day 49: that's amore!

11.30.09 - my college buddy, jeff, is in town from california this week. whenever he's in the city we always try to make it a point to get together over food and drinks. this evening a bunch of friends welcomed jeff with a dinner at bianca italian restaurant in noho. it's everything a good nyc spot should be... cozy, unpretentious, and reasonably priced with delicious food. we went family style and ordered a variety of dishes. all of us stuffed ourselves silly. so much so, that food coma was inevitable after the yummy meal. it's definitely a sign of things to come over the holidays... lots and lots of eating.

here's a shot i took of the view we had from our table of the kitchen and prep area.

day 48: jingle bell, jingle bell rock

11.29.09 - the holiday decor came out of the boxes this afternoon. although i'm not finished putting everything up, i was excited to display three new ceramic ornaments that were purchased yesterday. the colorful owl ornaments also double as bells. i'm hoping to buy the complete set which includes penguins bundled up in winter gear.

day 47: my precious...

11.28.09 (posted 11.29.09) - the long weekend has been full of lots of r+r. i finally got a chance to check out the movie 2012. it was a bit weird watching my home state of california get obliterated in the first hour. i know it was just a movie but still. eeeekkkkk....

as my buddies and i were walking to the theatre we noticed the marquee was on the fritz. i snapped this pic as the numbers started to go in order.

day 46: rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub

11.27.09 (posted on 11.29.09) - i didn't wake up early to join the legions of shoppers on the hunt for deep discounts on black friday. i actually slept in. ha! instead, i was preparing for the black friday potluck that awaited me later that night. my friends started this tradition three years ago and we look forward to it every year. it also helps that our friends that host the fête 1) love to plan events and 2) one is a chef! here's a peek at the menu that night - turkey, prime rib, pork belly, cioppino, green beans, beets, stuffed mushrooms, crostini, sweet potatoes, tortilla de patatas, brioche + pan de sal, 3-cheese mac + cheese, mashed potatoes, and an assortment of desserts including pumpkin pie, cherry pie, white cake with mocha frosting, sugar cookies, and cupcakes. good food, good company, and good times. isn't that what the holidays are all about? 

day 45: up, up, and away!

11.26.09 - happy thanksgiving, everyone! i woke up at the crack of dawn to make my way to manhattan to catch the 83rd macy's thanksgiving day parade. my friends and i had a bird's eye view of the floats and balloons courtesy of my hubby. his offices are along the parade route. oh, so much better than waiting with the crowds on cold, hard pavement. a few highlights included getting the attention and waves from celebrities like ziggy marley, alan cumming, and gordon from sesame street and seeing cyndi lauper on the barbie float (my girlfriends and i couldn't stop yelling her name)!

day 44: empire state of mind

11.25.09 - the weather the last few months has been quite finicky. it's been one of those years where i need to have my entire wardrobe out. i could fluctuate between wearing a light sweater to a scarf and coat in one week. today, it finally started to feel like november with the chill in the air. i snapped this picture before exiting the subway in brooklyn. the misty rain created an interesting backdrop for the manhattan skyline. 

day 43: how to build a better burger

11.24.09 - (posted on 11.25.09) i love short work weeks! woohoo. to kick off the long weekend, my friends and i went to one of our favorite burger joints in the neighborhood. i tried the elk sliders and they were umm, umm, good!

day 42: scaredy cat

11.23.09 - the day started off with a lot of anxiety and anticipation. my cat, doña (pronounced donya), had to be taken to the vet this morning for surgery. she's a feisty one. even in the middle of her post-surgery stupor, she wanted out of her pet carrier and tried to venture around the house. the better part of the afternoon was spent trying to calm her down so she can get much needed rest. things have finally calmed down for the meantime. thankfully, doña had an appetite and was able to eat some of her food. it's late and we still need to give her medication before calling it a night. hopefully tomorrow is better for her (and us). 

day 41: lost in translation

11.22.09 - it was a super busy sunday. hubby and i ran a lot of errands and completed a bunch of projects for the apartment. among the many things we did today was stop by our neighborhood video rental store to check out the latest releases. we ultimately didn't end up renting anything but it was nice to see what was in stock. here's a picture i snapped of the foreign film section.

day 40: no sleep till brooklyn

11.21.09 - i spent the afternoon in bayridge, brooklyn. it's a charming neighborhood full of tree lined streets and interesting architecture. here's a picture i took of the "guards" in front of one of the many row houses in the area.

