Wabash Landing

Wabash Landing is located past Chauncey Hill, right before the bridge.

Wabash Landing is basically a small shopping mall. They have a Borders bookstore, cinema, a few clothing stores and food stores. I think this is a good place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon either alone or with a few friends.

The cinema, Wabash Landing 9, is kind of small but then the population of people who go to the cinema regularly is small as well so it is of just the right size. The seats are reasonably comfortable and well spaced. It is an ideal place to go to with friends after a long hard week of studying to relax.

And the thing I like most about the place is that they have refills for popcorn for only costs 25cents, regardless of the size of the container!

Other than the cinema, girls can check out the 2 clothing stores in Wabash Landing. Collette's and Juniper's. Both of them only sell women's clothing.

I will be talking about Juniper's as the clothes there are less formal, of greater variety and they actually have a webpage with pictures of their ware. Juniper's sells women's' clothing and accessories from a great variety of brands such as Billabong and

Stylez. They have a wide range of casual and formal dresses, skirts, shirts, bags, accessories and shoes which are all pretty. However, their prices are not as pleasing. Their prices average around US$30 each. And I know this because I have been there before.

I don't know about anyone else, but personally, I enjoy hanging out in bookstores and browsing their extensive book collection. It's like a library but with more fun books to flip through. You can even take the book into the sitting area and have a cup of Starbucks while you browse through the books.

Furthermore, after a relaxing afternoon shopping, book browsing or watching a movie, you wouldn't want to return to eat at the dining courts would you? So enjoy a nice dinner at one of the many food stores there like Panera Breads, Dick's Bodacious Bar-B-Q, Moe's South West Grill, and Scotty's Brewhouse. And after a satisfying meal, you can head over to Snow Bear Frozen Custard for some dessert tio satisfy your sweet tooth.

After a relaxing day at the Wabash Landing, you can finally go home, satisfied and happy. Ready to start another week of studying.

Fair Oaks Farm

At the beginning of the semester, ISS sent out a mass email, inviting me to join a trip to Fair Oaks Dairy. I then looked it up and found that it was actually really interesting. Unfortunately, I was busy with work during that week and could not make it personally.


I am very intrigued by Fair Oaks Farm and hope to be able to visit them soon, maybe next semester when my boyfriend gets his own transportation.

They are open all days of the week. Mondays to Saturdays, they are open from 9am-5pm. On Sundays, they are open from 10am-5pm.

They also have a cheese factory which is open Mondays-Sundays from 7am-6pm.

The tickets costs US$10 for adults, but if you go in a group, it will be a lot cheaper. In a school group, tickets will only cost US$4.

A child's ticket costs US$7 while toddlers get to enter free.

Fair Oaks Farm has an educational and first hand dairy farm experience. All the reviews rated the tour quite highly with 4-5 stars out of 5.

The tour consists of 7 parts.
1)Stewards of the Land
a walk-through story of enlightened farming and milk production.

2)Dairy Fun Room
a part learning exhibit, part fun room giving a great learning-by-doing experience while still keeping things fun.

3)Theatre 4D
a hilarious 4D theathrical presentation of the cycle of the harvest of the land, to the cow, to the milk, to the manure and back to the land.

4)Cowculating Contest
a little friendly contest between friends and family with just a smidge of learning thrown in for good measure.

5)Birthing Barn
witness a calf being born in the birthing barn and later journey to the nursery to see new born calves being hand-fed
6)Cheese Factory
be invited to behold, taste, buy, and enjoy the full gallery of Fair Oaks Farms Fine Cheeses, delicious Premium Ice-Cream and of course, Fair Oaks Farms' very own Fresh Milk.

7)Dairy Barn Tour
witness the whole milking process of Fair Oak Farms' 30,000 cows.

From the reviews I found online, I noticed that everyone enjoyed the tour. Be they young or old, there seemed to be one or more aspect of the tour that they liked. However, there was a few comments about a certain large trampoline that caused ankle breakage in young children, so be wary of this if you are bringing a child.

So Fair Oaks Farm is a great way to spend your saturday if you are feeling a little adventurous. Remember to bring lots of cash or your credit card as I read from the reviews, the Cheese Factory has a great many tantalizing treats up for sale.

