tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97703521570046322012-02-10T22:32:41.288-05:00fa la la la la la we have a remedy you'll appreciatedenesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.comBlogger1061100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-28767216306933176802012-02-07T22:10:00.001-05:002012-02-07T22:10:03.621-05:00

Currently, I am sitting on an uncomfortable rattan chair in a semi-cold cafe that reeks of cigarette smoke. I'm running on three hours of sleep and trying my best not to get bitten by mosquitos. My moods are vacillating from cranky to conciliatory to affectionate to just downright annoyed. As my boyfriend says, I have a tendency to focus on the negatives, which is why I decided to start this

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-58963113638249577542012-01-04T10:42:00.000-05:002012-01-04T10:45:14.551-05:00

Towelhead is a real page-turner. I picked it up thinking I'll just see what the first few pages were about, and I went through half of it in about a night. I'm not sure if I liked it per say, to be honest. It was a compelling subject matter, and the 13-year-old protagonist, Jasira, was very easy to identify with (even if at times, it pained me to admit that I identified with her) — but overall, I

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-79165832395132121322011-12-27T14:11:00.000-05:002011-12-28T02:21:59.656-05:00

David Mitchell’s writing is not the easiest to get through in the beginning. He chooses to write in a style that is demanded of the time period his narrative takes place in – which, in The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, is in the late 18th century in feudal Japan. Depending on whose point of view he’s taking, Mitchell’s prose can range from being frustratingly filled with phoneticized

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-26070948780797790702011-11-07T11:58:00.001-05:002011-11-07T12:10:55.295-05:00

So last Thursday, during work, the boss announces that there's going to be an office party. 6 pm rolls around and he comes up with beer and chips and says, Meeting in 5 minutes! I'm at my computer trying to make deadline and not pull my hair out from stress/frustration/annoyance, when Emily comes up to me and says, Hey, do you know what this party is for? No, what? I respond. It's actually for

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-74740005380236812202011-10-26T13:24:00.000-04:002011-10-26T13:25:39.059-04:00

My friend Emily raved about David Mitchell and recommended Cloud Atlas as a good beginner's guide to his writing. Now, I went into the book with no idea about what the plot was, so let me just say that the beginning of the book is quite difficult to get through. It's not mentally taxing to read - it's just slightly annoying because the first chapter is a journal written by Adam Ewing, an

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-32924530138555441502011-09-09T16:53:00.005-04:002011-12-26T02:59:46.353-05:00

I bought the Chaos Walking Trilogy on impulse because I wanted to have something fun to read before I dive back into my not-so-fun Cambodian history books. I might have mentioned this before, but I do enjoy good young adult literature a lot, and I was hoping that Chaos Walking could be a worthy successor to His Dark Materials. It’s not, but not by any faults of Patrick Ness, the author. Ness’

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-34044032726451915722011-08-25T23:48:00.003-04:002011-08-26T02:19:17.960-04:00

Reading Saturday was such an incredible and bewildering experience that I decided to pick up On Chesil Beach. Later, when I was talking Emily about it, she said the McEwan really specializes in the gut punch at the end of his books, and she is really not wrong. Like Saturday, On Chesil Beach unfolds in real time. It is the wedding night of Florence and Edward and the book opens with them

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-33720077589749384822011-08-21T14:39:00.022-04:002011-08-29T16:09:31.453-04:00

I went to Siem Reap with Emily two weekends ago since her parents were in town. It was really nice and super surreal—kind of felt like I was leaving real life for 2 days. Though it only 5 hours away by van, even just a quick jaunt out of Phnom Penh was such a welcome break from the city. Our friend, Christi, had said that Siem Reap's like Disneyland for adults, and she is not wrong. The entire

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-4634499240494335292011-08-04T16:45:00.004-04:002011-08-04T17:14:50.387-04:00

Yay for mini weekend vacations! Maybe I'll actually blog about this trip when I get back... Unlike the last time when I went to Kep and said I'll blog but didn't. I know, I'm awful at this thing.This was outside the office today. A Phnom Penh sunset. That sounds like it should be a drink. In fact, I'll make one up right now:Muddle a whole bunch of mint leaves with sugartwo parts Cachaca rumtwo

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-59515655936848029152011-08-01T15:31:00.003-04:002011-08-01T15:38:19.442-04:00

I got inspired by other Cambodian food blogs to finally do my giant fish amok post, so go read it because I put effort into it.

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-75083934864978183192011-07-23T22:42:00.005-04:002011-07-23T22:52:58.592-04:00

We were together. I forget the rest.-Walt Whitman(Does anyone know which exact poem this line came from? My Google skills bring up no answers.)

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-26962599852828625332011-07-23T20:53:00.007-04:002011-07-23T21:41:12.711-04:00

I often think to myself how exceptionally lucky I am to be who I am. I mostly credit my mother, my good fortune at being born an American and my multicultured upbringing (which I guess can also be attributed to my mother.) Yet reading about Junot Diaz's hero, Oscar, really made me think about this definition of luck, and how when turned on its head, it can also be seen as fate, or better yet, as

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-18059667196909831482011-07-21T15:26:00.009-04:002011-07-21T15:39:29.663-04:00

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-77178711000832013902011-06-29T16:04:00.003-04:002011-06-29T16:11:21.918-04:00

Did I ever mention I'm part of a food-blogging trio? Well, before I moved to Phnom Penh, we were just roaming around NYC eating and having fun, and then writing about it after. The other two, Rachizle and Etanbomb, are pretty voracious eaters too (and funny) so we just call ourselves funeaters.Anyway, I did my first food post from PP about crab in Kep, so do check it out. Fun Eaters!

