Ditch New Years Resolutions Day!!!

Today's wacky holiday has to be the most fitting for my adventurous long weekend. I'm taking Ditch New Years Resolutions Day and taking it to another level.

January has to be my least favorite month of the whole year. Besides the fact that it's winter and cold, it's the one month that I'm always broke no matter what. I'm always broke in January, but with good reasons. Some of the most important people in my life are Capricorns. With Christmas and New Year's past then comes the birthdays all in a row. It first starts with my mother on the 4th, my boyfriend on the 10th, godmother on the 13th and my youngest aunt on the 14th (she's 37 this year and no one ever believes she my aunt).

So today I'm starting by taking my mother out to LIPS to New York City's best Drag Queen show. When I was with Bali my mom, aunt and I went to a gay bar and they had Drag Queens performing and it was so much fun. So I figured why not take my mom to a Drag Queen show here. I've read almost all the reviews on Yelp and everyone on there said this was the place to go. I hope it's everything I hope it would be.

Saturday I'm going to watch Rock of Ages for my boyfriend's birthday. He absolutely loves the 80s and once again the reviews on Yelp all said this was the show to see. I've seen some of the YouTube videos on it as well and you can't help but start singing and dancing along to the songs. Since I'm going to a daytime showing we'll be having an early dinner. For dinner we're going to Neely's Barbecue Parlor. I've always wanted to go here and the menu looks amazing. While I'm eating dinner there will be no such thing as New Years Resolutions (I know it's bad, but I know I'll pay for it).

Sunday I'll be going to my favorite Dim Sum in Flushing (Jade's Asian Restaurant). The review on it is on my other blog Inda's Tasty Reviews( Dim Sum Review). Although I just went there a little more than two weeks ago, my aunt the birthday girl suggested we go there. In my family whatever the birthday person wants they get. So Dim Sum it is.

Then Monday my I'm going to lay low and go to my mother's house and she already told me that she'll be ordering Chinese food that day. There's a good Chinese takeout spot in Woodhaven and that's where she'll be ordering our lunch that day.

With all these good places to go to my eating clean/healthy lifestyle will be paused for the long weekend. Then Tuesday starts the true starts one of the hardest test. I plan on going to the gym in the mornings. I know I can do this, and everyone isn't perfect especially when there's so many things to celebrate. So there it is all the things I'll be doing to ditch my New Year's Resolutions.

Snow Day in New York City

Last Thursday New York City experienced our first winter storm. Luckily for me I had requested a personal day for that Friday, but it was because I had a wedding to go to. So knowing how bad the snow storm would be did make me nervous about going to the wedding.

So Thursday night my boyfriend and I stayed up a bit because we both had the following day off. Usually he's in bed by 10PM because he has to get to work by 7AM and I go to sleep by 11:30PM. We also kept watching updates on the storm and looking out the window. Whenever I looked out the window it looked like a scene from a movie. I love how snow looks when it first sticks to the ground. It looks so clean and it makes you want to go out there and play in the snow. One of my favorite things to do when I lived at home was to go to the backyard with my sisters get into a snow fight and make snow angels.

On Friday I got to sleep in for once and although the snow was bad, it didn't look too bad as how the news said it would be. I was expecting almost a foot of snow, but it was only about six inches. I guess in my eyes that's not bad because I'm not the one shoveling any of the snow. So after my boyfriend and I ate breakfast we got ready to go outside to take pictures in the snow.

We were only out there for about 15 minutes at most and that was enough for the both of us. With that much time we were only able to take about 3-4 pictures because it sure was cold. Once we got back inside the house and ate lunch it was time to get ready for the wedding.

Lucky for us we called Metro Line a Brooklyn based taxi company and we were able to reserve a cab in Maspeth. Usually they don't reserve cabs, but I suppose it was different that day because of the snow. Meanwhile when we called a local Queens taxi company (Four Ones); they told us our chances were slim to none and should call back at 3:30PM. We needed the cab for 4:30PM so that wasn't going to work. Plus what if we called at 3:30PM and they still didn't have a taxi available? We would've been screwed. At least there's always options in New York City.