China Dragon

With the fast approaching finals exam, we need a form of late night sustenance other than the usual pizza. China Dragon is the answer! They have a large range of proteins and carbohydrates that come in a great range of flavors, so great that you'll have a problem deciding what you want to eat. They have an extensive menu on this website.

China Dragon is conveniently located in Purdue Village, right behind McCutcheon.

I have had China Dragon several times when I stay up late to study. I do this because I think stir-fried shrimp with vegetables has more nutrition than pizza, also because I am sick of eating pizza and because it is more cost effective.

China Dragon's foods range from US$4-12, rice included. Which is the same price as a large pizza but more satisfying and filling.

Also, when you're drunk and craving salt and oil, Egg Foo Yoong will be the ideal dish. It is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with soft pieces of meat and sweet onions in every bite. The Egg Foo Yoong also comes with a special sauce that when eaten with the rice really brings out and ties the dish together.

When I sleep over at my boyfriend's place, I also enjoy their Spicy Chicken which is, as the name suggests, sweet and a little spicy. I like eating the small bits of Spicy Chicken as it has more of a crunch to it. Most of the dishes I've tried there are decent and value for your money, but the above mentioned few are the top favorties.

However, I advice you against ordering both the Egg Drop soup and the Hot and Spicy Soup, they are severely lacking in taste and uses a lot of food coloring.
The House soup is quite satisfying though with chicken, beef, pork, leek, carrots and many other vegetables.

Also, if you're looking for a convenient Sunday dinner when all the dining halls are closed, they also serve buffets then. There will be 2 kinds of rice dishes, beef noodles, 2 kinds of chicken dish, a seafood dish, 2 beef dish and an assortment of other side dishes with a minimalist dessert bar. It costs US$10 to eat at the buffet, which is quite a reasonable deal as the average cost of a dish is also US$10. You will also get a free flow of soft drinks.




They usually open till 3am and provide delivery service if you are lazy.

PSUB activites

Purdue has a very active Student Union Board which organizes a great range of activities every week such as "Movie @ Fowler", "Poetry Slams", cultural educations, "Open Mic Nite" and much more. You can check out their events at their website.

This semester, I have went to a Movie @ Fowler session to watch The Blind Side and at an International Dance Competition.

Admission to Movie @ Fowler, which happens about once a month, is a movie screening at Fowler Hall in Stewart Center. Attending the movie costs Purdue students nothing. Just show your PUID and you can enter for free. but for those without PUIDs, you have to pay US$4. The movies are often well recieved and fairly recent.
The seats are wide and reasonably comfortable. And they are also arranged in such a way that no one will be able to comfortably put their feet up on the seats in front of them. Which is gross. However, we are not allowed to eat in Fowler Hall, which can also translate to no noisy potato chip munching distractions.

The movie is free sitting, so go early to get the good seats. I went to Movie @ Fowler with my boyfriend and because he arrived late, we had to seat all the way to the side of the row. But the view was still good and did nothing against our enjoyment of the movie.

The International Dance Competition which occured on 25th March, 2010 was very entertaining (and FREE!!). They had people from RAS, SASA, Boiler Breakers, Mirage Belly-dancing, and the Tango club performing and a hip-hop group.

RAAS and SASA performed a very lively and cheerful form of traditional dance with a twist. Both of them got the room clapping along to their upbeat music and uplifting dance moves.

The difference between these two similar groups was that RAAS had people twirling shiny colorful sticks which was very visually pleasing and SASA had two male youths standing one on top of the other which was very cool.

The Boiler Breakers dished out their usual hot moves and got the crowd thirsting for more.


Mirage Belly-dancers put on a spectacular hypnotizing performance. Especially the solo by a Ms Wendy Wampler who moved precisely to every single beat of the music.

The Latin and Ballroom dance team was sadly disappointing, with a huge lack emotion as the dancers seemed very distant. Some of the dancers were also very rigid, often looking down at their feet as though trying to recall the next step.

The best dance of all was by Dance2XS which perform extremely well with highly coordinated dance moves and constantly changing beat to keep the audience entranced.

