I keep thinking about where my "last" destination in life would be, and obviously that always depends on what job I end up loving, who I end up marrying, where I want to raise my future kiddos, any all that jazz.
I thought about NYC - a lovely condo, living the city life with my family so I never have to give it up.
I thought about Asia - being close to my roots, my culture, and make sure my kids don't get lost in translation.
I thought about Texas - but that thought quickly ended. I'll always be about TX pride, but not sure if that's where I want my permanent home to be.
I thought about New Zealand - all because of the 2 week roadtrip during college and got me obsessed with the beauty of it all.
I thought about West Coast - sunny, beautiful...yes...
I even thought about Portland - all sorts of things I read about that city - the arts, the nature, the laid back and simplicity of it all.
And at the end of 'it all,' I cannot stop picturing myself in large house close to the mountains, lots of tall trees in the backyard, sunny, cool and dry, fresh breath of air, warm cup of tea in the morning, thinking about a hike during the summer time and a ski run down the mountains during winter, hit up a film fest, cozy up at the best Italian restaurant in town when my best friends are in town. All I want, is to be somewhere that's down to earth, close to nature but not void of the arts and activity, peaceful but equally inspiring.
We all live in a world full of fun distractions, happy hours, club nights, housewarmings, birthday parties, premiere parties - countless gatherings of people for special occasions. Then you start to question how exactly each occasion contributes to you being a better, more whole person. I love to socialize, I love to talk to people who mean a lot to me, but definitely need to strip some of that down and focus on the important things. And hopefully, that end vision of mine just might come true!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
Love Affair with My Mama
5 days until Mama Yuan graces me with her presence. And instead of devoting copious amounts of time and energy putting together scrapbooks, planning birthdays for my best friends, I spent days planning our mother/daughter itinerary. What does she like to eat? What yoga classes can we take? What NYC events can we explore?
My best friend asked me one day how I view the relationship with Mama Yuan. Something in me spurred me to respond immediately:
"My mom has completely transformed from being my mother to my best friend."
But the truth is - she isn't the one who transformed.
I was 22 years old when the first step to my transformation arrived - I wished it had been sooner, but there was a time for everything - I was grateful I received my gateway then. Somewhere between the braces or high school partying or getting good grades or all those swim/piano/singing/guitar/anything-i-wanted lessons, I always managed to shrug her off. Suddenly out of an ordinary homesick moment, I gave her my undivided attention where a hug became a passionate and love-filled embrace, and tears of frustration became tears of disbelief, respect and gratitude.
Somewhere - she got my attention with her stories - the ones I hope to write a poem, a story, a song about, or share with my kids. I marveled at how meticulous my mother revealed stories one by one in order of severity - what was appropriate for me at the time. But every piece she fed me, she compared herself to me - that I was her in some ways and in other ways more than her. I could not possibly imagine how I would be "more than her." She's the perfect mother, the perfect mix of lessons, laughs, all give / no take mentality, and the necessary tempers that made the mix feel so real, that made me understand the ingredients that made me who I am.
On the motherhood track, I always expected the nagging, the home cooked meals, the unconditional love that my "mother" provided.
But on friendship track, I craved the moments where "best friends" bared each others souls in the most naked way with no substitutions.
Mom - I cannot wait to show you my 10 day itinerary and spend those days being BFFs.
My best friend asked me one day how I view the relationship with Mama Yuan. Something in me spurred me to respond immediately:
"My mom has completely transformed from being my mother to my best friend."
But the truth is - she isn't the one who transformed.
I was 22 years old when the first step to my transformation arrived - I wished it had been sooner, but there was a time for everything - I was grateful I received my gateway then. Somewhere between the braces or high school partying or getting good grades or all those swim/piano/singing/guitar/anything-i-wanted lessons, I always managed to shrug her off. Suddenly out of an ordinary homesick moment, I gave her my undivided attention where a hug became a passionate and love-filled embrace, and tears of frustration became tears of disbelief, respect and gratitude.
Somewhere - she got my attention with her stories - the ones I hope to write a poem, a story, a song about, or share with my kids. I marveled at how meticulous my mother revealed stories one by one in order of severity - what was appropriate for me at the time. But every piece she fed me, she compared herself to me - that I was her in some ways and in other ways more than her. I could not possibly imagine how I would be "more than her." She's the perfect mother, the perfect mix of lessons, laughs, all give / no take mentality, and the necessary tempers that made the mix feel so real, that made me understand the ingredients that made me who I am.
On the motherhood track, I always expected the nagging, the home cooked meals, the unconditional love that my "mother" provided.
But on friendship track, I craved the moments where "best friends" bared each others souls in the most naked way with no substitutions.
