Coffee, tea or knockoffs

The coast is clear, the Chinese New Year festivities are over and it's time to hit Chinatown for some char siu pao and cup of tea. Minor problem - my eating buddy Rose, (Remember the mutt China girl?), prefers coffee.

It was eerie. Chinatown looked like a ghost town, the sidewalks of the once crammed Canal Street were free of the usual street vendors peddling fake designer bags and watches. There was no more weaving in and out of the crowd of tourists each wanting to have a piece of China's knockoffs. Shops that used to have built-in hideaway tables of cheap imitations of Cartier, Movado, Prada or Louis Vuitton were shut down.

What's left of them are signs on the doors such as Closed for Violations or Restraining Orders. It's a good thing that the Mayor is taking steps to crack down on the sale of these counterfeit goods but I couldn't believe I actually miss the hustle and bustle of this place. At the same time I'd also like to see a clean-up and rehabilitation of many parts of Chinatown much the same way as the "Disneyfication" of Times Square by Mayor Giuliani or was it Ed Koch?

Back to our tea. After our lunch of steamed buns (char siu pao), a few pieces of dumplings (siu mai) and coffee, we headed towards the wet market to get some fresh fruits. The lobsters and the King Crab legs were so cheap, I was tempted to buy some but I couldn't see myself carrying them on the train. I might end up all by myself in one car.

On our way, we stopped at the famous TenRen Tea and Ginseng store on Mott Street. This is heaven for the discriminating tea lover. All sorts of fine teas are sold and at all price ranges. We even sampled a fresh cup of Oolong which I found too bitter. The storekeeper offered to prepare for us a lighter one but by this time we've had enough, so we declined. Also sold are an assortment of teapots beautifully displayed under lock and key. They were not cheap either.

For the Chinese, tea is a pastime, it is a culture. It is not uncommon to see men hanging around our favorite place Mei Lai Wah, just chatting and drinking tea. And they could stay there for hours, I was told. By the way, I swear this place sells the best char siu pao, customers buy them by the dozen. Highly recommended and very clean! The place was recently renovated.

Coffee, tea or whatever your pleasure, it is delightful to just take it easy especially on a pleasant 50-degree weather. It looks like we're on our way to a complete thaw out. Or is it just wishful thinking?

Believe it or not at post time it's 60 degrees here. Yippeee!!!!

Fallen on hard Times

This is the New York Times Building shown with its signature façade made of ladder-like ceramic tubes that wraps the building. Its designer the world renowned architect Renzo Piano called these screen of rods “suncoats” as opposed to "raincoats.” He who has been named the “master of light and lighting” having demonstrated that with his work with the Morgan Library in New York and the great Centre Pompidou in Paris, an ugly monstrosity to some but is a fascinating museum of modern art. Piano’s building designs show how he uses the light coming through the roof or the sides of a building to dramatically create space.

In the name of security, many of these rods have been removed from the New York Times Building last summer after a third climber scaled the building and used them as ladder for ascent. How fun unless you have fear of heights like me!

Whether that’s the end of it for those rods, no one is certain. But for the iconic New York Times, the future of the printed edition is also challenged. With global economies tumbling down, the prospects do not look good for the paper. And with the proliferation of bloggers and news analysts, as competitive as it is even at the best of times, the future of print journalism is at stake.

Is it going to be the end of the Times? If it is, then it would be a misfortune for those of us who remember looking forward to the 3-inch thick, 3-pounder Sunday edition. For some of us who still prefer the look and feel of the hard copy, the digital version is not the same. No more tear sheets, no more recipes to cut out and stash away in a folder. Yeah, yeah, I used to work in the information industry where we pushed for a paperless work environment, but in my heart I sometimes crave for some of that printed paper. I guess only a few of us can honestly say we can walk the walk.

Here are two of the local giveaway tabloids - the daily Metro New York and AM New York, definitely not substitutes for the prestigious New York Times. If nothing else these papers certainly can capture the harried subway rider's fleeting attention once shoved in their hands. Well, they serve as a quick source for the schedule of local activities and fulfill our need to be on top of the local news without spending a penny.

