Frankenstorm is coming our way!!

We are under a severe weather advisory watch..! Hurricane Sandy also known as Frankenstorm is coming our way. I hope it won't be as bad or worse than Hurricane Irene. Fortunately, we only have to endured half a day of powerless and some water sipping through in our basement last August.

As expected, all the packaged ready to drink milk (Parmalat) were all gone by the time we reached the grocery stores. Nevertheless, we have enough emergency supplies like water and other food stored. Below was the tracker from yesterday courtesy of weather.com.

It is expected to reach NJ on Monday. Please pray for us and wish us luck. Stay tuned for the next update.!

Snow Storm Pictures 2010

Here are pictures of the snow storm we have gotten for 2010. Enjoy viewing.

Tree in front of our house

Outside our front window

Cranford Pl (Our street)

Gert's house (Neighbor)

Our house

Front view of our house

Aftermath of snow (next day)

Cranford Pl opposite direction

Spring fever is in the air and Easter is round the corner. Can't wait for Easter bunnies to visit our yard.

We are back home (Phone line still down)

As soon as we heard the news from our kind neighbor Gert that the power was restored (around 10am), we checked out from Holiday Inn and proceeded back home after 4 days of staying in hotel (s). Brandon is happy as well (see his expression below). He was cranky the day before probably his way of telling us he is tired of staying at the hotel. We don't blame him either as we are getting sick of the stay as well. Nothing beats "home sweet home" said Brandon.

Brandon right before we packed and checked out

Broken phone line in front of our house

Thank you for your prayers and well wishes.

Post-Storm Update (Power is still out)

Brandon is wondering why we (grandma, mommy and daddy) stayed in two different hotels within two days but no sightseeing. That is because this is not a vacation and we stayed in two hotels because we have no power at home.

Why two hotels you asked. The first hotel (Hilton Garden Inn) did not have vacancies for the second night so we have to switch to Holiday Inn to extend our stay. The power is still out as the Township of Teaneck could not keep up with clearing the trees that were uprooted. The high-school (Teaneck High School) located at our street was closed today and will be closed again tomorrow. Hint: Power is still out.

Since Brandon can't tell the difference between a hotel and his home, he cries whenever he wants and that makes us worried about our neighbor filing a complaint and get us kicked out from the hotel. Sleep Brandon or else we will be homeless and freezing....!

Brandon enjoying his formula at the hotel with grandma holding him

Storm March 13-14, 2010

For the last two days, it has been scary moment dealing with violent storm ripping through our area. Tree were uprooted, lines were down and many homes were left without power including ours. Our phone line is down as well which means no internet connection.

Fortunately, 98% of our house is still intact except minor gutter related damages. Since power is still down as of 6pm today, we decided to stay in hotel tonight for the heat. We are worried about the well being of Brandon as he is just a little two months old and we don't want him to be freezing.

Uprooted tree one door down

Tree uprooted near the school

Neighbor's house a few doors away (First casualty witnessed)

Another neighbor's house a few doors away (2nd casualty)

Our house with the noticeable minor gutter related damages

Phone cable split into two (in front of our house)

We hope our power line will be back soon so that we could go back to our house. Please pray for us.

Snow Storm 2010

We dodged the first one but couldn't escape the second blast. A classic Nor'Easter battered our area three days ago. Public schools, offices and businesses were closed due to blizzard like conditions. Below are a few pictures surrounding our house during the 12 inch snow fall.

Tree outside our front window

Neighbor's house from our kitchen window

Our motion sensor lights covered in snow & icicles hanging on the roof gutter

Highlights: Kids didn't have to go to school for 2 days :) Sledding time!
Lowlights: Groundhog predicted another 6 weeks of winter :(

Winter Reigns: From the South East to the North East


The quick run-down:

• Bergen County schools, universities and colleges closed
• up to 2 hours of delayed opening in State and private offices
• winter storm warning till 4 p.m.
• blustery winds and low temps. (20F/-8C), layers a must!
• snow is too powdery and any attempt at making a snowman will not work
  
• powdery snow blowing into your face feels like a million splinters cutting your skin - aw!
  

Just as we thought we had seen the last of winter, it made an unexpected return last night through much of today. Living true to the saying, "March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb," we are now entering the second phase of this winter storm. Our area is expected to receive a total of 7 - 11 inches of powdery snow by this afternoon. Although it's not the worst, it is still not a good idea to be out and about if you don't have to.

