day 197: dining is and always was a great artistic opportunity

ponder well on this point: the pleasant hours of our life are all connected 

by a more or less tangible link, with some memory of the table.

~ charles pierre monselet

04.27.10 (posted 04.28.10) - tonight i had a first. this was the first time i ever had dinner reservations at 10 pm on a "school night" nonetheless! and, what restaurant would give out reservations that late you ask? momofuku noodle bar in the east village. t and i joined my cousin and her friend to chow down on the fried chicken dinner... which by the way is not off the menu... thus the special reservations. 

we got to the restaurant around 9:45 pm and to my surprise it was packed. i've eaten there for lunch on the weekends and it gets pretty crazy but i certainly wasn't expecting it on a tuesday night. well, at least we didn't have to wait long to get our table. 

t made a comment about how once the chicken would come out everyone would be staring at us. sure enough they did and i could hear whispers of chicken this and chicken that. it was quite a feast. according to the momofuku website, "the fried chicken dinner includes two whole fried chickens, one southern style and one korean style. the dinner comes with mu shu pancakes, long spicy peppers, baby carrots, red ball radishes, shiso leaves, bibb lettuce, four sauces and an herb basket." the final verdict... it was delicious!

here's a few shots i took of the dinner and of the other customers at the restaurant. 

day 196: i'm late, i'm late for a very important date

04.26.10 - you wake up late after an eventful weekend. sometimes daily rituals like putting on your make up have to be done while in transit. ah, mondays... we meet again.

day 195: herbal remedies

04.25.10 - there are a few things i find a luxury in nyc. one is a big closet. two is a dishwasher. three is access to an outdoor space. i had two of these things at my last apartment; but at some point hubby and i outgrew the 1-bedroom and needed more space. even though i no longer have a backyard, i can still get my gardening fix. i've been meaning to start up container gardening for months but haven't gotten around to it until now. here's some basil and parsley i bought recently. i transplanted them into their new pots this morning. hoping these babies thrive. i can't wait to use them in future meals.

photo challenge: "smiles"

04.25.10 - this week's i heart faces photo challenge is "smiles". i immediately thought of a photo i took at a july 4th bbq in 2007 of my friends' kid, g. her laugh is infectious. you can't help but smile when g is around.

there is something extremely genuine about kids. when they are happy -- they are really happy and show it. if they don't like something, they tell you. at what point do we stop being sincere about our feelings and start finding it harder to express ourselves?

day 194: bah, i don't wanna go

04.24.10 (posted 04.25.10) -  i was in soho and union square today running errands. cb2, muji, and paper presentation... check, check, check. both places on a beautiful, spring saturday were packed to the gills. 

without fail, there were plenty of interesting sights and people. i figured i'd have a bunch of photo opps just walking around so i decided to take out my iphone, hold it by my waist, and just start snapping away whenever i saw something that looked intriguing. i've found that shooting from the hip has generally produced some fun if not unexpected results.

i noticed this father and son come out of a store on my way to paper presentation. the kiddo didn't seem too happy to be leaving that store. he was pouting while dad was focused on getting to wherever they needed to go next. ah, kid... i'm with you. i remember those days... giving the puppy dog eyes or throwing a tantrum at the store until you got that toy. sorry kiddo, looks like it didn't work this time.

day 193: a night at the museum

04.23.10 (posted 04.25.10) - i met up with some friends after work this evening at the moma. the tim burton exhibit is closing in a few days and they wanted to make sure to see it before it ends. since i have a membership, it would guarantee they would get to see the exhibit in case the show was sold out (which of course it was). to our surprise, it was target free friday night. great! not only was it free for them but they got "top of the line" service. ah, the perks of vip. it's been the best $120 i spent in awhile.

given that i already saw the exhibit the week before, i decided to check out the photography wing instead. after about an hour and a half, i took a break at the 2nd floor lounge and snapped this picture on my way down the stairs.

day 192:hanging out at angel's pad

04.22.10 (posted 04.25.10) - this evening i attended a charity event at the angel orensanz foundation in the lower east side. it's one of the most unique event spaces i've been to. it is named after spanish american artist, angel orensanz. he bought the former ansche chesed synagogue (1849) and created the foundation in 1992 as an artistic and cultural resource open to artists, writers, thinkers and leaders from all over the world and the local community. here's a picture i snapped of the ark and the stage in the main room. 

day 191: the inevitable

04.21.10 (posted 04.25.10) - it was bound to happen. at some point of this project 365 it was inevitable that i would miss a day of taking a photo.

how did it happen? i think it was a number of factors. i had been cooped up all day in the office. i usually try to find photo opps while in transit. since my iphone was on the fritz, i had to have a different game plan. i like to be discrete when taking my photos. even though i had my point and shoot in my pocketbook, i was feeling chicken to whip it out. i know... it shouldn't matter but i was just not feeling it.

