Butter(fly) end of Summer

I'm going to watch Madame Butterfly tonight at the Met Opera (in front actually).
It'll be the last event of my summer, even though classes have already started and Autumn is already underway. I, hilariously, almost got into a fight the last time I tried to watch Madame Butterfly at the Met.

Folding Hangover

It's the annual post origami convention letdown.
But here are some pictures of the origami exhibit for your viewing pleasure!

Break

I have the next 13 days off.
Besides some origami teaching on Good Friday, the potluck on Holy Saturday, and a wedding the following Saturday, I'm completely free.
What should I do?

Hard Road Ahead

The election result as momentous as it is, is just the beginning.
I just hope the Dems don't fuck this all up.

Sweatiest Ever

I was told by a friend that I was the "sweatiest [dude], ever".

This day included the following:
the MoMA
Ruby Tuesday in Times Square
Death Race (2008)
Private Dance Party
Pancakes

I also made a new friend along the way...

Pulse 87

The insomnia is back.
I found my old Walkman and turned on the radio. Stumbled upon WNYZ 87.7 while I was resetting the preset stations. It's a Rhythmic CHR station which basically means it plays dance club music. So now I can go deaf while I go loopy from lack of sleep. Yay.

So tonight's excitement, I met a bunch of dancers on my way home tonight. I was a little drunk as I walked my way back to Union Square after a PG-13 night on the town. I'd passed by several large herds of newbie NYU kids and I assumed the crew on the uptown BMT platform was the same. A W train pulled in and they seemed to be waiting for an N, so I told them to get on. We all boarded together and sat down, but an N train pulled into the express track, so we all changed over and got seats on the express. I was feeling chatty, so I started talking to my neighbor, Lindsey, and eventually was talking to the whole crew (Mandy, Laura, Francesco) about bad choreographers, poor turnout and the upcoming dance/performance season. My own performance on the ride back to Queens was apparently so impressive that the woman sitting across from me started smiling and talking to Laura even though she didn't know any of us. I overheard her say something like, "Only in New York can you have complete strangers blah blah on the train...", but right then the N pulled into my stop.
I believe in NY and I believe that NY believes in Sang. :)

Origami USA Convention 2008

Hey everyone, here are my pics from the Origami USA Convention 2008.

More Ketchup Please

Sorry about the lack.
Lessee, in the past 40 days and 40 nights...
Bought 2 new pairs of running shoes for my marathon training with TNT.
Went to my last opera of the 2007-8 season (was the libretto really that terrible, yes).
Spent a parade-y afternoon with the Norwegians.
Saw Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, & Ed Norton on the big screen.
Tasted Times Square.
Saw the Yanks beat the Blue Jays.
Won some money playing poker.
Hosted two potluck dinners (C-food & soccer themes).
Went to eight (nine?) other parties celebrating beginnings, anniversaries, and unhappy endings.
Continued my fourteen (14!!!) year streak of attending every Shakespeare in the Park performance (Hamlet, not everybody loved it).
And for the past two weeks I've been reveling in the soccer awesomeness that is Euro2008.
Hup Holland!

Ko, finally

I finally ate at Momofuku Ko last night and now everyone can read about it too.

Die Stille vor Bach

I saw The Silence Before Bach (Die Stille vor Bach) by myself at Two Boots Pioneer Theater on the last night of its run. It's Pere Portabella's latest work and though I feel like I've been waxing hyperbolic too often of late, the movie was an amazing fusion of music and film. I would say more, but this review on Not Coming to a Theater Near You captures the spirit of the film. That set piece on the U-bahn with all those kids playing the Prelude to Cello Suite #1 was my favorite, even more than all the snippets from the Goldberg Variations.

Jake Shimabukuro @ Highline Ballroom

I capped off my birthday weekend by attending a Jake Shimabukuro show at the Highline Ballroom. For those not in the know, Shimabukuro is an incredible ukelele player. He'll be appearing on Late Night with Conan O'Brien tonight. If you don't catch him you can check out this amazing rendition of George Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

New Year's Momentum

It's been a busy first two weeks of the year. I made a couple of resolutions or maybe 2.5. The standard one (I will lose some weight) and a more fun resolution (I will dance more). So far there's been some opera, bhangra, wii, a Feuerzangenbowle, dance, and a bon voyage. And that doesn't include the 6 parties (birthdays or just because we like to party) or 5, new to me, restaurants (Light Horse Tavern, Gradisca, Stand, LITM, & Native). It's only gonna get better.

Revisiting Older Posts

This was my favorite one this year.

One Boy, One Girl, Seven Cups

It all started innocently enough, at a big family dinner in Chinatown. Went to Mandarin Garden to meet the extended family (not mine). Well not actually Mandarin Garden, it had to be either Mandarin Court or Shanghai Garden (right next to each other on Mott). After a gut busting meal (7 courses?) at MC, we trekked over to Zinc Bar for some bossa nova.

More drinking, music.

More walking, past the sculpture near NYU housing, past the cheese caves at Murray's, past Caliente Cab Co., past 85 Bedford, finally landing at White Horse Tavern.

More drinking, more food.

We discussed why I should never, ever marry.

A subway ride to the 24hr Starbucks on the UWS.

And then we had 7 cups of coffee & tea in less than an hour (along with some tips on health and fitness from our baristas, Exodus & Dan).

That's why I'm still up at 5:30, argh.

Staten Island Yankees 2007 Finale

It wasn't actually the end since the SI Yanks advanced to the Penn-League playoffs, but it was the last day of the regular season and it was Friday so that meant fireworks!!!

AB and JV seemed to enjoy the beer too. :)

Check out the rest of the flickr set.

Opera for All (second time around)

Back to Hong Kong Station for lunch.

Then it was off to Lincoln Center for another year of Opera for All at City Opera!

It was a great preview for the season, especially Don Giovanni which I was seeing with my bro two days hence. EVOC provided the after-party entertainment again.

AW and I stopped in to a local pizza joint (hi Mario) to grab a quick bite and then I had one of those surreal New York encounters - Xian walked in along with a posse of HCHS kids. Xian and I caught up briefly before we went on into the night.

Power of 10 (taping)

Feel the power (that's what she said).

Followed by a visit to Boston Pizza (in Astoria).

More Béisbol

Another baseball game, this time in the Bronx.

The NY teams lost more often than they won (at least when I went to the games).
It was probably my fault in some way.
Le sigh...

Serra Serra

Finally saw the Serra exhibit at MoMA tonight.

AB was late, I almost left to go home.
I don't like it when people are late/don't RSVP/don't call.
When I say "don't like" it's actually more like "fucking hate".

Mets at the Movies

My bro and I had tickets to watch the Mets play the Phillies on the big screen inside the Ziegfield.

Was this the beginning of the end?