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-86415469205266636482011-06-07T14:34:00.006-04:002011-06-19T13:35:03.991-04:00

My one Ian McEwan choice from the last CBR cycle had resulted in my loathing it, so I really did not feel compelled to go search for another. But Saturday stuck out in my mind from a review I read long ago (I don't know if it was CBR, but it very well could have been. In fact, I'm 99% sure it was)—the concept of a narrative unfolding in real-time really appealed to me, so when I spied Saturday on

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-47127432630756366142011-06-07T13:53:00.006-04:002011-06-07T14:27:50.730-04:00

The rainy season in Cambodia is like an American summer - it goes from June to about September. The downpours usually come really suddenly. You may be complaining about the blistering heat one minute and the next minute, you could find yourself in the middle of a lightning storm. (Fun fact about Cambodia: Do you know that in 2011 alone, there has been 75 - count 'em, SEVENTY-FUCKING-FIVE - people

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-43275270244550618082011-06-04T18:27:00.004-04:002011-06-04T18:47:34.519-04:00

“I thought that you were an anchor in the drift of the world;but no: there isn’t an anchor anywhere.There isn’t an anchor in the drift of the world. Oh no.I thought you were. Oh no. The drift of the world."- William Bronk(The above photo was taken at Choeung Ek. It was a brilliantly sunny day when I went there three weeks ago, and I couldn't help but stare at the ground for any bone remnants. I

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-57815416409849176172011-05-23T13:08:00.005-04:002011-06-07T14:33:12.470-04:00

... is absolutely "deadly," as my Irish friend would say. I got this awesome dress for $3 at some hole-in-the-wall place.

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-2987825037923449102011-05-21T07:04:00.003-04:002011-05-21T07:07:41.376-04:00

If World Ends, So Does Alternate-Side ParkingThank you, NYT.I actually know a couple Brooklynites who'll be very happy about this.

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-69098576607813435642011-05-20T11:25:00.007-04:002011-05-20T16:08:07.643-04:00

Though I've been in Phnom Penh for two and a half weeks now, I haven't taken a single photo. Since I'm going to be here for a while, I figured why hurry? The problem is that the longer I go without taking photos, the more accustomed I get to seeing things that really are quite incredible or insane. Like watching a man riding a bike that is attached to a cart with 20-plus bamboo chairs piled on it

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-11335660437721338892011-04-25T03:33:00.004-04:002011-04-25T04:35:44.088-04:00

When I left my job, one of my bosses (I had probably 3 bosses, which did not make life easy) handed me The Imperfectionists as a gift at my office's going-away party. Since I don't really read book reviews and therefore know nothing about Tom Rachman's novel, my first thought was quite defensive: What are you trying to tell me here, huh?? Then my co-workers told me that this book is actually

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-14943356568916562562011-04-11T00:11:00.017-04:002011-05-20T16:35:16.514-04:00

This was where I spent most of my weekend.I went to my uncle's house in upstate New York, and it was wonderful just to get away from the city, if only for just 24 hours. I arrived there Friday night, slept in a bedroom that was built in the 1700s (and was just a bit disappointed that I wasn't awaken in the middle of the night by ghosts), biked along an old rail trail on Saturday afternoon and

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-70432967328883919532011-03-28T23:48:00.006-04:002011-03-29T00:32:41.959-04:00

The tagline for this movie – Oops, I meant book, is "The Story of the World's Most Dangerous Job in the World's Most Dangerous Place." Does that answer your questions as to what this book is about? The author Chris Hunter brings his compelling account of his time in Iraq as an IED disposal operative. Hunter is in the British armed forces and started in England with his experience with the IRA

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-21496877218515023832011-03-28T22:29:00.005-04:002011-03-29T00:58:00.089-04:00

Everyone but me has read this book, and I'm so glad I finally took the time to sit down and curl up in bed with it. In Cold Blood is a tautly-written account of a gruesome murder that took place in 1959 in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, and the after effects this tragedy had on the townspeople. Weaved in through the present narrative, Truman Capote also deftly and sympathetically retells the

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-26617327618135377172011-03-15T23:12:00.010-04:002011-03-16T01:29:09.358-04:00

So I caved and bought the second book that ABC put out for Castle. I got the first book, Heat Wave, a year ago and liked it because the only criteria for enjoying it is that I enjoy Castle the TV show.I also enjoy Captain Tight Pants.Naked Heat is pretty much a parallel to the beginning of the third season of Castle. Jameson Rook is being ignored by Nikki Heat and her other detectives because he

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-24035610630311790882011-02-22T23:57:00.006-05:002011-02-23T01:37:05.292-05:00

Late last year, I had the chance to attend a talk by Kate Zernike in which she discussed her book, Boiling Mad, with Frank Rich, the New York Times columnist, and Sam Tenenhaus, the NYT Book Review editor who is also a historian. It was extremely illuminating because Zernike had been following the Tea Party beat for the Times since it started soon after Obama's election, and she was able to give

