catching up with friends

... over a drink is nice, but i quite enjoy the simple combination of friends+good food.

such as an early, friday morning breakfast at balthazar with a friend who's just finished her night shift (and deserves much better than a muffin and coffee). i ordered eggs normandy--poached eggs with smoked salmon on toast, covered with hollandaise. much better than it looks, believe me.

and a late saturday afternoon bite at cha-an with karen, who's planning to join me on my india trip. i love cha-an's desserts but their lunches are nice too... perfect when you're a tiny bit hungry and want something that isn't too heavy.

after cha-an, we went to see won kar-wai's latest, my blueberry nights. for those who've seen the movie, all i have to say is this:
i crossed the street a long time ago, but where is jude law?

caffe falai

hazelnut millefoglio and tarte au citron at caffe falai on lafayette street, soho.

falai on weekends can be a bit highly strung, too busy and frenetic for my taste.

but it was a perfect oasis on a monday afternoon, a treat after a few hours of window shopping in nolita with my friend hiroka. the shiny white tiles and chandeliers channel modern italian aesthetics and the feel of tokyo circa 1995. most importantly, the cakes taste as good as they look.

a friday night

a morgan pinot noir -santa lucia highlands twelve clones 2005.

fragrant and ripe, but not too jammy.
a pleasant but substantial wine, not to be taken lightly --basically, the kind of lady i'd like to be some day.
*** stars

(around $30 from the 9th avenue vintner in hell's kitchen.)

julian barnes, and feeling like a rolling stone

i've been re-reading julian barnes lately. 'arthur & george' and 'staring at the sun' have long been favorites but i've really enjoyed a second reading of 'talking it over' and 'love, etc.' they're both wry and humorous, but also somewhat painful, observations of relationships and adulthood. the first time i read the series, i disliked all three main characters. but now i find them likeable. even loveable. it's the insecurities and needs that make us human, right? and that realization on my part, i guess, comes from... age.

here's something else i was touched by recently that made me wonder if i was going through a mid-life crisis of sorts.

(cornelius+koichiro tsujikawa)

oh, and did i tell you i'm going to india?

williamsburg... and in trouble with the po po

after a few trips to astoria park, i decided to take my bike on a slightly more challenging trip, so i rode to williamsburg. the route, through queens plaza, the pulasky bridge and greenpoint, was surprisingly smooth and traffic-free. after a little rest at El-Beit, a new coffee shop serving proper french press coffee, i browsed a few boutiques and book stores, then headed home.

the problem started after i took a few random detours to make my trip a bit more exciting, and got lost. just as i got onto the sidewalk to park my bike and open up my map, i spotted a police officer, so i approached him, only to be told i was violating traffic laws by riding on the sidewalk. i wasn't actually on my bike, i said, but it wasn't any use arguing... so i have a pink slip demanding my appearance in court! i'm planning to plead not guilty. we'll see how that goes.

obviously, my trip back was slightly less fun. but i did get a nice view of the sun setting... this is a view from the pulasky bridge which connects greenpoint with long island city.

why i want to travel

it might be the cold weather, or the crazy hours i've been putting in at the office this past week, but i'm dying to travel. you'd think that in a cosmopolitan city like new york one would feel less of an urge to venture out, but that's not been the case for me. i do have business trips to washington d.c., las vegas, san francisco, and possibly san antonio lined up for the next few months,
but i want to go some place new, somewhere totally different to anywhere i've ever been...

i'm thinking india or iceland. i know that sounds a bit extreme... i have a few friends living in bombay and new delhi, and i'd love to visit them. and i've heard rajasthan is gorgeous. iceland, because of the amazing scenery i've heard so much about (and seen in photographs). i'm intrigued by the mix of volcanoes and ice. but what makes me want to travel so much anyway?

the other day i stumbled upon a blog written by dave greenwood, who was on stephen merchant's radio show last year during his walk from land's end to john o'groats:


"What do you do when you realise that you’re not the person you imagined you would become? We can be so immersed in the daily struggle to maintain and improve our lives that it’s possible to lose sight of who we wanted to be, until we look up one day and realise that years have passed and the chance may be gone. And the comfort and ease that we may have created for ourselves through the years of hard work compels us to accept our fate, rather than risk losing everything by stepping away from it all."

my new partner

my new dahon folding bike from bike stop, a great cycling shop in astoria.

isn't he a beauty?

a week in tokyo

my parents lived overseas for years, and didn't visit home for the first five. my grandparents came to see us several times, but other than that, my family didn't have much contact with japan. the main reason was probably cost, but they also had a strong sense of immersing themselves wherever they went, embracing life in a new country rather than dwelling on things they're missing.

while i admire that attitude, travel is so much easier these days, and i've discovered that going back to japan helps me stay emotionally healthy. there's something reassuring in knowing that i can see my parents whenever i want, and that a perfect bowl of soba is just a flight away, albeit a very long one.

that and 6 weeks of a graveyard shift are my excuses for going home to tokyo so soon after my september visit.

my parents like to spend weekends out of the city, and they took me to hatsushima, a tiny island off atami.
i wasn't really expecting much, but there were some amazing sights. the beaches were lined with japanese pine trees, and i enjoyed some early cherry blossom viewing. and we were blessed with gorgeous weather, as you can see.

and as usual, it was great to go out with friends. i even got to catch up with a classmate i hadn't seen in nearly 20 years! and how lucky am i that it was the perfect season for oden?
hanpen and other stewed goodies at konakara:

february finds...

