New Year's Eve

I am not feeling it this year. I don't feel the urge to do the routine tonight. None of my friends have any plans that I know of either, and for sure, none of them nor I, are going to shellout $250 for one of those mega parties. I don't think that I have gone to a megaparty in years. The long lines at the coatcheck line. The long lines to get a drink. The height of this, on a positive note was when Tao first opened several years ago and I was able to snag a spot in the upper VIP room overlooking everyone below. The upper VIP room is not known to most people who goto Tao even now. It's a private room, about 500 sq. feet with it's own bathroom and food area. Back then there were only 20 people allowed up there for the NYE party. 20 people on top and about 1,000 people below. I walked up and down to mingle with the commoners in my Vivien Westwood ('VW') Indigo velvet jacket and VW ultra-high collar (Eduardian looking) shirt then walk back up to the room for champagne and food whenever I wanted and there was absolutely no line in the upper room. I forgot how I got the ticket. But that was really fun. Nothing since, in terms of megaparties, have ever come close to that serene but fun experience.

Last year was really fun too. My friend Shoky had a place in a new condo in middle of Times Square (46th and Broadway) that overlooked the ball drop. It was a private party and about a 100 people showed up... which is a good amount. Not small but not unmanageable. Then we hit (crashed) 4-5 other parties in the building, moving from one apartment to another with constant flow of champagne and catered food. [FYI- the least expensive apartment in that building started at $1.2 mil. for a small 1 bdrm. So, people there had money and lived accordingly. Most people there of course don't live there all year round. It's just another place for them.] That was really really fun.

Tonite though, I have no idea what I will be doing. I'm sure that when 10:30pm rolls around, I'll start to get antsy and call people to see what they are up to. I checked the asmallworld event section. But it's all the same crap. Party at Marquee, Cain, Ciprianis, Mansion, etc. BORING. Honestly, I just feel like walking around Tribecca and hitting random free bars. I kindda want to be the invisible man tonight visiting and voyeuring different sites and people and vicariously enjoying their youthful exuberance. But then again, it's supposed to be 19 degrees by midnight tonight. Hmmm.

Life, in some ways, was much more enjoyable when I knew less. Nowadays, it's hard to get excited about alot of things (except for beautiful women and sexy legs). Been there done that psychosis. But I don't want to lose my sense of wonderment and joy. I can't. I won't!

Chanel

The most expensive commercial ever made. Millions of dollars. Came out a couple of years ago. I still like it.

What? A Recession? Wake me up when it's over...

Sundry Deliveries

I have ordered 4 six packs of beer (Heinekins!) and packs of cigarettes at 5am or 7am from a deli before for after partying. Mostly, when I'm with friends and strangers. But sometimes, when I'm afterpeeing by myself. That's one of the greatest things about living in Manhattan. As long as you have money, friends, life, and a deli, the music never stops. You can literally party non-stop forever. 25/7/365.

I wish that I had a 3 bedroom, 3,000 sq. ft. apt. with a good view. I would party all night until 3 pm and have my friends party all night with me and sleep over and go out downtown for a 'sunset brunch' at 6pm and do the hoe down all over again. Fantastic meaningless fun!

Right now, I wish had some kim bop delivered to me. It's a futomaki (i.e. rice, mock crab, yellow sweet radish, and minced meat wrapped in seaweed, like a california roll but bigger and extra more dilish). I used to have it at picnics with my family. It's a great snack. Scooby snack. "Grow up Fred!" ... "No, NEVER! and fuck everybody."

I don't feel like or want to walk 4 avenues (each avenue is equivalent to 3 blocks. 20 blocks equal a mile) to get my kim bop. It's 6 sliced rolls for $5. Cheap.

But I don't have the number. I guess I can google it. But I'm pretty sure that they don't deliver. It's like a Korean 7/11 and 7/11s don't deliver.

I would get 2 packs of kim bop and pay extra $5s for delivery (would go up to $30s extra if they pressed. I would actually respect that level of blatant thievery).

I want to live in a world, a city, where anything can be delivered within half an hour and automatically charged to my credit card. Food, cigs., alcohol, Osetra caviar from Iran (Imperial grade), guns and ammunition, clothes, escorts (sex), a blowjob, a fuck, and whateverelse I want WHENEVER I feel like it (e.g. sometimes, I want to have a puppy that I can pet and play with for like 3 hrs.). I probably can (except the rent-a-pup, in Manhattan but I need the numbers in my cellphone.

Oh mighty Google, please put this functionality in 'Google Labs'! Please have your outsourced Indian programmers figure out my lifestyle algorithm and prepopulate and autopush the contact list on my cellphone!

I can't believe that we still live in mideval conditions. ATMs and Advil are insufficient. I demand the now, now.

DURAN DURAN - THE CHAUFFEUR

One of my favorite music videos of all time. Quite fetish. Delish. Long legs and stockings. An opiate.

Remembrance of Things Past

I pretty much grew up in the late 80s in Manhattan and now hangout with people who were born in the 80s and I'm sure that these people (many of my new friends) will soon be hanging out with people who were born in the 2000s. My, how time doest fly.

It's somewhat shocking to think that I knew a world and survived in a world before: laptops, cellphones, emails, internet, CDs and DVDs, digital cameras, NetFlix, FedEx, Amazon, Google, and when, Columbia, my alma mater was an all boys college just a few years before I matriculated. For that matter, I remember the time when I couldn't, speak or read, not a sigle word of English. I was born in S. Korea. Back in the day, when LG was not LG but 'Lucky Goldstar' at home before they became a global brand and just initials that launches a new cellphone every other week.

I remember that not long ago, about 12 yrs. ago, when Amazon first launched, I made my first internet purchase-- the Complete Works of Marquis De Sade. I remember when I used to walk into a video store and getting a membership card and going there with my girlfriends... some of whom I stayed in the store for half an hour or more because we couldn't agree on a rental and some that we walked out in 5 mins. because it was a healthy and loving relationship and we always agreed on a movie. I remember switching from vinyl records to CDs when I went to Tower Records or a new store called the Virgin MegaStore in Times Square to buy CDs. I also remember Times Square when it had rows and rows of porn shops, pre-Disney takeover, when it was dangerous to walk in Times Square after dark. I remember when there was nothing in the Meat Packing district save some random dive bars and transvesties walked the streets in high heels (before Manolo Blahniks became vogue) looking for a hook up and cars with tinted glasses would drive by and stop and roll down their windows for the hook up.

I remember going to The Bank, an industrial-gothic club with 3 floors where every Thursday and Saturdays, I would go and mingle with kids with make up and Mohawk hair or with resident vampires. [Closed: 6 yrs. ago.] I remember pre-bottle service NYC when if you looked good or dressed well or interestingly, you got past the velvet rope. Palladium, The Saint, Area, The Tunnel, Redzone, and Club USA come to mind. You didn't have to know the owner(s) or get a bottle (I still don't). But it's not the same. Now, you have to befriend the doormen and become a regular. The choices of venues are limited too because EVERYBODY is out and everybody wants to get in. Back then, if you were cool or looked cool, the doormen just knew.

I remember taking the subway in my Hermes tie and wide, padded shoulder Italian suit going into Merrill Lynch for my investment banking job straight out of college. There were people with Sony Walkman vs. iPods. The rain was acid and the streets dirty. Manhattan was not for the faint of heart. Now, it's one of the safest cities in the world.

I remember when my modern, post-war, studio apt. across from Lincoln Center was $1,200 a month and there were no Starbucks anywhere. I remember too when I used to go to sleep before midnight on weeknights.

I have become a vampire. I've seen generations come and go in Manhattan and will put your severed head on a pike too. There is nothing new under the sun or the moon.

Bush in Iraq

As I watched the Jets play and beat Buffalo. Yeah! There was a news clip that showed President Bush at a news conference in Iraq when a Iraqi reporter threw his shoes at him. Bush kept his smile and dodged both shoes quite effortless. I was shocked then laughed.

But with all due respect, I was alittle annoyed about the incident. As much as I have hated the Bush years, 8 long ones, and as much as I think that he's probably one of the worst Presidents we have ever had since Hoover, he's still our goddam President and we have spent more than enough of our treasure and blood on that country. Show some fckn respect!

I was for going into Iraq and I'm glad that we are there. I loathed the execution of the occupation. But I was for and still am for 'behavior modification' in that backward region. I would love to see our Marines go into Tehran now. But it's unlikely. Too bad.

My country is the greatest country in the world. We've made mistakes. Nevertheless, we saved alot of lives and have brought and maintained freedom around the world, from WWII, Korean Conflict, sans Vietnam, to bringing down the wall in Berlin, Kosovo, HIV aid in Africa, Tsunami relief in Thailand and ridding Afghanistan of the Taliban. No other country has done so much good, net net, than the U.S.

We are still the shining city on the hill that everyone looks up to and wants to come to. I am proud to be an American. I'm glad that Bush is on his way out and I voted for Obama. But that shoe throwing thing, that was a no no. Very disrepectful.

