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!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Chanel
The most expensive commercial ever made. Millions of dollars. Came out a couple of years ago. I still like it.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
DURAN DURAN - THE CHAUFFEUR
One of my favorite music videos of all time. Quite fetish. Delish. Long legs and stockings. An opiate.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, December 15, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Greenhouse
Barack Obama driving me and the Mercury girls to Greenhouse. Double click on the bottom image. That's really Barack! (not)
Thursday, December 11, 2008
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.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
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 ;)
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 ;)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
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.
Friday, December 5, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
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.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The "Peek"
$99 one time equipment cost. $20/mo. srvc. charge. Unlimited text and email. No phone service. Hmmmm.
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.
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.
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