I am still on antibiotics for this nasty cough. Today is my last day on the medication. The drug has been working except for last night. Maybe the cough wanted one last "hoorah" before it goes away completely. My allergies are getting better. Maybe it's Zertec or the coming of summer weather. I don't have much to report today. This month was probably the longest in a while. Can you believe it? Thirty-one whole days. I felt like the month of May dragged on forever.
Yesterday was perfect for eating outside. We ate lunch at Isabella's on the Upper West Side. This is the Schwack's watering hole when they are in the city. I ate one of the lunch specials, which was a soft shell crab sandwich with avocado and fried sweet potatoes. The crab was juicy and had the right crunch. We also ate chicken on a skewer, excellent calamari, and a New England clam chowder. The "robotic" servers were excellent. Isabella's is owned by the same firm who manages Blue Water Grill. Then we were off to the American Museum of Natural History. Anh Hoang wanted to see T-Rex and his wife wanted to see gems and other natural jewels. After a good 25 minutes on the 1 train to the South Ferry, we went on the Staten Island Ferry to view the skyline and lady liberty. Nathan's hot dogs were yummy. I told Mel not to buy the $4 New York mugs from Chinatown because Jack's has them for $1. We went by Jack's on 40th St. and there they were...$1 souvenir mugs. She also bought those cheap umbrellas that are sold by "walking" street vendors when it rains. I went back home to rest because I return to work the next day. The Nguyens caught the 7PM show of "Hairspray". Dr. Schwack wanted to hang, but I was too exhausted after a very long weekend. It was nice having Anh Chi Hoang Melanie in town. I hope they enjoyed their time in the city. We tried not to walk as much as possible. I think Addison will join them next time.
Cafe Charbon did not have any food for Anh Hoang. I think they should have bought his meal to compensate for the food shortage. Jesus was our waiter. Thanks to Alex the girls enjoyed their first soju at Players. They ran out of mango so we settled for pineapple. Fresh desserts with alcohol is the best combo! Carolyn is my only friend. She came to the rescue when no one else would. My update is 7 hours old and I only have one wall message. I owe you one Miss Jackson! Joel, keep yourself busy by editing more "this will never happen in real life" pictures. I still think the haterAIDE deal is cheesy. That's all for now kids. Time to watch another episode of "Heroes". Who needs TV when you have internet replays with minimal commercial breaks? Oh, I just reached a defining moment in my life. I wore them last night. Below is MadTV's version of "Heroes".
For those who want to see quite a bit of Manhattan, I suggest doing the double deck bus tour. Yeah, it sounds cheesy but it's a good way to learn a bit of history and see areas of the city where you normally wouldn't. Did you know that the original Macy's department store was located in a narrow building on 14th street? Also, the Titanic was supposed to dock on the west side of Manhattan, but it obviously never made it. I would not do the tour during noon time because you will bake on the top deck. Try going in the late afternoon when the weather is breezy and cool. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill was delicious. Get the dessert sampler to finish off your meal. It was very yummy. Instead of doing 230 5th Ave, we walked over to the Hairy Monk for some 80's karaoke... thanks to Sandrine and her buddy, Brooke. The NOLA gals were rockin the house. TL, hope you feel better! Alex, we are going to do pho at Xe Lua. Chi San, let me know if Hotel Carter can't put you up. Carolyn, I hope you make it back to Dallas to pick me up. Don't forget that you are my escort. Brad, I will refrain from calling that 504 number. There was some exaggeration when you said "17 times". Chang never finishes her drink except for that one night at Citrus. Melanie, good call on stowing away your heels. Poor Addison is probably wondering when his parents will return. Julie, congratulations on the new job. Time to make mucho mula! Reservation is under "Nguyen N-G-U-Y-E-N". Happy Memorial Day!
I'm not much of a red meat eater, but I ended up getting short ribs from Keens. I was yelled at for always ordering salmon everywhere I go. We were seated at Max Brenner immediately. We should have sat outside like everyone else. The hot weather did not do justice to the ice cream. The Nguyens and Schwack crashed Tammy's "i hate boys" seminar in Hell's Kitchen thanks to Mr. Shum. Today, it is the Staten Island ferry and a bus tour around lower Manhattan. I'm not sure if we will do deep-fried pancakes or the pricey brunch place in Union Square. Ron, we have been playing phone tag. I hope you and your buds enjoyed the show. Joel, have fun with the namesake interview. Brad, did you write down your DEA number?