Mom - I cannot wait to show you my 10 day itinerary and spend those days being BFFs.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
And I'm back for arts and crafts
Yesterday after an inspiring morning of yoga, coffee+scone, and strolling along the Hudson, I went home, took a close look at my room, and spent an entire day re-styling my old t-shirts. I drew designs and measured, hemmed and trimmed, hand sewed stitches and buttons, the whole she-bang for like...1 t-shirt. I thought I would've done 5 by the end of the day, but I forgot how long it takes to sew without using a sewing machine. And even if I did have a sewing machine, it'd take longer to learn how to use it.
Anyhow the "inspiration" really came from me trying to budget strictly, vowing not to shop for clothes and shoes until August 2010. That's like, Lent on steroids, considering I haven't bought any clothes for 3 months already. I can be spiritual, see?
Then as I'm hacking away at this one "Greensburg, Kansas" t-shirt, I thought, if this go well, I can totally set up a shop and sell templated recycled t-shirt designs. Then for every t-shirt sold, I would do something related to non-profit. Like Tom's shoes - you buy a pair, he gives a pair to the needy. Then I was thinking, well what about all the other different projects that I've always bulleted in my head? I should think about creating a web destination that's just all about the "pieces" of my life. See below:
- A random animated comic series I dreamed up in college - I found scraps and pieces of a business plan I wrote on napkins and note pads and Word docs.
- Recycled t-shirts for sale and a non-profit tie-in that I can relate to
- This darn blog - just seeing that I haven't written a darn post over a year ago is disheartening, but life is full of distractions and complications, so why mope over it? I'm in this whole "Act now!" mode. See what old t-shirts can do to you?
- A "making of" video series on the screenplay I wrote (again, back in college). I finished Act 1, based on a short story I wrote. Now I need to dig through that box labeled "College Stuff" and actually finish something for once, considering I'm reading three different books, a chapter here, a few pages there, and then I just think to myself. Fuck. I'm never going to finish any of these books before Book 4 comes along and sweeps me off my feet.
- A whole series documenting my sometimes twisted budgeting tactics (i.e. make sure you have a willing mom to participate in the "freezer food for your kid" program where she cooks all the food you love as a child, put 'em in ziploc bags, freeze them, put 'em in that cooler bag you take with you on the plane back to wherever you're going. Then live off it for a long time.)
- And something else. There's gotta be. I just don't know what it is now. And I always try and find ways to complicate my life more.
With all the hours put into my day job, the co-workers go-away and birthday parties at the local pubs, the clubbin' days, brunch/lunch/shoppin/dinner/dancin with the gfs, I feel a certain guilt to purge a lot of that. But then again, how can I deliver against any of my own aspirations if I spend my time on everything else?
I've finally wiped the dust off my desk, the rather unwieldy and large one I bought 5 years ago thinking I'll be drawing and writing all over it like it was my own work studio. It felt so good, that there is no going back.
Anyhow the "inspiration" really came from me trying to budget strictly, vowing not to shop for clothes and shoes until August 2010. That's like, Lent on steroids, considering I haven't bought any clothes for 3 months already. I can be spiritual, see?
Then as I'm hacking away at this one "Greensburg, Kansas" t-shirt, I thought, if this go well, I can totally set up a shop and sell templated recycled t-shirt designs. Then for every t-shirt sold, I would do something related to non-profit. Like Tom's shoes - you buy a pair, he gives a pair to the needy. Then I was thinking, well what about all the other different projects that I've always bulleted in my head? I should think about creating a web destination that's just all about the "pieces" of my life. See below:
- A random animated comic series I dreamed up in college - I found scraps and pieces of a business plan I wrote on napkins and note pads and Word docs.
- Recycled t-shirts for sale and a non-profit tie-in that I can relate to
- This darn blog - just seeing that I haven't written a darn post over a year ago is disheartening, but life is full of distractions and complications, so why mope over it? I'm in this whole "Act now!" mode. See what old t-shirts can do to you?
- A "making of" video series on the screenplay I wrote (again, back in college). I finished Act 1, based on a short story I wrote. Now I need to dig through that box labeled "College Stuff" and actually finish something for once, considering I'm reading three different books, a chapter here, a few pages there, and then I just think to myself. Fuck. I'm never going to finish any of these books before Book 4 comes along and sweeps me off my feet.
- A whole series documenting my sometimes twisted budgeting tactics (i.e. make sure you have a willing mom to participate in the "freezer food for your kid" program where she cooks all the food you love as a child, put 'em in ziploc bags, freeze them, put 'em in that cooler bag you take with you on the plane back to wherever you're going. Then live off it for a long time.)
- And something else. There's gotta be. I just don't know what it is now. And I always try and find ways to complicate my life more.
With all the hours put into my day job, the co-workers go-away and birthday parties at the local pubs, the clubbin' days, brunch/lunch/shoppin/dinner/dancin with the gfs, I feel a certain guilt to purge a lot of that. But then again, how can I deliver against any of my own aspirations if I spend my time on everything else?
