un bon exemple

After a dreary day, I was greeted with the one and only mail today in a shiny envelope.
A familiar squiggly handwriting of my address on top -- a thank you note from Patrick!
Sweet~

Between the lobby to the apartment, it got me into thinking...
These days, people unconciously take each other for granted.
I'm not saying you have to thank somebody for every little thing that one doesn't even remember doing.
But.. once in a while, it feels nice to be acknowledged.
And there is nothing beats the one that bears a stamp!

Email is waaay overrated.
Sure it is speedy, but it only functions in extreme manners.
To talk about nothing or.. something super urgent.

Enough babbling.
All I want to say is: if there is good news that can endure the mailing period, post it to me.
My cousin collects stamps!

*ehmm.. I still owe at least 3 people for cards... guilty to all counts!

une phobie de couteau

A couple days ago, I broke my one and only paring knife.
Since then I had been using a chinese cleaver to cut fruits and veggies in great difficulties -- just imagine cutting off the core of an apple with this beast.
Went out to buy a replacement this afternoon.

As I stared at the wall of knife at Bed Bath & Beyond an uneasy feeling emerged.
I couldn't stand looking at them.
Wondered how I got all the knives the first place.
Seemed like I'd never bought one.
The serrated, the paring, and the cleaver came from the old apartment, I guessed one of my ex-roommates bought them.
And the santoku was bought by my mother when I was in Paris.
Hmmmph! I could wait for my mother to arrive but I couldn't guarantee I'd still have all the body parts by then.

Anyway, my first pick was 4" one, small, affordable, looked very sharp.
It scared me eventhough it was wrapped in plastic with no way of escaping.
Then I looked around a little more.
There was more in a glass case, more professional ones.
I saw one slightly curved between the handle and the blade.
Seemed saver, 3.5", $5 more, settled with that.
The sales lady helped me to get it off the case and wrote on a piece of paper to picked up the knife at the register.
Great! I'm not even sure I'll make it to the register without hurting myself.

I was happy when I got home alive.
Just hated to be surrounded by gleaming blades.
Once a friend asked why my knives were dull..
I just couldn't make myself sharpen one!

une soirée du bowling

A few days ago, Novi invited me to a string of parties at once: her uncle's b-day on 23rd, Thanksgiving dinner on 24th, and her birthday on Sunday (today).
I remembered all the dates, but at some point the time got messed up... eeeek!
Then she called in at 5pm and asked if I was coming.
I told her I forgot the time, was it at 5pm or 7pm?
It was 5:30.

Anyway, her family and close friends gathered to celebrate.
It was sweet and fun!
Seemed like she figured out her life as well...

I scored 105.

pixel

With Bill's permission, I could finally post pixel in a blanket.
I seemed to like my friends' cat more than mine...
ehmm.. I have none!

le vendredi noir

I decided to linger under the duvet a little longer...
The sun was peeking through the curtain, but it wasn't fooling anybody.
Checked the forecast before bed, it might not even make it to the freezing point!

Anyway, Ai called from a land far far away... Aceh!
He was doing fine and just felt like chatting... ehm... ramblings to be exact, about anything and nothing.

Then I went on with the day.
Seemed like nobody was in the city.
It was pleasantly quiet... but then it didn't feel like New York.

I didn't really have any list for Black Friday.
Came home with: pears, brocolli, asparagus, and jicama...

le sans-abri

Sure Novi was the first one to invite me for Thanksgiving dinner.
The thing was, I didn't think I'd last the whole weekend in Nyack, away from my juicer and all the vegetables.
So I took, Idil's invitation instead -- 9 blocks away and 4 hours long tops!

I intentionally arrived an hour later, hoping they were half way through dinner, I didn't have too eat too much!
Alas! Idil caught up with me!
She just made everybody drink drink and drink.. and served the dinner a little after I arrived.

idil in the middle

Anyway, there were 15 of us, the homeless as she called it, since we had no home (family) to celebrate the feast.
Ari did most of the cooking, called his father for recipes.
There were mashed potatoes, yams, string beans, cranberry sauce, and of course, the bird of the day. Delish!
Half way through the dinner, we ran out of gravy...
I was silently thankful.
The gravy made everything so tasty... time to stop eating!
Closed the dinner with homemade pumpkin pie and a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream.. yum~ yumm~

It was 11pm, 27ﾟF when the last party left the building into the howling wind~

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

une exposition spéciale

Since Bill was being indecisive, I took him to Van Gogh Drawings at the Met.
It was quite a show.
3 galleries of drawing compositions in ink, graphite, chalk, charcoal, watercolors, and related paintings.

The man was a beautiful freak.
I was fascinated by the cows in the distance, a little cat, lots and lots of little lines, curvy at times and dot dot dots... lovely~

thanx, bill!

* Should have crossed the park and watched Macy's giant balloons all tangled in strings...

7 jours plus tard...

My friend, Bill was in town for a visit.
We had not seen each other for about 7 years.
He was actually less sarcastic! Sweet~
Had lunch and caught up at a nearby cafe.

Invited some friends over to Cuba this evening.
No live band tonite, but we were loud enough to be merry.
Thirteen of us were tucked in a cozy back room.
Everybody I was expecting, came and there were a few surprises. Lovely~
I couldn't be happier!

the best of friends

We all enjoyed the food and the company.
I was fortunate to be surrounded by people I loved 7 days later...

thank you!

le magicien d'Oz

Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high,
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

there's no place like home...