1) not a find, exactly, but i'm into stephen merchant's radio show on BBC6.

i've been downloading the shows off beebs' website, listening to them on the way to work and before bed. it's been ages since i listened regularly to a radio show and now i'm really enjoying this medium. for a while i used the online services that tell you, based on what music you already listen to, what other artists you might like. but i got bored after a while. there's something more comforting and even occasionally inspiring in random music selections than a track list prescribed by a computer.

and to be honest, i really, really like stephen merchant. i confess i've always had a weakness for the lanky, dorky type. of course nothing beats the ricky gervais-stephen merchant-karl pilkington team for laughs, but the "smerch" is pretty funny on his own, too. and he has great taste in music.

2) ola podrida
i saw them live at union hall in park slope, brooklyn, last night. i think they've got some beautiful guitar sounds... their songs might lack a bit in variety, but i enjoyed the whole show. click on the arrow in the lower left corner to play the slightly creepy music video.


Ola Podrida - Eastbound (HD version) from David Lowery on Vimeo.

blonde redhead, and infused vodka

i went to see the blonde redhead show the other night. my friend sinead, who had seen them in concert about 3 times already, told me they're great live performers, and she was right. the vocalist and guitarist have an amazingly erotic chemistry. at the show, i bumped into a friend of a friend who had also seen them live before, and i was jealous. why hadn't i found them sooner?



afterwards, a bunch of us went to the russian vodka room. i ordered some pomegranate-infused vodka, and had a sip of someone else's horseradish vodka as well. the pomegranate flavor was subtle and smooth, and i really liked it. the horseradish... well, it's the sort of drink i might enjoy on The Long Walk?

obika is coming!

my discovery of the day, from another early-morning wander:
the italian mozzarella bar obika is finally opening in manhattan! it's not my favorite place in italy but i hope this will popularize the real stuff.
here's a picture of a platter some friends and i ordered at its milan outpost. if i can't return to italy this summer, at least i'll have some nice mozzarella di bufala and burrata. now if only someone could persuade anacleto bleve to open a bar in new york.

the night shift

i'm on an overnight shift this month, working alone in the office from 11 pm to 6 am. the schedule is depriving me of sunshine, sleep, and socializing, but after 3 weeks i'm getting used to it.

i've even begun taking advantage of the hours to go on long, leisurely breakfasts. balthazar's at around 7:30 am is an entirely different scene to the chaos at dinner time. and for the past week, i've been walking from my office in times square all the way to chinatown for exercise, and congee at century cafe.

speaking of congee, i've been reading "the year of magical thinking" by joan didion. i finally picked it up after my colleague robert promised it wouldn't be too much of a downer. didion writes that after her husband john died, she didn't feel like eating anything except for the congee that her friend brought around. the book was heartbreaking, without being melodramatic. a great writer.

dessert

astoria's a convenient place to live if you're commuting to midtown manhattan. and the mixed immigrant popuation makes eating and shopping a bit more fun. i love the middle eastern, greek and italian delis --where else can you get fresh taramosalata, warm pistachio baklava, pure olive soap and handmade fettucine within the same few blocks?

but i'm particularly grateful for "family market", the japanese convenience store near broadway station. it sells all the basics plus the latest issues of "casa brutus" and "soen" magazines. i try to buy natto --stinky gooey fermented soybeans-- whenever i go, although i'm not such a big fan, because i know it's the healthiest thing. and i can never resist the desserts. particularly sakuramochi. i love the combination of the sweet red bean filling and the salted cherry leaf. which reminds me, i once saw someone remove the leaf from the mochi, saying it tasted better without. i nearly reconsidered our friendship.

happy new year

forget resolutions, let's eat and be happy

mud sweat and tears

here's what i've been up to these past few months:

i learned pottery in college, and had always wanted to go back to it. i really love the texture of clay, the feeling you get when you're perfectly "centered" on the wheel, and of course the moment your pieces come out of the kiln.

several months ago, i found a studio near my office named "mud sweat and tears". it's the cleanest studio i've ever worked in, and everyone's friendly. a real convivial place -- such a contrast to the somewhat hierarchical culture that i've experienced among japanese potters. now it's where i spend most of my weekends. in some ways it's great meditation. it takes my mind off work, and i concentrate so much that i sometimes forget to eat, which you know -if you know me- never happens! i wouldn't call it relaxing, though. kneading the clay and controlling it on the wheel takes quite a lot of strength, and i always end up with stiff shoulders and muscle cramps all over. and some days i mess up and go home with nothing to show for my hours of work, which is extremely frustrating. so "mud sweat and tears" isn't just a cute name, it's a perfect one.

