Bottoms Up!

I am back for the second year in a row for a wine tour in Amador County, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The weather is perfect, as it was yesterday for a hike in a national park that was almost turned into a dam. My friend M of course takes me to the clothing-optional watering hole. Get your minds out of the gutter, I kept my bathing suit on.

In addition to Bray, which we hit last year, we also stopped at two new ones, a Croatian one where I bought a one-liter jug of some good red, and another one whose name escapes me. No matter, it was a bit biker-trash in there as they celebrated their anniversary, but the wine wasn't as smooth as I would have liked. At that point my palate could have been burnt as well.

I don't know how I'm going to make it to dinner...

Loungin'

Purchasing an Admirals Club membership (with miles no less) was the best thing I ever did. The Flagship Lounge in JFK near the lower number gates is serene and comfy, just what I need before a long haul cross-country.

Chag sameach to all my friends in the Tribe celebrating Passover. Trying to see if any friends on the left coast are having Seder tonight that I can crash.

***UPDATE 4/21/2008: This weekend is also Orthodox (i.e. Julian calendar) Easter. This confuses one of my friends, who envisions "black-hatted men searching for eggs, almost like a weird afikhomen." Christos anesty!

Blowing in(to) the Wind(y City)

At the last minute, my boss decided yesterday that I should accompany him to Chi-town to do some testing. Granted the ticket cost about twice what it normally would when booked at least seven days in advance, it did not exceed four figures. My chef/gourmand friend A cooked up some of the extra duck confit/Barolo/caramelized onion tortelli he had lying around his freezer with a pecorino cream sauce and sprinkled with bresaola crumbles, and even with half of my previous appetite I happily gobbled down most of it. Some toffee and a chocolate cognac ganache macaroon, and I am down for the count. Will need the energy for dim sum, The Lincoln Park Zoo, and the return flight home. Sometimes I consider moving to Chicago, but if I ate like this all the time, I would gain all the weight back and then some.

Cherry Blossom Girl

My friend from work and I took a daytrip to our nation's capital for the cherry blossom festival. Frankly, it was a bit of a letdown from last year. When I made the same sojourn on Good Friday last year, the place was almost empty. This year, you could hardly keep up a good pace around the Tidal Basin with all the people. The ethnically dressed children performing "God Bless the USA" in sign language was cute tho. It's amazing that the A, when performed, looks very much like the Black Panther salute.

Raspberry

My Blackberry Pearl died this week. In its place, I now have a Curve. Even though it has a full keyboard, the keys are quite small. Hope I can keep my nails long now just to type! Definitely better than the predictive text that never quite caught on to what I would frequently type.

'Tis the Season, Whatever the Reason

Just want to wish my loved ones a happy

vernal equinox (a/k/a Spring)
Nowruz (Persian New Year)
Purim - yeay for Esther and hamentaschen
(Gregorian) Easter - feels a little early, but that's ok
a great weekend, especially if you're in finance since markets were closed yesterday

Even if you're not Christian, there is an important message to be gleaned from the Passion of Jesus. Jesus was executed for turning things on their head and challenging the status quo. I'm not focusing on his Son-of-God shtick, but rather the two commandments he preached - love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Compared with the Ten Commandments and the 613-odd mitzvaot laid out in the Torah, that is very simple yet also vague and leaves a lot of room for questions and judgment calls. It's hard to rejig one's life to two basic concepts after having so much structure and law. The point is, it's very easy to get defensive or dismissive of a new concept or idea. Instead of quashing it, try to explore it and embrace it.

[This would make a good post on Kehilla - hint hint]

Body Count in the House

Here comes another recession. Everyone has been denying and playing down the poor economic conditions in the US and elsewhere, but now the fit is hitting the shan, and the shoes are starting to drop - jobs are hemorrhaging. This is the part that scares and saddens me the most, when friends and loved ones through no fault of their own find themselves without employment. More than increased prices and plummeting housing rates, this removes some degree of certainty for the future and can leave people feeling hopeless. In addition, it makes those left behind feel insecure and conflicted about their position. The last time this happened for me was after 9/11; cuts were brutal and made those of us (including me) feel weird about having survived when friends had not. I am not seeing it in my company, and particularly in my department (I guess people always need IT), but in the past month it's not looking good for those who have already been let go and those feeling the heat:

MorganStanley - 1
Lehman Brothers - 1
Citigroup - 1?
Bear Sterns - 2?

Time to ruminate a little: on the way home from Florida last month, my rowmate and I saw a package containing human remains waiting to be loaded onto the plane. It felt a little creepy, but it also got me reminding myself of a core value. Life is not necessarily about the great job and gobs of money. As we see, those things can enable people to be happy in some ways, but they are fickle and fleeting. I admit, I like having a well-paying job and being able to support and entertain myself without much second thought. However, my goal is to have my life flash before my eyes before they close and think about the wonderful experiences I shared with others and how much they have meant to me. If anything, the one element I most appreciate about my career is the fantastic people I have met along the way, especially those with whom I socialize and keep in touch. This helps keep me grounded especially in times like these.

To those of you out there that have received the dreaded pink slip, or have survived thus far, hang in there. It gets better; it always does (eventually).

Dog Barking, Can't Fly Without Umbrella

Twice in the past month, I have placed calls to colleagues in Australia and had someone answer with a non-English-speaking accent who mumbles some unintelligible gibberish, puts the phone down, and then nothing except for a barking dog and a television in the background. Apparently this is a major hack of the mobile network. It's a recording that is cleverly timed to sound like someone really has answered the phone. Plus, it appears to have spread to the UK. If you think you've reached this rogue recording, don't say anything, just listen.

