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| Storm Senior Banquet 2006
Beloved seniors of 200 ... 6? We'll miss y'all!
The Old. The New.
Storm's X-men (left to right: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Beast, and Iceman .. not bad eh?)
Touch the Balloons, a sequel?
The Fam.
Congratulations to all the graduates! We love you!
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| So after living in the LES/Chinatown area for about a year now, the thought of moving back the East Village crosses my mind. I thought a breakdown of my past residences would help me decide where to go ...
East Village
Rent: Paying lots for little. 2BR on paper really means it's a converted studio with 2 extra closets.
Atmosphere: 24hr street activity. Incessant noise, sometimes you have to fight to sleep.
Amenities: Munchies at 3am? There's San Loco for Mexican, Veselka for European, or good ol Tai Sho around the corner for grilled skewers. Yum!
Transportation: 4,5,6,N,R,Q,W,L,M101,M102,M103,cabs,cabs, and cabs.
Major Perk: Myriad of places to eat/hang out. Everything/everyone feels more accessible and connected. Near church.
Major Letdown: Life seems always fast-paced. "Go, go, go!" but sometimes you just want to take a step back and relax.
Other: Have to make do with what you have, which helps to keep you from taking things for granted.
LES/Chinatown
Rent: Affordable. Lower the price and double the space. With the extra space, I can breathe again.
Atmosphere: Eerily quiet at night (w/ the occasional ruckus). Dribble a bball past 9pm and everyone in the neighborhood can hear ya. On the other hand, it's great if you want to take a chunk of time and read a novel.
Amenities: 24hr Pathmark where groceries are cheap (and so we have the dinners at 3am). Chinatown where food is cheap.
Transportation: F ("Failure"). Pretty much have to walk. That and the car service is getting rich off me.
Major Perk: Being able to unwind by jogging along the FDR underpass, while overlooking the East River, to South Street Seaport, then to WTC, then back. Also, 10 min walk to the softball fields.
Major Letdown: Feeling isolated. In this apt. too, a crazy cat.
Other: Living with small group guys who help keep you in the faith and sharing life, love, and long nights talking ... nothing quite like it and thankful that I have it.
And just for the sake of thoroughness:
Brooklyn
Rent: Take out the garbage, do some chores ...
Atmosphere: Residential. Gotta drive to get to places.
Amenities: Feeling of "Home sweet home!" An entire floor to myself! Best food in the world.
Transportation Family car. Q train is the best train.
Major Perk: Mom and Dad. My dog (who still recognizes me whenever I visit!).
Major Letdown: Longer commute. (And sometimes mom and dad.)
Other: Miss going to the golf range and driving around with my peeps in BK.
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Should I stay or should I go?
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| Still a bit sick from the weekend but feeling much better now ...
Recently, I made a (quasi-) vow to watch only good movies. Superfluous I suppose since no one really intends to watch something uninteresting and especially uninspiring. In any case, now I make sure that I gather a few recommendations from trusted sources before going to the theaters or popping in a dvd. Hopefully this will help me:
1) Save my money for a better use (24 Season 5 - Jack saves the world again. Woohoo!) and;
2) Avoid that gross feeling that you get after having to idly sit in front of the tube unamused for 2 hours. ("Dang! I should've at least done some push-ups during the movie to have made it worthwhile!" =T )
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Today I thought about Capote. Good movie. Brilliant performances and very thought provoking story. Talk about getting caught in between your emotions and your duty. In this case, it was his work versus his relationships. The man was in quite a dilemma since he incorporated both at the beginning of his work but realized that eventually, he couldn't have them both. He had to part with one to achieve the other.
All of us deal with the same questions that Capote faced. What are we willing to sacrifice to get what we want? Is it worth it in the end? Where do our pursuits leave us? In Capote's case, I think that had his goals not been as self-seeking and for some higher purpose than his work then perhaps he wouldn't have been so torn inside. Were his emotions tied to something beyond just himself, would he have been better off?
That's why I enjoy watching Roman Holiday (Audrey!) because the protagonist faces the dilemma of choosing between her sense of duty to her country vs. her desire to be with the reporter. She understands her emotions in its proper context and then makes her decision accordingly. (Spanglish was also good and probably less quixotic.)
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In terms of the vow, I have slipped and watched my share of bad movies (e.g. Hostel, Wolf Creek). Unreliable sources ... but often, I do find myself saying "Oh yeah, the commercial/preview for this movie was pretty nice." Terrible.
Next movie in the line-up: Munich. (Actually, the preview for this one was nice too.) | | |
| So as I'm stepping off the train this morning to make my transfer, I see a mother holding her son (about 5 yrs old) by the hand about to board saying (in a rushed tone): "Come on honey, it's time to go."
To which the kid replied: "Aww, but I'm so busy."
Poor kiddo was just responding to life's pressures. Even at such a young age! I feel you kid.
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Last night I get a call:
ring
Me: Hello?
Sai: Hey, you wanna study?
Me: YOU CRAZY?! YOU CRAZY?!
awkward silence
Me: Uhh ... so hey, what's going on? You wanna study?
Sai: HAHAHAHA!
Enjoying the break  and looking forward a movie premiere of one of my favorite film makers, Gene Kim.
Dalton school @ 6pm. Be there.
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