I've finally wiped the dust off my desk, the rather unwieldy and large one I bought 5 years ago thinking I'll be drawing and writing all over it like it was my own work studio. It felt so good, that there is no going back.
Monday, April 06, 2009
My Picks for Tribeca Film Fest 2009
In case you missed all the posts I write in general about movies, watching movies, movie marathoning, bleh & blah, here's a list of films (and descriptions lifted from www.tribecafilm.com) I'm excited to watch for TFF this year. I don't really have a method of choosing a film. As for process I just read through the program, star everything I want to see, cross check with some friends, and eliminate backwards based on how much cha-ching I have.
Yep - this would be about 15 films in 12 days. YEP YEP YEP YEP!
Outrage
Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated) delivers a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. Outrage boldly reveals the hidden lives of some of our nation's most powerful policymakers, details the harm they've inflicted on millions of Americans, and examines the media's complicity in keeping their secrets.
Newsmakers
In this fast-paced remake of Johnnie To's Breaking News, the public confidence of the police force is compromised after they botch catching a gang of robbers and it gets captured on camera. In retaliation, the police chief and PR director decide to create a live reality show with a search-and-destroy operation against the gang they let get away. This crime thriller is loaded with loud gunfights and action that takes the term "media war" to a whole new level.
Rudo y Cursi
Stars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna and producers Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy), and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel) present a splendid, riotous film about a pair of thickheaded stepbrothers whose rivalry takes them from their jobs on a small-town banana ranch to star spots on opposing soccer teams.
P Star Rising
In the early '80s, Jesse Diaz was a rising star in the hip-hop world. Now a broke single father in Harlem with two children to support, Jesse finds a shot at redemption in his nine-year-old daughter Priscilla Star, a precocious and immensely talented rapper. Director Gabriel Noble follows four years of father-daughter ups and downs as they navigate the grit and the glamour of the music biz.
Burning Down the House - CGBG
Fueled by vintage performances by the likes of Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Television, Bad Brains, and The Ramones, this doc charts the history and far-reaching influence of iconic downtown club CBGB and its fight for survival against the Bowery homeless shelter that sought to shut it down. Sonic Youth, Debbie Harry, Ice-T, Fab 5 Freddy, and others share their passion for the anything-goes spirit of the club and its founder, Hilly Kristal.
Lost Son of Havana
Luis Tiant never anticipated spending a half-century in exile from Cuba. Torn between his career and his homeland, he went on to become one of baseball's top pitchers, heating up the mound for (among others) the Red Sox and Yankees. Director Jonathan Hock follows Tiant on his return to Cuba for the first time, capturing an inspiring and profound portrait of one of game's greatest heroes.
Shorts: Means to an End
Everyone's just trying to make it through another day in these short films.
Films include 3 Wheels, Almost Every Day, Café Paraíso, The Company Man, Deconstruction Workers, Glock, and Oda a la Piña.
Eclipse
Award-winning screenwriter and Tony-nominated playwright McPherson crafts an exquisite atmospheric drama about a widower (Ciarán Hinds, Munich) who sees and hears strange things in his house. His life converges with a beautiful author of supernatural fiction (Iben Hjejle, High Fidelity) and a full-of-himself pop novelist (Aidan Quinn) at an international literary festival that will alter their lives in surprising ways.
Good Guy
Rising Wall Street star Tommy (Scott Porter) has it all: looks, charm, money, and a budding romance (Alexis Bledel). But when he teaches a seemingly hapless coworker (Bryan Greenberg) the ways of money and seduction, Tommy may become the unwitting agent of his own downfall. This true insider view of Wall Street culture explores what it means to be 'good.' The answer just might surprise you.
TiMER
Finding true love is easier than ever thanks to a bio-technological implant called the TiMER, which counts down to the exact time people meet their soul mates. Love-starved Oona (Emma Caulfield, TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is pushing 30, but her TiMER hasn't even started counting down yet. What's worse, she's falling for a guy (John Patrick Amedori, Gossip Girl) who is set to meet his true love in four months. Newcomer Jac Schaeffer crafts a smart romantic comedy that leaves behind the burning question... would you want to know?
My Last Five Girlfriends
Based on the international best seller On Love by Alain de Botton, this delightful romantic comedy explores with delicious wit and whimsy just how modern urban relationships go wrong. Surveying the wreckage of his last five relationships, thirtysomething Duncan (Brendan Patricks) concludes that love is a battleground where only the fittest survive.
Girlfriend Experience
Director Steven Soderbergh follows five days in the life of a $2,000-an-hour Manhattan call girl (adult film star Sasha Grey) who thinks she has her life totally under control. She even has a devoted boyfriend who accepts her lifestyle. But when you're in the business of meeting people, you never know who you're going to meet next.