After scouring blogs and the news sources, it seems that this has not hit the blogosphere quite yet. If I find any updates on it will post.

Makes you want to check your minutes usage, eh?

Everybody Duty Free Tonight

While cleaning my apartment, I came across the receipt from my pre-flight shopping at Montreal Trudeau Airport. My cashier's name was Wang Chung - I sh*t you not. Given his age, I think he was born before the party-starting 80's tune was released. Here's proof.

Good Day Sunshine

Finally made it to Palm Beach after getting stuck in New York with the snowstorm. My aunt and uncle have a place here, so I'm in for a few days of quality home-cooked food, prosecco, awesome weather, daily cocktails, a little shopping, and some decent exercise time.

I'm getting sick of seeing the Walmart commercials because "Dancing in the Moonlight" reminds me of J.

Starbuck'd

The coffee shop in my building is cursed I tell you! Three weeks later, it is the scene of another crime. Another reason not to go there.

Inflation Sliced and Diced

So DiFara's Pizza has now hit 4 bucks a slice. Having eaten a lot of pizza around this great city, I'd say this is worth it. The ingredients are very high-quality and taste fresh and flavorful.

I do disagree with DeMarco that he takes his time with each pie. When I went with J and T last summer, all toppings slid off the slices if you tried to pick them up. The crust was great, but the center of the pie was not fully cooked.

I guess I'll have to go back and see if it's still worth the price -- and the wait.

Mahb Scene

My friend and neighbor turned 29 tonight. In the grand scheme of Kevin Bacon, he is the frat brother of my high school classmate, who went to camp with my friend from around the corner. He picked a fantastic Sicilian restaurant downtown to observer the occasion. The waitress spoke minimal English, and somehow she picked me up on her radar. After a bottle of Sicilian Shiraz (who knew?), two Chiantis, involtini de melanzane, grilled calamari, cuttlefish ink arancine, and half a massive calzone (farcito), we moved onto Swift down the street.

I manage to spend all of my money, get free drinks with minimal effort, and swing a ride home with M's roommate. It was a bit crazy - M got very intoxicated, became my wingman, and left without bidding his fellow celebrants adieu. Plus, I made out with someone in public for the first time in almost three years. That's usually an indicator of a successful birthday. Woo woo!

Nazdrovye!

What happens in Brighton Beach does not stay in Brighton Beach. I-bankers + vodka + unidentifiable but generally tasty food + vodka + tacky entertainment +more vodka = very sore feet for the next several days!

More evidence...

Life After Love

It's been just over a week now. Occasionally I reminisce or see a photograph and get upset, but it's getting a little easier to fly solo every day. Not seeing him while I was away on business or when he started working the night shift over the past few months made me more accustomed to being alone in my apartment. My appetite is almost non-existent, and I've lost at least five pounds. This is quite possibly the greatest diet ever!
I have been listening to a lot of Cher; it is definitely good breakup music since it acknowledges the feelings yet is upbeat and fast tempo. If anyone knows anything about breakups, it's Cher, since she's had some really ugly public endings of relationships. What perfect timing to hear that she is taking up residence at Caesar's Palace in LV. JJD and I are all about going to see her and getting our gambling on!!

Closing the Book

J and I broke up. It somewhat shocked me why and how it went down in the very end, but that's that. In some way, part of me had doubts as to whether some underlying issues would ever be resolved, but it is still painful. I am thankful for the support and comfort that my friends and family have provided, and my memories of the good times shared together and with others are a blessing.

Ahhh, The Good Old Days of College Hockey

This guy sounds almost comical. Stuff like this reminds me of when we threw fish at Hahvahd every time they would show up and how their coach would bitch. Or how Cornell fans routinely outnumber Crimson fans at their own arena. I also remember how almost the entire scrum of men on the ice got penalties for fighting, including the goalies. Better yet, I won my class ring during the Stone Travel Hockey Shoot-Out.

Ahhh, memories.....

A Load of (Mechanical) Bull

Rules for Riding a Mechanical Bull:

1. Go on an off night, so you will not make a total ass of yourself in front of 20,000 tourists and drunk i-bankers.
2. Bring photo ID, and make sure your friends do too, or you will be the only idiot allowed to ride the bull.
3. Have a drink. No, have a few drinks. Without speaking from experience, I'm almost 100% certain the experience of being flung around for all to laugh and point is more enjoyable when not sober.
4. Don't slouch. The pictures (and video!) will have you looking like The Hunchback of Midtown.
5. Urinate before entering the bullring.
6. You're supposed to only hold on with one hand, but if not that many people are around, you can get away with two. However, you may hold on so tight that you pull a muscle in your armpit.
7. If you can, climb off the bull yourself. People may boo, but it beats being flung off ungracefully.

Here's hoping Massa's amateur video of me does not end up on Youtube!

Happy 2008!

J and I spent New Years Eve at Joe's Shanghai in Flushing and then feasted on desserts at our friends' house. Al and I prepared three scrumptious treats for everyone:

Nutella Pots de Creme
Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Bailey's and Chocolate Truffle Marshmellow Ice Cream

Our friend paused the cable so we missed the live ball drop. Thank goodness for rewind.

Needless to say, I am not eating dessert or xiao long bao for a while. Instead of focusing on weightloss, my goal is to eat healthier and exercise more and let the weight go where it must. In addition, I'd like to have more me-time and explore creative impulses. Perhaps I'll try to keep up with blogging bettter...

HAPPY 2008!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Blogger in all their wisdom wiped out my old template without warning. So now I have a new one. Still trying to catch up and add postings to this...