Commuting in New York & Homecooked Meals

Winter is finally coming to an end and Spring is hopefully arriving soon.

I'm still getting used to my new work schedule and commuting in New York is quite a pain sometimes. Because the trains run 24/7, there are bound to be some lines that undergo maintenance every week. So notices about which lines are affected for the following week or weekend are posted on several bulletins weekly in the stations, so it gives commuters a mental note on how to change their route to work/school/just commuting to places in general. Given that their system is quite efficient (more efficient that Singapore), it is still a total nightmare/headache for me to change my routine constantly because I enjoy routines :( Like how in the next month and a half, I'd have to start taking a bus then train to work rather than just taking trains and switching lines, because no trains will be running at the closest station near me at 4am in the morning for me to go to work. And so far my experiences taking buses hasn't been so great, given that I've missed my stops a couple of times and it makes it worse taking it at night/early morning because it's too dark to see any landmarks or road signs that might be familiar to me to navigate myself. Sigh. Okay long rant about commuting in New York.

This isn't a daily routine, but since I've moved here to New York, I find myself cooking a lot more on a weekly basis than I do in Singapore, because my grandmother has always been the one planning and cooking our meals back home since forever! And I must salute her, because she's got tons of recipes tucked in her back pocket and it's such a breeze for her. Every time I go grocery shopping here, I have to rack my brains to think of a menu and what I want to cook at home, what to buy, what my budget is... Very tiring just thinking about it HAHA! But my colleagues were surprised that I do cook at home, because a lot of them just eat out or consume TV dinners.

As you will see from the pictures below, a lot of the ingredients are the same because it's so hard to buy groceries to feed just one person!

Mac 'N' Cheese with Smoked Chicken Apple Sausage 

Yau Gai with Stir-fried Broccoli and Mushroom Omelette

Yau Gai (leftover, became super gelat!) with Garlic Mushroom Fried Rice

Sesame Chicken with Stir-fried Broccoli and Mushroom and Fried Rice with Smoked Chicken Apple Sausage 

Creamy Linguine with Smoked Chicken Apple Sausage with Fried Egg

Beef Stew Pasta with Mixed Vegetables 

Cheesy Scrambled Eggs, Mushrooms, Crispy Bacon, Toast with Peanut Butter and Jam and Peanut Butter Doughnut with Banana Cream from Doughnut Plant 

Yeap, simple homecooked food :) I have also made Beef Bolognese THREE TIMES since I've been here, but I've never taken a photo of it because it's something I cook at home too so it's really ordinary. I have witnessed a roommate from my previous lodging just heating up bottled pasta sauce and eating it with spaghetti. Disgusting. At least enrich it with ground meat or vegetables or something?? 

I feel like I've got a million things to blog about but no time to do so!! I am not exaggerating when I say work is really draining a lot of my energy. It's 6pm right now, but I'm so tired I just want to KO on the bed and sleep. But no, I shall go cook myself some dinner and probably have some ice cream for dessert~

First day jitters

It's been a week since I landed here in New York. Winter has been kind so far because it's into the last few weeks. It's cold, but I managed to capture a glimpse of it snowing here last Sunday night. I've met up with two friends for dinner since I've been here, went to Redeemer Presbyterian Church and joined a friend for her meeting with her community group. I've walked around places in Brooklyn/Manhattan and still sometimes getting lost. I've cooked a little, albeit simple meals, but it's alright. 

Tomato linguine with an overeasy

French toast with garlic mushrooms and sunny side up

Yesterday was a rough day, but I finally could process my application for my social security card and will hopefully receive it in the mail in two weeks.

I hope I'm well rested enough, because today will be a long first day. I still do get the jitters when I work at somewhere new for the first time, and this time definitely is not an exception. It still feels very surreal, feeling so many emotions at the same time. But I pray that God will be with me every single step that I take.

I've still got so many things to post about, but that will have to wait till next time. So till then, :)

New York City

Hours before I ventured into my first solo trip.

Duane came over to my place to cook me brunch!

Oeuf Poché Meurette 

Fancy name for egg poached in red wine, served with bacon chunks, mushroom duxelle, pan-fried bread and a rich decadent red wine sauce. His first time cooking this and my first time trying it. The mushroom duxelle looks really yellow here because he used duck fat to cook it down, and a bit too much I must say. I do prefer eating regular poached eggs compared to this, because if I'm not wrong, the tannins in the red wine gives the poached egg here a slight rubbery texture. Maybe it was a one-off thing, but if it really was the tannins, then choosing a red wine to suit this style would be more difficult than controlling boiling water and some vinegar. 

I spent the next few hours packing and repacking, and repacking again. Due to my dismay, it didn't matter how much I repacked everything into one check-in luggage bag because I had to eventually buy one luggage from Cheers to distribute the overweight-ness of my one bag with another. 

Loved ones and friends who came to send me off so late at night :')

It's only been a day since I landed in the Big Apple, and things have not been smooth in the past 48 hours. I've had issues with my passports, my flights, and now I can't even apply for my social security card and unable to open a bank account without the social security number due to some missing required documents that are all the way back in Singapore. Thus, I might not be able to start my work as scheduled because there isn't any paperwork to deal with without both my social security card and bank account.

But I still thank God for all that He has done, for He has shown His grace and mercy upon me. He allowed me to enter Singapore's departure gate; He provided an alternative flight for me that landed on the same day as my previous arrival time, albeit 9 hours later into the late night; He's blessed me with loved ones I can count on back home who would help me in the blink of an eye when I am in need.

I should have known things weren't going to be so smooth-sailing like it seemed back in Singapore. It makes me feel horrible about myself because I know I could have prevented some of the mishaps from happening if I had been more alert and paid more attention to what I was getting myself into. But well, there's no looking back and the only way is to move on.

Winter isn't as dreamy as it seems. The winds are harsh, with a mixture of rain, snow and slushy puddles (especially at intersections!!). I learnt the art of deciphering a slushy puddle from snow-covered pavements you could walk on without sinking your boots in ankle-high.

I had an unpleasant time getting lost, walking in the wrong directions with boots, socks and feet soaked to the bones. But it was exciting walking through new places and just taking it all in. I think I still haven't gotten used to the idea of drinking hot drinks as of yet, because I found myself buying a banana strawberry smoothie from a neighbourhood deli and an iced lemonade from Shake Shack. I felt a little out of place walking past people with hot cups of tea or coffee in their hands along the streets. But it's alright.

And yes, I had my first taste of Shake Shack today. Bought a single Shake burger with no tomatoes and it was delectable. The meat patty and the shack sauce were such a winning combination. Gahhhhhhh I shall obviously go back for more in the future.

Single Shack Burger (USD$4.75) and Shack-made Lemonade (USD$2.60)

I know it's still Chinese New Year back home and I have quite a number of photos to upload and go through. So in the meantime, I hope whoever's reading back home in Singapore are stuffing their faces with Chinese New Year goodies and collecting more red packets!!