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Enjoy!
I kind of remembered that goose in Kung Fu Panda when I started with this entry.
You remember how he talked about noodle soup with a special ingredient? Well for this particular bowl of noodles, it had to be the noodles itself. Tarzan Magic La Mien Noodles prides itself in serving handmade noodles for its soups. Never mind the establishment name (yes, I attempted to find an explanation or connection as well).
I took a few days off. I needed to clear my head and try to look at the world from a new perspective.
We all bear crosses. Some are obvious, some are hidden. In the end, we must not make decisions based purely on what we think is logical, but what is in our hearts. Things may get complicated, but we have to dig deep and really ask ourselves what matters.
What’s up everybody? I’m back and blogging! A new set of adventures, eats, hangouts and awesome good times. Still chilling in NYC, I’m bringing you another day of explorations in the urban jungle making the most out of my travel.
Today we’re heading to the Zoo!
The weather was kind of gloomy but I decided to take the day out and explore the Bronx Zoo. Basically because on Wednesdays I learned that the zoo does suggested donations. Which simply means you can decide how much you want to donate to get admission. (yes cheapskates, you can pay a dollar if that’s what you can afford). I took the uptown red line no. 2 from the Times Square Subway station to get to my the zoo getting off at W Farms Sq. East Tremont Ave station. From this point its basically a 4 block walk to get to the Asia Gate of the Bronx Zoo.
Since I came solely to the Bronx Zoo for sightseeing… I hardly paid attention to the history of the place. But thanks to Wikipedia I can give you guys a backgrounder.
“The Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, within Bronx Park. It is one of the world’s largest metropolitan zoos, with over 600 species from around the world.[4] The zoo comprises 265 acres (107 ha) of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx Riverflows.
I went around taking pictures with whatever amateur skills I have with a camera and at least I got a few good shots in. You tell me what animals I took pictures of.
Whachu lookin at?
“I can walk in a straight line officer!”
The Original TIGER LOOK. )
Rafael, Donatello, Leonardo
“Pucker up and Gimme some Camel Love”
“Mufasa! People are trying to take pictures” Get it? Move faster? errr…
Don’t worry bro, you’re not looking into a mirror…
It’s ok bro, “They said if you love her you gotta set her free, if she comes back then she’s yours. But if she don’t fly and spread your wings, someone better is flying your way soon.”
Pardon my captions! I’m just having some fun with all the stuff I took at the Zoo. It was fun walking around and enjoying God’s creations. You should definitely take time to visit it when you get to New York. It’ll take you more than half a day if you’re the type that enjoys taking in every single exhibit, it’s a big place with a lot of different kinds of animals to see.
I’m leaving you with a short video clip I took with my iPhone. Hope you enjoyed this week’s Travel Thursday!
For this week’s adventure Thursdays I was able to take some pictures of my last trip to Philadelphia, then City of Brotherly Love. All photos were taken via iPhone, my trusted friend. Enjoy the pictures! You’ve read the cheese steak article now enjoy parts of the city. My highlights being the kids museum- Please Touch Museum, the Liberty Bell, The Constitution hall.
I was in Philadelphia for the weekend since my nephew and niece were both off from school because of the winter break. So the family decided to go to Pennsylvania for a short break. I met up with an old but new friend, a school mate from high school, Marie. And she was so nice as to bring me around Philadelphia. And this being this week’s WTF, what better than the world famous Philly Cheese Steak!
This famous sandwich started in 1930 where Philadelphia folk, Pat and Harry served chopped steak on hoagie rolls. They became popular that they eventually opened up their own restaurant, Pat’s King of Steaks. To this day they are still serving up some of this original cheese steak.
So where’s the food?
Pat’s King of Steaks is found 1237 E Passyunk Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19147.
My recommendation is to try of course, the very famous basic cheese steak before trying out any of the other variants. The combination of the chopped tender steak together with the liquid cheese makes up for an awesome flavor playing in your mouth. Make sure to eat it while it’s still hot for a definite good meal. Whether its for lunch or for a snack, Pat’s King of Steaks Philly Cheese Steak doesn’t disappoint. It’s a meal, and it’s history in one.
Pat’s King of Steaks “Don’t Eat a Misteak”
I give it a 4 out of 5 for history, flavor, simplicity and price affordability.
Give it a try!
Special thanks to my friend Marie for showing me around.
Follow her on twitter @hernameismarie
“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.”
-Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke the author of the Famous 1968 book Space Odyssey (later on turned into film in 2001), summarizes the infinite possibility of human growth in his quote. Growth as a person comes not when we are comfortable, but when we are put in places away from our normalcy. Evolution has it that creatures, big or small have adapted to their environments as a means of survival. The same is true with us human beings, whether the evolution to survive comes physically or in a mental/emotional sense. Situations transform us, mold us, and train us to be stronger. Do we learn when we stay in status quo? I believe yes, though the potential of growth is limited.
So what does a person have to do in order to grow? In my opinion, growth can be summarized generally in four simple steps:
1. Deciding that you want to grow as a person.
2. Making a brave decision to step out of your comfort zone.
3. Learning from every experience whether big or small.
4. Don’t regret, only look forward.
In the Disney movie “Hercules”, Herc after seeing he didn’t fit into society, made a decision, he wanted to grow, he wanted to be different, thats why he went on that journey to the temple of Zeus. My favorite part was the song being played out during this journey to find himself, Michael Bolton’s Go The Distance.
Deciding you want to grow as a person takes a sense of maturity. It comes when you realize that there’s so much out there in the world, so much knowledge, people, experiences. It’s when you see the picture that your own little world is limited, and you get that feeling that makes you want to say “I want to be a better person.” For whatever our circumstances in life, there’s nobody else that can make us grow but ourselves. Opportunities are laid out in front of us to take but it’s the fear of leaving our comfort zone that holds us back. Comfort zone includes being at home, being near to friends, a simple work routine or a laid back lifestyle. Making a brave decision to step out of it is already a sign of growth. This could include little steps like having more responsibility, leaving town, leaving friends behind to venture in the unknown. Only you can gauge how much unknown you’re willing to get into. A warning however is try not to do much more than you are capable of handling as you may find yourself suddenly too overwhelmed and may cause you to panic and return back into your comfort zone, and traumatized by the experience. Like for example, taking on a managerial role without learning the technical aspects of the company you’re working for. Or asking for more workload when you can’t even handle you’re current one. There is a saying “Don’t bite more than you can chew”. Always be reasonable in terms of taking on more challenges. This becomes a process of learning. Learning from every experience whether big or small is where growth gets stamped in our system. If you don’t learn from your mistakes or try to analyze the factors contributing to the success of a certain thing how else then will you learn? Be a person who introspects and internalizes the teachings that life offers you. So we make mistakes along the way, so what? We only live one life and if we don’t make mistakes we will never learn. However, if you make the same mistake twice, that my friends is not learning, it’s called stupidity. So don’t be afraid to make them.. once! Don’t regret, you’re decisions if they made you happy. Because you made them at a point where you felt that would’ve made you happy or better. Just continue to look forward into life positively. Sometimes the decisions we make now make no sense looking forward but someday when you’re looking back, you’ll find that they were for a purpose.
Steve Jobs said this as well in his speech at the Harvard Commencement Exercises in 2005. Here’s a link to that: [http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html].
I believe each one of us has the capability to grow, and that growth is infinite. It’s just a matter of taking that brave first step out of the comfort zone and into the realm of infinite possibilities. And that I think is a human Space Odyssey in itself, an adventure into the unknown space into growth and success.
My question is, are you satisfied by being comfortable? Or are you willing to take that big leap to find a whole new you?
My first Awesome Friday! And only fitting to start off in the awesome city of New York!
This bar/pub is probably the most special to me since this was the first bar I ever stepped in New York. I had learned how to traverse the subways and so a day before New Year 2012 I decided to hit the streets to experience the night life together with my great cousins.
The Pizza Pub is found in Manhattan on 3rd Ave Between 22nd and 23rd St. A simple place, not too packed. Offering a simple getaway from that hectic NY life. With a variety of pizza to choose from and not to mention an array of drinks, this place is a must go to if you want to fill both you’re palate requirements and drinking needs. It’s a place where you can sit by the bar and have decent conversations with friends and colleagues since its not too crowded or too loud. Or simply just sit by the bar to watch some big screen HD TV. If you’re lucky and nice enough, the bar owner is definitely somebody worth meeting, she’s a great conversationalist, beautiful and will always make you feel at home at her bar. That’s the kind of customer service you want!
So next time you’re downtown or in town for that matter, check out The Pizza Pub, “A pie, a pint a slice & a shot!”
I give this place a 5 out of 5 for welcoming me into the city!
This photo doesn’t belong to me. Just temporarily till I find a decent stock photo.
While I love Adele’s Chasing Pavements, I was moved more to write about something more significant for every person going through a rough time in their lives. I chose to make this article Chasing Greatness.