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-27797975776650907872011-01-16T01:43:00.006-05:002011-01-16T03:41:52.575-05:00

I finished the final books of The Hunger Games trilogy in the course of 48 hours, just burned right through them. I know that everyone and her mother has read this trilogy, but just bear with me here. I should add that there are probably spoilers ahead for the first book if I am to describe the last two books. The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in the futuristic world of Panem, a nation that

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-39339106784958678912011-01-15T23:51:00.006-05:002011-01-16T04:38:35.112-05:00

How does one describe The History of Love? It's one of those post-modern, hipster-favorite books that starts out with two different threads of narratives with an adjoining element until the tendrils end up meeting. Here, the two stories seemed so random that the beginning of the book kind of threw me off. What kept me interested was Krauss' writing - she really has a very beautiful way of putting

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-72455724602868964092011-01-13T11:14:00.004-05:002011-01-13T13:31:39.435-05:00

I tuned into the speech last night on MSNBC (Why wasn’t any of the major networks playing it? Instead, there was The Big Bang Theory on CBS) and saw a might-be-drunk speaker apparently representing the Native American community of Tucson. Watching that was unbearable so my roommates and I switched back and forth between that and Comedy Central – there was a Dave Chappelle rerun featuring a "What

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-56981459580203258652011-01-03T00:19:00.014-05:002011-01-07T10:38:25.379-05:00

Sebastian Junger (left) and Tim Hetherington in eastern Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. (Credit: Courtesy of Tim Hetherington)Right around the time that Restrepo was released in selected New York City theaters, Sebastian Junger's book, War, was published. No doubt this book is the literary companion to its cinematic counterpart, directed by both Junger and Tim Hetherington, a videographer and

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-39409351826034868382010-11-03T02:31:00.006-04:002010-12-07T02:14:15.294-05:00

I started a draft about my D.C./Texas trip back in the first week of November. I had images of tour groups on segways alongside all the marbled monuments and wrote briefly about how I thought segways were lazy and that no tour guide in New York would be caught dead in it (Seriously. The pedestrians would trample 'em – we stroll faster than segways on full speed.) I put quite a bit of effort into

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-9078167373265694462010-11-02T23:59:00.017-04:002010-11-03T03:08:29.243-04:00

This past Saturday, me and 200,000 other people assembled at the National Mall for the Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear. This is how nuts it was:FridayBOOM! SaturdayNow, lots of people have asked me how the rally was for me. Truthfully, it was very cramped and uncomfortable because I was constantly surrounded by people taller than me and I really couldn't see a thing. I also got pretty cranky

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-36165580106149165002010-10-12T00:26:00.004-04:002010-10-12T02:01:10.282-04:00

There's been so much written about "Freedom" that I feel like quite an amateur putting my two cents into the cacophony of opinions (" ... a work of total genius," "A book people are eager to love or hate for reasons mostly unrelated to the words on the pages," "This is his glory and his curse.") I had read "The Corrections" about three years ago and found myself blown away by how amazing it was .

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-51334196697112136042010-10-11T23:21:00.004-04:002010-10-12T00:20:05.165-04:00

(I've decided to create a "Neil Gaiman" tag for my posts since I've read so much of his work.)I read "Good Omens" close to about a month ago, and the details are a little hazy in my brain. I am, however, really glad that I actually bought the book, because I can go back and reread it. This book was so much fun to read, and parts of it had me guffawing on my morning subway ride to work. "Good

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-48199970140036885722010-09-21T23:00:00.003-04:002010-09-21T23:11:22.756-04:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cRally to Restore Sanitywww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorTea PartyI'm going to Texas on Halloween for a friend's wedding!Oh, and also that Rally To Restore Sanity thing in D.C. the day before. Fuck yea! It took some finangling (a lot of back and forth was had between me and me and friend-wth-car and bride-to-be this

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-55566921750457429092010-09-18T01:00:00.010-04:002010-09-18T02:05:53.481-04:00

Last Saturday, a friend gave me tickets to see the Broadway play, Brief Encounter. I knew nothing about it and went into the Studio 54 theater completely blind. My initial judgment of it was that it was very British and far too quirkiwhimsilicious (that's on the bad side of quirky where the whimsy feels forced).By the end of the hour and a half, I was completely sold. Most plays try to transport

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-15308125486080234722010-09-14T23:39:00.018-04:002010-09-15T00:50:26.061-04:00

This post is dedicated to Jen K. Stay safe in Iraq.Ashley Gilbertson – a war photographer who I recognized as Dexter Filkin's colleague in his book, The Forever War (BEST BOOK EVER) – recently wrote an interesting article in The New York Times about the types of food that the troops in Iraq carry. Each country's combat ration hold practical items, but there are also foods that serve to remind a

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-83767490203187662172010-09-11T00:44:00.003-04:002010-09-11T02:38:29.073-04:00

I finished Walter Kirn's Up In The Air in a day and a half. Just zoomed right through, and I felt like I was speed-reading at times. Kirn's writing style made me want to gobble up each following sentence, because all the observations of his protagonist, Ryan Bingham, were sharp and hilarious. I felt like I was getting a peek at 50 different stereotypes in a single paragraph, and I really enjoyed

