Stupid is as stupid does

A picture is worth a thousand words – a pretty worn out aphorism and the only thing I could conceive of to convey the message is none other than my own picture - Stupid me!

‘Twas almost 5:30 pm when I went back to my desk to rouse my hibernating notebook only to get the shock of my life! Panic-stricken, hyperventilating, all signs of brain life have disappeared – I went into catatonic shock!

First thought was, this thing was hacked by aliens. My desktop has been hijacked – it looks different. I lost all my pictures and more importantly all my documents. All that was left was a picture of disaster – my own face turned red or blue, jaundiced, whatever.

Next thing I know, I was being asked to define my settings for IE 7 or is it 8, who cares – what the heck happened here? My link to the other world, how can that be stolen from me? Worst thought was I didn’t backup my files last week (and I’m pretty anal about doing this), so restore ain’t gonna cut it, if I want to retrieve my prized-possessions.

Breathe.. easy .. then panic again!
And then…
Prayer seems to have done the trick. Sorry Lord, I meant, miracle. I know you don’t do tricks!

Like a mad lady, okay woman may be more appropriate in this case, I disturbed my buddy Chong who is so entrenched in her work, trying to salvage what was left of a Live-Meeting-gone-dead day. Lucky she doesn’t have to face those team members because she works from home.

She said, Relax. How dare she. You don't understand. Girl, my life is over!
First question pops: Are you logged on as yourself?

What do you think? Of course not - Genius is signed on as Guest!!!

Quantum leap - only in my case it's drawkcab (backward).

*Post-it Note: Maybe now The Johnsons will understand why I can't allow Comments on this blog - I avoid self-inflicted pains! And yes, I have loads of fun writing about my own foolishness. And thanks for your gracious compliment.

Patricia and Richard

It's a cut above the typical humdrum wedding - from the ceremony to the reception. Ginny, my former boss and her husband Ken, went all out for the wedding of their only child Patricia.

The church is Saint Cecilia's in Brooklyn, built in 1871 with a late baroque style and whose copper bell tower could be seen from the nearby BQE. The music was performed by a four-piece string ensemble with the bride's cousin playing the church organ. Opened with Pachelbel's Canon and closed with Handel's Hornpipe in D, it just was perfect for a crisp November afternoon ceremony.

What a perfect pairing – Abigail Kirsch event caterer and Stage 6 at Steiner Studios – the largest and most sophisticated production studio outside of Hollywood. Some of the scenes from Spiderman and episodes from Sex and the City were cut in this studio. Situated along the East River it offers a perfect view of the Manhattan skyline. Stunning… I'm lost for words..

The place is gorgeous; the walls of the stairwell appropriately named "Hollywood Stairs" were plastered with old prints from movie magazines and cinema ads.

Take a few steps from the restroom and you'll get lost into one of the film studios and maybe accidentally discovered by a talent scout!

Abigail Kirsch's food is incredibly out of this world! I have never had wedding party food so good, seriously. I don't think these kids missed any of the details. It was a big bash, Ginny was so happy and Ken teary-eyed!

Following the Slavic wedding custom the bride and groom were given bread, wine and salt, and serenaded with music for dancing.

There was a photobooth where, in addition to the guest book, the guests were encouraged to have their pictures taken in six different poses. It was fun, a strip of three pictures were included in the scrapbook and the remainder given to the guests as memento. Each guest was also asked to sign the scrapbook. That's the trend I was told. What'll they think of next?

Chong and I felt like we gate-crashed a celebrity wedding party! At cocktail hour, the "coin potato pepper caviar" ( that's how it sounded to me) was mind-blowing and the bite-size burgers that looked like doll house play food, were a conversation piece at our table, the crazies Carole and Kevin, Sany, the Dancing Queen and hubby Robert, but we all had fun. There were all sorts of weird- sounding names for the cocktail food, but they were all fantastic. And we all thought that was it, we've had enough appetizers, no room for the main - Wrong! Table 12 dug into each plate as they were served. What a group, 'can't take you anywhere!

Thanks for inviting us Patricia and Richard. It was a lovely wedding. Our wishes for a lifetime of happiness.

Adam and Eve

This is one of a pair of statues sculpted by the Colombian contemporary artist Fernando Botero. Cast in bronze this male figure is named Adam. On the other side of the Time-Warner high-end shopping mall lobby stands Eve. Figures of exaggerated proportions (fat or obese as we would call them) yet anatomically correct presentation, are what Botero is famous for. There is a cat sculpture (Gato) also on display on the corner of 79th and Park Ave.

Because it is displayed in the lobby of a mall and not in a museum where it can be safely protected from being touched, the middle part of Adam's bronze statue is shiny and discolored due to constant handling. Why can't people leave decent art work alone?

Nudity in public but without the controversy, that's free art expression. Building lobbies and malls have become one of the playgrounds for artists and we thank them for this generous public art display.

Adam seems to be a big hit with shoppers, while Eve is left untouched. Thank goodness.