I would have much preferred a pie in his face. A traditional protest vs. turbinhead, ungrateful, asshole protest. A people/nation should know when they are defeated. Japan after WWII is a good example... an honorable and a worthy adversary who show respect to their conqueror.

Greenhouse

Barack Obama driving me and the Mercury girls to Greenhouse. Double click on the bottom image. That's really Barack! (not)

Hello Kitty Toaster

I think that it's ingenious and each toast comes out with a Hello Kitty face. $15 on Amazon. I'll have to remember to get it next year when I move into my new place.

My New Jacket and Camera-- Arrived Today

The red ski jacket and the small camera (see pix in previous blogs) arrived today. I was very excited and I still am. I ordered the camera on Thrs. and the jacket on Saturday and because of the low prices, I shelled out a few bucks more for expedited shipping which I hardly ever do. But under certain circumstances, I think that it's worth it as long as the extra $s for the expedited shipping does not exceed $10s. So, I got both in less than a week.

First, I opened the jacket package. I was expecting a box. But it just came in a plastic bag. The camera came in a box. I thought that the plastic bag for the jacket made sense. Although I didn't like it in a plastic bag. It looked like something that dropped off from a fruit truck. Kindda shabby.

Anyway, I opened the bag and got my jacket out and tried it on. Again, this is the first time that I ordered clothing online. I have mixed feelings about whether or not I will do that again. The jacket looks fine. But not as good as I had hoped or expected. I'm a slender guy. So, I like my clothes to have a tight, tailored look. Actually, tighter the better. I used to think and bought a size bigger so that I look bigger but in actuality, a proper fit looks much better than a bigger fit. I'm a 38 jacket. So, I used to buy 38 or 40 then get alterations. But now a days, if I can find it, I prefer a 36. Americans in general dress too loosely or boxy and it looks very low class. Think Italian or even European in general. They are never baggy or loose. The Italians (specifically, men), the Spaniards, and the French dress appropriately and it shows. The clothes look well proportioned and the lines are refined. A very elegant lot.

Back to my jacket. The fit is not pleasing to me. Had I tried it in a store, I may have actually passed on it. It's not tight on me. I'm not talking, tight, as in, constricting circulation or breathing. But tight as in the way it looks on me. It's alittle roomy and the sleeves are about a half an inch too long. This part, I can manage, as I expect to be wearing gloves so the cuff will be squeezed up to where they should be. But the shoulders seem alittle to squarish. I had hoped for a gentle slope and the waist is too straight. Thus, not giving any hint of a silouette. One of the things that I liked about my previous ski jacket was that the waist was pinched and could be further pinched with an internal draw-cord so that the jacket can have a silouette. I like soft shoulders, tight waist and a small flare below the waistline for my jackets. Most of my jackets and even my suits have an A-line silouette and it gives them/me an elegant look. Think Daniel Craig on the poster of Quantum of Solace with his suit and the semi-automatic rifle.

So, that's the bad part. Net, net, the fit is acceptable. But not what I had in mind. [FYI- the picture online was abit deceptive... duh.] The good part is that the jacket is extremely soft and literally feather weight. It's soft as a woman's breast on a baby's bottom (remarkable) and light as air. I'll have to walk around in it when the temperature goes back down to the 30s or below to see how warm it is. Net net, for $107 for a 800 fill goose down jacket, I still got a good deal. But I'll probably think twice before I order apparel online in the future. What I will probably do in the future is to go to a boutique or a department store and try the clothes on first for size and fit-- then look for it online.

The camera, on the other hand, is perfect. It's literally the size of a credit card and half as thick as a pack of cigarettes and it weighs a touch more than a pack of cigarettes. This was exactly what I had hoped for. Small and light. Beyond any other camera that I had ever had or seen. 21st century portability. [note: Casio Exilim EX-S10 with auto-YouTube upload function.]

I took some pictures and also took some video clips. The pictures are sharp and clean. The colors are great too. Video is not the best but very acceptable. I'm sure that the videos will be more than acceptable under outdoor conditions. With the 4GB SD card that I got for $14 with the purchase. There's room for 600+ 10 megapixel quality pictures or 1.5 hours of video recording capacity. That's plenty. I will probably never have more than 200 pix in my camera (will download it into my computer everso often that the SD card should not be holding more pix than that) and as for videos, I will probably not take any clips that are longer than 5 mins. So, practically speaking, I would be off loading those too into my computer in half an hour to an hour batches. I will now start carrying the camera/camcorder with me everywhere I go. It weighs exactly as light as my cellphone. So, it'll be like carrying around 2 cellphones. Both are very light.

I wish that I had my camera on Monday nite. There were several hot girls at the Greenhouse and a couple of the girls that I went with had very short mini skirts and they eventually got really wasted and told me the day after that they blacked out after 2am. We were still hanging out until 4am. I'm sure I could have made them do things that would have been quite naughty. One is a new transplant from Florida and the other from Texas. The former, I'm pretty sure was not wearing underwear. Hey, it's hot! down there ;)

Girls Take Alot of Pictures

[Btw, I call females who are younger than 35 who do not have children, girls. Girls become women, in my mind, when they have children even if they are 17. Mothers are women. Non-mothers are girls. My personal definition.]

Last night, monday night, I was invited to a birthday party and went to a new club called "Greenhouse." It's been opened for a month or two and I've heard about it and have been meaning to go. But didn't get a chance to go until last night. It had mixed reviews and I wanted to rate it myself. [I give it 7 out of 10. But I'm sure it's probably, 4 out of 10 on weekends. Bungalow last year was a 9. Now, a 6.]

It's on Varick and VanDamm. It's a smallish place (appx. 4,000 sqr. ft.) The walls are covered with ivy and the ceilings have glass tubes like giant upside down cocktail stirrers hanging down and there are green lasers shooting out of the pillars everso often. I wasn't impressed when I first walked in around midnight. But as I got alittle more acclimated and the scenesters started trickling in, it got better. Monday nights usually have a better crowd. These are mostly non-bridge and tunnel people and they generally have better style than the suburban Vinnies and Lisas. The best part was when they had some MCs with wireless mikes up on a small stage on the end of the lounge singing rap. Every third word was a 'f' word. I found that quite amusing. Very ghetto.

Anyway, I was with 6 girls and another guy and 3 of the girls had cameras. So, every 30 seconds, the flashes went off. I don't know exactly why but girls really really love taking pictures and I'm kind of glad that they do.

I love taking pictures too and have had numerous cameras for that purpose. But I hardly ever took my camera out when I went out. I usually take the new camera out the first two weeks of the purchase. But after that, I tend to just leave it at home. So, in effect, it becomes useless.

Even when I had a fairly small Sony camera, after the first two weeks, I stopped taking it out because it was just another bulge in my pocket and I like to travel light. In addition, I don't think that I like putting a stop to the flow of social interaction by stopping to have people pose for a picture. When I'm out, my eyes and brain is the camera and the camcorder.

Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind making it a habit to take a camera with me wherever I go. Even if I'm going to drop off dry cleaning. I think that it's nice to have visual memory of the memories.

Girls are really good with that. Most of them love taking pictures when they are out and looking back on those memories. It's one of the many reasons that I adore women. They are very sentimental creatures.

Btw, from time to time, there are women who don't like getting their pictures taken. They are too embarrassed about their own image. I do not like those women. I love the women who love getting their pictures taken and making silly, fun, or glamorous poses. It shows that they have a sense of play. I really like playful girls. They make my life more enjoyable.

My new camera is on its way. A 4 oz. camera with video capture and auto-YouTube upload function. I can't wait to carry it with me all of the time. It better be decent under low light conditions because 90% of the visuals will be taken during indoor activities. We'll see. I'll have to make it a habit this time around to carry it with me all of the time. It'll take discipline on my part and I'm quite willing to discipline myself in that area. I may get a business card holder like leather carrying case for the camera and instead of my wallet, I'll just take my cellphone and the camera with the soft case (and 1 credit card and cash in the case pocket) with me whenever I go out. Be very Warhol.

May also buy this Polaroid portable printer (below) and carry that as well. Instant prints in under a minute. The ink is embedded in the paper. The thermal heater in the equipment brings out the picture. Ain't it ingenious?! Very James Bond. Polaroid paper is $4 for a set of 10 paper. It also has a peel off sticky in the back so it's very easy to create a scrapbook. $4 for 10 sheets... I think that's pretty good. Afterall, it's a price of a cup of Starbucks coffee that lasts 10 mins. while the memories can last for years.

Just as this blog is to serve me as a vessel of my life memories and thoughts, I need a visual vessel. Another divine vessel.

I want to see my friends and places that I've been to whenever I want. For example, I only have 2 pictures of Barbie in my cellphone and NO pictures of my dear friends Shane, James, Darrin, Ryan, Summer, Sarah, Maggie, Stephanie, etc. (nor, worst of all, my parents and grandmother!) anywhere. That's got to stop. I want to see the people that I adore when I want even when they are not around me.

Polaroid PoGo

Mama Mia. No ink required. Wireless. $99.