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-22618705955401483612010-09-10T23:25:00.004-04:002010-09-11T00:44:02.921-04:00

Like Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Isihiguro infuses When We Were Orphans with a sense of measured nonchalance. While reading, I could imagine Christopher Banks sitting across from me and just talking his thoughts out, just him and I having an easy conversation. But his words, the events that he speaks of, are a slow, gradual build up - like he is carefully trying to tiptoe around the real point of his

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-37666857676233525842010-09-10T22:57:00.002-04:002010-09-10T23:24:56.894-04:00

Everyone's been raving about this book and I've been seeing it all over the subway, so when my friend lent it to me, I figured, why not? Well, let me count the reasons why (not):1) It is slow. I was promised a thrilling ride of mystery and intrigue. What I got was 200-plus pages of exposition before it actually got good.2) I know that this book was translated from Swedish, but they really should

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-15522634558340342672010-08-30T23:08:00.004-04:002010-08-31T00:51:32.965-04:00

When I was in college, I took an international reporting class taught by this unforgettable woman. She began her reporting career by covering the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s, and has since traveled all over Europe and the Middle East as a freelance journalist. I remember her recounting a story about getting caught in crossfire and catching a bullet on her leg while trying to interview a dictator.

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-23945650486414238572010-08-16T20:17:00.004-04:002010-08-16T22:44:10.263-04:00

I went through The Book Thief so quickly, just zoomed right through it and it completely broke my heart in the end.Narrated by Death, the story traces the life of Liesel Meminger, a young girl living in Nazi Germany. Death has met Liesel three times in her life, starting with the death of her little brother as they were being trucked to their foster parents in another town. Stopping at a nearby

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-49523727872329126512010-08-16T20:07:00.003-04:002010-08-16T22:46:44.857-04:00

This review is so over due and it’s for a book that is really difficult to describe, so it’s not going to be very good/clear. I read this for the June book club but didn’t finish it until much later. I had previously read it in high school and though I found the use of language to be formidable, it started feeling like a slough toward the end. Reading it this second time around, I had the same

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-31217418434293776432010-08-10T01:07:00.004-04:002010-08-10T01:28:23.685-04:00

City Room: Jetblue Flight Attendant Uses Emergency Slide to Escape DisputeI wish that my restaurant/office building has an evacuation slide attached to it. "You want me to 'keep your mimosas coming' even though you just made me run to bring you three in 10 minutes? EVAC BITCHES!!!"

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-21065282312923397452010-07-30T01:33:00.007-04:002010-07-30T02:48:01.504-04:00

On Tuesday, I went to Bryant Park after work to unwind with my crossword. I had this mental image of myself lying sprawled on the lawn with all the reflective buildings gazing down on me as I raced through the empty boxes with my pen, finishing the crossword before dusk. In my Bryant Park fantasy, I was intellectual and content.The reality: The lawn was closed so I sat on a hard, butt-numbing

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-63962548957187551922010-07-26T22:11:00.005-04:002010-07-27T00:01:25.674-04:00

This book is a bit of a cheat for me because I've actually read it several years ago. I think I bought it at an airport because of Hugh Laurie, read it during my flight, and then promptly misplaced it. When I saw it at the library, I decided to revisit it since I really don't remember much about it. So I'm happy to say that it's just as satisfying a read the second time around. Laurie's voice is

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-4099429178591655462010-07-25T01:28:00.006-04:002010-07-26T21:54:56.766-04:00

As I said in the previous post, my best was in New York for two weeks. A more detailed post of her visit will come soon.I caught Inception opening night and it was amazing. Despite my high expectations, I was still impressed. I cannot wait to rewatch it when it comes out on DVD. I am also nursing a serious crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt - it hasn't been this bad since Brick.I also watched Top Gun

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-61139785202312462822010-07-02T23:18:00.004-04:002010-07-02T23:34:04.674-04:00

That last picture was taken at prom. The reason why it is so small is because we were actually on an upper level of the ship (Yes, our prom took place on a boat! It was really cool! And then I discovered that I get sea sick) and our friends were on the bottom deck. This was at the end of the night as we were inching toward the exit, and our friends snapped a photo of us from afar. Good thing we

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-86792942300653362332010-06-26T18:14:00.004-04:002010-06-27T20:24:25.322-04:00

I chose to pick up Never Let Me Go because Pajiba recently featured the trailer of the movie that is based on the Kazuo Ishiguro book, and all the comments were about how the book was completely heart-breaking at the end. Well, that intrigued me, and I guess I was in the mood to get my heart broken in a literary way. Never Let Me Go is narrated by Kathy H., a young woman who begins by looking

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-23310266942569728852010-06-23T12:26:00.001-04:002010-06-23T12:30:18.711-04:00

I'm sneaking to the Goals blog at nytimes.com during work.