In the end, Dance2XS got the most coordinated dance team award while SASA got the best overall dance team award. You can keep up with the PSUB activities by either looking out for the posters posted throughout campus or go to their website's calendarI strongly recommend going to PSUB events as it is a great way to be invlolved with the school body.

Blue Fin Bistro

Whenever I head over to the clubs across the bridge in Lafayette, I always pass by Blue Fin Bistro, a swanky looking restaurant with large windows looking out onto south 4th street. I can always see the neatly arranged tables with the well arranged cutlery and good looking waiters through them.

I was always curious what they served there.

One day, lucky me! My friend's parents came into town and wanted to treat us to a meal. At Blue Fin!! Oh Happy Day!!

The decor inside was classy without being overwhelming or intimidating. It was one of those places that had mulitple forks and spoons. I had no idea which utensil was for which dish, neither did the anyone else at the table. So we winged it (and asked for chopsticks).

We ordered calamari, scallops, sushi and steak. Everything was AWESOME!!! Easily the best meal I have ever had in Purdue. In addition to that, the service was impeccable and the waiter was extremely attentive.

The first dish was the calamri. It was good, lightly fried, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside with none of that bad, overcooked, rubbery stuff. It came with a few dipping sauce too. This was finished within minutes of landing on the table.

The next dish, scallops, came in a set of 8 per plate, nestled on a thick and firm slice of tomato floating in a sea of creamy sauce. The scallops were very well prepared considering that we were in the midwest and that the seafood tend to be of the frozen variety. The scallops did not have that fishy taste the scallops in the dinid halls have. The creamy sauce also complimented the soft scallop very well.

Then came the sushi. They were all EXCELLENT. The proportion of the rice and ingredients were perfect and the sushi was of a reasonable size. Way better than Maru and Ah Z. There was a perfect amount of sauce on the sushi and each different roll was like a whole different experience for the tongue. We ordered the Volcano Roll, Red Spider Roll, Dragon Roll, Diablo Roll, Las Vegas Roll and the Caterpillar Roll.

Last but not least, the steak. Oh... that was so good. The steak at Wiley Hall is not anywhere near that level. We had it at medium rare. It was cooked just right and when you eat it with the fat of the steak, gosh, words escape me.

The meal being excellent, also comes with an excellent price. The sushi costs a slight bit more than the average restaurant around Purdue University. It is an ideal place to bring your next date to.

p.s. They have a sushi buffet. US$25. =DD

which includes a pound of delicious snow crabs per customer

Kibu

After returning from our spring break trip in San Francisco, my friends and I were feeling fat and lazy as we had gorged ourselves during the 3 day 2 night visit. We had excellent japanese sushi, ramen, In&Out Burgers and cheese cake factory.

So we decided to walk down to Kibu Cafe (as exercise), a Korean/Japanese restaurant past Chauncey Hill, next to the River Side appartements at 111. South River Road. It is right at at the end of the decline of the slope past chauncey hill.

Kibu has a very clean, homely feel to it and has a wide range of korean and japanese staples available. On the wall next to the counter, there is a sort of mural of the most popular foods they serve.

We had the Soon Tofu Soup (hot soup with tofu, seafood and vegetables)

Bulgoki Don (marinated beef stir-fried with vegetables on rice)

Dol Sot Bi Bim Bop (seasoned beef stir-fried with vegetables and egg on rice in hot stone ware).

All the dishes come with a free bowl of soup and the dishes without rice comes with a bowl of rice as a side. The soup is always egg drop soup with tofu and vegetable. It is delicious but be forewarned, it contains a lot of monosodium glutamate. The dishes usually take a while to come out, so try not to drink to much soup or you won't be able to finish your main dish.

Out of all the dishes, Soon Tofu Soup was the best. I liked it so much I ordered one extra for myself. However, when the dish came, I was serverely disappointed. They had watered the soup down. It was obvious as the taste of the soup was much weaker than the first one my friend ordered. I think they did so because they ran out of soup and didn't have enough time to cook more.