New Ski Jacket

God, I'm so happy with this find! As I wrote previously a few blogs ago, I needed a new ski jacket or a parka. Because I have a feeling that Manhattan this Winter will be very cold. We've been spared the harsh harsh Winter for the past 2-3 yrs. here and I feel that we're due for a big one. Stretches of sub-zero, artic conditions. So, whether or not I go skiing this season, a new ski jacket is a must have. My cashemere overcoat and my YSL Winter jacket will not suffice. Eventhough, the former is cashemere and it keeps me warm most of the time, under really cold weather and winds, it's not warm enough. And my YSL, it keeps me warm even in cold days and nights, it's just too formal. It's a 'going out' downtown type jacket. Too formal and stylish. So, I needed a more casual everyday jacket that I can do errands or go out in; a versatile, all purpose, Winter jacket.

I wanted a longer jacket that came down to my thighs and that reduced me to parkas. I scoured the web for parkas on: Saks, Barneys, Bergdorf, Bloomies, and even, Macy's. But all of the parkas looked exactly the same. Exactly. Except for one, Ralph Lauren Matterhorn reversible parka. That was the only one that looked elegant and not boxy or blue-collar, ride on the subway and go to work look. But the damn thing just won't go on sale. It's been flat priced at $695 for the past two weeks on all of the aforementioned sites. Not even Black Friday sales nudged the price down.

Well, per chance, I remembered Eddie Bauer. I remembered that they are known for their outdoors wear, especially for their warm sweaters and jackets. So, I checked it out. To my amazement, there was one parka that looked decent and it was only $250. It looked similar to other parkas but slightly more elegant although it was not as good looking as the Ralph Lauren Matterhorn parka. What really impressed me was that Eddie Bauer, it turns out, invented the parka and their marquee product is the parka. It's parkas are known for it's high quality-- down filled with Northern Europen Geese, which apparently is the highest quality down that's on the market today. Most other parkas are filled with duck down or man-made fabrics. None of the jackets or parkas that I saw had real goose down, never mind, Northern European goose.

So, I thought about it and decided to sleep on it for few days. Warmth warmth warmth. That's criteria #1 followed closely by looks looks looks this Winter.

But after some deep thinking, I encountered one critical problem with this parka. Too warm! The thing was rated to be warm even at the 20 below-to zero range and since it would fall to my mid thigh, I could see myself sweating inside of it for more than half of the Winter unless I just wear a shirt underneathe it. But when I go out (anywhere), I always wear a jacket underneathe. That's just my style and habit. So, no go. Can't do.

Then I found the above treasure on their website. 800 fill. [FYI-- The highest fill is usually 700, normal fill usually range from 500-600. So, 800 is almost never heard of even in the highest quality comforters.] The parka is 700 fill. So the 800 fill is actually supposed to be warmer. But the jacket is shorter than the parka, giving it more breathing room (i.e. ventilation) below the waist. Plus it's really light, and like a sleeping bag, it can be crunched into a small sack (an added benefit to my closet as it's squeezed in between my fully pregnant wardrobe).

The story gets better. The jacket was priced at a fantastic price of $149 plus tax and shipping which came out to $179 all in. Not great. Not a steal. But not bad either. Just for kicks though, before I bought it online, I decided to google 'coupon promo code Eddie Bauer' Since, I saw on some TV programs, the morning shows specifically, that online promos and coupons were all the rage this year given the economy. So I typed it into google and bam! Eddie Bauer promo code for 30% off and free shipping that expires on 12/24. It was on a site called 'Coupondork.' I could not believe it. This promo was nowhere to be found on Eddie Bauer's website. So, I wanted to see if this was for real.

I went back to Eddie Bauer site, picked the jacket, color, and size and proceeded to the checkout. On the second page of the check out before I entered my credit card #, there was a section for promo codes. So, I put it in. The screen refreshed and the box on the right that had the former $179 total became $114! and that's after I added an additional $6 shipping for 3 day express shipping. So, I instantly saved $65on the spot and because the product price was decreased, so did the tax. So, my new Winter ski jacket is arriving in 3 days for $114!!! That's a far cry from the $695 Ralph Lauren parka and the $1,200 Bogner jacket that I've been pining after for the past 2-3 weeks. Btw, $114, that's one night out in Manhattan... and I didn't go out last night. So, in my mind and in effect, I kindda got my new jacket for free! An expense neutral move. Suave ;).

I'm gonna be so happy with this jacket, I can't wait! The other color choices were royal blue and black. The royal blue looked alittle too 70s, Three's Company. So, no. The black... I have so much black in my closet, I need some eye candy when I look in the closet. The 'deep red' was the best color. Not an ordinary red which can be banal. But this red, it reminds me of Aspen (yeah, maybe alittle retro; but, Aspen still). It's a more aristocratic red. I really like it. [Now, when it arrives. It better not look like sleeping bag red, and if it does, god forbid, I'll just think, Aspen Aspen Aspen. FYI- This is my first clothing purchase on the internet.]

Woo hoo! for Eddie Bauer and CouponDork! $114 for a fantastic looking, high-end 800 fill! goose down, Winter jacket.

On a side note, when I go home for Christmas, my dad should/will no longer ask me if the jacket that I'm wearing is warm enough (which he does on occassion) because this one looks alittle puffy and warm. But if he does, I can proudly tell him about the 800 fill Northern European Goose down and what a bargain it was. I'm soooo excited. Good job Von Kwon.

New Toy

I pulled the trigger on this today. It should be arriving in a few days. Hopefully, before next Friday when I'm going to a Christmas party at my old friend Scott and his boyfriend's place in Chelsea. Alan, Scott's boyfriend is like Martha Stewart on entertaining. He always has the best food and the campiest displays and we sing Christmas carols in their living room with a bunch of people while he plays the piano next to a blue-lit Christmas tree.

Anyway, this is my, probably, 10th digital camera over the past 10 yrs. I currently have one, a Leica Digi-Lux3 with a fantastic tan carrying case (Camera $500; Case $400 from eBay) that I got a couple of yrs. ago. But I've found out that I hardly take it anywhere with me because it's too big to be pocketable. It's not an SLR nor SLR size. But still, I have to strap it around me vs. putting it in my pocket.

Incidentally, I wasn't really looking for a new camera eventhough I don't carry my Leica around as much as I should. I was actually looking into the Flip Mino HD. It's a camcorder the size of a cellphone. I liked the idea of making short clips with it. Afterall, I have a camera, why not try a different medium? It's $220; records and plays 720p HD, small, and auto-loads to YouTube with it's internal, pop out USB port. The Flip is simple. Only has a record, play, stop, ff&rw buttons and no moving parts. The video is stored in it's 4GB internal SD flash memory for 1 hr. of recording. It's the kind of toy and a tool that Andy Warhol would have loved to carry around everywhere.

So, I researched and the research lead me to other similar camcorders. All pocketable with flash memory based recording. I looked at the Kodak Zi6, RCA EZ300, and the Creative Zen Vod. They were pretty much all comparable. Then I saw all of their sample videos and reviews on YouTube and I wasn't impressed. Technically, they could all do HD video but the videos didn't look HD at all. They were all very average. So, the technology has a couple of more years to go I think before it can rival the larger, non-pocketable camcorders. I was disappointed.

But then I thought, well, I still have Christmas parties and places that I'll be going to where I would like to capture the images and especially, when I go home for Christmas. My grandmother is 82 and my parents are 67 and I don't have a single picture or video of them over the past 5 yrs. (for shame!). I don't know how long they will be around for and if someday they expire and I don't have a picture or video of them from recent times, I think that I would be very very sad. So, I resolved to get something.

The best option, based on continued research, was this camera. I happened to stumble upon it at Hammacher Schlemmer site. It showed this picture and proclaimed it to be the world's smallest and thinnest 10 megapixel camera. It raised my curiosity and I read on. Smallest, thinnest, credit card sized, takes pictures...and video. Well, most digital cameras over the past 2 yrs. do take both pictures and video and the 10 megapixel count did not impressive me either. I know that more megapixels does not necessarily (and in most cases) make the picture quality better. But what I did like was the size, confirmed by it's 4 ounce weight (that's lighter than many cellphones and pocket cameras) and the rave and consistently great reviews on Amazon and camera review sites such as DPreview and Stevesreviews.

To make the long story short. After 2 days of online research, there were a few other things I liked about this camera that made me pull the trigger. 1) It has a standalone RECORD button on the back. So if I want to go from taking pics to taking video, I simply have to press that button to start and press again to stop to record VIDEO instead of having to dig into the on-screen menu and go through options to pick video recording in order to switch from picture taking to video making. So, in fact, with this 'camera' pictures and videos are both a one button process. Snap!; 2)the quality of the videos and sound seemed just as good or slightly better than the Flip and it's rivals; 3) It has the auto-YouTube load function as well; 4) it has a SD slot unlike the Flip. So, 4GB of SD flash memory will give me nearly 1.5 hrs. of video recording capabilities and 5) finally, it's both a camera for pictures and a video recorder!