Once 4:30 PM came our cab picked us up on time and off we went to our friend's wedding. In a nutshell our snow day was very productive and we had fun all throughout the day and night.

Taking the Next Step and Moving in with My Boyfriend (Part One)

In the beginning of the month my boyfriend and I found an amazing apartment and we moved out of our mother's houses. I never realized how much work it took to move out. The process was exhausting. We didn't have too much furniture since this was our first place, but I had a load of things to pack. Packing a little each day after work didn't help much. So the day before moving day I recruited my cousin to help me pack and if it wasn't for her I think I would've only gotten to pack half of my things. We didn't go to sleep till 3AM that day and Saturday AKA moving day I felt like a zombie.

I woke up at 630AM that Saturday morning so I could do my laundry before the big move. Then after laundry it was off to get the moving truck. Thank goodness for my uncle because there was no way I was driving a 16' moving truck. Once the truck came then the moving started. One of my cousin's friend helped out and I guess he couldn't believe the amount of shoes that I had. He then asked me "Do you wear all of them?". That caused for a good laugh. I wear most of them and unfortunately I ended up throwing away about 10 pairs of shoes. It was sad to part with some of my shoes, but I had to get everything out of my mom's house. Not sure what she's going to do with the extra space, but I don't want to have to keep going back to get more stuff. (Although that's what I'm stuck doing now.)

Once we were done at my mom's house we then went to pick up my boyfriend's things. Unlike me he only had boxes and he left half of his clothes at his mother's house. He planned on using his mom's apartment for storage. She has the space for it so why not. Our apartment only has 2 closets, but so far we're making the best of it with the amount of storage space that we have. I've learned how to condense the space we have and creating new space. When you have a limited amount of storage space you have to think outside the box. 

Once everything was packed into the moving truck we then went to our apartment. (Finally!!!) Moving things into the apartment didn't take long at all. I think packing the truck took much more time. In about an hour all our stuff were moved into the apartment from the truck. Since the moving truck was under my name I had to go back and return it. That didn't take up too much time and then it was time to celebrate our move.

We had a late lunch that day and went to Maspeth's Ale House. (I'll have a detailed review on Inda's Tasty Review.) It felt great to finally be able to sit down and relax. Although the only thing I could really think about was going to sleep. I was tired and all I wanted to do was test out our new bed and take a quick power nap.

Once we were done with our late lunch and everyone went home I finally got to take my nap. I didn't get to do much unpacking either afterwards. The whole moving in process took forever especially when you don't have any days off from work. Till now I've unpacked a lot of things, but still the apartment isn't at 100% yet, but I guess that's part of the whole process.

On a side note I've decided that I'll have more things to write about on my big step. This was only part one. Stay tuned for more blogs on "Taking the Next Step". 

Daily Blog: Learning How To Drive in New York City

Even though you don't necessarily need a car in New York City my father made sure I learned how to drive when I was old enough. I'm so thankful he did because it's true what they say it's like riding a bike. Once you know how to drive you'll never forget.

My dad started teaching me how to drive when I got my permit at 17. The first year I got my permit I didn't drive too much. I actually sucked the first couple of times. Back then when Shea Stadium was around, I learned how to drive at their parking lot. It took me about 2-3 times practicing in the parking lot before I actually started driving in the street. I always drove with my dad because I made the mistake of asking my mom and she freaked out on me while I was driving. So I didn't make that same mistake twice.

My dad was a good teacher, he had the patience for it. I never understood how he did it because if I was him I don't think I could have done it. He made me drive everywhere and it was a good learning experience. Driving in Manhattan was the worst with all the yellow cabs, but my dad walked me through the whole thing. Regardless if people honked at me or not he said don't worry stay calm and just do what I tell you. He gave me good pointers and I learned things I'll never forget.

I drove for about 3 years with my permit and then at 20 years old I got my driver's license. Thankfully for me I took my test once and I passed, but that's because I had a great teacher.

NYC Apartment Search Difficutlies

I'm born and raised in Queens NY and I can't believe how difficult it is to rent an apartment in your own neighborhood. 

I'm not a fan of realtors and I think their fee is beyond ridiculous. I understand people have to make a living but one month's rent to be the middle person is way to much, but whatever. This is how the game works, I needed to be robbed in order to get a place to live. 