The overall experience was alright and despite the bad service, I will still go there as the food they serve is way better than what is serve at Maru's.

p.s. Kibu does not serve sushi.

Laser Tag in Lafayette

I first heard about this place in my COM 114 class. A member of my class was picked to do the presentation for that topic. I was busy day dreaming so the information did not fully register in my mind. Only when I walked past it on my way to Lafayette's Jo-ann Fabrics' did I remember.

I thought it would be a great alternative to partying and organized a group outing on Facebook on the Friday before Spring Break to have some fun.

We organized a car pool with 3 cars bringing 12 of us to the game.

The place looked like a shady militaty operation base from the outside. It was dimly lit and had had no windows. But on the inside, the place had a 90's feel.

The place was mainly a roller skating ring. We had a large group of 12 people at that time so after some negotiation, we managed to get 4 games for only US$10, EACH! which was a steal as compared to their previous US$15 for 4 games stated on their website.

There were 8 jackets, so we decided to play it tournament style, 4-on-4-on-4. The place was like any other lazer tag arena, dark and with a whole lot of obstacles. The maze was not well-designed though, as one team's home base was right smack in the middle of the maze, making them an easy target for others and one team (yellow) had no base, so they were at a huge advantage. Meaning that the base was not well designed.

After a few rounds, some of us got really tired so we changed from a 4-on-4 play to a 1-on-1-on-1 play which was even more intense because you have to constantly watch your back.

The group had a whole lot of fun and was pleased with the experience. After the game, we hung out a little longer, playing with the arcade games (the ones that will regurgitate tickets you can exchange for a prize) and eating ice-cream. That night, we all felt like a kid again.

If you are planning on going to play lazer tag, remember to bring
-at least US$15 cash
-running shoes
-dark clothing
-friends

ENJOY!

Boarding in Michigan

Singapore, my homeland, is a tropical country. I love snowboarding. so when I came to America, one of the things I looked forward to most was hitting the slopes.

On a normal weekend, I went to Michigan's Crystal Mountain with the Undergraduate Chinese Association. It was a 3.5 hour bus ride (including the stop at McDonald's for breakfast). The bus ride itself costs US$20 and because I had my own board which I bought online for US$300, I did not need to pay the US$30 rental fee.

When we arrived, we were so relieved to be off the bus and be able to stretch our legs.

We then proceeded to the debrief room to receive instructions on how to go about putting the lift tag on, the renting procedures and the free classes available. I think this was neccessary because we were in a large group and this procedure took 20min. The old gentleman explaining the rules and regualtions was very friendly and patient with our group. He then sent us down to the fitting room to get our rental. Since I had my own board, I scouted out the classes for advanced boarders.


The cost of classes were quite steep at US$40 an hour. But to be fair, it was a private lesson. I took a beginner's class in terrain parks and learnt how to do both the 50-50 and Rock & Roll in just an hour!! Before, I tried to do the 50-50 by myself for more than an hour, falling repeatedly. Though the class was expensive I think the US$40 was well spent, as it reduced the time spent learning the trick if I were to try to learn them by myself. After all, time is priceless. So I strongly recommend for you to go for the classes to help improve your skills, and bring a friend along so you need not pay so much.

The lunch available there, though not very appetizing, is relatively reasonably priced as compared to other ski cafeterias which usually take advantage of the monopoly and charge ridiculous prices for their food. They serve their purpose but don't expect too much.

The only complaint of the skiing place are that the slopes are all way too short for my taste and are way too few. The black slopes felt like blue slopes and took less than 2 min to finish. Well, beggars can't be choosers. The overall experience was good. But if you are planning to hit the slopes, try to go in a group as it will be more fun and cost less in terms of traveling expense.

p.s. Try to do snowboarding instead of skiing. It is just way cooler.

Basil Thai

As everyone knows, it will be Valentine's Day tomorrow!! =DD

and I know of a nice place to take a date to that actually prepared a menu, specially for Valentine's day! The food there are also of reasonable price and good standard.

BASIL THAI!

Though it is usually dabbles in Thai food and bubble tea, Basil Thai has actually went out of its way to create a very attractive seven course meal. All dishes served then are not served on the daily menu, and some of the dishes are not of Thai origin, so it is a really special offer!