Fish Child (El niño pez)
Likened to a bold Argentine Thelma and Louise, Lucía Puenzo's follow-up to her Cannes winner XXY wraps a passionate love story in the arms of a pulsating thriller. When an upper-class Argentine falls for her family's sultry Paraguayan maid, the two make plans to run away together, but their hope for escape is derailed when shocking secrets become unveiled.
My Dear Enemy (Meozzin Haru)
Lee Yoon-Ki's (This Charming Girl) deadpan comedy trails a pair of former lovers—he's a romantic and she's a realist—who bump into each other one year down the road. She wants back a hunk of cash she lent him, so they spend the day winding through downtown Seoul on a hilarious mission to collect his old debts.
Kobe Doin' Work
With unprecedented access and utilizing 30 cameras, Spike Lee brings the audience onto the court with superstar Kobe Bryant as his Lakers battle the Spurs in a game with major playoff implications. Through pre-game prep, fast breaks, team huddles, and post-game interviews, it's just another day at the office for one of the NBA's best.
Yep - this would be about 15 films in 12 days. YEP YEP YEP YEP!
Outrage
Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated) delivers a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. Outrage boldly reveals the hidden lives of some of our nation's most powerful policymakers, details the harm they've inflicted on millions of Americans, and examines the media's complicity in keeping their secrets.
Newsmakers
In this fast-paced remake of Johnnie To's Breaking News, the public confidence of the police force is compromised after they botch catching a gang of robbers and it gets captured on camera. In retaliation, the police chief and PR director decide to create a live reality show with a search-and-destroy operation against the gang they let get away. This crime thriller is loaded with loud gunfights and action that takes the term "media war" to a whole new level.
Rudo y Cursi
Stars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna and producers Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy), and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel) present a splendid, riotous film about a pair of thickheaded stepbrothers whose rivalry takes them from their jobs on a small-town banana ranch to star spots on opposing soccer teams.
P Star Rising
In the early '80s, Jesse Diaz was a rising star in the hip-hop world. Now a broke single father in Harlem with two children to support, Jesse finds a shot at redemption in his nine-year-old daughter Priscilla Star, a precocious and immensely talented rapper. Director Gabriel Noble follows four years of father-daughter ups and downs as they navigate the grit and the glamour of the music biz.
Burning Down the House - CGBG
Fueled by vintage performances by the likes of Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Television, Bad Brains, and The Ramones, this doc charts the history and far-reaching influence of iconic downtown club CBGB and its fight for survival against the Bowery homeless shelter that sought to shut it down. Sonic Youth, Debbie Harry, Ice-T, Fab 5 Freddy, and others share their passion for the anything-goes spirit of the club and its founder, Hilly Kristal.
Lost Son of Havana
Luis Tiant never anticipated spending a half-century in exile from Cuba. Torn between his career and his homeland, he went on to become one of baseball's top pitchers, heating up the mound for (among others) the Red Sox and Yankees. Director Jonathan Hock follows Tiant on his return to Cuba for the first time, capturing an inspiring and profound portrait of one of game's greatest heroes.
Shorts: Means to an End
Everyone's just trying to make it through another day in these short films.
Films include 3 Wheels, Almost Every Day, Café Paraíso, The Company Man, Deconstruction Workers, Glock, and Oda a la Piña.
Eclipse
Award-winning screenwriter and Tony-nominated playwright McPherson crafts an exquisite atmospheric drama about a widower (Ciarán Hinds, Munich) who sees and hears strange things in his house. His life converges with a beautiful author of supernatural fiction (Iben Hjejle, High Fidelity) and a full-of-himself pop novelist (Aidan Quinn) at an international literary festival that will alter their lives in surprising ways.
Good Guy
Rising Wall Street star Tommy (Scott Porter) has it all: looks, charm, money, and a budding romance (Alexis Bledel). But when he teaches a seemingly hapless coworker (Bryan Greenberg) the ways of money and seduction, Tommy may become the unwitting agent of his own downfall. This true insider view of Wall Street culture explores what it means to be 'good.' The answer just might surprise you.
TiMER
Finding true love is easier than ever thanks to a bio-technological implant called the TiMER, which counts down to the exact time people meet their soul mates. Love-starved Oona (Emma Caulfield, TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is pushing 30, but her TiMER hasn't even started counting down yet. What's worse, she's falling for a guy (John Patrick Amedori, Gossip Girl) who is set to meet his true love in four months. Newcomer Jac Schaeffer crafts a smart romantic comedy that leaves behind the burning question... would you want to know?
My Last Five Girlfriends
Based on the international best seller On Love by Alain de Botton, this delightful romantic comedy explores with delicious wit and whimsy just how modern urban relationships go wrong. Surveying the wreckage of his last five relationships, thirtysomething Duncan (Brendan Patricks) concludes that love is a battleground where only the fittest survive.
Girlfriend Experience
Director Steven Soderbergh follows five days in the life of a $2,000-an-hour Manhattan call girl (adult film star Sasha Grey) who thinks she has her life totally under control. She even has a devoted boyfriend who accepts her lifestyle. But when you're in the business of meeting people, you never know who you're going to meet next.
