Abstraction Distraction

This past Saturday, I attended Brooklyn Skillshare, an annual event based around individual artists,...

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:01:00 -0400

This past Saturday, I attended Brooklyn Skillshare, an annual event based around individual artists, performers, and other creative people sharing their knowledge with others in the community… for FREE! From their website:

The Brooklyn Skillshare is a communal, hands-on, learning experience that aims to serve as a jumping-off point in the construction of an autonomous, nonexclusive, reciprocal learning community.

It took place at the Gowanus Ballroom… a little off the beaten path, even for someone familiar with the surrounding areas. Without the sidewalk chalked, line-drawn arrows pointing me in the right direction every 15 feet or so, I would have gotten lost. But I liked this element to the Skillshare: the sense that it was a grassroots (sidewalk chalk signs), clandestine event which at the same time, was welcoming to newcomers—as long as you took the effort of seeking it out.

The first workshop was on Japanese Stitch Bookbinding, and it was taught by two women from Alaska House. I loved the fact that the class was hands-on. We got to choose colored papers for the front and back covers of our mini notebooks, and used 10 sheets of blank white paper for the inside pages. Using needles, string, and a special bookbinder’s needle, we were taught how to stitch the binding of the book. I love the cover that I chose… it says: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.—Ralph Waldo Emerson”

I then went to a class on Fermentation, or, How to Make Sauerkraut. This was more of a history lesson and talk, with a demonstration of the process for how to make sauerkraut. It was led by a woman named Angela Davis. I learned that making fermented foods is actually quite easy, and the process of preserving foods by fermentation allows the food to keep its nutrients such as Vitamin C and “good” bacteria. Whereas another preservation method, canning (making canned foods), can actually be very dangerous if not done correctly, fermentation has never been documented to have killed anyone. My friend and I were giddy at the prospect of making pink sauerkraut by mixing green and red cabbage.

In the afternoon, I attended a class on Single Sheet, Pamphlet Style Book Making, taught by a guy from Haven Press. The idea was that from a single sheet of 18x24 paper, you could make a bunch of folds and cuts, and end up with one “signature” or a small book. (Before digital printing, printers would have huge plates that would print multiple pages onto 1 single sheet of paper, which would save time and energy vs. printing each page separately.) This reminded me of my days (er, years) working in publishing and my visit to Offset Paperback Manufacturers… way back when I first started working, and before companies started tightening the reins on “non-essential travel.” It’s pretty amazing to think back to that trip, and how all those publishers sent us—young assistants or coordinators in our early to mid-20’s—on a 2 or 3 day (can’t remember now) overnight trip to Pennsylvania for the sole purpose of educating ourselves on book production.

And finally, in the last workshop I attended, I learned about how to do Xerox print transfers. The woman leading the workshop showed us how to use solvents such as acetone or Citra-Sol (a floor cleaner) to lift the toner off of a xerox and make a print onto another piece of paper. The quality and clarity of the print had to do with the type of toner the xerox was made from (black is easier to lift than color), the amount of solvent you use (too much can make an image blurry), and how you rub the back of the xerox with a coin to release the toner. I ended up making 3 postcards: one of an astronaut (which I gave to RC), and the 2 below.

What a great Saturday.

Planted a couple dahlias. In the larger pot, I mixed in a...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:44:46 -0400

Planted a couple dahlias. In the larger pot, I mixed in a trailing plant which according to the label is a diascia. Hoping the bugs don’t come back again this summer and kill my plants. Grow, urban plantings, grow!

From Saturday, April 6th: My blue belt has been with me for five...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:43:13 -0400

From Saturday, April 6th:

My blue belt has been with me for five years… through three apartments, two jobs, two boyfriends, and many, many other milestones. A couple of years ago, I received a black stripe on it, but it was really still the same blue belt. It was soft, pliable, and familiar, knotting easily in the same spot I always hit when tying it around my waist.

