Discount Broadway Tickets in New York

I love watching live performances. So, when I was in New York, I couldn't pass on the opportunity to catch Broadway shows. I discovered that I could get half price tickets via the TKTS booth, so that means I could catch two shows for the price of one!

However, if there is a show that you really want to catch and the shows are really good or are fairly new, then chances of getting tickets at the TKTS booth are slim or non-existent (for e.g. Wicked and Lion King). Thanks to a friend, we managed to get Lion King tickets from the Minskoff theatre at full price. At least, we didn't have to pay a premium from third party websites. The Lion King was awesome - right down from the creative animal costumes to the jungle props to the world-class music (who can forget the haunting tune of Elton John's "Circle of Life"). Lion King was worth the top dollar paid!



In New York city, there are 2 TKTS booths:
1) Times Square - Located "under the red steps" In Father Duffy Square on
Broadway and 47th Street.Sells day-of-performance tickets only
2) South Street Seaport - Located at the corner of Front and John Streets, near the rear of the Resnick/ Prudential Building at 199 Water Street. Sells tickets to evening performances on the day of the performance, and matinee tickets the day before.
Although, it's located downtown, we went to the South Street Seaport as the booth opens at 11am whilst the Times Square booth only opens at 3pm. Do go earlier as the queue usually starts before the booth opens. Be prepared with a couple of show options because you don't know what shows will be on sale that day.

However, there is still a good selection of shows on sale. We managed to get really good seats (on the 3rd row) for Hair Spray. We were so close we could see the sweat on the faces of the performers. The show was very entertaining. There were groovy dance moves and catchy tunes. We found ourselves tapping our feet and rooting for Tracy Turnblad (everyone loves to see the underdog succeed)!



I really wanted to catch Mama Mia. Unfortunately, there were no available discount tickets on the days we went to the TKTS booth. That's the luck of the draw. Fortunately, Mama Mia (the London production) is coming to Malaysia in December. So, I will get to see it after all - at full price. Still, there are some things worth splurging on!

Korean Proverb

Words have no wings but they can fly a thousand miles.

Korean proverb

I was just in Seoul and was inspired to share a Korean proverb. Blogs are a classic example of this proverb. Words on our blogs traverse across continents and time differences!

Cruising Around New York City

After a gruelling 20-hour flight, jet-lagged and bleary eyed, J & I decided that the best way to stay awake on our first day in New York was to go on the Circle Line Cruise. A bit of fresh air was just what we needed to combat the 12 hour time difference. So off we went to Pier 83, West 42nd Street, NYC to purchase our tickets. Whilst we were queuing at the ticket booth, a local who was ahead of us approached the couple in front of us and ourselves to offer a discount coupon he had cut from the newspapers. We were pleasantly surprised by this stranger's kind gesture and thought that it was a wonderful welcoming gift. (Later, I decided to pay this gesture forward and gave away my Woodbury coupons which I didn't use to strangers who could use it. Isn't it amazing how one person can affect so many others.)

We opted for the 3-hour cruise which took us around Manhattan Island on the 3 rivers (Hudson, East and Harlem). We cruised pass the 5 boroughs (Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx), below the 7 major bridges (including the famous Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges) and saw over 25 NY icons, including a close up of the Statue of Liberty. As we were there when the New York City waterfalls (designed by Olafur Elliasaon) were on display, we were able to enjoy these four man-made falls close-up. The river cruise also offered some unique sights which we would not have seen on a bus tour. (Check out the picture of the train carriages). What a lovely way to spend a lazy day in New York city.

New York City waterfalls

Manhattan Bridge

United Nations Statue Of Liberty

New Jersey

All forms of water transportation

Fancy a cruise???

Need a water taxi to cross over the river???

How about a ferry across to Staten Island???

Old train carriages are laid to rest...

Words of Wisdom

"I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career"
Gloria Steinem

I guess it's true. It's usually the women who grapple with this issue, especially if they have kids. Maybe it's in the genetic make-up of a woman, or perhaps it's due to society's expectation of a woman's role in the family. Whatever the reason, I believe each woman has to choose her own path.

I have known women with children who work full time and known others who gave up their careers to look after their children. Some have gone back to work after their children are grown. They have struggled to re-learn skills and acquire new skills before re-joining the workforce. Some countries have a system in place to assist these women. In other countries, you have to do it on your own.

It's tough. But women have prevailed. Eleanor Roosevelt puts it aptly when she said "A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water"

Sanity Tips For Working From Home

I came across an article from the News Straits Times on working from home tips. I've extracted and posted it below:

1) Get Out
Getting out of the house once a day is a great way to energize yourself and prevent boredom.
Comment: It is easy to be be stuck at your desk when it's a busy period. I'm glad that I have Kess. Going for walks with her gets me out of the house twice a day for exercise.

2) Workspace
Keep your work place separate from the rest of the house. By keeping the area you work out of sight, it is easier to relax when you're not working. It also prevents family members from picking things up or moving projects you could be working on.
Comment: This tip was the reason why I decided to designate a separate room as my home office as opposed to working in the living or dining room. Besides, it also helps put me in a working frame of mind without the distraction of the TV.

3) Take Short Breaks
By taking a few minutes off to load laundry, read the papers or do the dishes, you will be able to relax and come back refreshed.
Comment: Taking short breaks applies whether you work in an office or at home. Our brains and body needs a short break to recharge. Of course, the infamous long tea breaks typically associated with certain organisations does not fall into this category.

4) Hours
Decide on number of acceptable hours to work each day and stick with it.
Comment: I agree that one should be disciplined, especially when working from home. However, the beauty of working from home is having the flexibility. So, if something else pops up, I would just make up for it another time - as long as I can meet my deadline. One just need to be sensible with time management.

Words of Wisdom

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” Unknown

Last week, I was busy reorganising my study to become a proper home office. This required planning the most efficient work area and acquiring new bookcases for filing. At the end, I felt a satisfaction knowing that the time spent organising was well spent.

Best New York View - Empire or The Rock?

I have always had a soft spot for the Empire State Building ever since I watched the movie Sleepless in Seattle. It was such a classic scene when Meg Ryan's character was supposed to finally meet with Tom Hank's character at the top of the Empire State Building after a build-up of near misses through out the movie. So when we went to NY, I really wanted to go to the top of the Empire State Building.

In the end, I opted for Top of the Rock based on visitor reviews on Frommers as well as recommendation from a New Yorker friend. Whilst the Empire is higher than the Rock, you get the best of both worlds with the Rock. You get to see great NY views as well as front row seat view of the Empire itself (see photo on the top left).

To top it off, there was hardly any queue to get into the Rock, unlike the Empire. Our friends who opted for the Empire queued under the hot summer sun for 3 hours. We were in and up in less than 15 minutes! The ride on the lift is really cool. You have to ride it to believe it.

Entrance of the Rock

Magnificent chandelier at the staircase

Souvenier shot to remember our visit

A little bit of history

View of Central Park