My favorite thing has to be the fact that you tell them your price range and they insist on showing you an apartment that's a bit higher than your price range. Why ask for a price range when you're going to show me something I didn't really ask for. Then they tell you well if you bond with the landlord they might lower the rent for you. So right away this is all a joke from the beginning. 

My thing is how did becoming a renter get to this point. My parents owned a house and we rented, but we never asked people "how much is in your bank account". My own mother doesn't know that information why would I give a complete stranger knowledge of that. I'd like to know how much is in the landlord's bank account so I know that they can pay their mortgage and that while I'm renting I'm guaranteed a roof over my head. Then because I don't want to disclose how much is in my bank account which is no one's business but my own the realtor suggests that we pay 2 months security so they feel that we're more financially secure. So that 's 4 months rent because I have to pay the realtor too. If I wanted to pay 4 months rent up front I rather buy my own house instead of renting. 

Also just because people have money it doesn't mean they'll be good tenant. I mean let's be for real now. Look at these hipsters, yuppies, trust funds whatever you want to call them. Prior to them invading our cities I've never heard of bed bugs my whole life. I remember there were tics at Washington Square Park in the Village and they said not to sit on the grass, but other than that I've never heard of such a thing. Now if you think you've heard it all, well I save the best for last. I've heard of a realtor saying the landlord requires a blood test to rent the apartment so that they know the people they rent to don't have diseases.  

I wish I could win the lotto and buy up a bunch of buildings and take over these neighborhoods that have changed so much. I'm shocked landlords aren't asking the rentor for their first born child. The renting business is so ass backward and hopefully I do find a place soon and on that note I feel a lot better after my ranting episode. 

Daily Blog: My Favorite 2013 Summer Memory

This summer has been very busy and hectic. My favorite summer memory has to be taking my baby sister to the Yankees game. I had taken her to a Sunday game and the Yankees were playing the Detroit Tigers. We've been to the Yankees game a bunch of times before, but this time around it just seemed more special.

Since Goldstar is my one of my favorite websites to get discounted tickets that's where I went to purchase them. I bought tickets in the 400 section. Since with Goldstar you don't know where you're sitting our chances of sitting in the nosebleeds were 50/50. The tickets we got were in the nose bleed section in section 413. If you're afraid of heights these seats would be a problem for you.  We were all the way up there. (The last time I sat up there was two years ago for The Big Four Concert.) Although the view was still great we wanted to be a bit closer to the game.

By the bottom of the 5th inning we went to get dipping dots. I got cookie dough and my sister decided to get rainbow. My sister is nine years old and she thought it tasted good. I thought it had no flavor whatsoever and wasn't much of a fan of it. While eating our dipping dots I noticed that the outfield section in the 300s were pretty empty. There were plenty of seats there. The only bad thing was the sun was out in full effect and you would roast sitting that section. I ran it by my sister and she was all for it, but I reminded her that the security guard might not let us. She insisted we still try anyway.

So after walking to the other end of the stadium we got there and I asked the security guard if we could sit in the empty seats. At first he seemed very skeptical about letting us sit there, but then he gave in and said go ahead. My sister and I were thrilled and we sat there the remainder of the game.

The fun didn't stop there though. After watching the Yankees win, we went out for an early dinner at a sushi restaurant in Queens. The restaurant is right across the street from Queens Center Mall. We went to Tomo Japanese Cafe (89-14 Queens Blvd) which is one of my family's favorite sushi restaurants to go to. During dinner we had the whole nine years, appetizers, there sushi rolls each and dessert.

It was a very eventful day and one that we both enjoyed so much. Since my baby sister is so much younger than me I love to spoil her whenever I get the chance and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Groupon Vs. Goldstar

Summer time is here and there's always a million and one things to do in your area. Especially here in New York City. Groupon has become a very popular site to go on for a variety of deals such as restaurants, spas, bars, comedy shoes, getaways you name it Groupon will most likely have a deal for it.