Done. I can't wait until it arrives.

Now, there were 4 color choices: Black, Red, Blue, and Stainless Steel. I decided to get the stainless steel one. It looks great in the picture above. Looks very modern and retro. It kindda has the same exterior look as the Chrysler Building. My favorite building in Manhattan and I've had so many cameras in different colors that I want to go back to the non-colored version again. Btw, Hammacher is selling it for $250 on it's website. Fck that! I always use 'pricegrabber' Asia boy here saw the Exilim logo (which I knew was Casio) on the picture and found the exact model somewhere else. It's the Casio Exilim EX-S10... 'S' for slim (not all Casio Exilims are slim). I'm getting it for $189 a (i.e. net, $80 savings, with free shipping and no tax)! It's a steal.

[Lastly, I did also consider another option. The new Samsung Omni phone. It's a cellphone, a 5 megapixel camera, and it also does video recording. $199 phone upgrade after Verizon contract extension. I would have gotten it. But the video and sound quality was so bad that I decided to wait on the next version which will probably come out in six months or so. Asia boy, quite comprehensive with research :]

Gosh. I sure do get excited about new toys. Only if I can get excited about everything else in my life to this degree... life would be perfect.

Lots of Interesting News Today on CNN

1) OJ is going to jail on the 13th anniversary of the Bronco chase. He is going to jail for at least 9-15 years for armed robbery and kidnapping in Las Vegas;
2) Monthly job report came out. appx. 533,000 jobs lost in November. It's the highest number of unemployment claims filed (for 1 month) since the labor department's bureau started keeping records of it. The bureau is 124 yrs. old. The unemployment rate of 6.7% is the highest since 1974 (in about 25 yrs.) ;
3) Second day of the hearings on the bailout for the Detroit automakers GM, Ford, and Chrysler. Yesterday, they testified at the Senate. Today, it's the House. They are asking for a total of $34 billion vs. $25 billion, 2 weeks ago. I will blog more about this later. Complicated issue. Personally, I think that we need to help here for a variety of reasons;
4) 3 Guys dressed in drag, robbed Harry Winston's in Paris and took $150 mil. of jewels;
5) Planned parenthood in Indianna is giving away $25 gift certificates for services and products in their clinics.

It's an interesting news day.

Enya-- Marble Halls

Yazoo - Nobody's diary

Beautiful song. Beautiful voice. Silly video.

Electribe 101 - Tell me when the fever ended

Disco ball. Full contact bass (the kind that they used to have at Twilo that pounded your body). Clear speakers. Penetrating vocal. Loud. Dark. Opium. Key Light. Ecstasy.

The "Peek"

$99 one time equipment cost. $20/mo. srvc. charge. Unlimited text and email. No phone service. Hmmmm.

LV: OMG

Epicurus on Happiness 1 of 3

Types for Love

It's so interesting. Funny and sad and predictable that I think that we all have our types. The types that we want to be intimate with.

For example, I know alot of white guys who only like asian women eventhough alot of pretty white women swoon over them. [Mind you they wouldn't kick out a hot, lean Russian girl out of bed either. Conversely, I'm a 'yellow' guy who only like white women.] But they highly prefer and are aroused by asian women in almost all cases. Then there are women who will only date tall guys or someone who has a tatoo or is really muscular or really nerdy. Types can be very very specific and exclusive-- almost microscopic. But diverse as the biosphere.

Then there are girls who will only date WASPY guys who have the Hamptons lifestyle or Martha's Vineyard lifestyle. Then there are girls who only like black guys who like hip hop (quite the opposite of the former). And guys who only like girls with big boobs or is voluptuous.

It's wierd that we all have a mental map, an irrevocable blueprint of what works and doesn't work for one's arousal.

But this is actually according to nature and it's natural.

With certain species of birds, the female only goes for the male with the yellowest feathers or the purplest. Once I saw a National Geographic documentary where a certain species of birds were higher in rank if they were more purple and the males who were more purple got all the gals. The lower ranking males got what they could.(This motif and variations thereof recurs throughout the animal kingdom-- from primates to moles). Then, the scientist picked up one of the low ranking males and colored him more purple. Within an hour or two, he was the top bird in the barn. For real! In fact, just by him becoming more sought after after the ink, his testerone went up doublefolds.

So, all of this love thing is quite interesting. Unlike school, where you study hard and do all of your homework then that refelects (usually) on the test results and grades... a direct correlation between effort and results; with love, it has nothing to do with how hard one tries. It's pretty much pre-determined. What? Nothing is pre-determined! Effort and will leads to results! Don't be such a pessimist!

Actually, no. With love, it's all about being at the right place at the right time, next to the right person. Think about it.

Some girls only like other girls. Some guys only like other guys. (Actually, even within that subset there are subsets. Once I was hanging out at a downtown Thai restaurant and this Thai guy hit on me. He said, "I'm what you call a sticky rice." I smiled. So cute. I said, "I'm sorry. Me no sticky and not rice. Banana." :)). Similar in the hetrosexual world. No amount of effort will change who is your love type. It's chemistry through the eyes. The periodic table. Some elements merge/compound immediately. Some elements compound rarely.

Blessed are those who are lucky to be at the right place at the right time with the right type (and that type luvs your type.) This applies to all (from the beautiful to the damned). All else is less than zero.

Winter Jacket 2

I kind of like this modest jacket as well. Only $300. Different style obviously. More sedate (teething on boring but not quite), understated and gentlemanly and I also like the fact that it's longer for fuller coverage. In a twisted way though, it makes me think of what a rapist may wear in early Winter. It's kindda ghoulish. Like in the movie, "Scream."

What I can do is to look for an insignia patch (to give it alittle bit of the touch of the jacket below), preferablly, a black Alexander McQueen-esque skull (important though that the skull looks ancient and/or elegant, not cartooney nor costumey) and have it patched on in the front (on the right breast) by my dry cleaner for $5. I think that that alone can make the jacket look $500 more expensive if it naturally blends in with the jacket as if it were designed that way. Unique designs cost more. So, why not add my own design element to it vs. someone else doing it and me paying them extra for it.

Winter Jacket

I think that this Winter will be a harsh one. Since the past two Winters have been fairly mild, I think we'll pay for it this year.

I already started wearing my cashemere overcoat and I remembered that it kept me pretty warm last year (with my scarf and gloves). But the past two days, I've worn it and I was still cold. Maybe my body still has to get acclimated to the cold.

In any case, I know that I'll need a ski jacket. That's the only thing that will break the wind and keep me warm. I had a real nice one by 'Descente' that I wore for years. It was navy blue, 3/4 length, and had a cool gold logo on one arm (3 arrows pointing down) and the other arm had a gold stitching that said "Techno-Dri" It was classy yet modern. Now, I can't find it. I may have thrown it out by accident or have it at my parent's place. But, even if I find it, I feel like I need a new one. A costume change.

So, I've been surfing the Paragon Sports site for a new one. That's where I got my Descente one and I like the store. It's fairly close by and has a decent selection of ski jackets. This year though, the Descente ones look very average. I like the Monclers', the shiney bubble jackets. But I think that they're overpriced for what it is and too short.

The one I really like is the one shown above. It's a Bogner. I really like the military style details. It reminds me of what a young Nazi officer would have worn on a Winter vacation in Gstaad. I love the detailing. The two zippers straight down the front, very symmetrical, the horizontal arm stripes that balance the vertical zippers, and the insignia in the front that punctuates the military accent of the jacket. It's modern and classy and abit edgy without going silly. It's a precise jacket. Only problem: $1,300. That's Bergdorf price and right now I won't do Bergdorf price.

Tonight, for about 20 mins., I fantasized (immersed) about somehow shoplifting it. But, it's alittle too big to stuff it anywhere... unless.. perhaps, I go and put it on and walk around with it on for an hour (after I somehow get the magnet off) so that the employees and security see me for an hour shopping and think that I had it on when I came in. I would be wearing my ascot as a camaflauge. Surely, no one who wears an ascot shoplifts?! Then buy a hat or something and walk out. [Hey, btw, how about changing the price tag?!... well, I thought about that for a split second. But that's alittle too low brow for me. That's what poor people do at places like Macy's. That's actual theivery vs. earning a prize. I'm too well educated to steal. I prefer to 'take' that which I deserve with my chin up.] I want. I want. I need. I need.

[Btw, in the past, I have fantasized about robbing MOMA, Frick, or the Met. It would involve bombing a power station and blowing up their internal power generators as well-- simultaneously. It would also involve a stolen ambulance and a submarine in the Hudson for transport (and perhaps, laughing gas too). An entire swathe of Manhattan would be blacked out for a few hours. We're talking about National Guard deployment in Manhattan. Top of my list: Vermeers and Cezannes. That's it. Nothing else. Can't get too greedy. Smash and grab. Joker level.]

Africa has no idea that people in Manhattan are suffering as well! Psychological suffering is just as painful as physical suffering. To me, vanity (and beauty) is not an option; it's a matter of survival like the need for water, food and shelter.