Fish Child (El niño pez)
Likened to a bold Argentine Thelma and Louise, Lucía Puenzo's follow-up to her Cannes winner XXY wraps a passionate love story in the arms of a pulsating thriller. When an upper-class Argentine falls for her family's sultry Paraguayan maid, the two make plans to run away together, but their hope for escape is derailed when shocking secrets become unveiled.
My Dear Enemy (Meozzin Haru)
Lee Yoon-Ki's (This Charming Girl) deadpan comedy trails a pair of former lovers—he's a romantic and she's a realist—who bump into each other one year down the road. She wants back a hunk of cash she lent him, so they spend the day winding through downtown Seoul on a hilarious mission to collect his old debts.
Kobe Doin' Work
With unprecedented access and utilizing 30 cameras, Spike Lee brings the audience onto the court with superstar Kobe Bryant as his Lakers battle the Spurs in a game with major playoff implications. Through pre-game prep, fast breaks, team huddles, and post-game interviews, it's just another day at the office for one of the NBA's best.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Places to Eat in NYC
I don't think I'll ever be able to even come up with a top 50 places to eat in NYC because there are so many, but there are a number of places that I tend to crave or if someone visits, I tell them to go check out:
Chicken & Rice - obviously the one on 53rd at 6th Ave across from Hilton Hotel is the most popular, but there are multiple ones that I don't even know which is the right one. So my safest and wisest choice is to go to the one right across the street from where I live at Water and Wall St. The Halal food between the magazine stand and Subway is pretty top notch. Yogurt and hot sauces are a must.
Lenny's - awesome sandwich chain - hands down. delish.
Basta Pasta - Most awesome Italian restaurant with Japanese twists to most dishes. I went so many times my friends got me a gift card. My faves are Sea Urchin Linguine, and Reggiano and Parma prosciutto, served in half a wheel of Parmesan cheese at table)
Old Homestead - Yummy Parmesan cheese tower, fantastic medium rare steaks, appetizers are all reaaaally good. Main dishes? stick to the steak.
Peter Luger - The steak is great, I'm confirming this. I'm a big steak eater, and make no mistake, this is the experience. Also creamed spinach is surprisingly delish, especially for a person who hates greens.
Pommes Frites - 123 2nd Ave between St. Mark's and 7th Street. All sorts of yummy Belgian fries!!
Rai Rai Ken - tiniest little ramen place, but any place with a loyalty card is pretty solid - only offers 3 types of ramen and a few appetizers. But in the end a Shoyu Ramen does it just right.
Tebaya - 144 W.19th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue. Yummy Japanese Fried Chicken Wings and croquettes
Taisho - on St Marks between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. There are 2 of these owned by the same people. All home cook Japanese dishes and very popular place to eat. Every time if it's a group of people, I know exactly what top 10 dishes you must order. And if you want to find out, then you better invite me!!!
Xe Lua - speaking of "just right", no one can ever say no to PHO (pronounced phuh, not fo peeps). When in doubt, a bowl of pho will fix it. I always order pho with beef and extra tendon, spring rolls *drool*, and Vietnamese coffee, but there's quite a lot of yummy dishes on their menu!
K-Town - Shilla, Kunjip, and Arang are my faves. Although Arang is topping it only because it serves Duk Bok Gi (rice cakes) with Bulgogi (marinated beef), Kimchi (spiced cabbage), and CHEEEEEEESE! Korean pizza if you want to draw a comparison.
ViVi - 49 Bayard St btween Bowery and Elizabeth St. If you like bubble tea, try a Pudding Milk Tea here. SO GOOD :-)
Go Go Curry - 273 W. 38th Street near 8th Avenue. Really good Japanese Curry dishes!!! They also worship Matsui.
Wondee Siam - Definitely the best Thai restaurant I've been to in NYC. If you know someone who speaks Thai, then for sure you have to go with them for some nice class A treatment (aka Lily Panchasarp's parents)
Shake Shack - SE corner of Madison Square Park, near Madison Avenue and 23rd Street. Really popular outdoor burger joint in Madison Square Park (the park, not the sports arena). Order a burger and a shake!
Better Burger - But if it's too cold, then you might want to head over to Better Burger at 18th Street and Broadway (and all across the city). I would get a regular burger with the "works" or a portobello mushroom burger.
Pinkberry - Yes, Pinkberry version. Tart, yummy, not too many choices, but just right. Fave toppings: Rice cakes, any fruit, Fruity Pebbles
Venieros - 342 East 11th Street & 1st Ave. Awesome cheesecake! Your best bet is by far the New York Cheesecake. Everything else is pretty blah :)
Dessert Truck - Parked right at St. Mark's and 3rd Avenue. REALLY awesome desserts. My fave is their choco molten cake with sea salt.
