Summer is basically done.

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 were some worthwhile trips I took which are worth mentioning. Like fake-camping in July with some new friends; or my trip to Tampa with the boyfriend – first time down South even though Florida doesn't really count as the South.

On the camping trip, we stayed in the backyard of a friend's house that was up in the woods in Pennsylvania. So I guess I can say my camping cherry has yet to be popped since I slept inside the house instead of in the tent I put up.

There are these amazing waterfalls around the area we were at. This is one of the two we encountered. I jumped off that ledge (I know, I know – pix or it didn't really happen). It doesn't look that far but being up there and looking down into the pounding water, and then stepping off into nothing – well, that's gotta be one of the scariest things I have ever done. It was pretty awesome.

I didn't take many pictures when I was in Florida, but I did take one of a heron that was just hanging out in someone's backyard.

Apparently that happens a lot. They also have manatees and alligators just hanging out around Tampa's waters. I didn't see any though, but I did get to go fishing for the first time.

I'm actually heading to Tallahasee next weekend because the boyfriend's is an alum of USF and there is a big game with FSU (I think.) So... first college football game coming up for me!

Great. Now I'm Craving Cake.

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 birthday of a person most important to me: my mom. This past Monday, I sent out a birthday card with a kitten on it (she loves cats, as do I) with a present. Her gift idea was kinda inspired, if I may say so myself. I'm not good at getting the right gifts, but since I have so much history with my mom, it was just a matter of searching for something from our past. When I was very young, my mother was a graphic designer before she was a piano teacher. That meant that we have really interesting artistic books lying around our apartment. I ignored those; my favorites were my mother's collection of pop-up books. I think I broke a couple because I got a little over-zealous with the popping-up. So I haven't seen a pop-up book in years, and my mom stopping collecting them I think. But I bought a Chronicles of Narnia pop-up book for her– there's some pretty amazing stuff in there actually, like the Lion literally looks like he is climbing out of the page. Unfortunately, I didn't any pictures of it before sending it to her, so you would just have to use your imagination.

In addition to my mom's birthday, it was also my friend, Marissa's (really, it was in June, but close enough-I got her one of my favorite books); my boyfriend's (got him a harmonica- he wants to learn to play it); Paulina's (an orange scarf- it was a color she would never buy for herself and therefore needed it as a gift); and Magda's birthday (a Paris-inspired coaster: Her reaction when she saw the very posh French lady painted on the porcelain was, "Does this remind you of me?" It actually kinda does because Magda is very stylish and dignified.) There are a couple folks whose birthdays I'm forgetting (it's not like they read this anyway), but those people were the only ones I got gifts for (final parentheses.)

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I'm broke.

I Kept Calling Them "Horse-ys"

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 least I am honest.

Anyway, we got to the Belmont Stakes around 2 pm, and the tracks looked so beautiful. We had been getting gross rain all that week, but Saturday, the skies were clear and the sun was actually out. There were many races going on before the actual race, so the boyfriend and his friends betted on a bunch of them. For The Race, the boyfriend and I put in a total of $25 on Dunkirk- he really seemed to have great faith in Dunkirk and since I am no race expert, I shrugged and just gave him $5. If Dunkirk didn't win, I wouldn't have lost that much, and I would have gotten in the spirit of screaming at the horses.

If you can't tell, I don't know very much about horse racing, or betting, or anything. I mean, I guess my terminology "The Race" really gives it away. But one of Boyfriend's friend tried to give me a crash course in betting. It was just really confusing to me, and he was trying to make it sound simple. He explained it by using the bets that he and another friend had just placed as an example. They had put money on both No. 2 and No. 4. If either of those horses come in first, they win something. If not, they don't.

I think it was the idea that you could bet on multiple horses that confused me so much. I responded, after his very lengthy explanation, by asking, "So do you get anything if you lose?" He had this look of confusion on his face then he started cracking up. Apparently, what I said was incredibly funny because he went and told his other friends and they all laughed at me too. I just kinda stood there protesting that I know nothing about betting. I really felt like a dunce.

That's not to say that I know nothing about horses. When I was about 13, I used to take horse-riding lessons and I used to love it. We eventually had to stop because the lessons just got to be too much money. I think part of the reason why I avoided horse-racing is because I just don't believe that horses should be forced to go that fast. Plus you hear all these stories, like how owners push the horses so hard until they end up with a broken leg and must be immediately put down. It breaks my heart. So I was relieved when I saw that all the horses at the Belmont stadium were incredibly healthy-looking. When we got down to the show stables, where people got a closer look at the horses, I caught a whiff of horse poop and hay, and you have no idea how comforting that smell is to me. Honest, I'm not trying to be funny! That smell just brings back memories of me grooming horses in Evanston and how much I enjoyed it back then.

Behind the spectator stands, there is an open area outside where everyone was having picnics and just drunkenly milling about before The Race starts. That, I think, is probably my favorite part of the Belmont Stakes. There were also food stands and beer carts! I got really excited by all the food and beer, and I think I dropped way too much money on booze- they totally upcharge it because people aren't allowed to bring alcohol into the Belmont stadium. In the picture, it looks like I am reaching for the girl's beer, but I promise I wasn't.