Another site that is just as good as Groupon and only has deals for events is Goldstar. I think Goldstar does not get as much attention as Groupon does, but for the most part has better deals. For example I use Groupon to go to restaurants and sometimes I get okay service, good service or horrible service at this one place I went to. Even with the horrible service place Groupon has always been good to me, I never complained about the okay service and for the horrible service Groupon gave me credit for it and I got to go to a better place.

With Goldstar since they mainly focus on events it's a whole different ball park. I stumbled across Goldstar because I was looking for tickets to a Broadway show and was looking for a good deal. It was winter when I signed up for their mailing list. This was about 3 years ago. Then spring came around and I saw they had deals for a Yankees game. Upper deck seats they would sell for $24 then with the service fees it'd come out to $32. They also have deals for the Audi Club and the Turkey Hill Picnic Area. This year for my little sister's birthday I got tickets for the Turkey Hill Picnic Area. The food they offered were sliders, hotdogs, salad, beans, typical picnic foods. They also offered unlimited Turkey Hill ice cream and soft drinks. The seats that came along with the tickets were field level, but in the outfield. You can't beat something like this when you're going out for a special occasion.

Other events I've been to when using Goldstar was Dueling Pianos, Fuerza Bruta (amazing show), The Ride (which was interesting), and just my regular Yankees games. I've also been to a couple of Mets games as well because my boyfriend is a Mets fan. The events I've been to with Groupon are only museums. I've been to Ripley's Believe It or Not and the Sex Museum. Although I think the Sex Museum was small and could have included a lot more with their exhibits. On a good note it did have a bar/cafe all the way in the basement and you can pick up some fun interesting things in their gift shop. Just my opinion.

I've seen Groupon had deals for certain live events. One that comes to mind is the Mets game that features a Nas concert at the end of it. When I went on Groupon to purchase the tickets it took me to MLB.com and the game was sold out already. Then I went on Goldstar and was able to find tickets for the same game. Being from Queens and a hip hop fan of course I have to suppose my fellow Queens rapper and go to the game. Last time I went to a summer concert at Citifield was to see Foreigner, but I think with Nas performing there might be a bigger crowd after the game.

Therefore at the end Goldstar will always be the better sight for events. The service I get with Goldstar is always good and I'm never looked down upon. Unlike with certain Groupon deals where people treat you pretty crappy. My thing is if your business is on Groupon then it must suck and you're not getting as many customers as you would like. So if I was a business I would be just as nice to the Groupon customers as well. My boyfriend and I usually order extra things than what's offered, so I expect the service to be just as good because I'll be spending the extra money.

So at the end remember sign up for Goldstar because you won't regret it.

Daily Blog: Favorite Thing To Do In The Summer

Every time summer comes all I think about is being out doors. The weather is nice why would I want to be stuck at home.

First place that comes to mind is the beach. I absolutely love going to the beach. At the beach I’m all about tanning. The essentials you’ll need are sun screen, sun glasses and I like to bring a book or magazine. I like reading when I’m tanning I feel more relaxed and I’m able to enjoy my book. I love watching the waves come in and being under the sun. The one beach in NY that I like is Long Beach. I rather pay so I can tan at a clean beach. Although this year I do plan on going to the Rockaways since it’s not too far of a bus ride from my house. The only thing is that bus gets ridiculously packed on the weekends no matter what time you go. 

Another outdoor activity I enjoy is having a picnic. I wish my boyfriend and I got to do more of this last year, but I’m hoping that would change for this year. A good place to go to is Dumbo Park. Last year we went there it was such a nice thing to do. We even got to take a little nap during out picnic. The views are also amazing, right next to the Brooklyn Bridge and then you can see Downtown Manhattan across from there. If you decide to go try the Ice Cream shop. They serve homemade ice cream and it’s worth every penny of it. You can also take the water taxi from Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Downtown Manhattan to get there.

As for the night life, I like being outside so going to a cafe where I can sit on the sidewalk is ideal to me. Another great place to be out and enjoy the outdoors would be to go to a beer garden. There are so many of them now and each one is unique. There are a couple of them in Williamsburg and Astoria. The one in Astoria is called Bohemian Hall Beer Garden located at 29-19 24^th Ave. The one located in Williamsburg is called Berry Park and it’s located at 4 Berry St, Brooklyn. I prefer Bohemian Hall Beer Garden because you’re outdoors and it feels like you’re at a park surrounded by all these picnic tables. Berry Park to me is a regular bar with a big roof top, so it doesn’t really feel much like a garden. Although don’t be surprised both places gets very packed during the summer time.