Addison's parents arrived last night. We had Korean food in K-town. They were not too thrilled with the food. I don't think they will try Korean food again. My food was good, but it was very hot. These promotional girls came by every table to tell people about the new soju. They gave away air fresheners and pens. I was hoping they had bottles of the soju in their ice bucket. Then it was back to my "cozy" apartment to freshen up before heading down to the LES for Happy Ending. TL, Rob, and Joel showed up looking very sharp. Everyone was on time as usual. Libation came afterwards. The girls and Joel got down to the nitty gritty. Appletini for the NOLA gals. It's too early to have hot weather!!!
"Kraken" was a good production. I enjoyed the actors' performance, but I was not too sure about some of the dialogue. I understand that Melville wanted to kill himself and Hawthorne felt "alive" when he sees Melville. Hawthorne's wife seems very weak and subservient to her husband. Kudos to the hooker for killing her nasty husband! Welcome home, Tammy! Hopefully, we can catch up this weekend. The Nguyens arrive later this afternoon. Yes, the place has all the amenities. Get ready for some steamy weather!
DISCLAIMER: For those who did not watch last night's finale, please stop reading now. The show's producers got us all shook up. We now have more questions than we had before. We know they get rescued, but how? Also, what happened that made Jack want to commit suicide? No one showed up for Ben's funeral. Kate probably ended up with Sawyer. Jack is in a loveless marriage with Juliet because all she can think about is creating more babies. This time, her research is to impregnant men. Hurley came to the rescue. The best line was when Sawyer shot the last bad "other" and said, "This one is for taking the kid off the raft!". Speaking of the kid, they should have found another black kid instead of using the same character. The show has been on air for three years now; therefore, the actor has grown. However, the survivors have only been on the island for almost a month. The producers may have used the same actor to "appear" to Locke for a reason. He managed to get up and walk again because of the teenager. Locke also said that Jack is not supposed to call the rescue team. What was that about? Oh, may Charlie rest in peace. Too bad the Scottish guy did not have flashbacks to warn Charlie. Perhaps Ben was telling the truth after all. Jack's dad died so why did Jack tell the other doctor to call on his drunker dad before firing him. We have so much to talk about. I am still hooked!
Mel, don't hate St. Mark's Place until you try it. You might like it...NOT! Everyone rides the subway. You may see ladies in prom dresses on the subway. Your first night here will be on the cheap side. You can then do whatever you want. Be sure to bring the items I asked you to bring. I'll try not to get sick this weekend. Joel, you're too kind by referring to me as Keanu Reaves. I like to think I look like one of the celebrities out there. The picture you see was not digitally enhanced. What you see is what you get. That reminds me...how is Britney doing? Whatever happened to those innocent songs? I am dreading the summer weather. We will have a high of 90 degrees this coming Friday. I am not ready to sweat underground and having to stand side by side with other sweaty people during our treacherous commute. I wish I can win the lottery so I can hail an air-conditioned cab every morning.
I was sick yesterday. My allergies were insane! I took Benadryl and Advil Cold & Sinus. I slept at 8PM and woke up at 7AM this morning. I feel refreshed and alive! Let's see how long this "great" feeling will last.
Yesterday was interesting. The photo shoot began indoors, but we moved outside a couple hours later. Natural light made a big difference. Also, our subject became more "natural" and gave us a lot to work with. Then, it was off to Chinatown for some soup dumplings. The verbal exchange between the restaurant owner and Alex was almost like a scene in a mainlander movie. We took our business elsewhere and they welcomed us with open arms. The food was delicious, especially the crabmeat dumpling. After rounds of hugs and goodbyes, I started my allergy bout that did not stop until early this morning. Allegra did not help my itchy eyes and runny nose. Dr. Schwack tried another allergy drug, but that did not help either. He resorted to Elevart (not sure if that's the correct spelling). Spring time should end already so I can enjoy the outdoors. Pollen is not my best friend!
Mad props to Rob for knowing my business. Uzma, you never conferenced me tonight. I called Carolyn,
but she flaked out because she was all the way in Arlington getting wasted with her man. Speaking of getting drunk, Miss Sunshine had
a little too much to drink. Thank you to Luna and TL for taking care of the housekeeping. Alex, you need to add content to your site. All
those "yelp" should get posted on one site for all to see. I got to see the other "my trang" Joe last night. The last time I saw him was
at Mo's on the UES. I'm glad we went home after Citrus. Miss "I'm Okay...i'm Okay" was knocked out when we got home. She did a great
job climbing five flights of stairs. For those who want to maintain his/her own style of hipness, googling will get you there. There
were hecklers in Times Square as Chang did her business. The taxi driver was nice enough to pull aside. This, of
course, added to the meter. TL, cam on rat nhieu! Never drive through Times Square, especially on a Saturday night! Joe came
in at 5 AM this morning so I assume the rest of the crew did karaoke or he got lucky. I am on the 7th episode of "Heroes". The
show is addictive. I wonder why they need to save the cheerleader.