Damn

That was a trick question! Said, 'in' not 'about'!!

FYI- This is not my application. Just found it on the web. Thought it was hilarious and worth archiving here on my blog.

Dow Jones at 7,600

Club Fatigue

From time to time, I have club fatigue. Actually, it's more like lounge fatigue as I have not recurred at clubs in many months. This time around, it feels like I have a semi-permanent club/lounge fatigue.

#1. There hasn't been an interesting place to go to since last year save one, Bijouix. #2. Last Summer/Fall was a spectacular year for hanging out after midnight and going to after parties. New and exclusive places opened up in full last year. Beatrice, Gold Bar, the Box, Pink Elephant, and I gained a regular title at Bungalow, and from time to time, I hungout at the Rose Bar or Kiss n Fly. It was great. The whole thing. #3. Barbie and I hung out, for sure, almost every Weds. or Thrs. It was like clockwork. Coo Coo for Coco Puffs crazy. #4, Places were new and exciting and Barbie made those places even better. We were an oasis and a paradise, a team.

This year, all that is different. #1. There aren't any new and exciting places (save Bijouix and Apotheke)(to my knowledege and my knowledge in this domain is usually pretty good and up to date). Right, I haven't been to the Rose Club at the refurbished Plaza Hotel. But I wasn't and am not too interested in it anyway. It seems cookie cutter chic. But I may try it anyway at some point. #2. The point is that, at the cost of sounding snootie, I must say that having gone to the most exclusive and fun places numerous times (including the SubMercer redux), I am bored of the routine and the texture. Pierce, yeah, I know you will suggest the opera (the Met). "Grow up Fred! There's more to life and leisure than those over troddened and banal lounges!" I know. But I'm not gonna go to the opera by myself and I have no one worthwhile to take. Right now, I have like 5 pretty girl friends but no girlfriend. I think that I've turned asexual. Ideally, I would definitely go to the Met and my old haunting ground, the Carlyle or the St. Regis if and when I have a girlfriend. To me, these sanctuaries are a domain of romance not an island of solitary reprieve. That's just me. #3. Barbie has other priorities this year. a) Interning at Chanel. A very plumb job which she loves and people there love her. It's important and is important to her future. So, she has been very responsible with that 9-5 gig. and I completely respect that and encourage it. b) I hope that I'm not being presumptuous here. But she really loves her boyfriend (and their love has grown) and things are getting more serious on that front it seems. I met him once and I kindda liked him. But as i find out more about how normal and successful he is, my respect for him has risen. I also think that Barbie has arrived at the same club/lounge fatigue as I have. "The ultimate velvet rope is love."-- Von Kwon.

This club/lounge fatigue has been punctuated and has become quite acute and obvious this week. Barbie's friend Alexzandra (with her friend) is here visiting NY from Sweden. They are gorgeous. We (Barbie, Bunny (my nickname for Alexzandra) all hungout last year when she was here and it was a blast. This year, she arrived on Weds. and I was supposed to hangout with her on Thrs. and I looked forward to it when Barbie told me about it on Monday. But I ended up hanging out early at Mercury and I totally missed it. Blacked out by 11 pm. Started out at 4pm. Apparently, my deli guy said today that I stopped by for cigarrettes and I was really drunk. I don't remember that at all. Subconciously then and quite consciously now, I understand why this fatigue. I knew it but now it's real and visible as the sun. the club fatigue. Tired of it.

Now, being the restless dandy that I am (it's in my DNA. Damn!), I'm sure that there is hope for my club/lounge resurrection if and when a new, worthwhile place opens up. But gosh, I'm bored of all of the places that I've been to.

I have become a resident at Mercury... one of the most non-exclusive, most average place that anyone can think of. And a Saturday nite regular at the Pyramid in alphabet city where they play 80s music and industrial, where most people either have tattoos or body piercing. I go there in my Hermes or Turnbull&Asser ascot. Great music and a working dry ice machine.

Seasons change.

I Heart Kindle

I got my Kindle delivered last week and I love it. I think that everyone who reads should own one.

I hesitated on the purchase for abit because there were rumors of a new one coming out for Christmas. But Amazon spokesperson and the CEO himself said no and I believed it. Plus, I wanted the original one anyway. I adore originals. They are clunky and have kinks. They are not perfect but they are the first attempt at something new. They will be museum pieces. I know that a few years from now, people will have a better model with all the kinks worked out and more slick. But it will be more sanitary. The original NYC subway car had a carpet and a chandelier. There was humanity in it (beauty and imperfections). The new cars became tin cans with wheels (no chandelier). Same with planes but with wings (no more baby Steinways on board en route to and from Vegas.) There's something endearing about a progenitor. The first of its kind.

What I like about my Kindle:
1) It's snow white. It something that looks like it was chipped off one of the spaceships in 2001: Space Oddysey. It looks very futuristic;
2) Countering the space form though is the screen that looks like an etchasketch. It's grey and kindda ugly. It has no backlight either. It's beauty meets the beast. I like that. Put it another way, it's like Napoleon and Josephine;
3) Once you start reading, one does indeed disappear into the book. The digital ink is crisp and it sucks you right into the reading. It's absorbing;
4) I love turning the pages. You just click on one of the sidebar buttons and within a second, a new page appears. So cool. None of that old page turning by hand stuff;
5) Most books can be bought for less than $3.50. In fact, most books (except the new best sellers) are less than a dollar. New books are mostly $9.99. No delivery charge and no taxes;
6) Books are wirelessly delivered to the Kindle in your hand in less than a minute. I downloaded Tristam Shandy (and Middlemarch) in less than a minute;
7) There is no wireless monthly charge ever. The wireless is included in the purchase price for life;
8) You can sample the book before you buy it or not. The first chapter can be had for free with a click of a button. Downloads wirelessly in less than 10 seconds;
9) You can look up a definition with 2 clicks right then and there while you read. You can highlight and archive the clippings and print them out later or email them;
10) Kindle is exactly the size of a DVD case and weighs in perfectly at 10 ounces. It fits perfectly in my jacket like a softcover book. But I can carry an entire library. It's good to go.

Now, not all books are available yet on the Kindle. But I already have downloaded enough great books (10 in all) and pages (probably 5,000+ pages) that by the time I get through them all, many many more books should be available on Kindle. As for the books that I enjoyed, I plan to buy a hard copy for my library. So that I can see them and share with friends.

I enjoy my Kindle more than my iPod Nano. Wow.

Btw, got it for $309 vs. $359 based on a Oprah promo. that lasted one week. Prior to that I tried Craigslist for 2 weeks and none showed up and tried eBay too. Kindles on eBay were going for more than $359. Idiots.

Obama Bin Biden

Just kiddn. He better win today. Otherwise, not only are we fckd but the entire country and the world.

John McCain is truly John McSame. He will continue the failed policies of trickle down economics and American Imperialism leaving nation building afar while our nation (our own house) crumbles.

I pulled the trigger on the Kindle and I am half way through Thomas Friedman's latest book called 'Hot, flat, and crowded.' It's an amazing book. I dare say that the insights and the writing overall in the book matches the great books that I've read. It's up there with Nietzsche, Schpenhaeur, Emerson, and Socrates... for real. I dare say that it's a seminal piece of work on par with Darwin's 'Origin of Species.' It's that revelatory. I initially hesitated on getting the book because I figured it'll just tell me what I already know... that global warming is bad and that we need an alternative to coal and petrol. But the depth and the breadth of Friedman's insights go far beyond a bumper sticker motto. He connects all the dots and gives unassailable amount of facts and insights as to why it is an immediate and the most profound issue of our time. Believe me, I'm a hard guy to impress. I stand on the shoulders of giants. My vistas are quite high. This book is another giant.

Fact: Global population is now at 6.4 billion and by 2050, the population will be 9 billion and every 10 yrs. or so, an American sized (280 mil.) middle class will pop out of that growth consuming resources and excreting carbon on a biblical (exponential!) scale. Think Moore's Law not Newton.

Global warming is no longer a tree hugger issue. It's an issue of survival or extinction and the amount of work and sacrifice that will be required so that our carbon emmissions doesn't kill the planet (and us with it) is astronomical. Forget about the meteor that hit in the Yucatan that killed the dinosaurs. We have a carbon meteor that will implode in 50 yrs. that we are gestating and if we don't control it now on a global scale, one day, Frankenstein WILL walk off the table.

John McCain doesn't get it. He's old school. A tweaker. Obama gets it. Obama better win. Even today, America is the only country in the world that can lead the world. The Danes, the Spaniards, the German, the Brazilians, and the French, they all have better alternative energy technology (to date) than the U.S. But their progress has not made a dent in consumer behavior on a worldwide scale. Only the U.S. has the history of innovation that the rest of the world follows (excldg. the Islamic world.)

America is still the shining city on the hill that the rest of the world looks up to. For the past 8 yrs., we've become dim and the petro dollars have put wind in the sails of our enemies: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia. Talk about killing 3 birds with one stone. If we can right our situation with Obama at the helm, we will win back leverage, respect, and the planet. Innovate, baby, innovate! We have to.