anyway, hours had gone by and my darn iphone was still charging. so at about 4 pm my hubby and i decided that we had no other choice but to buy a replacement iphone after work. trust me. we had explored all options. could i take out the sim card and put into an old palm treo i have? would that even work? do i get another cheapy phone for the meantime? etc. etc. my main dilemma was that a new version of the iphone is rumored to be released sometime in june and i was waiting out for that. i simply didn't want to throw down a couple of hundred of dollars for a replacement phone and then a month and half later buy another one. besides, there is the whole issue of having to renew my cell phone contract if i upgraded to a newer replacement iphone. i have a first generation iphone. ugh.

we went to the apple store on 5th avenue and talked to one of their geniuses, kyle. he said that the water seal inside the phone had broken and no matter what the battery power will slowly diminish over time. kyle also said we didn't need to get a newer iphone for me. the store actually had a bunch of first gen iphones in stock. thank goodness i didn't have to worry about renewing the contract for another 2 years in the event that the new iphone 4G gets another carrier besides sucky at&t. $216 later i'm back with a new iphone. woohoo!

i was so absorbed with tinkering with the new iphone and setting it up that i didn't notice the time. next thing i knew, it was the following day and i hadn't taken a single picture. oh well. here's another day and another opportunity to begin again.

day 190: you're the doctor... got a patient on the run... operation

04.20.10 (posted 04.24.10) - after sitting in the brown rice all night and hubby carefully opening up and putting back together the water damaged iphone, it still works. well... kinda. a full day of charging the iphone is equivalent to a quarter of the battery life. man, i must have really fried the wiring.

i didn't care so much about not having the phone part. like a true photography enthusiast, i was more concerned that my "primary" camera can still shoot. this is on top of the fact that i own two other cameras. ever since i got into the habit of shooting iphone photos my point & shoot and dslr are collecting a lot of dust.

now i am faced with the dilemma of continuing to use the iphone that has the shortest battery life ever or sucking it up and buying a new iphone. decisions, decisions.

day 189: rescue me

04.19.10 (posted 04.24.10) - i start off this post with a big UUUGGGGGHHHH followed by a slow, agonizing NOOOOOOOOO! this evening i dropped my iphone into water.  not just a dribble of water but a huge "bowl" of water. i frantically put into a canister full of brown rice with the hope that it would suck up any extra moisture i couldn't get to after wiping it down with paper towels. i heard about that trick from this lady i follow on twitter that resuscitated her cell phone after accidently leaving it in her pants and then washing them. (yikes!) so tomorrow we'll see if it still works. crossing fingers.

day 188: brooklyn bridge blues

04.18.10 (posted 04.22.10) - i had to go into the office today... yes, on a sunday... boo. there is a huge event tomorrow morning that i am coordinating and unfortunately didn't get to finish everything i needed to do on friday.

well, one good thing happened on the way home. i had plenty of photo opps while waiting in traffic on the brooklyn bridge. the sun had just started to set and the lighting was perfect. here are a few shots i took both of the bridge and the manhattan skyline from the bronx queens expressway (bqe).

day 187: one person's craziness is another person's reality

i have a problem when people say something's real or not real, or normal or abnormal. the meaning of those words for me is very personal and subjective. Iive always been confused and never had a clear cut understanding of the meaning of those kinds of words.

~ tim burton

04.17.10 (posted 04.22.10) - i've been looking forward to this day for weeks. i would finally get to view the tim burton exhibit at the MoMA. last december my hubby and i tried to catch the exhibit one rainy afternoon but it was sold out. we knew that it would only grow in popularity. we decided to bite the bullet then and there and get ourselves memberships to the MoMA so it would guarantee we can go any time we wanted. 

checking out the exhibit also gave us an opportunity to resurrect "culture day" -- a little something that my buddies organize to get us to experience the arts and culture of the big apple. sad to say that culture day has been dead for a couple of years... because of... um... careers, personal obligations, and life has pretty much taken over. but today would be different! hopefully, it will be the start of many more culture days for 2010.

after seeing the tim burton exhibit, i have a much deeper appreciation for his work... his art. i could not fathom what goes on his in mind but it has produced some amazing and memorable creations.

not only did we get a chance to see the tim burton exhibit but i also got to "experience" marina abramović's the artist is present. whoooaaa. the ny times featured an article recently about how some patrons reacted to it. apparently, some don't understand the idea about the look but don't touch policy. yikes. i had hoped to also check out henri cartier-bresson's photography but i was starting to feel like a sardine in a can. there were just too many people and i couldn't enjoy the exhibits at my own pace. well, that's for another day. 

here are a few pics i took to remember by afternoon at the museum. 

day 186: strumming my pain with his fingers

years from now, after i'm gone, someone will listen to what i've done and know i was here.they may not know or care who i was, but they'll hear my guitars speaking for me. 

