A New York New Year

I spent NYE in New York with a great start of ......

1) Going to Peter Luger Steakhouse - one of the top American steakhouses, and 1 star Michelin holder.









2) I received my own 30th birthday present.


3) I went to the Times Square NYE Countdown.


Let's just say that our view was a tad far, but at least we managed to see the ball.


And that even though we were far, there were a whole mob of people even further than us.

The Moment ! The Light & smoke is actually from the fireworks .... but let's say that my camera didn't capture it so well.






4) Ending the night at my favorite neighborhood restaurant, Delta Jazz Bar, serving up Southern food with a rocking jazz band.


Fried Catfish & Jamalaya .. Not to mention the comforting chicken gumbo that came before ..


Happy New Year 2012 !

9-11 Memorial

There is no cost to visiting the 9-11 Memorial except for time. In order to visit the memorial, one has to book at least 2-3 months ahead to secure a date.

A memorial park set in the middle of the city, one can still see the twin towers being rebuilt. In many ways, the hole in the ground served as a darker reminder of the events that happened 10 years ago.

Boston & The Freedom Trail

With the boyfriend in tow, we headed to Boston to meet up with his brilliant cousin & to see the Freedom Trail.




The Boston Freedom Trail was a trail that was made up of a group of places that showed the key highlights leading to the American Revolution such as the Boston Tea Party. Being not much of a historian, i am not going to attempt to explain the historical significance of the places that we visited. We took a leisurely pace of about 6-8 hours barely covering most of the sites.















Other than the history of Boston, it was also well known as a College state with the sheer amount of colleges in the state. We visited MIT where his cousin was studying & the Harvard campus.





The trip reminded me when i was still in CEIBS in Shanghai where 1 was surrounded by all these insanely worldly & smart people, when i was full of hope & learning, when i knew that i could do anything that i want to set out to be. When the world was a possibility. Even now, the economics & accounting standards are fuzzy in my mind, but i still think to myself that anything is still possible if i set my mind to it.

Orlando, Florida - Universal

Instead of a leisurely weekend in New York with my Dad. Suddenly, i found myself booking a flight to Orlando in less than 5 hours.

And there i was on a 2 day pass to Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure

and having butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which blew my rather adult mind.





















Getting away from the cold of New York was fabulous, but seeing my Dad after such a long while.. Priceless.