Luckily, my boss agreed to switch my flex day (i.e. day off) from Friday to today. Phew! Treacherous road conditions and commuting delays aren't something that a person who has an hour long commute to and fro NY City wants to hear. So, I've decided to stay home and bake some meringue puffs to take my mind of work and my flooded Lotus Notes in-box. Hmm...


Several hours later


What's next? Stay warm, I supposed.

Heatwave, Thunderstorm & Hail


Our North East weather saga continues...

Immediately after the heatwave, a major thunderstorm ensued two nights ago - heavy rain, lightning, rumbling thunder and hail.

A tree tumbled

Another tree - two women surveying the damage

And another...

Is it hot or what?!

Unless you're addicted to the sun, the weather has been the pits. It has been extremely hot since Saturday and the heatwave has continued on till today. The worst part is that we're expecting more heat over the next 2 days and it is not even officially summer yet!

Global roasting warming here we come.

Almost 40C/101F -- the peak of our "hotness" today :(

Let's turn to a more cooling topic...

Adrian's quest for an aquarium full of goldfish continued with the addition of 3 more goldies. At first, I thought that it would be a nice little hobby for him but now it's becoming an "obsession".

You-know-who's Encyclopedia of Aquarium & Pond Fish

Feeding frenzy

Goldfish are like garbage trucks. They'll eat whatever amount of flakes you throw into the tank. Must be careful not to over-feed them.

First "Measureable" Snow for Winter '07

It's toe-freezing time again. I say this because my poor digits are the first to go when the weather is sub-zero. Even my Mom has a nickname for me - Lizard! We had our first taste of old man winter yesterday. This means...

Break out the ice-scrapers and time to dust. Here I am trying to look "delighted".

Adrian said, "Hey, don't take my picture..." Too late! What a corny smile. Tee..hee..hee!

Short talk: We had a very bad thunderstorm late last Friday night. Ferocious non-stop lightning strikes hit one of the pumps at United Water (our source of water supply). As a result of this, we have to boil our water for 1 minute before we could use it for drinking, cooking, etc. The damage must be quite severe since the situation is still unchanged after 2 days. Bergen County restaurants have been hit hard. Without clean water, the food business is a NO-GO. Even the uber popular Starbucks stores are in total darkness since Saturday. *sigh*


Filipino Food

Just before the frightful thunderstorm on Friday, we stopped by our local Filipino restaurant, Pistahan to pick up our dinner. We decided to try something different other than the usual Binagoongan.

Browsing through the menu, I found Kalderetang Baka - chunks of beef & vegetables sauteed in a spicy tomato sauce with raisins, potatoes and pickled olives. It turned out to be quite a hybrid of a dish. To me, it looked and tasted like a cross between stew, though slightly drier, and the Malaysian style 'Masak Hitam' (dark sweet soy sauce). The end result was surprisingly very good! This will be one of my favorites at Pistahan from now onwards.

Kalderetang Baka

Pistahan specializes in pork dishes like lechon kawali and crispy pata, but they do have quite a range of Filipino food. However, we prefer to call for take out because their dine-in service is rather slow (honestly speaking!). I suspect Pistahan strives on their catering side of business since the place is usually more than half-empty. However, this weakness is quickly compensated by their delicious & authentic dishes!

Letting up winter


Snow is white and pure. But, if you have to use the car you'd wished it never came.

This is one of my pet hates during winter. Taken 2 days ago when there was a frigid wind. Luckily, only a little accumulation and powdery snow; hence easy to dust off.

This is my winter moan...

There was an Arctic blast,

I hope it is the last,

I hate to dust & shovel,

Coz it makes me wanna grovel.

Woodchuck Meteorology

Today is Groundhog Day. Yes, this is the day when we pluck a certain woodchuck or groundhog out of his comfy tree stump and predict when winter will end and when spring will begin. If he sees his shadow, winter will last another 6 weeks or so. If he doesn't see his shadow, spring will come early.

Photo source: Punxsutawney Chamber of Commerce

Groundhog Day 2007: Punxsutawney Phil saw NO shadow earlier this morning. "Punxy Phil" the famous groundhog says spring comes soon. Do you believe him?

To read Punxy Phil's official forecast at Gobbler's Knob, please click here: Phil says

Why do we keep this old German tradition when Phil's prediction is somewhat poor? His accuracy is about 40%. Maybe we just like to rouse him from his winter hibernation once a year. To those who pull him out - beware. He might bite one of these days. You'll never know what an angry groundhog is capable of.