Around 6:30 ish (they announced a very exact time, like 6:27 or something), The Race began! I was actually kind of excited in the beginning because it looked like Dunkirk was the horse that was pressing forward. But then toward the last leg of the run, he dropped back and came in third (I think.) Boo. Oh well. Boyfriend and his friends had actually betted on the horse that won, but because the odds were not that great, they ended up winning a dollar (on top of the $11 they each put in, which means technically, they got $12.)

After the race, we took a train back to Brooklyn and ended up at a cute bar/restaurant on 5th ave called Alchemy. I got macaroni and cheese (they called it shells and cheese but whatever) and it was delicious. I think they use white cheddar as their cheese, and there are little bacon bits and peas mixed in with the shells. It was the perfect gooey/cheesy end to the day.

My next weekend away actually starts today, if everything goes as planned. I am a little sick right now, but if I feel better by 5 pm, the Boyfriend and I will be heading to Ocean City, NJ, to join a group of my ex-co-interns at our boss' beach house. I know it sounds bizarre, but my boss basically invited all of us down as a thank-you present. Hopefully I would have fully recovered by then so that I can make it.

Here's What's Been Going On

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 May. She was only in the city for three days, but we crammed a lot of quality time in. While her first trip here three years ago was a bit of a shit show, this past visit was quite a bit calmer. She got to see my apartment, meet my boyfriend, and meet the friends I have spoken to her about. iIt was great to see Cynthia and spend time with her, even if we did no partying. She really is my better half– nicer, more patient, and very cute. My friends were glad to finally meet her and confirm that she does indeed exist.

She and I didn't even take pictures to document our time together! This pictures is from my friend Magda. This was the night that Cynthia met most of the Prague gang, which should have guaranteed a drunken night of shots and makeout seshes (My friends are cool) but she and I ended up calling it an early night because I hadn't slept the night before, and she had flew in on a red-eye.

The day after Cynthia left New York, my mother came into town. I was going to graduate in two days and she arrived just in time to give my apartment a spring cleaning. She did, however, say that my place was a lot cleaner than she expected, compared to the last few places I lived in with my roommates. Oh well, I guess a back-handed compliment from my mother is like the greatest compliment ever.

And so that pesky graduation thing happened, and it was long and boring and I fell asleep during the actual ceremony (due to another all-nighter, of course)

I took no pictures during my graduation, and this is once again from Magda. As you can see, Paulina is on the other end taking the same picture from a different angle. That means there is more than one picture up on Facebook showcasing my lack of a chin. I told my mom after the ceremony that I fell asleep during Hilary Clinton's speech (I'm still gonna brag about her even if I wasn't awake for it) and she said, "Oh. Me too."

But hey! I have matriculated! Commencement is over and I can now commence with Real Life. I'd say that the day called for champagne and whiskey and a drunken game of darts! Instead, my mom and I lunched at my uncle's apartment and played with his new baby (I say it like he just got the Wii.) Then we took a short nap at his place before heading downtown to NYU Skirball Center for a dance performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company.

It's been a long time since I've seen a dance performance, and MGDC was just such a treat. This is going to sound weird, but during the performance, I kept thinking, "I want to go home and blog about how amazing this show is right now." But obviously, I didn't. It's just so hard to put into words the awe I have for these people who are able to express so much with their bodies and movements. The style was nothing like I have seen before– the movements were sharp and graceful (is that possible? I never thought so) and it all seemed so simple but there was so much emotion conveyed in a single arm-sweepy gesture. There was this beautiful, heart-breaking performance by two female dancers who were trying to depict war ("Lamentation Variation") and instead of the cliched heart-pounding fury of movements that I expected, it was almost painful to watch because I could see the story of confusion and tragedy behind their movements. How in the world is it possible for me to want to cry when I watch that, and yet be unable to tear my eyes away?

I actually just youtubed some videos but I decided against putting them up because it's just not the same. Honestly, talking about dance is like dancing about architecture so I'm just going to leave you with this: Catch a performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company if they are in your city.

Since my mom left New York, I have been completely caught up with work. I waitress several times a week, and it is surprisingly time-and-energy-consuming. My mom sent me an email this week advising me to take some time for myself, maybe do yoga or start up dance classes again. It was sweet of her to try and convince me to have some me-time, but my life still feels unreal. I'm still in transition, still trying assess my ("real") job situation, still trying to get a grip on my life. Today, I was chatting with some former co-workers and one of them said, "Everyone always thinks graduation is such a joyous occasion, but I remember being absolutely horrified with having to immediately deal with life. I don't envy you."

Friends in The City!

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 can't see in this picture, which was taken at prom, is that I was sea sick for the majority of prom and therefore moody.

Katie came to the city last week for her spring break and it was just so nice seeing her and bringing her to the places that I love. I took her and her friend, Taylor, to Grey Dog Cafe, and she had my favorite sandwich that comes with brie, granny-smith apple, turkey, and raspberry mustard (which is key to the sandwich.) I also took her to Cafe Orlin, which is this delightful restaurant in the East Village that has such a homey feeling, and exposed brick interior. And of course, the food is really good- if anyone makes it there, I recommend the salmon, or the cuban sandwich.