Retard

Fruit fly research as much as research done on mice have been the cornerstone of basic genetic research over the century. This is high school Biology class 101.

Then again, of course, she is also skeptical about man's contribution to global warming. But she does want to fix the problem... without knowing the cause of the problem.

I bet she also believes that all of the animals did in fact (i.e. literally) fit into Noah's Ark.

Fckn retard.

iTunes

Why is it that everytime I go to iTunes to listen to some of the music that I bought, there's always a new 'upgrade' option awaiting me (Version 8.01 now-- yes, 100th decimal point) and I have to click 'no' ? Can't they release a new upgrade, then batch them up every 6 months vs. an upgrade every fckn day that some outsourced Indian software developer in the Subcontinent who couldn't get laid comes home drunk to his $30 (= 100 million rupies)/month modern apt. with a cup of Starbucks masturbates a new line of code?

0 to 60 mph in 3.3 secs.

Perfection on wheels. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

My God, Gossip Girl is So Delicious...

Just finished watching it on CW channel. I watched most of the first season and missed a few this season. But still great. Will have to get the Season DVDs next year.

Beautiful cast, exquisite outfits ranging from very preppie to hipster, great trashy storyline. They had a girl fight scene on this episode. Reminded me of Dynasty. Very cool. This season, they are filming it on Columbia campus but calling it Yale. I guess Columbia (my alma mater) is not WASPy enough. True. I think that the only WASP Ivy left is probably Dartmouth, and maybe, Yale.

Chuck, the evil character was wearing an outfit like what I usually wear in the Fall: Thomas Pink dress shirt, Turnbull & Asser ascot, an Emporio Armani jacket, J. Lindbergh skinny trousers and Gucci chelsea boots for the Fall. Albeit, the character has a real trust fund, so everything he wore was probably a notch and a stich above: I'm guessing, Charvet shirt (heavy pastel pink), Hermes ascot (navy with paisley patterns) (I have 2), Brioni brown corduroy jacket, Hermes trousers (brick red) and John Lobb Tudor boots (tan bucksuede). Perfet. Only thing missing was round black frame art history professor glasses (which I have..from Robert Marc) for the full Italio-Ingles Medicci meets New England (dare I say, Byronic) affectation.

The Kindle-- by Amazon

I'm seriously considering buying it this month. It's an e-reader and it's been out for a year now. I first considered buying it last year. But I thought, "Fred, you already have books that you've bought that you've not read. Why buy it? Plus, books look nice on a bookshelf. You can stare at them as an aesthetic medidation piece when not reading and also, when people are over, they can look at the bookshelf and browse through them too. Physical books are a personal library and vanity piece."

But then, I recently realized that all I do is stare at the books and once in awhile take it to my sofa and read a few pages and it sits on my sofa. I also realized that I do a lot more reading now on my computer than I do actual books.

I have become very accustomed to writing on my computer and reading on my computer. I read a lot of news and blogs on the computer and I think that my reading speed actually is faster on the computer screen. I glide through the reading and retain the information. The computer screen now is like an ice skating rink for me as a reading platform. I'm faster in it.

Another trivial and probably a very farsical point is that I don't like the strain of keeping the pages open with my thumbs and index finger. It's work and after every 3 minutes my fingers hurt and I have to shift my fingers. To take this example even further, once I had a DVD that I rented from NetFlix on my sofa that I planned to watch. But as I clicked through my Movies on Demand list on my cable, I saw the same movie on the list and I was seriously considering watching it through cable ($4.95) because I didn't want to get off my sofa,open the envelope that the DVD came in and actually put the DVD in the DVD tray vs. just pressing a button 3 times on my cable remote in my Pompei lounge mode :(). I don't like to make effort unless it's for money, love, or knowledge.

OK. Now, the thing is that the Kindle costs $359 and here are the Pros. and the Cons.:

Pros:
1) As I mentioned, I think that I read faster and am even more prone to read on a screen (because it's easier for me now). My behavior has been modified over the past several years. Half or more of my visual intakes and processing is and has become, through a screen whether it be a computer or my flat screen HD TV. It's very comfortable;
2) Ergonomics: the digital ink (currently only black & white) looks pleasing to the eye; it has page marking, highlighting and underlining capabilities, and it's easy to turn the page forward or backward with a simple press of a large side button on either side and I can just hold the thing without any strains to my :) fingers;
3) Dictionary is embedded in the software. So I can lookup a definition with a click of a button. FYI-- When I was a serious reader, I used to have The Little Oxford English Dictionary next to me while I read. So that I can also learn new words while I read. I looked up every word that I didn't know right there and then. It was great. That was, to me, worth the effort. Knowledge!;
4) Font sizes can be adjusted. So when I feel fatigued, I can increase the size of the font, and that'll make me feel like I'm reading faster :);
5) I can download a new book from the Amazon store within less than a minute and the first chapter preview is free. There is no connection or monthly charge for the wireless access. It's included in the purchase price once (and forever). So you don't need a computer with it ever and there is NO shipping charge or wait time to get new books;
6) The electronic version of the books are cheaper than other versions due to the fact that publishers and amazon can bypass inventory or distribution costs. Most new hardcover books that retail for $25+ are only $9.99 (and comes with free set of Ginzu knives ;);
7) I can subscribe to various newspapers and periodicals if I so choose to and they are downloaded wirelessly every morning (or once a month if it's a periodical) while you sleep. Welcome to the 21st century!;
8) Kindle has long battery life (no need to recharge for at least a week) and can carry hundreds of books in it's paperback size footprint. So, if I want to stop reading one book and move onto a different genre/book, it automatically saves where I left off and returns me to where I was as I bounce from book to book. I'm one of those readers, when I read, depending on my moood that day or week, I switch from reading fiction to non-fiction and vis-a-verse. [Nomadic intellect or A.D.S.?];
9) I think that it looks kindda cool. Hospital white, paperback sized, qwerty keyboard with scroll wheels and it IS a revolutionary device. I can see it becoming a museum piece like the first iPod. Heirloom quality I think [just like the contents of my closet. Btw, I knew a guy who inherited a lot of his Bijon suits from his dad. Fckn sweet.]

Cons:
1) The price. $359 is not cheap. I'm gonna try to get one off Craigslist for cheaper. I tried eBay already. It's selling there for $360+. [I'm pennywise, poundfoolish-- jacket $600? Zegna? "That's a steal!" "What? these fish sticks are $1.99 for a dozen? Fck you hermano! :)] [FYI-- There's been conflicting rumors and reports that a new version may show up this month for the new Christmas season and may cost less as Amazon continues to penetrate the market, moving on from early adopters who are fine with paying premiums to more mass market consumers who are more price conscious. I hope that happens.];
2) Book selections are still somewhat limited. Not all Publishers have signed on. So things like the Loeb Classics and Penguin Classics which I adore are not yet available via Kindle. Amazon currently has 180,000 Kindle editions of traditional stock;
3) Similar to having to replace vinyl with CDs and DVDs with HD DVDs or Blu Ray nowadays, I may have to buy books that I may already have in an electronic version. That's optional. Btw, Kindle saves all of your books on their servers. So even if the Kindle breaks (it's sturdy though per the reviews) or is lost or stolen, your library is safe;
4) No color. Just black and white for now. The technology is not there yet. But is scheduled to be in 2 yrs. Doesn't matter to me though. It's just reading not porn (where I insist on color and HD quality.)

I think that the Pros. outweigh the Cons. and given how my visual intake behavior has changed over the past few years and it definitely has, I think that I will read again with this new platform. I miss reading books. Books seem to get deeper into me and lasts longer than film or video and I want/need that.

Btw, the name, Kindle, was inspired by the concept and myth of Fire given to us by Promethus (credit: to Pierce for correcting me on my first post. It was not Vulcan as I thought Jeff Bezos said in a Charlie Rose interview.)

Corrections

I enjoy it, as a learning experience, when people from time to time, correct my facts, grammar, pronunciation, usage of vocabulary, or even, fashion. Through it all, now, the corrections have become rarer and rarer for me. Thanks to previous corrections.

As long as they dont correct me out of self righteousness or maliciousness and convey it in a diplomatic way, I feel like I'm better off knowing more than I did moments before. I THANK them!

But there are many people who find it offensive to be corrected in anyway. Through their embarrassment and lack of self esteem, they interpret corrections as mere attacks, no matter what. [note: I dont like people who are always criticizing others either. That's the flip side of the coin.]

I try to stay away from people like that. I find them weak.

A healthy ego and a strong mind should be able to handle any corrections or constructive criticisms. [and also, not to criticize all of the time.]

This also translates into one of my favorite aphorisms (from LaRochefocauld)-- "The weak can NOT be sincere." The 'weak' are always trying to hide their shortcomings. Actually, they never admit to nor, do they ever, confront their shortcomings. They are stuck and stagnant and they like it that way.

Hmmm... btw, how many times did the Sun rotate around the Earth today? Anybody?