IKEA was canceled for many reasons. It looks like 1-800-Mattress will get some of our business. Phuong's performance last night was good. My favorite song was the one he has on his myspace page. Brad was moody. Sandrine was late. Laure was on time as usual. I was a bit late due to a snag on 3rd Ave. Chang and Joe got their free drinks on. Joe, what's up with you and Indian girls? I'll have to make my way to Brooklyn for brunch at Laure's restaurant. Today's agenda is laundry, open house at NY's Film Academy, banh mi, baking cookies for tomorrow, and an outing with TL. It's so nice not having to study.
I get this long list of very detailed instructions from Mylinh and how to get to our meeting tonight at NYU Medical Center. I was lost after the fourth or fifth sentence. I have been to the medical center on several occasions for work-related meetings. I was trying to picture the facility as I read the instructions, but I gave up after she mentioned the third set of doors to go through. I'll probably end up asking the security guard or calling Tien or Mylinh. Tisch Hospital and all the connecting buildings are extremely difficult to find. Unless you know the elevator you want, you will be lost. I wonder how many people will show up on time for tonight's meeting. I feel for Christina, yet I am happy that she is free. She can be herself again. I guess Burke is not returning next season. Maybe the producers finally realized that bigotry is not acceptable. Genghis Grill in Plano tomorrow night? I'll try to find a Mongolian restaurant here in the city. We saw Addison and his cheesy mom yesterday on a webcam. He was a bit shy.
Happy Birthday, Anh Boy! I'm not modifying anything on this website. All records remain
permanent unless I am hit with a lawsuit. If you want something added, just let me know. Part 3 was this morning. I did not
get much sleep last night because of anxiety attacks. I do not think I passed it because I should have focused more on
working out the problems as opposed to just learning the concepts. The next time to take the exam again is this coming
November. Hopefully, I will be more prepared then. Jack's $0.99 had an okay selection of goodies. I remembered stocking
up on cheap household goods. Maybe I have learned to minimize my consumption due to the lack of real space. As expected,
last night's shocker came during the last two minutes when Charlie was confronted by two of the others. Tonight is all about
the docs! These two Viet gals gave me the best pedicure ever! I had to take a picture of them to remember the experience.
Oh, you can also catch them doing other people's nails in Robert Deniro's "What Just Happened" due to be released in 2008!
For those who live in the city, I can't stress enough the importance of cheap groceries! Morton Williams aka "Associated" has the best deals in town. They have weekly specials that cover almost every type of item in the store. When you are in the store, make sure to pick up the weekly flyer of sale items. You will often save more than 50% off the regular price if buying a sale item. For example, Kraft singles cost $4.99. When it is on sale, the price is $2.50. I normally stock up on sale items to obviously take advantage of the cheap price. There are no club cards or accumulation of purchase points like other grocery stores. It's just cheap prices on weekly specials. The best deal is always Tropicana's Premium OJ for $2.50. Retail price for OJ stands at close to $5.00.
I am going to drop Mandarin III because I have a lot of catching up to do. Wang Laoshi, the instructor from my first two classes, was quite easy on us. He focused on speaking as opposed to learning how to read Chinese characters. My instructor from last night's class expects us to know traditional characters. I was taught simplified during undergrad. Why are they teaching us traditional when the mainlanders use simplified? Why are we learning Mandarin as if we were Taiwanese? As far as I know, the Taiwanese are the only ones using traditional characters. It will be a waste of my time to learn traditional characters and to continue with Mandarin III. I have decided to drop the class today. I will continue with my Pimsleur CDs and casually learn through my Chinese friends. My goal is to be at least conversational.
I studied in the park yesterday. As I sat on the bench minding my business, I heard a familiar voice approaching my way. I looked up and it was Elliot Spitzer, Governor of New York, and his wife walking their two dogs. No one really noticed him. He looked like any other New Yorker strolling through Central Park on a Sunday afternoon. A couple hundred feet behind him was his security detail which consisted of one guy in a blue blazer and jeans. He was obviously following them, but gave the Governor and his wife quite a bit of space. The Governor and his family live on the UES so it made sense to see him "off duty" on a Sunday. "Heroes" is my new favorite show. After I am done with this test, I am going to play "catch up" by watching the past episodes on NBC's website. Hooray for the internet!
