Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Chips Ahoy
About a week ago, a new shop opened at Orchard and Rivington called Shi. The store graphics and window display items were late to arrive to the store, so it was an unmarked storefront, which intrigued me to go in. Turns out, they sell specialty British and Malaysian snacks, and I try some new stuff every day. A standout has definitely been these Walkers Roast Chicken chips. It looks like a knockoff Lays logo, but the chips are on point! Exactly like a rotisserie chicken. Reminds me of old days with Kenny Rogers Rotisserie chicken in Edison...
Friday, February 18, 2011
DJ AM
I didn't know much about DJ AM when he passed away. But I recently found a website that quickly introduced me and got me hooked on his mixes, especially when running. Check it out
Cabs Are Here
Sry for the Jersey Shore title! I wanted to blog about the redesign of NY cabs. The frontrunner in this contest is by Karsan, and for good reason. The panoramic sunroof, wheelchair accessibility, and seat setup (all 4 passengers now face one another) are all great and well-designed.
But, there was something about this whole thing that bothered me, and I've realized what it was: the new cabs are yet another sign of a changing NY.
But more than just any change, NY is getting de-clawed. As a kid, I always regarded a New Yorker as a fast-talking clever hardass. NY was populated by immigrants hustling to survive. Fights and hookers were in the streets. Starving artists created revolutionary movements. Now? Tourists are clogging streets, luxury buildings and doggie spas are sprouting up, police have very little crime to worry about.
Patti Smith expressed her concern well:
"I feel the Bloomberg administration has reinvented the city as the new hip suburbia. It’s a tourist city. It’s really safe for tourists. I guess I liked it when it was a little less safe. Or I liked it when it was safer for artists. Now it’s unsafe for artists. I’m not saying this for myself. I’m saying this for the future of creative communities. Because, one day, all the people who have driven out the artists and have only these fancy condos left are going to turn around and say, “Why do I live here? There’s nothing happening!”
Granted, there is a lot to concede. I'm too young to know what NY was really like in the 60s through 80s. I'm skipping over the obvious hazards of the high crime levels back then. In short, I'm glorifying a past that I only know through books I've read and movies I've watched.
Back to the new cabs. It used to be somewhat amusing to watch tourists whistle and wave at cabs without their top lights on, but I guess that's gone:
From the specifications: the new cabs include "floor level 'London Style' additional luggage space," too. London Style? Fuck London, I want New York!
The slightly menacing face of the Ford Crown Victoria used to welcome me back to NY in droves, but the new face looks expressionless. It's sleek, ok, I'll give you that. But overall, it still feels like it's a shuttle bus about to pull into a retirement home driveway.
Living in NY came with some unwritten rules that you learned through experience. That was part of the pride of being a New Yorker. The unique experience inspired songs by Billy Joel, Sinatra, and many more you didn't know about. No other city inspires such strong feelings. (A Houston state of mind, anyone?) Start spreading the news/ I'm leaving today/ I wanna be a part of it/ Saint Louis, Missouriiiii
I'm ambivalent about NY's shifting character. There's no sense in condemning changes for the sake of nostalgia and preserving just for memories. But at the same time, have the changes been tasteful and respectful of NY's vibrant past? Will the changes leave NY soulless and dull? It's worth mentioning that people have complained of NY's demise and decline for almost a century now. Only one thing is certain: everyone hates tourists...
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Avoid Toxic People
"Perls proposed that in all relationships people could be either toxic or nourishing towards one another. It is not necessarily true that the same person will be toxic or nourishing in every relationship, but the combination of any two people in a relationship produces toxic or nourishing consequences. And the important thing that I can tell you is that there is a test to determine whether someone is toxic or nourishing in your relationship with them. Here is the test: You have spent some time with this person, either you have a drink or go for dinner or you go to a ball game. It doesn’t matter very much but at the end of that time you observe whether you are more energised or less energised. Whether you are tired or whether you are exhilarated. If you are more tired then you have been poisoned. If you have more energy you have been nourished. The test is almost infallible and I suggest that you use it for the rest of your life."
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Fromage
This morning, I woke up with a hankering to see a movie. Lucky for me, Home, a film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand was playing for free in E. Village. The movie was composed entirely of aerial shots, and the images were astonishing, as you could probably imagine. Since I had just woken up, my mind was still in a sleepy state and the movie was a nice visual continuation of the dreams I had before.
Afterwards, I went to buy groceries and got this awesome lemon-infused cheese from the one and only East Village Cheese. (English White Stilton with Lemon, if you care). How I got a lb. of it for $3 in New York while it sells for $21/lb. online makes no sense, and is exactly why you should hit this place up.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
I Pity the Heirs and Heiresses of Huge Fortunes
After all,
what does someone,
who doesn't have to do anything
do?
what does someone,
who doesn't have to do anything
do?