The past couple of years have been a struggle for me. In both my professional and personal life, I’ve had a lot of changes—which at times made it difficult for me to commit my mental energy and focus toward training. I would attend class—sometimes infrequently, other times on a schedule—and feel like I wasn’t absorbing a thing. I was just going through the motions. I was physically present, but mentally I felt far away.

At the beginning of this year, something changed. Something in my brain finally clicked, and I began training again with more clarity and purpose. I was mentally committed to moving forward. With the help of a friend, I started training with the intention of promoting to Purple belt. For the past couple of months, we met every week, at least once and sometimes twice. It was regimented and tiring, but at least I had a goal—and a supportive uke—to propel me forward.

And now here we are. On the day of the promotion, where I will finally relinquish my trusty blue belt. The black stripe has already started pulling away, as if it knows it’s time to go. I will miss this belt—it’s been with me through good times and bad. But I know, it’s time to move on. I know I’ll look good in Purple.

I always get nostalgic at the corner of 49th and 6th. This was...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 18:09:00 -0400

I always get nostalgic at the corner of 49th and 6th. This was where I worked when I was 21 and new to the city. My friend Erica worked across the street, and we would meet for lunch sometimes in the Rock Center concourse or in one of the outdoor seating areas that were oases in the midst of all the towering buildings. My friend Evelyn worked down the block, and we would indulge shamelessly in lunch at Teriyaki Boy or the combo plates at Minar Indian Cuisine. These were the days I survived on an assistant’s salary of $27,500 and makeshift stir fry cooked in my 16 sq ft kitchen. My “bedroom” was a 6 foot wide, 10 ft long space separated from the back of our living room loveseat by a Japanese folding screen.

These were the days when it wasn’t uncommon to live paycheck to paycheck, go to Rudy’s for free hot dogs, attend meetings of The Lunch Club to make new friends, stay out past 2am every weekend, get red-violet 1/4 highlights in my hair, be adventurous for venturing past Lorimer on the L train, and date a guy whose bed was a mattress on the floor and who used cardboard boxes as furniture.

I imagine walking down these same streets 10 years ago, and it’s strange to think that I was a different person back then. Not better or worse, but just different.

Happy 2013. 1. I will be in bed by midnight on weekdays. 2. I...

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:58:33 -0500

Happy 2013.

1. I will be in bed by midnight on weekdays.

2. I will finally get my T-shirt designs out to the public.

3. I will stop being lazy and cook more.

4. I will live more purposefully and less aimlessly.

5. I will devote at least one night per week to creative pursuits, which may involve activities such as photography (or editing photos), writing, research/education related to creative pursuits, etc. Blogging doesn’t count.

Sick and tired

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:39:26 -0500

I have become incredibly lazy and immobile in the face of this (common) cold. I had a small potato & leek soup today for lunch, along with a snack sized bag of Pirates Booty. I didn’t really feel like soup, but the thought of chewing a sandwich or a salad made me tired.

I know it’s bad when even chewing food seems like too much effort.

Almost every day, I go immediately home after work, and I stay in. It’s such a strange feeling. I haven’t done any physical activity in over a week. I feel like a sloth, but at the same time I can’t imagine putting myself through anything strenuous. I am so used to being “on the go” that I feel like an incredible bore doing nothing after work. And I wish I didn’t have to go to work, but there are actually quite a few things I need to do before the year is over.

I just want things to get back to normal. I don’t have the time or energy to be sick. Must. Get. Better. Now.

Sick at home but happy being lazy. Got my beautiful Christmas...

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:51:17 -0500

Sick at home but happy being lazy. Got my beautiful Christmas tree to look at, pajama pants on, guilty pleasure book to read, and chamomile tea. The only thing missing is R, because he is home studying for his exam tomorrow.