day 39: mr. telephone man

11.20.09 (posted on 11.21.09) - i saw this youtube video recently about the changing media landscape. did you know that 93% of adults in the U.S. own a cell phone? makes the pay phone and land lines for that matter feel like a thing of the past. well, it wasn't that long ago when all these cell phones, iphones, smartphones, and crackberries didn't even exist. now, it seems like people wonder how they ever got along without them. oh, technology, we grow more dependent on you everyday...

day 38: take it from the top

11.19.09 - i attended a fundraiser today at the sony club on madison avenue. it was for a dear friend and colleague's small nonprofit organization. her birthday is in a few days so we celebrated her upcoming 75th year as well.

the sony club is a very swanky venue with fantastic views of the city (um, can i say marble staircase?!). it was overcast and showered a bit throughout the night. this made for a very ominous look as clouds graced the tops of the high rises in the area. here are a couple of pictures i took during the cocktail hour.

day 37: phở sho'

11.18.09 - one of the cuisines i could never get sick of is vietnamese food. there are days i crave a nice, steaming bowl of phở. unfortunately, i don't live any where close to really good and authentic places that serve it. so whenever i get a chance to i will indulge... like today!

day 36: bike lane

11.17.09 - i snapped this picture after a meeting i had near the flat iron building. i've always admired cyclists in the city. you need guts and determination to battle all the cars and pedestrians here. both are relentless and insist on their right of way. there was a time when bicycling was much more "civilized". why don't we reminisce shall we and relive those moments through the tweed ride. hope this event comes to nyc one day!

day 35: look through my window

11.16.09 - although there are windows in each room of my apartment, sadly there isn't much of a view through any of them. my kitchen window faces directly into another apartment building. ah, the wonders of living in nyc. there is one time during the day that this boring view does take on a different look. at sunrise, the rays cast a beautiful, warm glow against the bricks. it's short lived but something to look forward to when i wake up.

day 34: it's not easy being green

11.15.09 - our trash+recycling wasn't picked up this week because veteran's day happened to fall on a collection day. as we were taking out the trash this evening, i couldn't help but be stunned by the large heap i saw in the sorting area of our apartment complex. it's mind-boggling how so much trash can pile up for just one building. imagine how many pounds of garbage are on our block - let alone the entire city. 


over the last few years, we been trying to "go green" little by little and reduce our consumption. but, we can certainly do better. this couple serves as my inspiration -- 1 bag of trash in 1 year -- probably impossible for most but something to strive for.

day 33: it's "pac" tonight!

11.14.09 (posted on 11.15.09) - hey, it's day 33! woohoo! 

so, how did i spend it celebrating? i stayed up waiting for the manny pacquiao vs. miguel cotto fight of course. a lot was at stake for both the fighters. pac-man was vying to get his record seventh title in seven weight divisions. cotto had a chance at turning his status as the best welterweight in the world to the #1 pound for pound contender. 

given that las vegas is 3-hours behind new york, i started to get antsy and sleepy before the fight. around 11:30 pm, the bout began. boy, did i get my second wind after that. hubby and i could not stop screaming. it was exciting from round 1 to 12. trust me, we didn't think it would last that long. although pac-man won, cotto held his ground and i have to admire a boxer that lasted longer in the ring with pacquiao than oscar de la hoya. now on to the next challenger... bring it on, mayweather. 

here's a couple shots i took of my flat screen tv during the fight.

day 32: cast of characters

11.13.09 - happy friday the 13th! tonight i watched the play, the insiders, which is written & directed by frances lozada. two of my friends are part of the cast and it was great to see them in their element. everyone did an amazing job! after the show, the crew surprised my buddy, antonio, with a birthday cake. audience, cast members, and crew alike joined in singing "happy birthday" to the  celebrant. wishing you many more joyous celebrations ahead, antonio!

day 31: wrong side of the bed

11.12.09 - today i woke up with a pounding headache. it was one of those days when even if i got 8 hours of sleep it wasn't enough. i begrudgingly dragged myself into work this morning. i thought the headache would pass after a few hours but unfortunately i think it's the first signs that i am coming down with something. ears are clogged, sinus pressure around my eyes and nose, and body aches! it also doesn't help that a bunch of folks are sick at work. grrr... as soon as i got home, i hopped right back into the bed. here's the picture i took before my long awaited nap. hope tomorrow is a better day!

day 30: candlelit dinner

11.11.09 - wow. lots going on today. first off, happy veteran's day! it's also my mom, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law's birthdays. yes, you read that right. it's crazy, i know. happy birthday family!

today, my organization also held our annual benefit fundraiser. we had over 300 people in attendance. here's picture i took while my colleagues were chowing down on their meal. bon appétit!