I guess if we are resorting to the tabloids for our source of information, we must really have fallen on hard times. That is a pity.

It's a blast!

Super Bowl Sunday, how's that for a starter? 'Not into the game, but I can still party, right? I have a feeling that this year is going to be a blast. Today is my birthday and it started off with a bang.

Around 5:30 AM the CO detector went off as my mom was preparing her breakfast and getting ready to cook her famous pansit noodles for lunch. I jumped out of bed, opened all the windows and made sure that the burners of the stove were shut off. Then I took down the darn alarm which was wailing away and I frantically yanked out its battery. After a couple of minutes of silence I snapped the battery back in place, it didn't sound an alarm but it beeped after a few seconds with the low battery indicator lighting. This went on for a while, then I decided to bother my neighbor Chong for help.

She took down her CO detector and tested it at my place. No alarm sounded. She then loaned me a new battery and that seemed to work. What a relief. Alarms are good to have but not when they work to scare the wits out of you!

Half an hour later, the place was quiet but I wasn't - I was busy in the kitchen cooking at this time, since my nephew and my cousin invited themselves to "celebrate" with me. It was supposed to be a no-fuss day but mom and I ended up preparing a simple lunch on the fly.

Quiet that didn't last very long. Suddenly I heard this burping sound coming from the hallway. Oh no, not again! We have to vacate the place or else we're going to die, I thought. I stood there watching to see if the LED lights indicate anything. Nothing. A few seconds and it hiccuped again. It was driving me crazy. I panicked and called Chong. Maybe my brain has been poisoned and I'm starting to loose it. We stared at the detector and tried to figure out where the sound was coming from. "Chirp" it croaked and Chong turned her head to her left towards the bookshelf. Duh! She gave me that is-this-a-joke? look, rolled her eyes and pointed to my cell phone sitting on the shelf. There it was - "low battery". The darn phone was faintly chirping away.

Yes, I've owned a cell phone for some time and I know how to work it! This is a new one, a replacement for the one I lost in the parking lot which I didn't recover until much later in the night and not after I have gotten a new phone. I still am not attuned to the weird sounds this one makes which explains all the confusion. And no, I don't have hearing problems yet. Perish the thought. I have some of Inang's genes and you know she's got everything intact!

But one more high-pitched sound that I hear and you'll find me in a straight jacket already! You know how they say it comes in three's. True. The third shriek came from my cousin Amor. She makes these strange sounds. Anyway, lunch was served on time, with no further equipment and auditory malfunction and our menu of:

• pansit noodles
• broiled red snapper stuffed with fresh ginger root
• roasted red, green and orange peppers
• mixed grilled vegetables bruschetta
• boiled shrimps

For dessert:

• leche flan
• buko and ube ice cream
• coffee
• roasted brown rice and green tea

We were joined by Carol & Ped, Amor and Joe, Chong and Tita Lumen. Amor brought the ice cream, Noris prepared the flan, Inang cooked the pansit and I did the rest. Ped and Carol brought me a large package of filets mignons to satisfy my primal meat urges. I'm drooling already, I love steaks but I'm not sharing. Ha Ha ha!

Another year, same cliche. Grow old gracefully. Despite the surprise fireworks on my birthday I think I handled myself pretty good. My batteries still serve me well.

La donna e mobile

"It's no good unless it breaks your heart", as Anthony Minghella would say.

The world's most famous La donna e mobile and the timeless hits Caro nome and Questa o quella were score features in Verdi's tragic tale Rigoletto. Rich in melody and filled with great arias, this is one of my favorite operas having seen it maybe three times.

It may have pleased the veteran opera lovers that the set and stage production were done in the tradition of classical opera. At the pre-show quick lunch we had at Avery Fisher Hall, I engaged in a chat with an elegant lady in her 80's, who takes the train from the suburbs of New Jersey to attend the opera.