Bobst Library is closed this weekend. Luckily, we went by the computer store yesterday. Someone got what she wanted. My next laptop will be a Mac for sure. The best discount is through your school's computer store. Paris Bakery's banh mi is still delicious. The "green tea" waffles should really be called pandan waffles because they use pandan flavoring, not green tea. The cardio room at Palladium remains closed. Summer weekend hours are from 12-8PM. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. You guys know who you are!
Time to get down to the nitty gritty...I can't wait until the exam is over with on Thursday.
I'm sure I won't pass it because I have not had much studying done. November will be the next time I can take it. Carolyn, I
vaguely remember our conversation last night. I was half asleep when you rambled on about your friend. I agree
with your assessment. I have been in his shoes. I was on display last night. Oh, I meant we were on display last night as
"window dressing". We were lucky enough to get the last outside table facing the sidewalk. The weather was a bit humid, but
there was a slight cool breeze. It was great seeing Sandrine again after six months. She still has the French charm. We all
met in front of our favorite store, K-Mart! Cheesy pasta and creamy ice cream spelled disaster for Brad. The strawberry
shortcake at the Asian Pub continues to be yummy, even though we could not sit outside. The hostess lied to us. Joe
piggybacked Chang home while I carried her Chanel bag and my coffee mug as if I was a Buddhist monk asking for rice
donations. Oh, we ran
into a celebrity while waiting for the train at Astor Place. See the picture below...can anyone guess the celebrity?
Mother's Day is coming up. Sending a card and gift to mother should suffice. Also, don't forget to make that phone call if you can't be with your mom on Mother's Day. I did not really watch "Grey's Anatomy" last night. I was too busy stowing away Chang's luggage and moving stuff around. I think we are all settled now. I did, however, saw the new show, "Traveler". It was boring in the beginning, but it got pretty interesting when the Met blew up. Everything that happened prior to the explosion came into play. This show will be another spooker.
This is going to be short because I am crazy busy. Chang got in safely last night. I took her on her first subway ride on the 6...just like J-Lo did. We had 50% off sushi on St. Mark's. She gave half of her belgian fries to a homeless guy because the portion was way too much. Strawberry ice cream at an asian market in the East Village... then K-mart. This morning it was nice to see all the violet grad gowns. Those kids are getting younger every day!!
The french lady just arrived. The other diva will arrive later tonight. I had a great time last night toasting to TL. The duck was delicious. I'm not one to eat duck, but I liked how it was served in a chinese tortilla with hoisin sauce and green onions. The other entrees were equally good, especially the chicken in a spicy orange sauce. Paul, glad you found your fab five. Alex, great job on your Vietnamese. Matt, we'll need to do our fourth meeting soon. Erin...miss box office lady, we'll see you on the 24th if not sooner! Ron, thanks again for switching seats with Rob. Rob and I needed to chit chat about you know who. The Queen has left the building.
Thanks again, Hoang-Anh! You are the best! TL, congratulations once again. I look forward to your banquet later tonight. We are going to party it up! I couple days ago, I came home and noticed a funny foul smell coming from my room. Keep in mind, my room has a shared wall with my next door neighbor. The first thought that came to my mind was my dead neighbor. This is the same guy who passed out on our stairwell not too long ago. He was also admitted to a mental health hospital thereafter. At the beginning of each month, every tenant gets a rent invoice inserted on his/her door. Seven days have already passed and my neighbor's invoice is still on his door. I later discovered that beef jerky caused the foul odor in my room. I removed the beef jerky and the smell has since disappeared.
I just received word that Sandrine is coming back to les Etats-Unis tomorrow night. It's about time! Chang is coming the day after. My CIA exam is on the following Thursday and I have not studied at all. There are too many things happening in this darn city. I am going crazy! Okay...let's take a breather and relax. Tammy, hope you made it to Italy okay! The best pancakes are served at the corner of 2nd Ave. and 10th St. I think they were deep fried. K-mart continues to be the low price leader. Run over to Cafetasia (8th St. and Broadway) for some yummy crab rangoon and green curry. Both for only $7.