Giving Thanks

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 23:41:21 -0500

A few things that I’m thankful for:

My parents, because despite how they frustrate and irritate me sometimes, I know they only mean well… and they’ve always stood by me in the end.
My friends, both near and far, both close confidantes and occasional Facebook interacters… each of them brings something unique/wonderful to my life.
My breakfast-cooking, inter-borough biking, amazingly accommodating bf… because while we have fun on our adventures together, we also have fun doing absolutely nothing together.
My job, because while I have my complaints and frustrations every now and then, overall I am happy to be working with such decent, good people.
My apartment, because even though it’s small in square footage, it is a really nicely appointed (and beautiful) apartment [see #1].
My health, because you can never take good health for granted.
My life in the city, because there really is no end to the possibilities and the things you have access to see and do.
Heat, hot water, electricity, and all of the things we consider basic necessities—that others in our own city are still struggling to get.

And on a lighter note:

Cooking Light magazine, for giving me so many good recipes to impress people with.
My Macbook, for sticking with me for the past 6 years, only succumbing to one major problem—the hard drive dying—that I was able to recover with the help of the Best Buy Geek Squad.
All of the people I’ve ever trained with at NYJJ, for not injuring me (at least not majorly) for the past 8 years!

I’m sure there are many more things, but I will cover them by just saying, “I’m thankful for… my life and everything in it.”

NYSC, goodbye.

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:08:00 -0500

$24, 30 days, 7 classes, and 5 locations later… my NYSC guest membership has come to an end. Though I wish I had gone a couple more times within this time period—and I can blame part of this on Hurricane Sandy—I’m satisfied that I got my money’s worth. It basically worked out to $3.43 per class. Not too shabby.

My thoughts on the following classes I’ve tried:

Spin: A good lower body workout, and definitely sweat-inducing. I didn’t particularly enjoy it (probably because of my self-diagnosed knee problems), but despite the knee pain I would do it again, simply because it was a good workout. After about 15-20 minutes, I was looking at the clock and waiting for it to be over.

Zumba: I did not enjoy this much, mostly because I realize I prefer hitting things to dancing. It is hard for me to mimic someone else’s dance moves, especially when they don’t explain what they are doing. I spent most of the class somewhat stressed, 1) trying to decipher the moves and 2) being vigilant about when the routine would shift from one move to the next. I only worked up a minimal sweat, and my conclusion is that zumba is for people who want the benefits of exercise without actually feeling like they are working out. The dim lighting, energetic music, and disco (?) lights made it seem like a party… kind of.

UXF Burn: A good circuit-training/cross-training class that was manageable for people of any fitness or skill level. After a quick cardio warm-up, there were 7 different exercises we did as part of the circuit. Most of these exercises involved weights, such as bicep curls, lunges, and squats. We also did some ab exercises (the bicycle), and some burpees. We repeated the circuit 5 times. I definitely got a good workout from this and it was very sweat-inducing.

Cardio Kickboxing: Because I’ve experienced real, actual kickboxing, I found this class to be mostly a waste of time. At first, I found it somewhat laughable that we were punching and kicking the air to a fast “routine” where it was almost like synchronized dance-boxing. The focus was more on cardio and doing everything quickly, rather than doing the punches and kicks correctly. I could always use more cardio, I guess it was a decent workout if you just wanted to sweat a bit. However, I feel almost bad for the girls who are taking this class and then telling people that they’re doing “kickboxing.”

Ultimate Conditioning: Probably the most difficult NYSC I took. The class was run by a personal trainer, who motivated us through a series of conditioning exercises. We used light weights, heavy weights, a barbell, a step on risers, and a mat. A lot of the exercises were pretty hard on my knees… but it was a good workout that really worked a lot of different muscle groups. I took this class on a Wednesday and I was sore and had muscle pain though Saturday.

Kickboxing: Agood class that started with some conditioning drills, then had us punching and kicking the heavy bags that hung from the ceiling. We finished by punching and kicking pads that the instructor held for us. There was definitely a “boot camp” element of the class, such as when the instructor told us all to sit against the back wall (but not actually sit, just hold yourself up against the wall as if you were sitting in a chair) while he went down the line and asked us to hit the pads. He said that if anyone broke the position we’d all have to do push ups. I was pretty satisfied with this class, thought I felt like the kickboxing classes I’ve taken at the TKD school in Astoria were much more intense. I also took some amount of pleasure in the fact that the NYSC class was mostly guys, and I performed just as well—if not better—than most of them, in terms of doing the conditioning exercises and even in pad work.