in tokyo, watching tv and youtube

i'm at the end of a 2-week break in tokyo.
my previous visit was about 4 days, which gave me little time to do anything. this time, i was able to meet a lot of friends, some even twice. i also made it out of town, a 2-day trip with my parents to a hot spring resort in nagano.

i also spent some mornings just lazing on the sofa watching japanese tv. for some reason i found it kind of reassuring that the usual, veteran comedians were still on. like tamori-san. i am a big fan of his soramimi hour...

meeting up with friends from school made me think about my old life in tokyo. then i found this on youtube:

oh, i am feeling all nostalgic for the red train and that boy who made me listen to sappy j-pop.

(fa so la ti do... that sound is made by siemens)

jose gonzalez and feist

i know i dissed new york the other day... but i've been reminded in the past few weeks of how great it can be. the cooler weather is definitely helping. and there have been some good concerts this month that made me appreciate being here. it's easy to take it all for granted, but there are always interesting shows on.

jose gonzalez at spiegeltent was simply amazing. my favorite was his version of kylie minogue's hand on your heart... i melt a little every time i hear that one. i thought his concert might be more of a sit-down affair, but the spiegeltent was a good match for his melancholy tone.

and feist (with broken social scene) at the mccarren pool in green point was lots of fun. what a great venue, and a strong live performer!
(photo by ryan dombal)

oh, and speaking of green point, the rumor is that the hakata ramen chain ichiran is opening a shop in williamsburg in a month or so. i'm hoping it's true! i wonder if they'll still have those silly curtains to block everyone's view from each other. i can't really see new yorkers being too timid to order an extra helping of noodles. there was a sceptical preview in new york magazine, but they don't really know anything. mmmm... i can't wait for some of that spicy tonkotsu goodness...

i (heart) SF

i fall in love with cities very easily. so i have many favorites: rome, istanbul, bangkok, tokyo, and of course new york... but at the moment, my heart belongs to san francisco.

i travelled to the bay area this week for work, and gave myself the weekend to be a tourist. what can i say? it's beautiful! and after weeks of sticky heat in new york, the northern california weather was such a treat. i did get some typical san francisco fog for a few hours every morning while i was there, but by noon the air was crisp and the sky a bright blue.

and here is the ferry building where they have a farmer's market every weekend.











i wandered around on saturday morning for a few hours, sampling great cheese and wine before sitting down for a nice lunch at the slanted door, which my colleague eric recommended. i've always held a deep suspicion of asian "fusion" cuisine, i think for good reason, but the food here was quite good. the wine list was pretty impressive too. the tourist in me would have preferred to see more californian wines represented, but it was a good show of the buyer's smart and quirky taste. and it was nice to have a view of the bay, even with a heavy mist hovering over it.

after lunch, i walked back to my hotel on nob hill, my arms loaded with "cal red" peaches, grapes, bread and cheese. when i climbed to the corner of california and geary and turned around, i discovered the fog had lifted. the entire bay had suddenly come to life, as if by magic, sparkling with little waves and white sailboats.

so, can someone please remind me what's so great about new york?

tanglewood

lying on a blanket under the stars, listening to a great orchestra... could anything sound more enchanting? when my friend sayaka suggested a weekend trip to tanglewood, the boston symphony orchestra's summer venue, i replied yes in a heartbeat.

we brought straw mats and candles along with some wine, cold cuts and local cheese from guido's in great barrington. i thought we were pretty organized, but i was impressed by how well prepared some other lawn-ticket holders were, setting up proper tables and bringing real cutlery!

but when the orchestra began playing, it was all about the music and the night's main performer: yo-yo ma. i had never listened to dvorak's cello concerto live, and was blown away. such a vivid piece that brings out the best in a good orchestra and a brilliant cellist.

the orchestra also played from the new world... the funny thing is that in japan, local governments used to play part of this piece over public speakers at around 6 p.m., with an announcement telling children to go home because it's getting dark. so it reminds me of early evenings in tokyo, with the sky turning a hazy orange and the smell of dinner wafting from the windows. but after tanglewood, i might forever associate it with the sight of a billion stars and the smell of freshly-cut grass.

bianca

is a cute italian restaurant on bleecker street near lafayette. i'm in love with their gramigna with peppers and sausages.

and during the summer they serve prosciutto with ripe, juicy melons... what could go better with a glass of chilled pinot grigio?

the only problem with bianca --as with many restaurants-- is that it gets a bit noisy, so you find yourself shouting at your dinner partner. and by making yourself heard across the table, you often end up being heard very clearly by your neighbors as well. which can be a bit embarassing if, for example, you're discussing with a girlfriend details of your last disastrous date!