Here I am complaining about my short ride from Queens, and here's this lady impeccably dressed in a light outfit for this winter weather, traveling a few good miles on a commuter train from her suburban home. She was waiting for her niece who she hopes will love Rigoletto as much as she does. Introduced to her at age 13 by her parents, she has been an avid goer since. We talked about how unfortunate it is that the Amato Opera in the Bowery is closing for its final season. She was visibly excited as she spoke about how she frequented The Hippodrome in her younger days, adding that I may not have been around at the time yet. We shook hands, parted ways, she said she hopes to see me at Lucia di Lammermoor performance and I said to myself, "When I grow up I want to be like her".

Meeting people from all walks of life is part of the fun in going to this performances. All it took was a gentle pat on my arm when she asked me to watch her plate while she walked to the counter to freshen her cup with hot coffee. It took off from there and I can't tell you how priceless that conversation was. These things do matter.

This being her first exposure to the opera I was also joined by my niece Nelsie. Susan, a former co-worker met us at the lobby of the Met. She took the place of Judy who's out there in the slopes of Colorado skiing.

With its roster of the best cast, the chorus playing a big role, the Met once again did a sensational production. It would please Minghella that this was not a stunning but a heartbreaking performance.

East meets West

The Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright stands majestically on 5th Avenue and 88th.

The rotundas of the central spiral serve not just an access to the galleries but also as exhibition halls, in this case of "The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplating Asia, 1860-1989".

It brought together an eclectic collection of works by artists such as James Whistler, Jackson Pollock, Yoko Ono, Isamu Noguchi and others. I came here not knowing the scope of the exhibition and I was surprised - especially on the Asian influence that can be traced to calligraphy and abstract ink blots on the technique of Jackson Pollock.

The set of prints by Mary Cassatt that drew on the styles of Japanese compositions clearly is another example of this Eastern influence as well. 250 works were on exhibit but it was easy to view. There was plenty of room to roam about, the galleries at the Guggenheim do not leave the viewer with a feeling of being boxed-in.

My preferred way of exploring the Guggenheim, it's always an experience to walk down the central spiral looking down on the museum's lobby.

What I could not get myself to appreciate is Paul Kos' Sound of Ice Melting. On display at the lobby are two twenty-five-pound blocks of ice, eight boom microphone stands, eight microphones, mixer, amplifier, two large speakers and cables. The viewer is invited to "listen to the sound of melting ice", which I thought was bizarre. I stood there like a fool waiting for it to happen but didn't hear a drop. Far from being an artist to understand the concept, I guess I was too literal. And that's why I'm not into contemporary art.

The other exhibit is that of Ann Hamilton entitled "Human carriage". It is a contraption composed of book weights made from cut-up books that ascend and descend along the rotunda spiral by a pulley system, and a pair of Tibetan cymbals that rush down the balustrade. The chimes invite the museum goers to look up and watch the action, leaving them with a variety of interpretations as to the theme it was trying to convey.

I would prefer to deal with some form of art that's not so blurry. Some of it was much too abstract, I spent more time at the Thannhauser Gallery where the Whistler, Georgia O'Keefe and Picasso collection was more my style.

As I exit, I went down to the Sackler Annex where a travelogue of Isamu Noguchi was on display. It captured his fellowship visits to India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal and elsewhere. This I enjoyed as well.

Give me something more concrete, abstract patterns can be frustrating.

Cafe Mozart

Recently I started following city blogger Jeremiah Moss's Vanishing New York and discovered that he really has a lot to blog about and for very good reasons.

Not too far from my neighborhood, Shea Stadium is being demolished to be replaced by the new one. To my dismay and to the rest of the faithful New York Mets fans and great lovers of landmarks (or such), the new name is Citi Field, in keeping with part of the deal made with the financiers which is Citigroup, Inc.. Or so I heard. Why we need a larger capacity stadium I understand but changing the name is a disgrace.