The camera doesn't lie

Point and shoot - that just about sums up my ability or lack thereof when it comes to photography. But this guy, he sets the bar high. Standing on a ladder, tripod in place, sharply focused and patiently waiting for the right moment to shoot, he typifies the avid hobbyist or pro in the field. They're frequently spotted in the city parks and tourist spots.

He let out a timid smile when I asked to take his picture. His camera was focused I think on the newly opened MAD (Museum of Arts and Design) on Columbus Circle. Known for its futuristic architecture and ceramic outside structure, the building stands tall in one section of the busy roundabout where the New York Coliseum used to be. Thanks to the efforts of Mayor Bloomberg the Circle was rehabbed and transformed into one of the best tourist spots in the City. It's a stone's throw from Central Park and an easy walk to many of the cultural centers on the West side. Easy means a few NYC blocks, so be ready with your walking gear.

I'll have to wait my turn on a Thursday evening to visit the museum. In the meantime, here is my amateur rendition of the MAD facade. It doesn't do justice to the structure, but like I said I can only "point and shoot" and have no intentions of selling my work.

The picture tells it all, arts and design, maybe not the kind I'd like to spend my evening viewing but then again I'd like to learn more about it. I surprised myself when Celine introduced me to modern art which I never really had a passion for - she made me appreciate it by making me see what the naked eye can't. After all she's an artist , one of her own paintings I have yet to steal from her living room. Just awesome.

The camera doesn't lie.

It captures the moment, how cool is that?

Yes we can and Yes we did

A truly historic moment. President-elect Barack Obama

A picture of hope not only for America but the rest of the world. Watch world reaction

In his words (2004): "Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope." The Audacity of Hope

In Bill Clinton's words (1996): "Hope is back in America." The Man from Hope

Die nacht ist vergangen .. the night is gone

Little fiddlers on the Circle

Like a habitual early bird, I arrived in the City way too early for our dinner engagement, so I walked around and took lots of snapshots. You see here four young proteges performing before the bustling Columbus Circle evening crowd. The youngest of them looks like she barely got out of kindergarten.

They stole my heart; they made beautiful sounds and some good money too.. the violin case wide open in front of them and the smiling audience tossing dollar bills in appreciation was a sight no one could miss.

We all know or must have heard that NYC streets are lined with starving artists displaying their art pieces or musicians and mimes performing their talents competing with all the noise underground.

These four kids are a budding example of the world of talents not known to many of us. Admirably, they are also led by the hand by their parents or guardians to the concept of entrepreneurship. These are the future risk-takers. So, next time you walk the streets of NY, drop a dollar or two into that hat or bucket, the encouragement you give these kids will be priceless.

Stern Auditorium Carnegie Hall

Taking the risk of having my camera confiscated by the ushers, I blatantly disregarded concert hall rules consequently resulting to this blah image. Serves me right, you'd probably say. Oh yes, I was warned and that made Celine cringe!

On this very stage, about 150 students of the Mannes School of Music which make up part of the 300-member Mannes Orchestra, and another 100 or so members of the Riverside Choral Society performed Mendelssohn's Lobgesang, opus 52 or Hymn of Praise.

It is a celebration of German church music which is reminiscent of the sacred music that is in Handel's Messiah or Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring and his other cantatas. The tenor, and the two sopranos who led the way to the uplifting performance are all masteral students at the Mannes School but in my judgement there was no trace of amateurism in their voices.

Awed by the 10 vocal renditions by the soloists, the choir and the young musicians, we allowed ourselves to be taken away for a few minutes to a world only the heart can describe. We spoke in silence all throughout, agreeing in some sort of way, with an occasional quick side glance at one another - my niece, my friends and our guest Linda, Judy's sister. What an experience money can't buy!

By the way, Linda hit it off right away with this fellow we sat with at the crowded Whole Foods Market dining area where we grabbed something quick before the concert. He was tagging along with his partner on a business trip to the City and just loving it. It surprised me that he feels safer in Manhattan than he does in his home San Francisco. Well Linda, I'd say he's a good catch if you're not happily married. He is in the commodities trading business which sounds so lucrative. Did I hear he plans to buy property in Upstate NY? There you go Linda your home is in Buffalo right? Just kidding.

The 7th movement, The Night is Gone (or The Night is Departing), seems to have gotten stuck in my mind. As written in the text:
Die Nacht ist vergangen, der Tag ist gekommen. The night is gone, day is come.

In good company

Their love for the arts and music ranks right up there with golf and travel. Once again, I'm in the company of very good friends as we get together for a night out in town at the Carnegie Hall for a performance by The Riverside Choral Society with The Mannes Orchestra.

Celine, despite her bad back found time to commute to the city to join us. Even with a recently concluded trip to Turkey, Judy never slows down and will join us. As one would expect, she played golf the day after she arrived. It was just too bad, we postponed our planned trip to Turkey. Thanks to the dreaded possible bottoming of the stock market which gave me the jitters although next year is going to be a different story.

I heard Dorothy was all "ruined out" after all the hiking to the archeological sites and imagine what could've happened if they did some digging. I can't wait to see their pictures especially of the mother of all churches, The Hagia Sophia.

More later....