, while thinking of it, I really don’t mind), with the kind of diet that I have been chowing on lately. Add to that, the sweet treats that I bake almost every Friday.
I almost forgot to snap a photo. I couldn’t wait to get my first taste hence, the unsightly appearance. The ube ice cream topping and slice of leche flan was almost gone when I suddenly remembered to press the shutter of my cam.
Wikipedia : Halo-halo (from Tagalog word halo, “mix”) is a popular Filipino dessert that is a mixture of shaved ice and milk to which are added various boiled sweet beans and fruits, and served cold in a tall glass or bowl. Other components may include jackfruit (langka), star apple,tapioca or sago, nata de coco, purple yam (ube) or sweet potato (kamote), sweetened corn kernels or pounded crushed young rice (pinipig), leche flan or custard, ice cream and gelatin. Other fruits, such as papayas, avocados,kiwifruit, bananas or cherries may also be added. Some preparations also include ice cream on top of the halo-halo. Generally, evaporated milk is used instead of fresh milk, due to the tropical climate of the Philippines.
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