Well that’s all about what I love doing in the summer time. Tomorrow’s topic is a Throwback Thursday topic, and it’s a good one. 

Daily Blog: What's Your Favorite Beer?

Picking one beer and calling it my favorite is plain impossible. There are just so many beers out there to choose one. I love almost all kinds of beers. I’ve drank about almost every kind of beer out there such as Blue Moon, Hoegaarden, Purple Haze, Bud Light, Coors Light, Coronas, Sapporo, Bintang (Indonesian Beer), Raspberry Sly Fox, Stella, Yuengling, Heineken are just the few that I’ve had. For other beers that I didn’t list I would have to be in the mood to drink them.

For the most part I enjoy wheat beer. That I can say is my favorite type of beer. Some of the wheat beers I drink are Blue Moon, Hoegaarden and Purple Haze. I just started drinking Purple Haze and it’s not always available at most bars.  Although my friends laugh at me when I tell them about Purple Haze it’s actually a really good beer. If you like light beers then I’d recommend drinking wheat beer.

One of my all time classic beer are Coronas. I remember I started drinking Coronas when I went to the Pool Halls in Jackson Heights. Every pool hall in Jackson Heights severed Coronas. Some people drink it with a lime, but I don’t really have a preference, I’ll drink it either way. It’s also a great beer to have when you’re having a BBQ because the taste of the beer goes great with the food.

Another beer I use to drink at one point is Stella. It’s a nice heavier beer, not one made for chugging. This is one of those beers you drink slowly so you can appreciate the quality of it, similar to Heineken. When I was in Amsterdam I got to visit the Heineken Brewery. There was so much history to it. I never knew it was a family business and it’s now on its 4^th generation. The story itself is remarkable. For more on my trip to the Brewery stay tuned.

Then of course there are the American beers. My favorite American beer is Yuengling. The taste is different from Bud Light or Coors, but this to me is a great beer to have when you’re hanging out at the bar. When 1849 in the Village use to be a good bar to go to my friends and I would order a pitcher of Yuengling and get some wings. Yuenling has a distinct taste, but don’t let it fool you. Those dark beers will catch up to you so take your time drinking them.

Now for the dark lagers, I’m not really a big fan of them. Guinness is good, but I’m not running to the bar to drink it. I do enjoy it when I’m doing a car bomb. I’ve also tried New Castle as well, but it’s just not something I would prefer. To drink dark lager it’s an acquired taste that I don’t have and I don’t think I’ll be getting anytime soon.

I like my light beers for the most part and that’s what I’m sticking in. 

Daily Blog: Recap of the Weekend

My weekend started Friday at 1PM after leaving work. So thankful for my new job because at my old job summer hours started after 4th of July and you get out at 2:30 on Fridays. At my job now summer hours started after Memorial Day so after 5 years that was a nice change up. Friday was a low key kind of day. With all this rain we got there was no way I wanted to go out and meet the storm Andrea.

So after work I went to the nail salon. I've been going to the same nail salon for the past 10 years now. (I go to NYC Nails at 88-03 Jamaica Ave, Woodhaven.) The owners are a Chinese couple and I swear they look like they never age. Spent almost 2 hours three cause it took forever to do my nails. I had to soak them and then I had them put a silk wrap on it. At the end the two hours spend there was well worth it. 

After that I picked up some Chinese food nothing special buffalo chicken wings and pork fried rice. So Friday night was pretty quiet and I got the rest I've been needing.

Saturday I got to wake up late and my boyfriend and  I decided to have a mini BBQ. Just the two of us with my family. Although we planned on having the BBQ ready by 3:30PM by the time we were done food shipping and putting the new mini grill together it was already 5:30PM.

The menu for the BBQ were suppose to be hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage with peppers, and grilled eggplant with of course potato and macaroni salads. Once we were done with the burgers and hot dogs we were done for the night. So the sausage and peppers will be for our next BBQ unless we get it started earlier in the day. 