day 29: everything but the kitchen sink

11.10.09 - it was another long day for me toiling away at work. is it friday yet? sigh. i'm still recovering from the day before.

well, there was at least one good thing that happened today. i came home to a clean apartment thanks to hubby! here he goes plowing through the dishes. mr. clean got nothing on you, t!

day 28: bugging out

11.09.09 - my eyes were bugging out after working a 12-hour day. my organization's annual benefit fundraiser is on wednesday and all the staff were required to help with the last minute preparations. needless to say, i'm exhausted and nearly forgot to take a photo today. i guess the photo i snapped of my glasses resting on my table is the best indication of what i need to do next... close my eyes and sleep. until tomorrow!

day 27: in your shadow

11.08.09 - while waiting for the water taxi this afternoon, my husband, tony, and i got a chance to relax and take in the views at pier 11. we had one of those "life is good" moments as we listened to the crashing waves and stared at the beautiful brooklyn backdrop.

day 26: woman behind the camera

11.07.09 - i decided to do something different for today's photo of the day. instead of capturing places, objects, and other people, i took a picture of myself today.

my brother sent me a link to a blog post about jamie livingston, a photographer who took a polaroid -  one per day - from march 31, 1979 until his death on october 25, 1997. the photos are a poignant look into his life. from the mundane to the celebratory occasions throughout the years. the most heart wrenching depictions were those moments as his health slowly deteriorated. i was really moved by the photos. i didn't know this man; but i cried and mourned his death. perhaps it's best described by my brother, "i have immense admiration for people who take the time to say in their own way, 'yes, i existed.' "

it got me thinking. with all the photographs that i have amassed in the past couple of years since i've taken an interest in photography, there are very few with me in them. i suppose that is inevitable when you are the one behind the camera. so i'm stepping out in front for once to be the subject. i hope to look back at this photo of the day project when i'm finished and remember not only the sights and moments of each day but also to reflect on how much i've changed in the process. 

day 25: the best view in the house

11.06.09 - pandemonium erupted in downtown manhattan today. the yankees victory parade drew in thousands of fans to line the streets from battery park to city hall.  i work about a block away from broadway or as it was referred to today as the "canyon of heroes". i had to figure out an alternate route in order to get to work. my plan worked because i later found out that other co-workers had a heck of a time trying to cross broadway to get to our office. between the barricades, throngs of fans, and security check points, it was difficult to say the least navigating all that.

around 11:30 am, a couple of us decided to check out the parade. i had mentally prepared myself for a mob but was surprised to find the people in the spot we were at were relatively well-behaved. some memorable parts of the day included seeing balconies and window lined with people. shoot, there were even folks brave enough to stand on ledges to catch a view. workers in offices along the route throwing any type of paper out their windows -- you name it... shredded paper, staff meeting notes, fax cover sheets. the green part of me cringed! there were also a ton of kids out. i guess their parents weren't the only ones playing hooky. haha.

day 24: jack + jill and a health care bill

11.05.09 - this morning i participated in a rally on children's health. i was joined by dozens of children, their parents and caregivers, and other advocates. it was a festive event filled with music, chants, and even a balloon artist!

day 23: darkness falls

11.04.09 - it was one of those days. you know how it goes. you are swamped at work and barely have time to eat your lunch. then the next thing you know it's dark and you haven't left your desk except for the occasional bathroom break or to get a glass of water. it was around 5:30 pm and i needed a snack to hold me for about another hour before i called it a day. i snapped this picture on my way back from my short but much anticipated "break".

day 22: rock the vote

11.03.09 - i actually took election day off for once. before running a few errands, i made my way over to my local polling site and fulfilled my civic duty. i'm watching the election results and it feels like déjà vu. another election year with results that are too close to call. this time for the mayoral seat. i guess we'll see who the victor is in the morning. 

day 21: leave the meter running

11.02.09 - the worse thing about flying back east is that you lose hours with the time difference. my husband and i left his brother's home at 8:00 am pst and we arrived at 6:45 pm est. we literally went from breakfast straight to dinner. ah, i hate the feeling of losing a day. oh well. it's good to be home albeit i'm not quite ready to get back into the grind. here's the picture i snapped while we were waiting in the taxi line at jfk airport.

day 20: me, myself, and i

11.01.09 - i spent the morning hanging out with my brother, sherwin, as he painted a self portrait. he's dedicated numerous hours in the past year and a half taking classes in painting and illustration. it's been amazing to see how his work has progressed. you can see more on his blog.