Pizza 33 - 33rd Street at 3rd Avenue. Order a slice of lasagna pizza - YUM.
Grimaldi's Pizza - in Brooklyn, if you walk the Bridge it's pretty much under the bridge (19 Old Fulton St. under the Brooklyn Bridge). Full of tourists unfortunately, but it's all about those tiny thicker pepperoni slices, so if you know another place that has those, then go there. Folding pizza slices in half and eating them like a sandwich is my favorite pastime.
Pizza & Other - honestly I'm just infatuated with pizza. So anywhere with thin crust, I'm good to go. Even ordering from Pizza Hut or Papa Johns. The best part of ordering a whole pie, is the load of cold pizza you'll get for the next day. Other than pizza, I'm pretty good to go with any brunch place, hot dog place and Indian restaurant that serves Rogan Josh. :-)
Please don't call me a foodie - I'm not really a critic, I actually eat anything and everything, but I just tend to crave the above a lil' more.
And now I feel famished. Going home to find scraps of food to take a bite into. Need to stay true to my Money Spendin' Guidelines, because I was not very good this past weekend. :-(
Chicken & Rice - obviously the one on 53rd at 6th Ave across from Hilton Hotel is the most popular, but there are multiple ones that I don't even know which is the right one. So my safest and wisest choice is to go to the one right across the street from where I live at Water and Wall St. The Halal food between the magazine stand and Subway is pretty top notch. Yogurt and hot sauces are a must.
Lenny's - awesome sandwich chain - hands down. delish.
Basta Pasta - Most awesome Italian restaurant with Japanese twists to most dishes. I went so many times my friends got me a gift card. My faves are Sea Urchin Linguine, and Reggiano and Parma prosciutto, served in half a wheel of Parmesan cheese at table)
Old Homestead - Yummy Parmesan cheese tower, fantastic medium rare steaks, appetizers are all reaaaally good. Main dishes? stick to the steak.
Peter Luger - The steak is great, I'm confirming this. I'm a big steak eater, and make no mistake, this is the experience. Also creamed spinach is surprisingly delish, especially for a person who hates greens.
Pommes Frites - 123 2nd Ave between St. Mark's and 7th Street. All sorts of yummy Belgian fries!!
Rai Rai Ken - tiniest little ramen place, but any place with a loyalty card is pretty solid - only offers 3 types of ramen and a few appetizers. But in the end a Shoyu Ramen does it just right.
Tebaya - 144 W.19th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue. Yummy Japanese Fried Chicken Wings and croquettes
Taisho - on St Marks between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. There are 2 of these owned by the same people. All home cook Japanese dishes and very popular place to eat. Every time if it's a group of people, I know exactly what top 10 dishes you must order. And if you want to find out, then you better invite me!!!
Xe Lua - speaking of "just right", no one can ever say no to PHO (pronounced phuh, not fo peeps). When in doubt, a bowl of pho will fix it. I always order pho with beef and extra tendon, spring rolls *drool*, and Vietnamese coffee, but there's quite a lot of yummy dishes on their menu!
K-Town - Shilla, Kunjip, and Arang are my faves. Although Arang is topping it only because it serves Duk Bok Gi (rice cakes) with Bulgogi (marinated beef), Kimchi (spiced cabbage), and CHEEEEEEESE! Korean pizza if you want to draw a comparison.
ViVi - 49 Bayard St btween Bowery and Elizabeth St. If you like bubble tea, try a Pudding Milk Tea here. SO GOOD :-)
Go Go Curry - 273 W. 38th Street near 8th Avenue. Really good Japanese Curry dishes!!! They also worship Matsui.
Wondee Siam - Definitely the best Thai restaurant I've been to in NYC. If you know someone who speaks Thai, then for sure you have to go with them for some nice class A treatment (aka Lily Panchasarp's parents)
Shake Shack - SE corner of Madison Square Park, near Madison Avenue and 23rd Street. Really popular outdoor burger joint in Madison Square Park (the park, not the sports arena). Order a burger and a shake!
Better Burger - But if it's too cold, then you might want to head over to Better Burger at 18th Street and Broadway (and all across the city). I would get a regular burger with the "works" or a portobello mushroom burger.
Pinkberry - Yes, Pinkberry version. Tart, yummy, not too many choices, but just right. Fave toppings: Rice cakes, any fruit, Fruity Pebbles
Venieros - 342 East 11th Street & 1st Ave. Awesome cheesecake! Your best bet is by far the New York Cheesecake. Everything else is pretty blah :)
Dessert Truck - Parked right at St. Mark's and 3rd Avenue. REALLY awesome desserts. My fave is their choco molten cake with sea salt.
Pizza 33 - 33rd Street at 3rd Avenue. Order a slice of lasagna pizza - YUM.