I’m glad I got the chance to try out these different classes, so now I know what all the hype is about when it comes to Spin and Zumba. Neither are really for me… but at least I can say I’ve tried them.

Next week I’ll return to my trusty kickboxing classes.

Gorgonzola and red onion jam tartlets. These are always a hit at...

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:07:48 -0500

Gorgonzola and red onion jam tartlets.

These are always a hit at parties. Thank you,Healthmagazine, for this recipe.

Ate a lot of good food this weekend:

Book club Friday - always nice to graze on delicious appetizers and drink wine with some lovely neighborhood friends.
UFC party Saturday - pizza, wings, salsa, spinach dip, Juniors cheesecake, and pineapple upside-down cake… literally induced a food coma.
Potluck Sunday - a delicious and amazing feast that included cocktails, wine, appetizers, salads, entrees, sides, and desserts… due to no small amount of work and amazing cooking by the hostess as well as all the attendees who love food!

This weekend was the perfect kickoff to the next month or two… with weeks of heavy eating and drinking. Hopefully I can continue to maintain my workout schedule throughout it!

Luck vs. Logic

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:18:23 -0500

The weekend before Hurricane Sandy hit, I visited Halim at the neighborhood cafe. He didn’t seem too worried about the impending storm. (Now we see that our neighborhood was largely unaffected—and we are thankful!) \

I do remember that he told Daisy and I this story, which I enjoyed. The details may be fuzzy but the overall concept is accurate:

There are two brothers, Luck and Logic, who are on a journey and suddenly become stranded. They have no way to call for help. They have to simply wait for someone to come along and rescue them.

Luck decides to lie down in the middle of the street, hoping that he will catch the attention of someone coming by.

“Are you crazy?” Logic asks. “You are going to get hit!”

Logic decides to wait underneath a tree at the side of the road, because he reasons that this is a much safer place to be.

Eventually a car does come by, and what happens? The car sees Luck lying in the middle of the street, and swerves to avoid hitting him—only to swerve right into the tree that Logic is standing under.

So, the point of the story… you may be better off depending on Luck rather than Logic.

After arriving at Brighton Beach, our busload of 75 volunteers...

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:59:00 -0500

The beach was dotted with many piles of large trash, like this one, which were collected together by volunteers and waiting to be disposed of via trucks.

The volunteer hub for Brighton Beach Cleanup

Shoveling piles of sand on the Boardwalk, so members of the National Guard could wheelbarrow them back onto the beach

A sail that was deeply entrenched in the sand, which fellow volunteer Nicole and I dug up and disposed of

After arriving at Brighton Beach, our busload of 75 volunteers was soon joined by 3 additional groups, putting us at a total of about 300 people. We were assisting the NYC Parks Department with beach cleanup, which consisted of 3 main tasks:

Canvassing the beach with large trash bags, removing any litter/debris/trash/tree branches that were swept onto the beach from Hurricane Sandy
Using 16” brooms to sweep sand off of the boardwalk (since the ocean had pushed sand far past the boardwalk and even into the streets)
Using shovels to shovel the sand on the boardwalk into piles—which would then be wheelbarrowed back onto the beach by the National Guard.

As I picked up trash and debris from the beach, I came across items like: bottle caps, plastic bags entrenched in the sand, candy and food wrappers, a broken Corona bottle, plastic parts of ballpoint pens, an intact pencil, plastic tampon applicators, pieces of a wooden fence, a broom handle, plastic bottles, pieces of a wooden staircase banister, plastic utensils, and drinking straws. My co-volunteer, Nicole, found a children’s slap bracelet with peace symbols on it, and placed it on her own wrist.