Basic Knowledge of History

To my mild surprise and disappointment, I confirmed that most people are ignorant of the most basic historical facts.

I was hanging out at Mercury last night, an early nite. [I left before the throngs beached themselves there.] One of my new favorite bartender Parker was there and he and I started on a conversation and ended up listing the American Presidents (separately) because the topic veered to American History.

I said to him that out of the 43 Presidents (including two termers) and excluding two termers, probably 38?, I can probably only list 20 of them. So, he and I jotted them down. Took about 15-20 mins.

I was able to, to my surprise, list 27 and he 22. I thought that anything more than 20 is pretty good relative to most people. Honestly, most of the 19th century after Andrew Jackson and after Lincoln was a blank in my mind.

We then decided to continue our line of conversation and decided to draw up some basic American History question and test it out on the staff there. Here's the list that we came up with. 8 questions. Again, basic, not esoteric and in terms of dates (years), we would allow a plus or minus 6 yrs.

1) Who were the 3 Axis powers in WWII?
2) When was the Civil War?
3) How many years did the American Revolutionary War last?
4) When was WWI?
5) How many countries sent a man to space? [Not entirely American History but close enough.]
6) Who was our 2nd President?
7) What were the 2 places that the Atomic bombs were dropped in WWII?
8) How many times does the Earth rotate around the Sun every year? [OK. I threw in a Science question].

I thought that these were indeed very basic questions that anybody who graduated from High School should know. But no one there except Parker and Darrin, the manager (who came close) got all of the answers right. Some of the (wrong) answers given:

1) Russia
2) Late 1700s
3) 1776
4) Late 1800s
5) Two
6) Thomas Jefferson
7) There were two?
8) Earth rotates around the Sun 4 times a year; Sun rotates around the Earth and Earth rotates around Mercury.

[I would actually like to ask these questions to Sarah Palin. I'm sure that there would be some great Tina Fey moments from it.]

In any case, even for me, I didnt know the answers to some of these questions after college. But I knew that I should know them. Not because it effects my life in any direct way. But because basic questions should be known by all educated people and that we are better decision makers by knowing facts, contexts, and outcomes from the past. These reference points dont dictate but can guide our decision making. So that we know the pitfalls and the hazards of actions that went before us vs. simply using 'common sense' in a vacuum.

This experiment just confirmed my belief that all opinions do NOT have equal weight and some opinions are actually better than others.

Nowadays, everyone thinks that their opinions matter just as much as anyone else's. But no. If you do not till and cultivate the soil from which your views sprout from, the fruits of those views can not be as ripe and fully formed as the ones based on curiosity, knowledge, and insights. Can anyone disagree with this?

FYI-- I naturally lose respect for people who do not have a basic knowledge of History and Science. [Of course, I suspect, that if one doesnt know the basics of History and Science, the rest, like Literauture, Art, Economics, Architecture, etc. would be quite a stretch. Their lack of curiosity is, to me, an indicator of potential fallacies in their opinions and to a certain degree, their lack of curiosity seems shameful. Think George W.]

However, this doesn't necessarily mean that curiosity makes me smarter either. But it does mean that I am more curious about some basic facts and pursuit of knowledge in general. It also doesnt mean that I dont enjoy being around people who I like (like the Mercury staff). But it does mean that our conversations will have limits. In the end though, I'd rather be with people who are fun and good hearted people than Jeopardy geeks who are boring or cold intellectuals who have no hearts.

But again (I'm going in circles here... sure, why not), the people I enjoy the most are the curious ones with a big heart.

Love the Minidresses (in the middle)

Designer: HUSSEIN CHALAYAN

My Haircare Woman on the VP Debate

I just got my haircut. I love my haircutter. She's a beautiful mid-40s Greek woman. She's been cutting my hair to perfection every month for the past 8 years. I used to have one who did a great job as well but she was a big talker and she would take close to half an hour to cut my hair while she spoke on and on about some meaningless issues. I felt like I gave her money to give her therapy. The results were good. But it just took too god damn long. With Eva, my current haircutter, she does a better job and cuts my hair in 5- 10 mins. and she's a hot cougar. Very slender with a new boob job. I also like the fact that from time to time, she would take breaks from cutting my hair to answer her cellphone to talk to her friends. I find that kinnda funny and adorable. She's European afterall and she has that laid back European style. She reminds me of being at Mykonos where I had one of the most fun and relaxing vacations ever.

I've never ever had a problem with her except once when a few years ago, I brought my girlfriend at the time to wait behind us while she cut my hair. I introduced my gf to her and they quickly exchanged superficial greetings. Then Eva butchered my hair. My girlfriend was hot. Slim, blonde, blue eyes, beautiful face and young. So, Eva, took it out on my hair that day. My hair looked like a wet rat (short, spikey, uneven)and I swear I saw some small empty patches on the back when she showed me the hand mirror to examine the 360. I was alittle upset. But I also thought that it was kind of funny too. [I digressed.]

Anyway today, I asked her if she watched the VP debate last nite. She said yes. So, I said, "What did you think?" She said, "Nobody's going to vote for a black man." I was stunned but didn't show it. I wanted to play along and see where this is going. So, I said, "That's interesting. So you don't think we're ready for a black President yet hey? So maybe in a hundred years?" She said, "No, never." Mind you, there were other people (all women) next to me getting their hair done. But fortunately, the blow dryers were all going. So they drowned out much of Eva's comments. I continued to play along, "Well, if he does get elected, he'll probably get assasinated. So he won't be around for long." She replied, "I know. That's what my husband says too." Btw, let me point out that Eva is not a stupid woman. She's just not PC. Brutally honest. She's been in Manhattan for over 20 years and she and I agree on many things and she calls spade a spade. I really like that about her and her sense of style is impeccable. She looks great in one of her thousands of D&G and Cavalli outfits. A very good eye. That implies some un subpar judgement in my book.

I continued. "Did you like Palin?" She said,"Yes, she's cute. Did you see her wink? She's so cute." "Yeah, I did. She is cute." Then she says, "But she's against abortion." She follows up and says, "That's wrong. Women have the right to choose." I said, "Yeah, I know." Then she asks, "Both of them (Palin and Obama) are against gay marriage right?" I said, "Yes, but they will let the States decide." She says, "Oh." Then I asked her, "So, you're voting for Palin-McCain?" Given her previous comment on Barack, I knew she would say "yes."

She said, "No, she is against abortion. That's wrong." I say, "You're voting for Obama???" She said, "Yes."

I was dumbfounded! But I loved her logic. Quite circuitous. I found it adorable. I love European women. [Note: Some Americans, very rarely though, have European sensibilities and I love them too. But they are rare. Like a four leaf clover.]

Diplomacy

Pursuant to my 'Degenrate' blog, I have (I think) resolved the situation.

A few days ago, I was taking a nap and heard yet again the doggy park keychain fetch situation outside my door. My god. I had so many violent, textbook American Psycho fantasies (so many robust permutations and variety that I literally giggled several times at my own ingenious poison thoughts under the blanket) that I felt like writing another blog just to sweat the toxins out of my brain and also to leave some poison morsels for posterity to read and review. Then I had a frightening thought in my mind... what if I keep these thoughts baking in my mind, and one day, I just sleep walk and wake up with blood on my hands and their body parts in the freezer! What then?!!

After thinking about the frightening possibility (remote but not entirely impossible)... I dared not go back to sleep without resolving the situation. Afterall, I do have very violent fantasies but I would never actually do it. That would be psychotic. I may be twisted but not psychotic!

So, on my way out to run some errands that evening, I discussed the issue (the facts not the fantasies) with my doorman/concierge guy and I decided then and there, what I was thinking in parallel as a rational person, that I write a gentle letter to the degenerate (aka my neighbor).

I wrote: "Dear Neighbor: I would really appreciate it if you can exercise your dog outside and not in the hallway. It's up to you. But if you don't, please do not use keychain or metallic item to play fetch. It is very loud. Perhaps, you can use a plastic ball or something that is not metallic or as loud? I would appreciate it. Thank you."

Short, sweet, and straight to the point. I showed it to my concierge desk guy and he gave me the apt. building stationery envelope that I put the little memo into. He told me that if that doesn't work, he will get the dog and go up to the rooftop and throw it 29 stories down. I said, "OK."

Well, since the day after I dropped off that memo, the doggie park continues outside my door. But I only hear a rubber ball. No more keychains. It's been 3 days now without the loud metallic sound going off every 5 seconds for 30 mins. every 4 hrs.

Thank the gods. Diplomacy worked!

I can imagine though, in a parallel universe (the existence of which is now a consensus among most theoretical physicists), their body parts would be in a clear ziplock bag in my freezer as I write this blog.

Diplomacy worked. I'm relieved.

Palin CBS Interview-- Foreign Policy/Russia

My God.

Something that I would never say...

"Hey, gal, lose 15 lbs.!" That's not gentlemanly.

But I met a gal pal at my bar earlier tonight and she's trying out for a TV station as a sports reporter. Everything apparently went well. But she said that they said that she needs to lose 10 lbs. She took it like a Champ though.