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-84897666122126950402010-06-21T21:38:00.005-04:002011-12-26T02:50:40.610-05:00

I know that Anansi Boys is somewhat connected to American Gods in terms of mythology, but I think that's about where the similarities end. Though there are some familiar faces, I was still able to come to this with a clean slate of mind. Fat Charlie Nancy has spent most of his adult life avoiding his father because he is constantly embarrassed by him. But when his father passes away abruptly,

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-86298325512007812532010-06-09T16:24:00.005-04:002010-06-09T20:38:44.314-04:00

The cover of this book really put me off. I know we are not supposed to judge by the cover, but it was equally creepy and hilarious. Plus, I don't like scary-looking children (I actually keep the book face-down so that I didn't have to look at that white-eyed kid.)I guess it's in that way that cover is a brilliant indicator of this book. I've never read anything by David Foster Wallace, so I

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-41271702233179224492010-06-09T14:26:00.006-04:002010-06-09T15:55:35.552-04:00

I picked up The Angel of Darkness after several people said that it was a worthy follow-up to my earlier Caleb Carr book, The Alienist. And I have to agree - in some ways, it certainly is. The Bad Guy (or should I say, Bad Person?) is definitely more interesting than the serial killer in The Alienist, and because she is a woman, there is a lot of talk about the feminine mind/psyche.This time, the

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-79549826170216068792010-06-02T23:00:00.009-04:002010-06-03T01:02:52.517-04:00

I haven't been near this thing in a long time, at least not to talk about my life (Look! Still reviewing books!... sorta). A part of me have been avoiding the blog because there was just too much to talk about – and as much as I don't talk about specifics in my life, those events took up too much space in my head that it was difficult for me to ignore it while they happened. So here they are:1) I

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-3057500958182853122010-04-28T22:19:00.004-04:002010-04-29T00:33:15.850-04:00

This was Jen K's selection for the Pajiba Book Club, and my second Margaret Atwood novel. I finished it last night and have had a little bit of time to think about it. Though I don't think I really liked it while I was reading it, I've decided that it's really very well-done and I like it better now that I've reflected on it a little bit. Atwood has basically three stories layering upon each

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-59640977626301913282010-04-12T20:51:00.009-04:002010-10-12T00:21:12.049-04:00

Oh Pajiba, how I love thee. Just for you, I bought a hard-cover book so that I could read it for the Book Club discussion. It usually takes me ages to actually put down cold, hard cash for a book, especially for one whose spine is stiffer than my own.Lucky for me, The Graveyard Book was an awesome read. I literally devoured the pages (and yes, I used "literally" correctly because I was coughing

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-44227783342299978042010-04-12T20:10:00.004-04:002010-04-12T20:51:11.897-04:00

Kavalier and Clay came highly recommended by Pajiba – it's number one on the Best of the Decade's list. Though I went in having high expectations, it did not disappoint. I was a little put off by Chabon's blending of historical writing and narrative writing, but once I got past the changes in tone, I was able to see that it is this mix that makes the story so much more compelling.Kavalier and

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-15064216113938458562010-03-11T23:29:00.003-05:002010-03-12T00:23:19.550-05:00

I finished The Handmaid's Tale very quickly, but committing myself to write a review has been very difficult. Two weeks have passed so my impressions of it are not so fresh, and I will be doing this by memory. (Note to self: I should not wait two weeks to write reviews.)Before picking this up, I had several friends tell me that I would probably really like Margaret Atwood's writing. I'm not sure

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-67991552582383288672010-02-25T01:36:00.004-05:002010-02-25T02:07:04.775-05:00

I was about twenty pages into The Bookseller of Kabul before I realized why it felt so familiar. An excerpt of it was included in the article packet for my Religious Reporting class in sophomore year, and I remember there being a note from the author, Asne Seierstad (cool name huh? She's Norwegian), saying that the Sultan (the bookseller) had read the book and disagreed with her portrayal of

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-32511981110068241172010-02-23T22:41:00.003-05:002010-02-25T01:21:42.290-05:00

While reading and talking about Lolita on the Internet, I noticed that people would often quote some Vanity Fair review where Lolita is said to be "the only convincing love story of our century." It piqued my interest that the rest of the article is never referenced so I decided to do a Google search for it. My quick search became an extensive comb of the interwebs, and the only thing (ONLY thing

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-27342196594546115442010-02-15T14:14:00.005-05:002010-02-15T14:56:10.311-05:00

Growing up in Singapore, celebrating Chinese New Year was a very big deal. As children, we get several days off from school, and we would come together as a family in my aunt's gigantic home and just eat and play. It's my favorite holiday because I used to love going to my aunt's house and playing hide-and-seek with my cousins. We would watch TV in her bedroom while the adults ate and chatted in

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-70223634242139096902010-02-12T12:00:00.006-05:002010-02-15T13:40:23.317-05:00

I read Thank You For Smoking in a single sitting. I started it at the library, then borrowed it, went home and finished it in the same night. Nick Naylor, the protagonist, is my current favorite fiction character because he is honest to himself about his line of work, which is incredibly dishonest. Naylor is a chief spokesperson for the Academy of Tobacco Studies, and he spends most of his time

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-71840020075908282032010-02-11T11:01:00.005-05:002010-02-11T12:34:12.126-05:00

I read David Sedaris' Naked so quickly that nothing seemed to really have stuck in my mind except how hilarious some of the short stories were. I do most of my reading on the subway, so it's really surprising to people when the girl next to them starts cracking up, and that happened to me several times while I was reading this book. Naked is a collection of short stories that Sedaris has penned