I made a mental note to stop using plastic whenever possible.

Nicole discovered a yellow and white sail that was buried in the sand, near the shoreline. I offered to help her dig it up. We got a couple of shovels, but soon found that shoveling tightly packed wet sand was tougher than we thought. We tried to pull the sail up, out of the sand, but it was stuck… buried who-knew how deep. The sail was also folded upon itself in various places, and when we tried to rip it apart, we discovered that it was filled with shells, sand, and other debris. It was a slow process to unearth it, but we were determined to do so, even when we saw the tide coming in closer and closer to us. After alternating between shoveling sand off of it, ripping the sail to expose the sand and shells packed inside, and using our hands to scoop the sand and shells out of various pockets, we managed to free the entire sail. I enjoyed how this was a project for us and that it was a tangible outcome, no matter how small. This sail would not be littering Brighton Beach anymore. Success!

Sweeping sand from the boardwalk, as well as shoveling sand into piles on the boardwalk, were less memorable experiences. There’s just one thing of note. Somehow, the broom I chose was defective and the head kept separating from the handle. I later learned that this happened to a lot of people. Can’t the Parks Department afford better brooms? As I struggled for the second time to re-attach the head to the handle, an elderly Russian couple approached me. The man reached out and said, “I know what to do.” I held the head of the broom steady while he twisted the handle into it, then watched as he turned the broom upside down and smashed it into the boardwalk a few times, securing the two pieces together. He handed it back to me with a smile, and I thanked him. A few minutes later, though, the broom became detached again. At that point, I switched my task to shoveling instead, which was much more productive.

While I felt like we made some good progress, there is still so much to be done. Cleaning up the beach was fine, and I know it has to be done. But I think that in my next attempt to help out in the field, I will try to find an opportunity where I am more directly helping people. There are still people in some areas without electricity, running water, or access to food and drinking water. They need our help more than the beaches do.

My plan of leaving work early to go vote never panned out, and...

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:28:21 -0500

My plan of leaving work early to go vote never panned out, and was further complicated by train delays on our fine subway system.

Instead, I decided to go vote after my class at the gym, which ended at 8:20. NYC polls closed at 9pm. I thought, foolishly, that a half-hour would be plenty of time. Surely most people already voted before work or else right after work… right?

Turns out that no matter what time you went to the polls, you would experience a long line. When I reached the local school, I saw a line of people extending down the block. Luckily, the line moved pretty quickly, and we all marched single file through the school’s entrance. When I got inside, though, I realized that the line doubled back on itself and there were more than 50 people waiting in the hallway. Everyone was grumbling. A few people commented that this was their second or third time coming here today, since they gave up the first few times due to the long lines.

We inched slowly forward in the line. When we reached what I thought was the beginning of the line, I then found out that the line continued down the staircase to the basement level. The basement level had 2 lines of people, 1 for “District 8” (which sounded like something out of a Hunger Games novel) and 1 for everyone else. We were all simply waiting for our chance to even enter the room that contained the sign-in, voting booths, and scanners. Tensions began to rise as the clock ticked closer to 9:00. “This is a disgrace,” one heavily-accented Eastern European man commented.

A frustrated man on the District 8 line started getting rowdy. He confronted one of the poll workers about why their line was not moving. The one on-duty police officer at this poll site had to step in and calm the man down, saying that as long as he was inside the building, he would get to vote—even if it was after 9:00. “When?” the man kept demanding. “When?”

Finally, I made it inside the room, only to be told that I had to wait in another line for my district—District 21. This line was about 10 people. As I waited in the slow, non-moving line, I witnessed a fight almost break out in the line for District 19. This time it was between two white males in their late 20s/early 30s, both wearing plastic framed eyeglasses. The police officer had to step in again. Somehow it took another half-hour for me to get to the front of the line and finally sign in. I noticed that the poll workers just handed me my ballot and a card without the explanations they lavished on other people. Either 1) they assumed I was smart enough to know what I had to do, or 2) they didn’t really care about making sure I knew what to do.