~chet atkins

04.16.10 (posted 04.20.10) - i've always been in awe with people who are musically inclined. trust me, i've tried. i took piano lessons for a few years but wasn't very good at it or kept it up. who knows? maybe i'll get the nerve to pick it up again one of these days.

i admire those that decide to try something new. i guess you are never too old. by my buddy, p, after many years has decided to learn how to play guitar. it's been a long time dream and he finally took the plunge. here's a few shots i took of his new guitar.

day 185: by grand central station i sat down and wept

04.15.10 (posted 04.20.10) - i was in midtown this morning for a meeting near grand central station. as i was walking toward the subway line, there was crowd of people at the corner of 42nd and park avenue.

a colleague made a comment wondering why all these people were looking up and taking pictures. the crowd were tourists taking photos of the facade featuring a 50-ft pediment with statues of hercules, minerva, and mercury. these statues surround a 13 foot clock at one of the many entrances into grant central station. 

the problem is after living in this city for so long, we are used to just getting to and front point a to point b. we often forget to look up and realize how amazing the skyline is. so i joined the tourists and took this shot before hopping on to the subway.

day 184: something old, something new

 04.14.10 (posted 04.19.10) - i passed this tree on my street today and noticed something different. some seedlings must have made their way into the soil. there's now a small patch of green leaves growing on the side of tree. it looked rather whimsical to me and decided to snap a quick photo.

day 183: at the midpoint

04.13.10 (posted 04.19.10) - i'm officially half through my 365! woohoo. i thought i would be celebrating the midway point with much more fanfare but unfortunately work commitments have consumed by time today. nevertheless, i give myself a small pat on the back and carry on. "only" a 182 more days to go...

day 182: racing toward the finish line

04.12.10 (posted 04.17.10) - lately i feel like a hamster in a wheel. running and running in place... but never going anywhere. the last few weeks have been non-stop. just when i think i'll have a chance to breathe another deadline comes. i'm working late again tonight to finish up a report. sigh.

day 181: backseat driver

04.11.10 (posted on 04.14.10) - i was in central jersey today to attend a baby shower for my friends j+d. they are expecting their first child next month and a bunch of our friends gave them a proper celebration to welcome the new addition to their family.

on the way home, we passed through lower manhattan and as usual there was a ton of traffic. i didn't mind it so much as it allowed me to snap a few shots.

day 180: my cup of tea

04.10.10 (posted 04.12.10) - today, i had the pleasure of being part of a teatime bridal shower for my buddy, r. i joined 25 of her closest friends, family, and soon-to-be-family at lady mendl's tea salon. it's located in a historic brownstone on irving place and is named after the first american female interior designer, elsie de wolfe (aka lady mendl). you a get a feel for how lady mendl's aesthetic must have been with the victorian decor of the tea salon and adjoining inn. here's a few pictures i snapped of the delicious food we ate. congrats, r! i can't wait for your big day.

day 179: hey, babycakes!

04.09.10 (posted 04.11.10) - after work, i stood in line for over an hour in the freezing cold to attend CupcakeCamp nyc.

side note --- geez, what happened to the weather these past couple of days in nyc? temps dropped about 15 degrees. brrrr. bring spring back, mother nature. 

back to cupcake camp nyc... according to the official CupcakeCamp website, "it's an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and eat cupcakes in an open environment."

as i waited in line, there were a lot of passerbys wondering why the heck a line was forming on some random street at the border of the lower east side and chinatown. the line was long... there must have been at least 80 people in front of my group of friends and about 50 people (and growing) behind us. i was approached by some tourists from europe and felt kind of ridiculous explaining to them what all the hoopla was about. "uh, we are in line to eat cupcakes and get cocktails... cupcakes... you know, small cakes..." they chuckled and shook their heads. i knew they must be thinking, "oh you funny, americans." haha.

the venue for the event was a bar/lounge called happy ending. in its former life, the bar was an erotic massage parlor. oh, the irony. cupcakes... cocktails... craziness. only in nyc can we get away with this stuff.

all in all, the event was underwhelming... down right "meh". i'm not sure that the venue was the best place to do it. it was chaos. uneaten, half eaten cupcakes everywhere. some folks brought boxes and grabbed as many cupcakes as they could or stuffed their faces silly. if i was a baker that brought cupcakes, i think i would be pretty flustered with the whole set up. after about 20 minutes in the claustrophobic place, we needed out. it was a shame that most of the cupcakes were gone or wasted because there was still a huge line waiting to get inside after we left. i'm not sure how other cities CupcakeCamps are but i don't think i'll be returning next year. my friends and i decided that we should throw our own CupcakeCamp instead... in the confront of our own homes. there we could savor all the yummy goodness and joy of eating cupcakes in peace.

day 178: when we are alone

04.08.10 (posted 04.11.10) - i saw this poster as i was walking from a meeting i had this morning. it was the only poster on a large temporary wall in the middle of a construction zone in downtown manhattan. it caught my attention for many reasons. perhaps i was most struck by the image of the little girl alone. i couldn't help but think how poignant it was that this poster was displayed just a block away from the world trade center site. a place that symbolizes great lost for many.

day 177: in brightest day and darkest night, no evil shall escape my sight...