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-12739783182316968592010-02-01T16:16:00.005-05:002010-10-12T00:21:42.883-04:00

Blakspring and Jen K. recommended American Gods to me in my quest for more Gaiman. After reading it, I realized that this book has been reviewed many times by Cannonballers (Pajiba has even previously published a review of it) so I'm not sure if there is much more I can add to it. The basic premise is that the gods of the old world and the gods of the new world are about to wage a battle, and one

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-61299128239983107972010-02-01T15:19:00.004-05:002010-02-01T16:15:58.959-05:00

I picked this up in a bookstore in Singapore because the cover looked interesting, and was immediately drawn in by the beginning. It's just the right kind of compelling and quirky and mysterious (ah-hah!) that I decided, after leaving the bookstore without purchasing it there (English books in Singapore are very expensive), to get it on my Kindle. It was my first impulse buy on my Kindle, and I

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-33308829981887341302010-01-26T21:02:00.005-05:002010-01-27T15:22:37.139-05:00

I'll make this quick - Boyfriend is making dinner and I want food... Also, I am lazy.Prior to the twentieth century, persons suffering from mental illness were thought to be 'alienated,' not only from the rest of society but from their own true natures. Those experts who studied mental pathologies were known as alienists.The Alienist is a thriller set in New York City in the 1800s. It begins with

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-9253530661814935732010-01-26T20:03:00.007-05:002010-01-30T11:14:20.801-05:00

Brave New World is one of those "high school" books. You know what I mean, right? Most Americans read this in high school in their literature class, and as a result, there are typically two camps of responses when you talk about it. The first is "Oh my God, I love it! It's so insane and beautiful etc etc." (For me, East of Eden by John Steinbeck gets this response.) The second is "I remember only

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-72041769041196162442010-01-21T01:42:00.009-05:002010-01-21T02:08:24.427-05:00

One of my New Year's resolutions is to try to write on my news blog more. It was denestake before this was denestake, but since I wanted a personal blog, I had to think of a new name (I know, I was mighty creative when I tacked on "on news.")Anyway, it's pretty shameful how few times I updated it last year, so I think I'm off to a very good start by updating it before the month of January is over

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-47316261976604141212010-01-07T21:05:00.009-05:002010-01-07T21:45:13.930-05:00

I tried to take pictures in Singapore, but I guess I didn't try hard enough because the only photos I have are of my family and friends. I don't have a single (use-able) shot of Singapore. You're just going to have to take my word that it's an amazing country. I grew up there, so I always feel silly when I take photos that seem tourist-like because it's not like I haven't seen any of those

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-54655584796880233282010-01-01T01:45:00.004-05:002010-01-01T04:07:06.395-05:00

Cannonballer's note: This is not going to be an easy review to write and I have been putting it off for about two months now. The Emperor's Children is an amazing book. Unfortunately, I had to return it last month (why didn't I renew it? I'm still beating myself over the head with that.) so I will be doing this review by memory, and I will not do it justice. The tricky thing about The Emperor's

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-65233358164800625902010-01-01T00:47:00.005-05:002010-01-01T01:42:03.916-05:00

To say that this book was a disappointment would be a gross understatement. I read The Lovely Bones several years ago and loved it so much. So it was natural that during the Cannonball Read, I would try to find other stuff of hers to love. Yea, bad idea, because now I'm wondering if The Lovely Bones was just a lucky fluke and I'm afraid to read her memoir, Lucky. The Almost Moon begins in the

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-44893103899075625012009-12-27T23:18:00.004-05:002009-12-27T23:23:59.480-05:00

So I'm in Singapore for the next week and a half. It's mostly a family trip - they already roped me in to some family parties, and for New Year's Ever as well - but I'm going to get to see my old friends as well, which would be nice. Before I got to Singapore, I was regularly pulling doubles at both my jobs, so it's been a really crazed period for me. Even though I'm away now, I'm still clocking

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-26597861745123970102009-12-20T19:55:00.007-05:002009-12-27T23:27:21.113-05:00

Cannonballer's note: Writing reviews are hard, especially since now that it's started getting really cold here, all I want to do is curl up in bed and watch movies on my computer. I read this a week ago, and am writing it only now, when my memory of it is fuzzy. Not good.I couldn't say anything about the movie because I have never seen it (yet. Really gotta remedy that situation because I love

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-43346778432679882512009-12-18T02:11:00.003-05:002009-12-18T02:51:53.982-05:00

I'm having a little bit of trouble falling asleep tonight* so I figure I should entertain a request of Blakspring, who asked me about my experience using a Kindle. As I mentioned in my previous post, my uncle and his girlfriend gave it to me as birthday gift, and I was pretty excited about it. The first thing I read on it was Stardust, and one immediate observation was how... the lack of pages

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-71260293536551961172009-12-08T23:09:00.005-05:002009-12-09T00:09:40.428-05:00

The beginning of Jiselle's life, before her marriage, reads a little like George Clooney's voice-over in Up In The Air. As a flight attendant who is required to live within driving distance of the airport, her work is a big part of her life. As a result, she does not have any close friends whom she can confide in, nor much of a chance to meet a lover. She does not have a lot at home, and most of