I noticed that the ballot said to only use “the black pen provided” but no one had given me a pen, and there wasn’t one in the voting booth. I moved to a different voting booth and saw a pen attached to the booth with a metal cord, so I began to use it… only to find out that it had blue ink. WTF. I then pulled out a black pen I had the foresight to bring on my own, hoping that any black pen would work and we weren’t meant to use some special ink pen.

When finished, I was immediately sent over to one of the scanning stations and submitted my ballot. I saw the screen saying that my ballot had been counted. This whole process (from sign-in to scanning station) took less than 5 minutes.

I finally left the polling site at 9:40. What an ordeal.

Hurricane Sandy Relief donations: bottled water, canned food,...

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 22:00:00 -0500

Hurricane Sandy Relief donations: bottled water, canned food, batteries, and winter hats. Not pictured: A hand-knit scarf that my ex boyfriend’s mother gave me six years ago. I would feel strange wearing it now… and to be honest, it was never really my color (it was multicolor but the overall palette was a hot pink). I hope that it is keeping someone else warm tonight, especially if they still lack electricity and heat.

Our group of 8 was dispatched (along with a few other groups) to...

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 13:12:00 -0400

Over 1,000 volunteers came to GOLES this afternoon

Dark stairwells inside the Lillian Wald Houses

Outside one of the Lillian Wald Houses

Our group of 8 was dispatched (along with a few other groups) to the Lillian Wald Houses this afternoon to knock on doors, check on people who were possibly without power, and supply bottled water and packaged food to those in need. We received some direction (and 1 bag of supplies for every 2 volunteers) from GOLES but quickly realized that we were on our own in terms of organizing and making a plan as to how to tackle our assignment.

Doubtful that 4 bags of supplies would be enough to cover a 10+ story building, we stopped at a local bodega on Avenue C. There, a few of us bought 3 six-packs of bottled water, some additional snacks, and 4 large crates of gallon-sized bottled water. We borrowed a rolling dolly from the store owner to transport the crates, promising to return it within a couple of hours.

The Lillian Wald Houses included 16 high rise buildings between Avenue D and FDR. I had never been past Avenue C before, and I had also never visited NYCHA housing before, so this was an eye-opening experience.

We chose a building and then split up: 4 of us would cover the even-numbered floors, and the other 4 would cover odd-numbered floors. On each floor, our group of 4 split up into groups of 2, who went knocking on doors on either side of the elevator bank. Radha and I went as a pair. He would knock on the door, and I would say, “Hello, we’re just seeing if you need any food or water?” I thought it was important to do this along with simply knocking, so that people knew we were coming to help. I imagine that they wouldn’t normally open their doors to strangers.

We were also told to always knock on doors in groups of 2, and I think having a girl + guy as a pair made sense so that we didn’t intimidate people. Radha remarked that we had a good technique because I had a nice, friendly voice. I think it helped that I didn’t look very intimidating either. Many people didn’t answer: either they were out, perhaps obtaining food now that power had returned to the LES, or they didn’t want to open their door to strangers. In the first building we went to, power was restored as of this morning. In the second building we went to, the elevators were not working, so we walked up the stairs to the 10th floor. The stairwells were dark, somewhat dirty, and smelled like urine.

Here are a few highlights of our experience:

Everyone we met was very appreciative of us coming by. I was surprised that many people said they were fine and doing okay, and they didn’t need anything, even when we literally had free handouts right in front of them. It was so refreshing to see people who would refuse a free handout (and know that it would be going to someone else who really needed it).
There were a few people who didn’t speak English, so I used my basic Spanish to communicate with them, saying “Necessita agua o comida? Necessita ayuda?” but then they usually had another family member come to the door who spoke English. One of my teammates used her Mandarin language skills to communicate with someone. I then realized that my Cantonese skills were pretty horrible because all I could really say in Chinese was, “Water?” and then feel bad about myself.
One elderly woman took the 2 bottles of water we gave her, along with a can of beans, but got very excited about the canned pineapple. It seemed like fruit was a big draw; one person even asked us if we had any fruit and we had to say no.
There were a few people we met who seemed a bit out of it, and I am not sure if they had mental disabilities. They seemed especially appreciative of the water and food. One man kept saying, “It’s okay” to the following questions: “How are you? Do you need any food or water? Did you lose power today?” but I think perhaps he didn’t speak English and those were the only English words he knew.
One woman was very excited to get a gallon of water and said, “This is great! This is the best thing ever! What organization are you from?” and said she would look us up next time for a donation. That was pretty heartening.
One of my team members really helped someone who was legally blind and needed a prescription refilled urgently but wasn’t able to go to the pharmacy (the elevators were out and he couldn’t navigate the stairs). She called his doctor for him, we went to the nearest drugstore and refilled his prescription, and then returned to give him the medicine.

While we were waiting for 2 of our team members to finish going through the floors of one of the buildings, Radha and I started talking to a couple of the residents who were sitting outside on a bench. The man seemed very sweet and told us that it was crazy without power for the past few days, and how he kept bumping into things in his own apartment because it was so dark at night. The woman was talking about her sister in Jersey City and how bad it was there and how they still had no power. She said she’s been trying to call her, and kept getting voicemail. I told her that probably meant that her sister’s phone was turned off because maybe she had no power. She then asked me, “Do you have a phone?” I said yes, and that she could use it. She asked me if I could dial a number for her, and I did… then gave her the phone. I was slightly skeptical but figured that she wasn’t going to run off with it. And she also didn’t look like she would be very fast-moving. Luckily I had no reason to be worried. She was able to reach her sister and sounded very happy talking to her.

I was glad that I was able to help in this small way.

So this is what happens when you try to heat up a hard-boiled...

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:42:56 -0400

So this is what happens when you try to heat up a hard-boiled egg (shell removed) in the microwave. At least it was okay for me to be late going in to work today as a result.

After four days of hurricane-induced laziness (including almost...

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 22:41:17 -0400

After four days of hurricane-induced laziness (including almost 2 days of being cooped up inside my 525 sq. ft. apartment), I decided to re-start my workout regimen. It wasn’t completely my fault that I hadn’t worked out since last Friday… I originally PLANNED to go to the gym on Monday and Tuesday, but of course it was closed due to the hurricane. For good reason!

Today I decided to go to the NYSC in my neighborhood and try their UFX Burn class, which was supposedly a high-intensity cross training class. I saw the above video and was a bit scared, but intrigued at the same time. I thought my kickboxing class was pretty intense, so how bad could UFX be, right?

Turns out the class was nothing like the above video (talk about false advertising!). We barely did any of the things the video showed. It was definitely a rigorous cross training class with nonstop circuit training—5 rounds of maybe 7 or 8 different types of exercises using light and heavy weights, along with some sprawls and ab exercises—but it wasn’t particularly scary.

I thought it was a great workout, and good for any skill level. It wasn’t any more difficult than my kickboxing class, really—I guess depending on how heavy the weights you choose are, you could up the intensity. Since it was my first time doing the class and my first time working out in a week, I decided to use pretty wimpy weights.

I would definitely go again… It’s a good alternative to my kickboxing classes. But in all honesty, I think the kickboxing classes are better! Maybe it’s just my aversion to wearing sneakers at the gym for all these workouts… and the fact that my sneakers aren’t that good. I’m used to training barefoot. And I like the feeling of going to a martial arts school vs. a gym. We’ll see. I still have a few more weeks left at NYSC.

Photo credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images A few of my...

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 17:10:44 -0400

Photo credit: Allison Joyce/Getty Images

A few of my reflections on Hurricane Sandy.