Having Katie here also encouraged me to go to some new places that I wouldn't normally go. We drank up a storm (bartender gave us pretty girls free drinks, as you can see from that picture there) at Off The Wagon, a frat-a-licious establishment that I've only been once before and had judged it quite unfairly since my second experience there with Katie was a lot of fun.

Next month, my best friend Cynthia is coming to visit! She would only be in town for three days, but it would be right before my graduation which means I would not have any homework to deal with while she's here. I am so excited, and I have already started making a list of places that I have to take her. She is no stranger to New York though. The last time she visited was during my freshman year, and one of the places I took her was to a salsa bar in Brooklyn (that place has since closed down.) The night ended in a diner, in which she later informed me that she puked in the bathroom- hardly her fault, I say, since the bartender at the salsa bar was sneaking her drinks when no one was looking.

I can't wait for Cynthia to come!

This Will Not Be A Quick One: My Ode To New Journalism

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 who do know me know that I love journalism and everything to do with it. Those who know me better know that I am an old man when it comes to it– I have always preferred print, even if I do enjoy blogging. So you can imagine my sadness when I read articles about the impending demise of print or how the greatest newspaper is strategizing on how to survive to recession.

But last night, something happened at New York University– or more specifically, at NYU Local– that has made me so excited about the future of journalism. Take Back NYU!, a student-run group, barricaded themselves into the Kimmel Center (for non-NYUers, that acts sort of like a resource center/cafeteria/study area/hangout spot) in order to get their demands met by NYU. They are conducting a sit-in, ladies and gents, like New School did last year to protest against their president. But that's not why I am excited.

Here's why I am excited: My editors at NYU Local heard about it on Tuesday so they planned to get Charlie Eisenhood, the National Editor, to be in Kimmel with his laptop, camera, and camcorder so that he could follow this entire thing. So since 9 pm on February 18, Charlie has been at Kimmel live-blogging his heart out for all the world to see (and criticize, if you check out some of the comments.) He has added pictures, conducted interviews with various members of TBNYU!, and put up videos of the barricades being barged by students wanting to join the protests. And yes, it's not a hundred percent objective, a la The New York Times, but it is so easy to read and follow everything that is going on with Charlie's easy wit and matter-of-fact observations.

Not only that, NYU Local has supplemented Charlie's live-blogging with other related posts, like the op-eds from each differing end, the surveys on whether or not kids or going to get arrested, student opinions of the TBNYU! sit-in! This is an entirely new and interactive way to experience news, and I am absolutely going crazy for it! There is so much to know and so much to read, and some might complain it's an information-overload, but I think that if you don't want to read it, just don't click it. It's so easy and yet so much fun.

The sit-in has entered its 30th hour, and Charlie has just signed off stating sleep as a reason (Sleep is for the weak!- I kid. Charlie might be my new hero.) But I have been absolutely exhilarated throughout this entire thing, refreshing and re-refreshing my page and the NYU Local Twitter page for new information like my life depends on that periodic click of my mouse.

Is it because I care about TBNYU!'s demands being answered, or even about Kimmel being taken over? Hell to the no: I think TBNYU! is wasting their time and NYU's resources; and I never go to Kimmel anyway. But I care so much about this production because it has finally shown me that there is hope for new journalism. It's not going to be all about snarkiness and super-biased opinions from some supposed expert. In the last day and a half, NYU Local has shown me that blogging the news can actually be productive, informative, and educational. And sure, there was some sarcasm from Charlie's end, but that's what made his posts so addicting. He was never either malicious or excitedly supportive (except when it came to the food being brought in for protesters) about TBNYU!'s agenda. I think Charlie steered a great middle between being newspaper-objective and omg-bloggzz-unobjective, and it just makes me so happy to be able to see this at work.

Is my optimism coming a little too soon? I don't know. And please, don't label me as a total convert to new journalism. The newspaper is irreplaceable in my heart and I will always love the feeling of getting the paper in the morning (before it gets stolen- YES!) But I think that whatever comes next could really add to the newspaper, not suffocate it.

That is, if newspapers don't choke themselves to debt before it happens.

Pest Control Overkill

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.

Singapore Over Winter Break– Long Overdue

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 recognize, which was rather sad for me because, in a strange way, it made me feel less Singaporean. I guess that's what happens when you leave a country for more than 8 years.



This was one of my favorite shots of Singapore. I find it really hard to shoot at night because I hate using flash but I don't have a tripod so everything usually comes out blurry. But I liked this shot alot because of how everything is dark and orange.


Chinatown is all decked out for Chinese New Year, which was so early this year. It was like in the end of January/beginning of February– Chinese New Year usually falls in mid February so this year was extremely unusual.


Singapore Supreme Court.

Piano In The Subway

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.

Pixelated New York City

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, who is an artist who has previously designed covers for the New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine. He is also the author of a fun Chinese children's book, The Pet Dragon, that teaches Chinese characters to children.


I used to work near this street, so the above image is quite accurate.



The waitress in me smiles at this.


Honestly, any person who tries to make learning Chinese easier for children is good in my book.