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-18700412535890178012009-12-08T19:21:00.005-05:002009-12-08T20:17:36.930-05:00

I decided to pick up Heat Wave after Tereasa reviewed it on Pajiba, saying that "if you like the show you will like the book." Well, I really like the show, and I was really bored during my Thanksgiving vacation back to California so I figured, why not? The book is exactly like an episode of Castle. There is a murder and Nikki Heat (a female detective modeled after Kate Beckett from the TV show

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-75601715968929955312009-12-01T23:59:00.005-05:002010-10-12T00:22:19.658-04:00

Stardust is the first book I bought for my Kindle because I just couldn't wait for my local library to have it freed up. I've been in such a Stardust-y mood ever since I re-watched the movie with Jana, and I just needed it in my hands right away because I am such a fan of everything in that movie. So it was a little disappointing, in the beginning, when I realized that the movie did not adhere

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-74217113573428383012009-11-19T23:12:00.006-05:002009-11-20T00:17:10.919-05:00

The first book I ever read from Ian McEwan was Atonement, and I remember nothing about it except that there was a pervasive feeling of frustration during my reading of that. I don't remember details, or plot points, or even character names – but I just left that book feeling... unsatisfied. I felt like there should have been more (keep in mind that I remember nothing about that book so more what

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-26117606702547324242009-11-18T00:31:00.009-05:002009-11-18T01:48:36.050-05:00

Two weeks ago, my uncle asked me what I wanted for my birthday. Keeping the Cannonball Read in mind, I said, "A book!" Well, being as awesome as they are, guess what he and his girlfriend got me? .....Yes! I am now a very proud owner of a Kindle! I was so excited when I saw the Amazon box because I was like, "OMG IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS!!" (By the way, that's Ralph Ellison on the power

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-37004781666609163942009-11-17T00:16:00.003-05:002009-11-17T00:43:27.886-05:00

I got my library card last Tuesday and was really excited to start using it. I haven't been to a library for pleasure since – gah! – middle school and I remember all I read then were Stephen King books. So I was hoping to revisit that feeling of being in a nice comforting corner with a book that I am halfway through. But this new library is so huge! I was just so overwhelmed by the shelves and

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-76866175713957536922009-11-16T22:49:00.004-05:002010-10-12T00:22:39.817-04:00

Coraline was my first Neil Gaiman book ever (Thanks for recommending it, Rebecca!) and it was not like I imagined. I didn't watch the movie, just the trailer, so I wasn't spoilered by much. My synopsis is gonna basically be like how the preview set up: Coraline is very bored with the world she lives in. Her parents seem like regular parents; her neighbors like old farts; and there aren't

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-74595557617753870302009-11-11T16:23:00.005-05:002009-11-11T16:35:54.792-05:00

I babysat last week for my cousin, B. Most of my friends know that it's probably not wise to have children around me (I'm not a fan), but my uncle thought it was a good idea because his daughter actually recognizes me. So on Wednesday night, I was left alone with a 6-month old baby. Now, keep in mind that I haven't babysat since middle school, and even then, those kids were in grade school. I

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-20552347484653863892009-11-09T18:03:00.002-05:002009-11-09T18:04:59.402-05:00

This is another book I picked up off my roommate's shelf. She has a lot of non-fiction books that are devoted to the troubles of children with special needs. Since she is a speech therapist, it is a subject that interests her and that she is able to relate to.Anyway, I was trying to avoid a non-fiction book because of my first book, and the cover of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-24449156835166988642009-11-02T17:08:00.005-05:002009-11-02T18:16:28.129-05:00

I picked up Sweet and Low from my roommate's bookshelf because it had an interesting cover, and I think I recognized the author's name, Rich Cohen. The cover and the back is illustrated like a comic book with each panel showing a highlight from Cohen's story. The "comic strip" – if read from left to right, up to down – seems a little disjointed, weaving personal family history in between general

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-27286450141709372552009-11-01T21:52:00.013-05:002009-11-01T22:54:18.625-05:00

I had a terrible day today (though my Halloween was good - will have my costume pictures up soon!) but when I got home, I remembered that November 1st is the beginning of the Super-Awesome-Amazing-Godtopulicious Cannonball Read, and I am now a little bit cheerier. I haven't finished a book yet, but I am currently three quarter of the way through one, so hopefully, after a couple more subway

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-60050873629256888932009-10-27T23:56:00.004-04:002009-10-28T00:22:57.440-04:00

on Castle. They mentioned Buffy too in this episode, but this costume is just too amazing!