Anyway, my jaw dropped. Because it was so true and they actually told her the truth. As a friend, even if she were 100 lbs. overweight, I would not have said anything. At worst, I would have said, "You look healthy!"

The truth of the matter is that there are some fairly absolute standards especially for overweight women. I feel bad for them sometimes. Because alot of them actually dont eat that much. But their genes and metabolism milks every fat out of those calories and put it on their ass, thighs, or abdomen.

I'm known and pride myself in being honest. "Nah, that scarf doesnt work with that outfit." "Sorry, those shoes are not sexy." etc. But when it comes to telling gals their weight, I skip it entirely.

So it's nice to know that there are some places and people who can tell them exactly the truth.

Hey, me, I need to gain 20 lbs. and workout and develop some muscles. I'll take it like a champ too. I think though that it's easier to gain weight than to lose it. Once I worked out for 3 weeks straight and I looked like Bruce Lee... Enter the Dragon.. tight and atheletic like a gay porn star. So I know that my body is quite malleable. 6 months max.

I feel bad for women though. Hard to loose the weight off the ass once the ass grows. That's why I'll never date a woman with a big ass. After childbirth, she will be a Sasquatch. Fck that.

I can never love a fat ass woman-- even if she wins the Nobel Prize.

Lehman and Lethe-- A River Runs Through It

"My accountants tell me how much I have. But they can never tell me how much is enough."-- Seneca (the Younger, 1st century A.D.)

Hubris, avarice, vanity, and Empire.

Burn baby burn.

Drexel Burnham Lambert, SunTrust, LTCM, Baring Securities, Enron, Bear, Lehman. (19 centuries later.)

We will never learn. Lethe, river of forgetfullness.

Humans... so easily forget the past.

May Rome burn while Nero fiddles [note: figurative, not actual] and smiles.

Tis our lot; that's why a life unexamined is a tragedy and a comedy.

Estelle - American Boy... Kanye West (Video)

Estelle and this video is very ghetto and it's been out for a few months. But I love this song. Perfect blend of hip hop and harmony. Great success.

How I Feel - Most of the Week

Hey. Nah. Hmmm. [In clockwise order from the bottom right.]

Degenerate

I have this girl who lives across the floor from my apt. She's a degenerate. An Asian gal around 30 yrs. old. I see her from time to time in the elevator or waiting for the elevator. She looks like shit. She never wears make up and always wears basketball shorts or sweats and flip flops. She's the type of girl that looks like she never showers and doesn't care to. She also recently got a small dog. It's a size of a skinny cat and very hyperactive. It's a kindda dog that I can pick up and chuck across the street like a nerf football. Very annoying dog.

Anyway, in the past 2 months, she has decided to make the hallway into her own doggy park and play fetch. She comes out of her hole every few hours and they play fetch. Initially, when I saw this by accident as I was catching the elevator, she had a little pink ball which made minimal noise. But now, she has some kind of key chain or metallic thing that she throws and it makes alot of noise. It's very annoying.

I want to open my door, grab the mutt and step on it like a cockroach and watch it's internal organs spray on the walls then after she finishes watching it, I want to take out a Rambo sized hunting michete and sever her head off (OJ style) and throw it down the trash chute down the hall and on the way back from the trash chute to my apt. make hand stamps on the wall with the blood and sign it with my index finger 'Gucci' then come back inside and blast "Barracuda" by Heart while I wash my hands in the sink and watch the bloodwater swirl down the sinkhole like a twister.

Is that bad?

Borat Does a Campaign

The Aryan Party

I saw the Republican Party Convention tonight and couldn't help but notice that it was all White. I saw one black person and one pacific islander. Does that reflect the composition of this country?

Now obviously, non-whites were not banned from the convention. But it does seem to infer that the non-whites are not inspired or attracted to the RNC. "If you are non-White, then you're guests (an unwelcomed one) here and this land is NOT your land and goddamit, no more handouts to you people."

One of the strengths of America I think is it's diversity. Isn't it? Net net? Despite the tensions that diversity sometimes brings?

Watching the Rep. convention tonight was like jumping in a time ship and going back to pre-Civil War days or watching the Hitler documentary, "Triumph of the Will."

I thought then, hey, this is a genuine Ku Klux Klan rally (fck American Idol, this is the real McCoy.) Kids, go get the popcorn! They're gonna burn niggers, chinks, spics, and queers and finish off with a Golden Calf ceremony. Hurry kids!

Remember... Alaska is close to Russia

So Palin knows world affairs

Play it again, Sam

2008 Campaign- Democrats

I think that if the Democrats really want to win the Presidential election this year, they better get more passionate and angry and yes, attack the Bush/Cheney years and the McSame years to come. For god sake, Bush has a 27% approval rating for a reason.

I'm worried about Obama's professorial tone. He needs to get more personal and use the mantra: McSame, Bush McCain ticket, etc. Use fear and anger and sprinkle it with hope, not the other way around. Fear and anger motivates the masses. It works.

John Kerry had the same frckn problem. Too nice, cerebral and just reactive.

Presidential election is a not high stakes game of cards played by well meaning gentleman around a table. It never was. It's a gladitorial sport where people (should) bleed, lose limbs, and die. The Dems. have to step up. The Republicans know what game this is far better.

I remember the Oscar winning movie, 'Network' where at one point the news anchor goes insane and tells people from his newscast to go to their windows, open it, and shout: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!!!" and people did. It was a wonderful scene and I think that alot of people these days feel the same way.

The Dems. have to provoke a revolution not just stoically convince people to arrive there through logic. The Democrats (Obama) need to go reptilian! Bipartisanship later.

The Talented Mr. O'Biden

I'm so happy that Obama picked Biden as his running mate.

I have always been a BIG fan of Joseph Biden. Many of you may not know this but I'm a pretty hardcore political junkie and I used to watch C-Span religiously (for hours) on important hearings like the Judicial Committee hearings when it came to Supreme Court justices and the Foreign Relations Committee on Iraq (first and the second one). So, I've seen Biden intensely for the past 20 years or so and he never seized to impress me with his oration, personality, and common sense as the leader of these two very important committees.

However, I didn't know until recently that he came from a poor background nor that he got elected as a Senator at the age of 29! and that his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident. In recent months, I saw him speak about it and how hard that was and how his faith was tested and how he thought about killing himself many times. But he came out stronger. I love people who had been through hardships and come out on top. Triumph over hardships and sufferings. It's heroic. [McCain did too obiviously. But his policies are too similar to Bush's.]

Biden was FOR the second Iraq war (as I was after 9/11; "kill your enemies before they stand up to kill you."-- Old Testamentesque) But he was also one of the first along with his colleagues who I also admire: Luger and Hagel, to come down hard on Rumsfeld and the Cheney administration on the horrific and heineous execution of the war.

You all will have to see him speak to understand what I am talking about. Biden has a first class mind, has a down to earth way of saying things, and his judgement is crystal. He also knows foreign affairs inside out.

I also have to give credit to Obama for being so wise to pick Biden. Biden is a Deleware senator. Deleware only has 3 electoral votes. So Deleware is not what Obama is after. But a trustworthy and wise Statesman who can help him think through complex issues and govern. Biden is the anti-Cheney.

Now we have the perfect team, the Messiah and his John the Baptist. Thank the gods.

Pros and Cons of Having a Girl Friend

The Cons first :):

CON:
1) Doing stuff that I dont want to do (like Brunch at Noon or Rollerblading in the park);
2) Paying for everything;
3) Limiting my independence.

PRO:
1) Memories (creating and sharing them);
2) Snuggling in bed;
3) Doing things that I'm too lazy to do on my own but want to do (like, driving up to Maine and hiking, biking, whitewater rafting, going skiing together, going to flea markets and thrift stores, shopping together, cooking for her and her cooking for me, dinner parties, dressing up for Halloween together, movie nights, going to plays, operas, concerts, and cabarets with her, doing craft things like Martha Stewart type projects, dancing in the living room (cheek to cheek) to a Gershwin tune)
4) Romance (with kisses and caresses)

I'm a lone wolf. I'm comfortable with it. But I need to get out of my comfort zone. She has to be attractive, slender, fun, fashionable, smart, silly, responsible, and have nice legs and feet (high arches and look great in heels). I wont settle but I'm willing to give in :).

I want to be in love. Love is worth the hurt.

New Olympic Sports

I think that the following should also be Olympic sports events: billiards, thumb wrestling, arm wrestling, hop scotch, hot dog eating, rock paper and scissors, kite fighting, juggling, poker, pole dancing, pebble skipping, fishing, hunting, sky diving, speed reading, speed text messaging, ballroom dancing, beer pong, quarters, and tic tac toe.

These are all competitive sports that require tremendous amount of discipline, dedication, and training to be the best. And like most of the traditional Olympic sports (excluding Equestrian such as Dressage), it requires the athelete to stand while sporting (note: excluding poker and tic tac toe).

Gold

Shawn Johnson. Balance Beam Gold. So adorable. Cute as a button. USA! (sans Bush).