Have a Happy Groundhog Day & a chilly Super Bowl Sunday, everyone. No pun intended. It's going to be a frigid one. Stay warm!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow...

Two weeks ago, we hit spring-like temperatures. It was the warmest day since December 1888 at 72F/22C. Yes! 119 years ago. Was there global warming back then? Anyway, plants became confused and started to bloom.

So, where's good old winter?

Well, after a snow-less and very mild December, winter is FINALLY here. On Wednesday, we had a cold snap - below freezing temperatures the entire day. Flurries started coming down yesterday afternoon and when we woke up this morning, there was about 1-2 inches of snow accumulation on the grounds. Yeah, the plower came and woke us up. Grrr...! Adrian's off to another "casual Friday" workday and then we continue to FREEZE over the weekend.

Yes, I am back to "My Jersey Life" routine.

Howling winds and dancing trees

Hurricane Ernesto arrives in New Jersey and cranks up the wind gust today; up to 44 mph/71 kph. Maximum temps. is also quite cold at 65F or 18C for summer. A good day to stay at home and curl up on the sofa with a good book or if you're a tennis buff, watch the US Open tennis on CBS. Unfortunately, matches are postponed due to rain and high winds. So, we're watching re-runs :(

The wind is tremendously strong outside. Short videos of the initial winds taken outside my apartment.

Then suddenly! The New Milford EMT came by. Someone must have needed help. Poor fellow. Didn't linger around long enough to see the commotion. Musn't be so "nosey" or a "kepo-mah" (Miss Busybody in my Hokkien dialect).

6 hours later....

The wind is still going on strong! Seems to have gained strength. It's still raining. Raining the whole night and day? Sounds like the Malaysian monsoon season, hee..hee!

A power outage/blackout occured in the middle of mass in church just now. We had to grope our way around in darkness :( Now, where's that famous Genesis line again..."Let there be light??"

Earlier in the morning, there was also a power outage at the Chinese supermarket when Adrian went to buy some dim sums. The cashiers had to break out the calculators & write down our purchases on a Prozac note pad. Hmm...a "happy pill" to help us through the day.

A downed tree at Boulevard Avenue on our way home. The policeman (in orange raincoat) was trying to hack the tree into pieces to remove it.

Branches all over the place...

P.S. PSE&G reports 33,600 customers in north Bergen without power tonight. I should be thankful I still have electricity to blog. Hahaha!

Heatwave

If you follow world weather, you would have known that temperatures have been soaring for the past 3 weeks in the U.S. Yesterday was the worst for the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the heat index i.e. how you actually feel, around 112+ degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperatures are still measured in Fahrenheit over here (I really don't understand why?!), whereas the rest of the world is using Celsius. I have to translate this to more user friendly terms.

100 degrees Fahrenheit = about 38 degrees Celsius is already 4 or 5 degrees hotter than my hometown average day-time temperature. Mama, if you are reading this, I know you don't envy us for once. So, we were over that mark yesterday with a heat index of about 44 degrees Celsius.

This is today - August 3rd. 2006. A few degrees cooler but still!!!


In spite of these scorching numbers, there's hope of a cool front heading our way in a few hours time but with dangerous consequences of thunderstorms. Just like Malaysia in the afternoon/evening time :) Relief wouldn't be that much either. Probably just a tat cooler during the weekend. But, I shouldn't complain too much.


I have experienced temperatures of > 45 degrees Celsius during summer time in Perth, Australia. Plus, I am from Malaysia so I should be used to this type of weather, right? No...actually I hated the warm and humid like conditions for as long as I could remember. I haven't met anyone from Malaysia who loves the hot, humid weather either.

Meanwhile, to help me through these rough days, I just have to remind myself that we're half way through summer and fall is coming soon . Oh yes, and turn the A/C UP! That helps :)

Summer is here!

We had a wet start to the summer season this year. The Governor declared a state of emergency just weeks ago due to massive flooding in the western part of New Jersey. We were luckier and escaped the floods in northern Jersey.

Nonetheless, it's time to be outdoors...

People are boating again in Central Park

The Coney Island boardwalk is bustling

Soaking up the sun in Hoboken, New Jersey (downtown Manhattan in the background)

Animals seemed to agree as well. Thanks to the Bronx Zoo residents for being such a good sport.

Mr. Sea Lion is enjoying a swim

Polar's taking a nap

Stripe's found a nice shade to relax in

A dip would be fun :)