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-62417864415533557472009-10-15T23:42:00.006-04:002009-10-16T00:16:00.761-04:00

I am about to embark on a personal project! Pajiba is having its second round of the Cannonball Read and I am jumping on the bandwagon this time. The deal is to read as much as possible, and blog about each book I read. Last year, Pajibans aimed for a hundred books (which I just think is incredibly daunting) but reduced this year's goal to an attainable 52. Phew. I could - maybe, possibly -

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-85696433446710513052009-10-13T12:52:00.010-04:002009-10-13T13:17:29.769-04:00

Three weekends ago, the Boyfriend and I went to Tallahasee to watch the USF/FSU game. It was my first time at a college football game – my college does not care about sports, and we are proud of that! – and I wasn't sure what to expect. B got me a USF tank top (he's a USF alum) which I must say is pretty cute, and it even had little tabs that keeps your bra straps in. Very innovative. 1

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-9664996073161651102009-09-15T23:53:00.005-04:002009-09-16T00:10:45.837-04:00

I am a terrible blogger. My updates are so infrequent that I am probably the only person reading this now. I could throw out a couple excuses for my absence but "trying to figure out my life" just sounds so trite and cliché, especially for a recent graduate.Anyway, summer flew by, and I feel like all I did was work way too much and play very little. I barely got myself a decent tan! But there

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-70267501906552789162009-07-09T23:40:00.008-04:002009-07-10T00:16:21.753-04:00

Hello there, summer babies! I do mean that literally, like babies of summer, because July has been the month of birthdays. Now I am not usually great with birthdays– two years ago, one of my best friends called me to remind me that it was her birthday that very day, and without skipping a beat, I replied, "Oh, happy birthday!"– but I'm trying more now. I think. I hope.Anyway, tomorrow is the

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-71828826258353991242009-06-26T12:39:00.009-04:002009-06-26T13:35:51.515-04:00

Two (or three- I can't remember) weeks ago, I went to the Belmont Stakes with a group of people. I've been wanting to write about it because it's my first time at a racing track, but a combination of reasons prevented me from doing so immediately. The first was that I did not have the pictures with me, so I had to get them from the boyfriend; and the second reason is because I'm lazy. Hey, at

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-68490849002821315182009-06-06T01:36:00.008-04:002009-06-06T02:49:21.094-04:00

I know I've been taking my time to update this thing lately but life has gotten real busy for me in the past month and a half. I can hardly believe that it's already June. Please, Time Master, let this month go by less quickly. I want the summer to last forever because it may be my last as a kid. Anyway, as I said in my last post, my best friend, Cynthia, visited me during the second week of

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-45257430158832018282009-03-29T04:04:00.012-04:002009-11-18T02:05:52.078-05:00

I am so incredibly lucky! My two best friends from high school decided to pick this semester to visit me. The above appears to be the only picture that I could find off Facebook of the three of us together (I think it says something about our generation that we don't look to our photo albums, or even or online photo albums, to find our pictures now; we turn, instead, to Facebook.) What you

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-35619559941572258342009-02-20T01:30:00.004-05:002009-02-20T02:40:19.332-05:00

Full disclosure: I have been a weekly blogger for NYU Local since last August, but am not an entirely active member. I do pithy posts about New York City and the occasional event coverage, but that is usually it. I was not informed about this sit-in or Charlie's embed; I learned about it the same way as the rest of NYU did- by reading NYU Local.I don't have much of an audience here but the ones

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-43879759132836399372009-02-13T10:22:00.006-05:002009-02-13T10:26:14.895-05:00

I was walking around Brooklyn last weekend, near the southwest end of Prospect Park, and I came upon this.I must say, I thought it was a little out of control. But at least now if I ever need an exterminator, I know where to find one that takes its job (too) seriously. Or not seriously at all, however way you wish to look at it.

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-37100100527936142702009-02-13T10:02:00.000-05:002009-02-13T10:02:44.665-05:00

Over winter break, I spent two weeks in Singapore, just hanging out with family and old friends. I spent 10 years of my childhood there, so I have very fond memories of it– one of my friends remarked that I probably have a very romanticized view of Singapore. Maybe, I don't know. Anyway, I think the country has changed so much in terms of the landscape. There are some buildings that I didn't

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-18594488692973477112009-02-10T23:55:00.002-05:002009-02-10T23:59:49.985-05:00

I snapped this photo at the Union Square subway station. My first thought was, how in the world did he get the piano down here? Some guy asked him, and he simply gestured towards himself, but didn't say a word. Anyway, he rocked out at the piano- played some classical and some Coldplay.

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-9815395316338962792009-02-03T23:49:00.005-05:002009-02-04T00:23:36.001-05:00

I have been neglecting this blog and my news blog for the past three months, but I will try my best to be more diligent in my blogging since I have an audience now (Hi Cynthia! It's just you I am referring to, by the way.)Anyway, these Lego depictions of New York City showed up on the Gothamist, and they made me so happy that I just need to share them. These are all done by Christoph Niemann,

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-1417401114076780662008-12-02T23:40:00.000-05:002008-12-03T00:11:06.240-05:00

My friend Marissa informed me yesterday that she managed to catch a Special train this past weekend! At first, when she showed me the photos that she took with her crackberry, I thought that it was just the combined effect of a very dirty subway car and some vandals who got a hold of white paint. But Marissa told me that the entire train was just so retro-looking, and everyone in the car was

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9770352157004632.post-82640926890079216062008-12-02T22:19:00.000-05:002008-12-03T00:13:22.652-05:00

"You want to know the truths that aren't obvious, you want to bear witness to the world, you want to tell a story." - Russ Buettner, a reporter at the New York Times, previously of the New York Daily News and Newsweek."It's a good job. They pay you to talk to people, and then they pay you to write about it– it's amazing." - Tom Robbins, a reporter at Village Voice, previously of the Daily News.

denesteakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03439021523963183475noreply@blogger.com0