Every person reaches a point in their lives where things just seem to go wrong. Those times where you feel that there is no end in sight to all the pain and suffering. Where work, relationships fail. When things just don’t go the way we want them to, we become devastated, depressed and sometimes we just want to give up. Every human being goes through this, no one is exempted. So it’s important to broaden your prospective when you’re faced with a situation where you hit rock bottom. I’m inspired to write this for various reasons, personal, interpersonal or maybe just because other people’s stories of success aren’t filled with everything as easy moments. In fact their stories were filled with being at the bottom, left to tears or just being badly broken.
Linsanity- the latest craze about Jeremy Lin, an America Born Taiwanese player now carrying the New York Knicks to an amazing run, with unbelievable statistics, shots and game winners. But more than that, his story is just awe inspiring for me. Is it because he was from Harvard? No. Is it because he just suddenly came out of nowhere to bring the Knicks out of its slump? No. Here was a guy who followed his passion, who chased a dream. But dreams never came easy for him. In an interview he said he was literally reduced to tears, dealing with the uncertainty of his basketball career. Being waived by 2 teams and at risk of being released by the Knicks, Jeremy Lin just kept going. And when his big shot came, he made the most out of it. Look at where he is now.
Honestly, the first time I ever heard of him was when I was watching KevJumba’s I’m not cool video August of last year.
Like Jeremy, we all go through our low points in life. But you know what’s awesome about being at the bottom? Is that there is nowhere else to go but up. Sometimes we’re pressed against the bottom of our lives to see how we can get up and if we’re made out of greater things. The greatest people who’ve roamed the earth and have made it to history books were there because they decided to keep fighting, to keep going and keep achieving despite the insurmountable odds stacked up against them. Greatness isn’t about who gets the expensive car, the expensive house, the most friends. Greatness is resilience personified. My friends, life, is and never will be a smooth sail. It’s about taking risks, making the most out of the opportunities that you have at hand, standing up when somebody takes you down, it’s about moving on if your heart gets broken, it’s about choosing to keep going and seeing that there is positive and good out of life if we choose to believe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Just like Jeremy Lin, and Tim Tebow, I too believe in the God that they believe in. And these guys have been blessed by God for their perseverance and faith in Him. Sometimes things will be taken away from us, pushing us to the point of exhaustion and frustration. He wants us to let go of the things in life that are ephemeral and just put all our faith in Him to take control knowing that He will never leave us nor forsake us and that He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. He wants to remind us that we are humans and that no one is high and mighty over the other. At the point of nothingness if we had no God, we would not have anything else to hold on to. No hope. But the great news is He is there. And He’s carrying us through our lowest points in life.
So the next time you feel like things aren’t going your way, remind yourself that there are a million others who have experienced the same thing as you and you’re not alone. If you feel everything is just getting tougher on you, it’s because you are being put through the fire, the same fire that purifies gold. Challenges, failures, heartbreaks, betrayals, they’re the catalysts to GREATNESS.
It was a cold day in New York when my girlfriend decided she wanted to eat some Jollibee over at Queens, New York. (The Filipinos know the feeling of eating Jollibee, reminds us of home) So we had taken the purple line train 7 to get there. Oh boy was she happy to to eat that awesome Chicken Joy. After eating lunch there we decided to head on up to Flushing Meadows since it was around 3-4 stops from where we were. And me being a tennis fan, this was sort of like a pilgrimage for me. The Arthur Ashe Stadium where the best of the best of the tennis world come together for the last Grand Slam event of the year. Breathing the air of Flushing Meadows was something else.
Arthur Ashe Stadium
This was around a few days after ringing in the New Year and so you could assume that there wouldn’t be that many people in the place. But for me it was just as awesome. We were able to go around the place without any problem since there were no tourists around except for us. It was definitely unreal for me. Still, I wish I could watch the US Open live.
Corona Park
A Nike poster of my favorite tennis player: Roger Federer. Great Quote as well.
The walk with American US Open Champions. This one is for Pete Sampras.
The Draws. 2011 Winner Novak Djokovic.
One of the courts outside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Court of Champions, Walk with the Champions of Tennis History, with Arthur Ashe Stadium in the background.
It was an awesome experience to visit Arthur Ashe Stadium. I still have to watch an actual game though. Put that on the Bucket list! 3 more spots to visit for the tennis pilgrimage, the French Open, Wimbledon and Melbourne for the Aussie Open.
If you want to know how to get to Arthur Ashe Stadium, look for the Purple line no. 7 in the NY Subway. The stop is 2nd to the last and you wont miss it!
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