For dessert I put green and red grapes and bananas on a skewer. After that I drizzled chocolate syrup on them. After that you put it in the fridge till when you're ready to eat them. 

It was such a refreshing snack. Last night was a really beautiful night. The air was cool and not muggy how it was during the day. It was definitely a good day for a BBQ. 

Then comes Sunday. I woke up this morning and I thought to myself the weekend goes by so fast. Then it's back to the same routine. I just hope summer doesn't go by too fast so I can actually enjoy it. 

Today for lunch I went to a Korean BBQ restaurant that's actually open 24 hours. The place is called Chung Kiwa Restaurant located at 40-07 74th Street Jackson Heights and the food is amazing. I've been going there since I was a kid and the staff has always been so nice and friendly. I would go into details about the food, but the restaurant deserves a blog of it's own. I went out for lunch because my mom's intern is leaving to start off her next journey. I wish her luck and many success. 

After lunch I went home and relaxed before I had to cook for the week. I've been cooking every Sunday for the work week for 3 weeks now and eating healthier does make a difference. Now all I have to do is get back on my work out routine and soon I'll be where I want to be. 

So overall that was my weekend in a nutshell. Can't wait for what next weekend is going to bring. 

Last Weekend, June 1st

Last Saturday I had a cute date night with my boyfriend. We saw the movie Hang Over 3 (the 1st one is still the best) then grabbed dinner and drinks afterwards. 

The movie was alright. You’re already going to know how each scene will play out. The best part of the movie has to be Leslie Chow. He makes the movie come alive to me. You can’t help but laugh at his mannerism, he just makes you laugh without knowing why you’re laughing. Overall I think this was the least funniest one. I hope they don’t make a Hangover 4. 

After the movies we went to this Sushi place in Forest Hills that we walked into the weekend before called Umi Sushi located at 9605 Metropolitan Ave. The food was so good and the prices were great that we couldn’t resist on going there again. You can’t beat $3 Coronas and Sapporos with your meal. The sushi is great too. It doesn’t seem like many people dine in, but they do get a lot of take out orders. I think that’s the only sushi restaurant around there. (If you know of any other sushi restaurants let me know.) 

After our wonderful dinner we went to our favorite local bar Blackwater Inn. Friday nights they have a DJ and it’s a nice neighborhood bar. Although it gets quiet sooner rather than later it’s still a great place to enjoy the night and grab drinks. The bar is located at 101-17 Metropolitan Ave in Forest Hills. 

Blackwater Inn is a real bar, not one of those places where you’re paying $10-$12 for a drink or beer. (I’ll be sharing my night out for my friend’s birthday soon. Wicked Willys in the Village now that’s something to talk about.) So if you’re ever in the neighborhood stop by for a drink it really is worth it.

So that was last weekend in a nut shell. This weekend I’m keeping it low key. Even though we’re suppose to expect rain, my boyfriend and I are going to keep this BBQ going. He’s doing the grilling and I’m making a simple and fun dessert. Pictures and a blog about our mini BBQ will be coming soon. 

All About Me

At first I thought I’d focus on food since I enjoy eating out a lot, but then why limit myself. I started thinking about what to write about. Why not write about anything and everything I do. I go out to several different events and enjoy the night life as well. I like trying out different restaurants as well.

(Just as a side note I was born and raised in Queens, so most of these so called adventures will be in NYC. I usually go out in Queens, Williamsburg and Greenpoint. I’m not afraid to travel and have hung out in the Bronx, Harlem and Washington Heights. )

So that’s where the name Inda’s Adventures comes from. I try to travel at least once or twice a year depending how my wallet is looking. Just cause you might be on a tight budget doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy life too. This year alone I got to go to Amsterdam and of course South Beach. Going to Miami is a tradition my best friend and I do for 4th of July. Plus there's no place to be like South Beach.

Here I’ll be reviewing everything, places I’ve been to, where I’ve eaten, best places to grab drinks you name it I’ll review it. I'll also have daily blogs for fun topics ranging from "what's the best pizza I've eaten" to "what's the last concert I attended".  

If you want to recommend a place for me to visit please feel free to let me know. There’s a million and one things to do in NYC and I’d love to get to them all.