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Realiza Tu Sueno
I went to James De La Vega's store today in St. Mark's because I've always wanted to check out his work. Little did I know I'd get to meet him! I talked to him about how he got started (didn't know he was a Cornell grad) and about graffiti. Dude even blessed me with a free t shirt. Always been a huge fan of his words of inspiration:
http://www.delavegainternational.com/
http://www.delavegainternational.com/
Monday, November 24, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Overexcited by New Products #1
I like Honey Bunches of Oats, but everyone knows that the only really good part is the oats. It's like putting in hours of work at the office (eating the shitty flakes) and then BINGO getting the big fat paycheck of the OAT BUNCH. Well now there's JUST BUNCHES, a cereal filled with paychecks and no work!! YES!!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Elbe Philharmonic
Neat building from the folks at Herzog & de Meuron that brought you the Beijing Olympic stadium:
From (current) dirty shitty warehouse:
To (future) dirty shitty warehouse with really nice glass/ice effect on top:
From (current) dirty shitty warehouse:
To (future) dirty shitty warehouse with really nice glass/ice effect on top:
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Profile: Karl Lagerfeld
I've always liked reading autobiographies. You might argue that the famous figures hired someone else to write it for them, but at the end of the day, true or not, lives are interesting. No matter your story, it's a story filled with problems and events that are more incredible than anything fiction writers can think up.
So every so often, I'm going to write about some figures with especially interesting stories. First up, Karl Lagerfeld.
Usually, I have a problem with superficiality. But Karl embodies the superficiality so completely that he makes being superficial seem, in fact, dignified. It is an integral part of him, and it seems so natural for him, that you accept it, regardless of how peculiar it sounds. (At age 4, he demanded a valet because he changed his clothes several times a day and his mother used to say, “Children with glasses are the ugliest thing in the world.” and refused him glasses although he was short sighted.)
One interesting facet of Karl is the weight he's lost. He lost 92 pounds in 13 months. “My only ambition in life is to wear size 28 jeans," he says.
From this:
To this:
The most striking thing about Karl is that he is so polar, opinionated, completely set about everything. He is obsessive and loves some things, while he despises others with an equal passion. This is a small sample of his quotations to understand what I mean:
“I do not like funerals, and I do not want anyone to come to mine,” he says. “Do what you want with the ashes. Send them down the garbage chute.”
“I have no problem with journalists – many are friends,” he says. “Only if they are really stupid, or if they’ve got bad breath, or if they smell. Yesterday I had a problem. I said, ‘I’m sorry, you’ve got to tell this woman that she needs to be taken away. Her smell is not possible.’ ”
"I didn’t like to play with children. I only wanted to read, sketch, write, and to learn languages.”
"I never make serious conversation. It bores me to death. I hate that. I love knowledge for myself, but I don’t care what other people think. "
Another aspect of Karl is his blend of the old and the new. While I'm not a fashion expert, and can't speak for his clothing, his signature look defines this juxtaposition. Old - Powdered hair, high collar. New - Ponytail, leather pants (and not just any leather pants. His are Agatha leather pants and at $2500, they are the most expensive in the world). His youthful exuberance and controversial/perverted comments liven up his 71 years of age. “I get along with everyone except for men my age, who are bourgeois or retired or boring.”
All in all, Karl strikes me as a strong-willed individual that has certain obsessions that has cleared any noise in his life, and made room for clear opinions about everything. He owns 300,000 books, yet has read Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking" three times in one month. He has peculiar tendencies, and perhaps that is what has led to his courageous work in the face of criticism.
*From what I've read about most "famous" or "successful" people, it seems that all of them dwell in the extremes. Only by being extreme in some sense, does one differentiate one's self and rise above the crowd. Of course, that takes courage, too and does not come without risks. But like everything else in life, those that risk nothing, stand to gain nothing. *
So every so often, I'm going to write about some figures with especially interesting stories. First up, Karl Lagerfeld.
Usually, I have a problem with superficiality. But Karl embodies the superficiality so completely that he makes being superficial seem, in fact, dignified. It is an integral part of him, and it seems so natural for him, that you accept it, regardless of how peculiar it sounds. (At age 4, he demanded a valet because he changed his clothes several times a day and his mother used to say, “Children with glasses are the ugliest thing in the world.” and refused him glasses although he was short sighted.)
One interesting facet of Karl is the weight he's lost. He lost 92 pounds in 13 months. “My only ambition in life is to wear size 28 jeans," he says.
From this:
To this:
The most striking thing about Karl is that he is so polar, opinionated, completely set about everything. He is obsessive and loves some things, while he despises others with an equal passion. This is a small sample of his quotations to understand what I mean:
“I do not like funerals, and I do not want anyone to come to mine,” he says. “Do what you want with the ashes. Send them down the garbage chute.”