Grimaldi's Pizza - in Brooklyn, if you walk the Bridge it's pretty much under the bridge (19 Old Fulton St. under the Brooklyn Bridge). Full of tourists unfortunately, but it's all about those tiny thicker pepperoni slices, so if you know another place that has those, then go there. Folding pizza slices in half and eating them like a sandwich is my favorite pastime.
Pizza & Other - honestly I'm just infatuated with pizza. So anywhere with thin crust, I'm good to go. Even ordering from Pizza Hut or Papa Johns. The best part of ordering a whole pie, is the load of cold pizza you'll get for the next day. Other than pizza, I'm pretty good to go with any brunch place, hot dog place and Indian restaurant that serves Rogan Josh. :-)
Please don't call me a foodie - I'm not really a critic, I actually eat anything and everything, but I just tend to crave the above a lil' more.
And now I feel famished. Going home to find scraps of food to take a bite into. Need to stay true to my Money Spendin' Guidelines, because I was not very good this past weekend. :-(
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Money Spendin' Guidelines
I'm going back to my Aussie days...of money saving, ramen noodles, the whole shebang. After digging through my Gmail drafts of random thoughts, I found a "Money Spendin' Guidelines" email draft that I intended to send out to my roomies in August 2007 to help my regulate my life. Clearly I need it - I'm impulsive, I like to gorge, I eat cold pizza for brekkie, and I still buy CDs to listen to music, and clearly procrastinate - all elements of a horrific debt model. Looks like it's really time to put my foot down.
Guidelines:
- No shopping until CC debt is cleared. Exception: Toiletries and cleaning products.
- Eat at a restaurant valued at $20+ pp: Once a week max. Brunch counts.
- Pho, Chicken & Rice, Pizza are okay if under $7. Only exception: Work Reasons.
- Other Food: Groceries at Trader Joe's (finish that gift card first and foremost), K-town, C-town. Max 1 Pinkberry per month.
- Watch a movie in a theater: Once a week max. Movie hopping on the same day is okay for now.
- Upcoming Tribeca Film Fest: Plan ahead. Choose 5 per week max. Ask someone with a student ID/Amex card to get it for you. :)
- Concerts: After Ben Kweller, Lady Gaga, Missy Higgins, no more concerts, unless they're free or after May. Bamboozle is okay.
- Alcoholic drinks: 2 max per night. 1 night max per week.
- Music/Books: No DVDs and books. Stop buying those damn CDs!Unless B&N membership gives me a great discount.
- Taxis: Only after 1AM or with roomies. Take the bus!
- Travel: Cabo is okay. 1 more weekend ski trip for rest of season.
How to offset money spendin' addiction:
- Read all those books and magazines you haven't read yet.
- Start writing again
- Walk around town
- Work out?
- Web surf like a maniac
- DVR everything
- Watch She's the Man and Amelie again and again
- Max out that Blockbuster mail-in DVDs limit!Don't forget those in-store exchanges.
- Blog!
I don't know what I just committed myself to. *Gulp* WAKE UP!!!
Guys cmon - it's not that bad at all - don't cry for me! :-)
Guidelines:
- No shopping until CC debt is cleared. Exception: Toiletries and cleaning products.
- Eat at a restaurant valued at $20+ pp: Once a week max. Brunch counts.
- Pho, Chicken & Rice, Pizza are okay if under $7. Only exception: Work Reasons.
- Other Food: Groceries at Trader Joe's (finish that gift card first and foremost), K-town, C-town. Max 1 Pinkberry per month.
- Watch a movie in a theater: Once a week max. Movie hopping on the same day is okay for now.
- Upcoming Tribeca Film Fest: Plan ahead. Choose 5 per week max. Ask someone with a student ID/Amex card to get it for you. :)
- Concerts: After Ben Kweller, Lady Gaga, Missy Higgins, no more concerts, unless they're free or after May. Bamboozle is okay.
- Alcoholic drinks: 2 max per night. 1 night max per week.
- Music/Books: No DVDs and books. Stop buying those damn CDs!Unless B&N membership gives me a great discount.
- Taxis: Only after 1AM or with roomies. Take the bus!
- Travel: Cabo is okay. 1 more weekend ski trip for rest of season.
How to offset money spendin' addiction:
- Read all those books and magazines you haven't read yet.
- Start writing again
- Walk around town
- Work out?
- Web surf like a maniac
- DVR everything
- Watch She's the Man and Amelie again and again
- Max out that Blockbuster mail-in DVDs limit!Don't forget those in-store exchanges.
- Blog!
I don't know what I just committed myself to. *Gulp* WAKE UP!!!
Guys cmon - it's not that bad at all - don't cry for me! :-)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Taking a Personal Day - Beauty of Movie Marathoning
I have always been a fan of movie marathoning and seeing great films. Movie marathoning invokes your full senses of awareness, emotions, and sense of clarity after watching powerful films created to educate and move you (most certainly not the boot camp gym workout way - whew!).