The Before:

While lines for big chain stores and markets like Key Foods, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Rite Aid wrapped around aisles and sometimes even blocks… there were little to no lines at the corner bodegas. The nearby convenience store, Wandy’s Market, was devoid of customers, and they had about 10-12 gallons of water available on Sunday afternoon—when most chain stores were sold out. It’s sad that it’s only the large corporate chains and big box stores that are benefiting from increased “hurricane business,” whereas small bodegas and independent local stores are the ones who need our business most. This could have really helped them, and yet the masses flock to support faceless corporations instead.

As with the last hurricane, if you need D batteries for any of your flashlights, radios, or appliances, you are likely to be SOL because those batteries are the first to sell out. Luckily for some strange reason, my iPod dock/radio runs on C batteries… probably the most under-used battery type ever. If you go to any store, you will probably find an oversupply of C batteries because no one wants them. I think this is a good case for purposely buying a radio or flashlight that uses C batteries.

The During:

In the high winds, on Monday afternoon, I saw a few delivery men riding down my street. It’s sad that they continued to work during the storm… I’m sure they didn’t want to, but were motivated by economic necessity. It’s also sad that there are some people who would actually order delivery during a hurricane and expect that it would be available… or that there would be some poor person who would be willing to deliver it.

All the people who went out and took pictures during the storm… are we really such exhibitionists that we would place such importance on getting pictures of the storm to post on Facebook? It’s not like there would be a shortage of professional photographers or news reporters covering what conditions are like. It seems like our priorities are askew.

The After:

The day after the storm, many businesses, restaurants, and bars in my neighborhood re-opened. In fact, it was pretty crowded and it looked like many places were doing brisk business on Tuesday night. This is a stark contrast to a place like Midtown Manhattan, where a friend told me that only about 30% of places were open. And of course, this is because Midtown Manhattan is not very residential—the people who operate those businesses and restaurants most likely live elsewhere and commute in, if not from another NYC borough completely, from a different neighborhood at least. It made me feel happy to be living in a neighborhood that runs on the work and the businesses of its own residents. It feels good to be part of a local community, a neighborhood ecosystem.

While many people are still dealing with a lack of power, damage to their homes, flooding, and transportation issues… overall most people made it through okay. I know I am one of the luckier ones. And I’m even more lucky to have people, even people I would not have expected, checking in on me.

Walking back from a yummy Brazilian brunch at Barraco Mineiro,...

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 16:33:27 -0400

The flowers

The wrapping

Walking back from a yummy Brazilian brunch at Barraco Mineiro, we start to head in the direction of my apartment. R suddenly says, “I… uh, have to pick something up. I’ll meet you back at your apartment.”

I am a bit surprised. “Ummmm… okay. Is it something embarrassing?” I tease.

He seems like he’s trying not to laugh. “Um, yes. Yes, it is.”

“Alright then,” I say, suspiciously. “I’ll see you there.”

Turns out it wasn’t medication, embarrassing drugstore items, or drugs… R went on a detour to buy me flowers!

I remember in middle school, for Valentine’s Day, there would always be some club or organization selling carnation-grams. You could purchase one for a friend, or send one to yourself. I believe that yellow or white meant “friends,” pink meant “secret admirer” and red meant “love.” The carnation-grams were delivered on Valentine’s Day to your homeroom.

I may not have gotten many carnation-grams back then, but this makes up for it. :) Thank you, R. What a nice surprise to brighten up a gloomy Saturday!

It’s the end of October, and my cherry tomato plant is...

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 13:12:14 -0400

Down and out but still hanging on... 4' tall!

Still holding on with some red ripe tomatoes!

It’s the end of October, and my cherry tomato plant is still holding out. It’s struggling to survive, with many leaves dried and brown… but there are still some spots of green, along with some cherry tomatoes that continue to bloom. I appreciate its will to live.

It’s come so far since April. It started out as a tiny plant without any tomatoes to speak of, probably about 7 inches. Now it’s over 4 feet tall. Skinny and way past its prime (I believe prime season for tomatoes is July and August), but it’s a hardy one.

Too bad Hurricane Sandy has to come and spoil everything.