Yes, Mel, I have no life. You need to start taking more pictures of my nephew. It was his third birthday and you barely had any pictures. What's up with that? The kitchen floor is waxed and we now have a "massage" showerhead. The preparation on this end is comparable to the Queen's visit to Virginia. Last night's brief outing turned into a very late affair. We had our little red riding hood, our "sari" princess and her lovers, and half of the usual crew. Half of the folks went home in a car, which was rare. Memphis was a sweet cat. The last time I saw him was when Brad babysat him. He would sleep on his pillow on the bed. When I walked closer to him, he opened his big green eyes and came towards me. He was not shy at all. He jumped on my lap and stayed on my lap as we watched TV together. He even jumped on the kitchen counter one time when I ate a snack. I will miss him. He lived with the most loving family.
Mary, I get it. You were rooting for Gwen Stefani! I realized it when I woke up this
morning. Yeah, Gwen likes her Japanese. I'm surprised she has not dyed her hair black. Bobby Lee is hilarious! Kunjip
was good, but was it worth the wait? We were herded around like cattle moving from one end of the restaurant to another. Once
seated, we were rushed. They even took our orders as we waited to be seated. Soju shots are the best. Brad and I were
somewhat wasted after two shots. Joe and Sua kept their composure. A short walk down the block led us to the Third Floor
Cafe for some more soju...this time with raspberry. Sua got her myspace headshot. Taking pictures from up above helps
tremendously. TL never called me back in five minutes so we called it a night. Ron, sorry to hear about not getting the
discounts. Oh well, you can always get it next time. It will be a fun group activity. Joe and I are going to spruce up the place
in preparation for the diva's homecoming later this week. Sandrine, I got your postcard from Bar-le-Duc...merci beaucoup!
You should be back in New York any day now. Hit me up! Carole, yes, this is a one-sided deal. The only interaction you get is
to sign my guestbook or call me on the weekends when my minutes are infinite! I finally upped them from 250 to 400!
Melanie, congratulations on getting accepted into Xavier! You should be done with the degree in a couple years! Thank you
again for sending Addison's latest pictures. My favorite is below: 
Addison leaves Seattle so she can have a baby in LA. Can we say "deja vu" after seeing all those actors and actresses? ...Tim Daly from "Wings" and the cancelled ABC show "The Nine", Judging Amy, Taye Diggs from that cancelled ABC show about repeating the same day over and over again, the best friend from "Alias" and "The King of Queens", and the bad cop from "Prison Run". The two hour show was a bit drawn out, but good overall.
For those who call me after 11PM (eastern time) during the week, I am usually asleep. If I do pick up the phone call, I am probably still sleeping. Whatever you told me while I was "asleep" would be useless. Jack is irritating me. They are not ready to hear what Juliet has to say? No wonder they don't trust Jack. He's an idiot for wanting to protect Juliet, unless he is in on it too. Are they in purgatory? The folks with "bug eye" are closer to heaven than those on the beach. Locke was smart in getting Sawyer to kill his dad. Not a bad deal! Sawyer and Locke both got what they wanted. The Queen is coming to America today. She is here to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, VA. What's more appropriate is to remember and pay respects to the indigenous Americans killed by the onslaught of European diseases and the injustice takeover of native lands.
As I walked out of my office yesterday, there was a Tribeca Film Festival screening down the street. People were in a long line waiting to get tickets to whatever movie or documentary. Against one of the walls was this big background image of the Tribeca logo plastered all over. A couple photographers stood around as they patiently waited for possible celebrities. I always thought the film festival would be centered in and around Tribeca. I had no idea the screenings are all over New York, including Queens where they had the premiere for "Spiderman 3". PBS had a documentary on the Mormons. One of the segments included missionaries and how high school graduates are expected to leave their families for two years to spread the lord's word. Two missionaries attempted to "save" pedestrians in New York. It was funny how New Yorkers were so blunt and upfront with the missionaries. One guy stopped and said, "Look...I told you I wanted to walk alone so just let me be!" I'd probably react in the same manner. I am content with my lord and the crazy Vatican rituals!
Yesterday's Chinese class was our second to last day of class. We talked about how
nice the weather is in "Niu Yue". In a couple weeks, I will begin the third course which meets twice a week for about six
weeks. Hopefully meeting twice a week will help me reinforce new vocabulary words. I had dinner at a Tibetan place across
from my office last night. It was okay. I still prefer Vietnamese and Japanese. I tasted curry in my rice. Maybe it was from
the salmon. I finally ate some candied grapefruit and spicy curry beef jerky from Cali's Vua Kho Bo thanks to Brad. The
sales people at the dried snack shop gave him their business card so we can place mail orders. After dinner was dessert at
Veniero's for some canolis and raspberry tart. The sweetness was a bit too much for me, but it was delicious nonetheless.
I prefer asian desserts as they are less sweet and heavy. "Do you have a girlfriend?...you do now!"