Ultimate movie marathoning is:
1) Choose your films wisely. It's like making a career move only it's for a day and not for your next 5 years. What mood do you want to be in afterward? What events in your life require you to make a decision? a change? Find a few movies that help you think about things differently and may help shape your decision. After all these films are out there to send you a message, and many are on topics of life that you're already pondering about.
2) Reflect and write about your recent thoughts and experiences - how you feel about your relationships, how you feel about your accomplishments, and what you can do to make your life and the world a better place even if it means you're a one person act. This really gets you going and stimulates your brain cells - now you're prepared for full throttle emotional mess!
3) Watch your first film - be it a romantic comedy, political documentary, or action conspiracy flick. Just do it!
4) Pay attention to previews. These carefully and artificially edited scenes are meant to provoke your interests. If it provokes you, write the film down and look back upon your list in a few months so it can serve as a reminder of why it was written in the first place(same goes for music, because there are always MySpace pages you can visit to later). That's the beauty of the written word - they serve as reminders recorded for the sake of you amidst a multitude of distractions. And, everyone knows I need fish oils and gingko biloba because I have bad memory :-(. Back to the previews, something I hate to miss. If you can see through a preview and consider it bullshit, don't immediately dispel the film's credibility, because editors of previews will never compare to the thought and vision directors and screenwriters hope to convey.
5) Don't be afraid to cry, laugh, furrow your eyebrows just because you're sitting with strangers (if you're watching these by yourselves). After all, you are in the dark where purpose is so that the screen's only audience is to each individual, separately. So let those tears fall, let those streams of snot run down to your mouth, and maybe drool if you're in complete awe and can't keep your mouth closed :-)
6) After every film, reflect. It's even better to watch films at different theaters because you have time to walk around, reflect, people watch, observe the surreal life that you can get easily distracted by and can't concentrate on your own thoughts. It's a fantastic feeling wanting to learn more if the film isn't enough. The film has a purpose to convey the message, but it's important that a great film feeds the curiosity after it's over. What was that war really all about? Did King ___ really did ____? What was this adapted from? Wikipedia that shit!
7-#) Repeat the process all over again in the next 1 or 2 films and you'll truly have a day of intellectual thought and self reflection as a result of others' cinematic creations. Then if you ever regain your butt muscles, maybe a quick trip to the gym for some cardio will make you feel better about yourself after sitting on your ass all day. That...is a stage I'm still trying to get to.
Ultimate movie marathoning is:
1) Choose your films wisely. It's like making a career move only it's for a day and not for your next 5 years. What mood do you want to be in afterward? What events in your life require you to make a decision? a change? Find a few movies that help you think about things differently and may help shape your decision. After all these films are out there to send you a message, and many are on topics of life that you're already pondering about.
2) Reflect and write about your recent thoughts and experiences - how you feel about your relationships, how you feel about your accomplishments, and what you can do to make your life and the world a better place even if it means you're a one person act. This really gets you going and stimulates your brain cells - now you're prepared for full throttle emotional mess!
3) Watch your first film - be it a romantic comedy, political documentary, or action conspiracy flick. Just do it!
4) Pay attention to previews. These carefully and artificially edited scenes are meant to provoke your interests. If it provokes you, write the film down and look back upon your list in a few months so it can serve as a reminder of why it was written in the first place(same goes for music, because there are always MySpace pages you can visit to later). That's the beauty of the written word - they serve as reminders recorded for the sake of you amidst a multitude of distractions. And, everyone knows I need fish oils and gingko biloba because I have bad memory :-(. Back to the previews, something I hate to miss. If you can see through a preview and consider it bullshit, don't immediately dispel the film's credibility, because editors of previews will never compare to the thought and vision directors and screenwriters hope to convey.
5) Don't be afraid to cry, laugh, furrow your eyebrows just because you're sitting with strangers (if you're watching these by yourselves). After all, you are in the dark where purpose is so that the screen's only audience is to each individual, separately. So let those tears fall, let those streams of snot run down to your mouth, and maybe drool if you're in complete awe and can't keep your mouth closed :-)
6) After every film, reflect. It's even better to watch films at different theaters because you have time to walk around, reflect, people watch, observe the surreal life that you can get easily distracted by and can't concentrate on your own thoughts. It's a fantastic feeling wanting to learn more if the film isn't enough. The film has a purpose to convey the message, but it's important that a great film feeds the curiosity after it's over. What was that war really all about? Did King ___ really did ____? What was this adapted from? Wikipedia that shit!
7-#) Repeat the process all over again in the next 1 or 2 films and you'll truly have a day of intellectual thought and self reflection as a result of others' cinematic creations. Then if you ever regain your butt muscles, maybe a quick trip to the gym for some cardio will make you feel better about yourself after sitting on your ass all day. That...is a stage I'm still trying to get to.
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