04.07.10 (posted 04.08.10) - this was first evening i was able to dine al fresco in months. delicious thai food... hanging out with friends... awesome weather. couldn't have asked for more. it was a great way to unwind after working on a 20+ page report all day. i snapped this photo of one of the lanterns above our table. i thought the bright glow from the light made an interesting contrast as the sky started to darken.

day 176: no day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap

04.06.10 (posted 04.08.10) - today was an absolutely gorgeous day to be out and about. i had lunch at bowling green park and admired the bed of crimson tulips that surrounded the fountain. the lady sitting next to me on the bench had the brilliant idea of finding a nice spot close to the tree and taking a little nap. hey, if you don't have a cozy couch or bed nearby... this is the next best thing. now only if someone could take care of all the honking cars.

day 175: c'mon n´ ride the train

04.05.10 (posted 04.08.10) - i've been experimenting with some new iphone apps. this photo is the result of several shots i took of the train cars speeding by. i then stitched some of these shots together and overlay another photo on top of it. photo was taken along the n,w line in queens.

day 174: what's your exit strategy?

04.04.10 (posted 04.08.10) - no truer words. this quote is by tom stoppard, a british playwright. this photo was taken at the ace hotel located near the flatiron district. 

day 173: press+fold

04.03.10 (posted 04.08.10) - photo taken during a wedding invitation assembly party at my friends' t+r's apartment. my hubby designed their invites.

day 172: the life underground

04.02.10 (posted 04.08.10) - photo taken at the union square street subway station along the n,q, r,w platform.

when life takes over

04.08.10 - work has been crazy which has left little time for catching up on my photoblog. i'm still taking daily photos, folks. i'm determined to see this project 365 through to the end even with my hectic schedule. it's just been difficult finding time to process photos, upload, and write entries. in an attempt to catch up, i'll be posting the past few days' entries with very little commentary. sorry -- having a bit of writer's block when all i can think about lately are looming deadlines at work. boo. if only i can spend my days gallivanting the city with my cameras... instead of behind a crummy desk and a computer screen.

day 171: blast from the past

04.01.10 (04.03.10) - tonight i stepped into a time machine and was transported to memphis, tennessee on december 4, 1956  my hubby scored a pair of tickets to catch a preview of the broadway show, million dollar quartet. i was a bit apprehensive about how the actors would portray the great music legends -- johnny cash, jerry lee lewis, carl perkins, and elvis presley. i hoped they wouldn't tilt to the impersonator side.

once the curtain was lifted, my worries subsided and i was hooked. i was completely blown away by how versatile and gifted the performers were. it's one thing to sing like these legends but be able to play instruments with the same kind of zeal is another thing all together. i was most impressed by levi kreis who played jerry lee lewis. this guy rocked it out on that piano. he is amazing!!!

most of the audience members were my parents' age. everyone around us would start cheering when they heard the first few notes of their favorite songs. i could only imagine how exhilarated they must have felt to be taken back to their childhood. what a great night! if you are ever in nyc (or chicago), i highly recommend checking out million dollar quartet.

day 170: if only i could clone myself

03.31.10 (posted 04.03.10) - it's been one of those days where i had too much to do and had such little time. if only i could multiply myself... ah, but then again, clones on tv and in movies always go a bit crazy on the original. anyone seen multiplicity, battlestar galactica, or star wars: the clone wars?perhaps i'm better off not over-committing myself to things. 

day 169: total wash out

03.30.10 (posted 04.03.10) - the torrential downpours have returned. i was completely soaked by the time i hopped on the train. looks like i wasn't the only one. there was so much water from the dripping umbrella, shoes, and jackets that the subway car floor had a thin layer of water. there was a slight patch of sun between two stops. as i looked down, i caught a glimpse of the reflection that the slippery floor made of the passengers sitting across from me.

day 168: death and taxes

03.29.10 (posted 04.02.10) - for the past two weeks, i've been working on getting my paperwork together for filing taxes. i'm eyeball deep in receipts. i'll be a happy camper once this is all finished. soon... very soon...

day 167: in full bloom

03.28.10 (posted 04.02.10) - although it was a pretty gloomy sunday, there were hints of spring everywhere. from the tulips at the local grocery store to my neighbor's blooming tree. it was  a nice way to kick off holy week.