“I have no problem with journalists – many are friends,” he says. “Only if they are really stupid, or if they’ve got bad breath, or if they smell. Yesterday I had a problem. I said, ‘I’m sorry, you’ve got to tell this woman that she needs to be taken away. Her smell is not possible.’ ”
"I didn’t like to play with children. I only wanted to read, sketch, write, and to learn languages.”
"I never make serious conversation. It bores me to death. I hate that. I love knowledge for myself, but I don’t care what other people think. "
Another aspect of Karl is his blend of the old and the new. While I'm not a fashion expert, and can't speak for his clothing, his signature look defines this juxtaposition. Old - Powdered hair, high collar. New - Ponytail, leather pants (and not just any leather pants. His are Agatha leather pants and at $2500, they are the most expensive in the world). His youthful exuberance and controversial/perverted comments liven up his 71 years of age. “I get along with everyone except for men my age, who are bourgeois or retired or boring.”
All in all, Karl strikes me as a strong-willed individual that has certain obsessions that has cleared any noise in his life, and made room for clear opinions about everything. He owns 300,000 books, yet has read Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking" three times in one month. He has peculiar tendencies, and perhaps that is what has led to his courageous work in the face of criticism.
*From what I've read about most "famous" or "successful" people, it seems that all of them dwell in the extremes. Only by being extreme in some sense, does one differentiate one's self and rise above the crowd. Of course, that takes courage, too and does not come without risks. But like everything else in life, those that risk nothing, stand to gain nothing. *
Friday, September 12, 2008
One-Liners
http://www.onesentence.org/stories/popular/all/
Entertainment compacted into one sentence.
Entertainment compacted into one sentence.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Scar Tissue
Excerpt from one of my favorite books:
I took the mike and belted out, "Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now."
That line had come from a series of conversations I'd had years earlier with Nina Hagen. Nina was a wise soul, and she realized how young and inexperienced I was then, so she was always passing on gems to me, not in a preachy way, just by seizing on opportunities. I was going through her closet one day, looking at all her crazy clothes, when I came upon a valuable exotic jacket. "This is really cool," I said.
"Take it. You can have it," she said.
"Whoa, I can't take this. This is the nicest jacket you have in there," I said.
"That's why I gave it to you," she explained. "It's always important to give things away; it creates good energy. If you have a closet full of clothes, and you try to keep them all, your life will get very small. But if you have a full closet and someone sees something they like, if you give it to them, the world is a better place."
I had come from such a school of hard knocks that my philosophy was you don't give things away, you take whatever you want. It was such an epiphany that someone would want to give me her favorite thing. That stuck with me forever. Every time I'd be thinking, "I have to keep," I'd remember, "No you gotta give away instead." When I started going regularly to meetings, one of the principles I learned was that they way to maintain your own sobriety is to give it to another suffering alcoholic. Every time you empty your vessel of energy, fresh new energy comes flooding in.
Another excerpt:
I was stone-cold sober and lying on my back and she was giving me head and there was so much love being exchanged, and she was pouring so much of her heart into that physical expression, that i started to leave my body and was able to look down and see myself lying on a bed with this girl, with her flowing chestnut locks and her beautiful white skin, making love to me. I just watched for a while and I had the realization that that was the single most beautiful sexual moment of my life to date.
I took the mike and belted out, "Give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now."
That line had come from a series of conversations I'd had years earlier with Nina Hagen. Nina was a wise soul, and she realized how young and inexperienced I was then, so she was always passing on gems to me, not in a preachy way, just by seizing on opportunities. I was going through her closet one day, looking at all her crazy clothes, when I came upon a valuable exotic jacket. "This is really cool," I said.
"Take it. You can have it," she said.
"Whoa, I can't take this. This is the nicest jacket you have in there," I said.
"That's why I gave it to you," she explained. "It's always important to give things away; it creates good energy. If you have a closet full of clothes, and you try to keep them all, your life will get very small. But if you have a full closet and someone sees something they like, if you give it to them, the world is a better place."
I had come from such a school of hard knocks that my philosophy was you don't give things away, you take whatever you want. It was such an epiphany that someone would want to give me her favorite thing. That stuck with me forever. Every time I'd be thinking, "I have to keep," I'd remember, "No you gotta give away instead." When I started going regularly to meetings, one of the principles I learned was that they way to maintain your own sobriety is to give it to another suffering alcoholic. Every time you empty your vessel of energy, fresh new energy comes flooding in.
Another excerpt:
I was stone-cold sober and lying on my back and she was giving me head and there was so much love being exchanged, and she was pouring so much of her heart into that physical expression, that i started to leave my body and was able to look down and see myself lying on a bed with this girl, with her flowing chestnut locks and her beautiful white skin, making love to me. I just watched for a while and I had the realization that that was the single most beautiful sexual moment of my life to date.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
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