Many more venues are either leaving town or are being replaced by upscale ones. Neighborhood gentrification is on the rise and at a pace as fast as they can build high-rise, high-priced condominiums.

In August my friends and I tried to meet at Cafe Mozart on the Upper West Side for brunch , but when we got there it was CLOSED. There was no sign at the door except that it's "closed". It looks like it's been gutted or was quickly shut down. I brushed off the thoughts that this will be permanent. Maybe they will be renovating the place. To my surprise, as I was getting ready to make reservations for this coming Saturday's brunch before the opera, I got the same message that their number has been disconnected with no further info. Their website obliterated too!

Cafe Mozart was one of the finest reasonably-priced European style restaurants in the city with the closest proximity to the Lincoln Center . It seems like a place out of old New York or Vienna charming with its antique decor and furniture. The display case filled with pastries and cakes of all sorts was deliciously inviting.

Coffee and dessert was what I originally knew it was famous for. That was when our friend Mila introduced us to this place one evening for a taste of its scrumptious plate of melted Camembert and fruits. I also heard they served the best chicken schnitzel in town. Of late we've gone there for their brunch my favorite of which was the eggs Benedict. Some days we also enjoy the music from a piano player playing either jazz or some classical arrangements.

The food spectacular and the place with its relaxed atmosphere was the closest thing to a Viennese cafe. What a shame that it closed down. You'll be surprised, there are only a few good places to eat around the Lincoln Center area and this was one of the best.

I'm truly saddened by this. My friend Jerry from California will be very disappointed too. Does anyone know what happened and when they closed? And if Cafe Mozart will reopen?

The Lunar Year of the Ox

"The ox carried the rat, who pushed the cat, who nearly drowned and lost the race in the legend behind the Chinese Zodiac, an ancient system steeped in lore that puzzles and enthralls".

Ringing in the Year of the Ox. The Chinese sure know how to throw a party, a big one at that. Today is the second day of the 15-day Chinese New Year festival.

Our President was born on the Year of the Ox. Leadership qualities, dependability, strength and responsibilty are among the traits mentioned in his sign. He is a metal Ox that symbolizes prosperity through hard work. That's a good thing considering what he's got on his plate.

On the second day of the celebration, the Chinese pray to their ancestors as well as to all the gods. They are extra kind to dogs and feed them well as it is believed that the second day is the birthday of all dogs. In China the animal of your birth year defines and influences you for the rest of your life, in my case it's the dog! Chinese New Year zodiac Dog will never let you down. Shut up about it already, but it's true, I promise!

According to my horoscope, "people born in this Chinese zodiac sign possess the best traits of human nature. (Yeah right!) They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets. They care little for wealth; yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. Chinese zodiac sign Dog people make good leaders. They would make an excellent businessman, activist, teacher, or secret agent".

Doggone! Where was I when all the good traits fell from the canine heaven? I sure did not get my better share of them, except maybe the money part , meaning I don't care much for wealth. And the teacher part, not that I was ever good at being one! I enjoyed that four-year stint teaching. Blabbermouth, that I'm not and my friends can attest to that.

How and why the 12 animals fall in their order in the ancient Chinese calendar system sounds fascinating. There are several colorful stories about the origin. Here's some of them:

"One story has Buddha inviting all the animals in the kingdom to a meeting. In another, it's the Jade Emperor holding a great banquet. Some animals outwit others to get there first, with their places in the zodiac assigned according to when they arrived.

A third legend is more like "The Amazing Race," in a competition that includes a river crossing followed by a gathering at the emperor's palace. The kindly ox agrees to carry the scheming rat and the cat across the water on his back, but the rat betrays his friend the cat by pushing him into a swift current and hops off the ox to claim the top spot".

Always, the cat and the rat were once best friends but wind up mortal enemies.

Anyone cares for ox tail soup? Not my Chinese friends Philip who's an ABC ( American-born Chinese) and Rose who's a mutt! Food is great but she even stays away from Chinatown during these days! Sorry Rose if I'm picking on you, as usual.


Happy New Year! What's your sign?