On an average day, Basil Thai offers five basic types of Thai food. Rice, Soups, Salads, Noodles and Curry.

When I went there, I tried the Hot and Sour noodle. It was not spicy to me at all, but the shrimp (additional $2) was plentiful and the noodle firm, so i enjoyed it nonetheless. My companions had the Green Curry Chicken, Pad Ga-Prow and Pad Khing. They all agreed that the food was good. They finished every single morsel of food on their plates. If you want an extra spicy kick, ask for fish sauce with chilli. It is a sweet and salty concotion sure to burn your taste buds and yet have you craving for more.

Basil is actually best known for its bubble tea as it is the closest bubble tea shop to campus. However, I did not drink it that time round as I was watching my waistline. But based on memory, the milk teas were the best though the 'bubbles' in the tea sometimes lacked the chewiness and firmness of those found in Asian countries. I recommend the Thai iced-tea. It is an ideal way to cook down on a hot day and to satisfy your sweet tooth during summer which is fast approaching.

Basil Thai restaurant has a very comfortable and homey feel. However, if you ever dine-in during winter, try to get a table as far away from the door as possible. This is because if the door to the restaurant continuously opens and closes, letting the cold air in, which can potentially ruin your meal.

And if you don't feel like trekking through the snow, ice and sleet to get good food, you can also ring them up for delivery. They do dine-in, take-out and catering! They are a great alternative to the usual Papa Johns or Mad Mushrooms.

Basil Thai is also located next to a Hookah bar, Hookah!, so after a satisfying meal, you can sit back and relax with your friends over a few puffs. However, be warned, do not order the dessert from Hookah!, it is simply not worth it.

Ah Z

I am an Asian.

and being an Asian, I have to admit I am absolutely sick of Dining hall's American food with all that cheese, oil, and deep fried-ness. So I take every opportunity I can to eat at an Asian restaurant. And personally, my favorite Asian cuisine is Japanese.

I have had plenty of sushi in United States ever since I came over from Singapore and though it is extremely different from what I had in Singapore and Japan, I must say, they are still AWESOME!!!

American Sushi uses cheese (real sushi has no cheese in it), is more colorful and uses less traditional ingredients. I've also noticed that West Lafayette's Japanese restaurants also has a lack of entrees and side dishes served elsewhere. For example, my favorites like Chawanmushi (steamed egg in a cup) and Ramen (not the instant stuff everyone thinks is ramen here, but the authentic kind). There is none of such in West Lafayette. Not in Maru sushi, not in Ah Z nor in Kokoro.

Just looking at the ramen is enough to make me salivate as my tongue misses the taste of that rich, thick and savory broth mixed with sweet seaweed. And that egg. the yolk is not fully cooked so it is very creamy and the white have been soaked in a special sauce to add a salty tinge to it. but my favorite part of that ramen I so miss is the noodle. GOD, japan makes the best noodles, firm and chewy. And when you slurp it up, you can hear the angels sing!

So I say I am a little disappointed that's good to eat at the japanese restaurants are the sushi. Nothing else is worth the money (though the sushi themselves are really expensive).

I have been to both Maru and Ah Z(the original and the one in PMU). I wasn't available to try out the sushi in Kokoro as the owner was in a car accident and was still unable to open for business at the time of my visit. A pity really as from all the reviews I read, it served the best (though most inconvenient) sushi anywhere near school.

both Maru and Ah Z have their strong points and weak points.

Maru has a better, livelier atmosphere, but their sushi often varies in size. sometimes it they are larger , sometimes they are smaller and I always feel cheated when it appears smaller, especially if i was paying an average of US$9+tax per roll. But they make up for their shortcomings with a FREE set of appetizers.



Ah Z has faster service and has rolls of consistent size. However, they often put too much rice and not enough sauce to compensate for the rice. However, it is a young compared to Maru and has time to improve. Another plus is that it is mostly self service after you get the sushi, so there is no need for tips! =DD

All in all, beggars can't be choosers, so till I go back to Singapore, Ah Z and Maru will stand in for my beloved Japanese food.