Long Distance Ritual: Chicken Paprika

Perhaps many of you know how much I miss my girlfriend given my previous posts, so I will not belabor the point and dwell on the glaring distance that has been restored between us. Instead, I have chosen to push forward with this long distance relationship and continue with the long distance rituals (see http://acidjazzboy.blogspot.com/2008/01/long-distance-rituals.html and http://acidjazzboy.blogspot.com/2008/03/long-distance-ritual-salmon-asparagus.html) that have constituted the mutual affection conveyed between me and her through these digital channels.

Sitting down for hours and zoned out in front of a computer is a typical day for those working in an office, and that basic characteristic could not have been more evident today. Add jet lag to the mix, and you have a recipe (no pun intended) for silent chaos and restlessness. It was at the point of realizing this uncomfortable state of being that I wanted to cook something delicious for dinner without having to labor extra hard with complex cooking tricks, tedious cutting and the use of half my kitchen tools.

Thanks to a memory of an old friend who cooked me a similar dish in the past, I decided to prepare something simple and tasty: Baked Chicken Paprika. It turned out delicious...perhaps one of the tastier things I have ever prepared.

Rub some rock salt on 2 1/2-3 lbs. of chicken pieces, and place on a baking pan thinly coated with olive oil. I would recommend dark meat pieces (legs, thighs) to allow for sinful drippings. Season the chicken with paprika, and sprinkle a bit of cracked peppercorn (optional) for a bit more kick. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and then cook for 55-60 minutes depending on the amount of chicken.

For long weekdays, this is a perfect bachelor's dinner to prepare.

A Review of Cathay Pacific

For the first time in years, I flew Cathay Pacific to travel home and received little pleasant surprises in the quality of several aspects of this air traveling experience. At first, I was skeptical about the prospects of enjoying my flight given it's ridiculously long duration (I traveled for 29 hours plus stopovers, including refuelling - and de-icing of the wings - in Alaska, after traveling to Toronto, and before Hong Kong and eventually changing planes to Manila). Moreover, I left for the airport after a full day at the office, so the fatigue was kicking in. I was hesitant in applying to the Marco Polo Club, the first airline membership for which I had to pay a sizeable fee. In the end, the entire check-in to arrival process finessed an otherwise exhausting journey to be with my girlfriend.

Cathay Pacific did a fantastic job of making the experience simple, and simple travel is most desirable for a long trip. For example, the Marco Polo Club membership allowed me to basically bypass long lines at the check-in counter and the gate, expediting the check-in and boarding process at a speed I had never imagined. Upon entry, the flight attendants were more jovial than other airline attendants, and were quite helpful. Throughout the flight, the flight attendants had no qualms about offering drinks or snacks to the people who could not wait for the main meals in order to satisfy their needs. In my previous experiences with other airlines, flight attendants looked disgruntled when asked to serve drinks at times other than meal time. I also believe that the quality of the food was a hundred times better than other airlines, a point which is extremely important for long flights.

In terms of entertainment, the new economy class seats provided me with numerous options for television, gaming, movies, music and just watching the navigation of the plane. TV was on demand, and included a few episodes of CSI, Heroes, The Wire, Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, and the Flight of the Conchords to name a few. I spent most of my time catching up with movies I had missed over the past few months, including National Treasure: Book of Secrets, The Golden Compass, and Beowulf. The music selection was limited, but diverse, and functioned like your normal music player with a shuffle-type of setting among other options. There were probably 40-plus video games, from arcade-type space invaders to simple hangman, and 3D shooters to Who Wants to be a Millionaire. On my way to back to New York, this served to distract me from a somewhat painful goodbye hours earlier, and it did its job.

One of the more trippy functions on the plane is the digital navigational map, which shows the route of the plane from a three-dimensional angle. I enjoyed it because it made the trip feel shorter. For those who are acrophobic, avoid the channel that shows a feed of a camera lodged at the base of the airplane. You can see the sky and the bottom of the airplane in real time; the view of the base of the plane and the faint moon shining against it is quite a visual at night.

Perhaps my only complaint about the economy class seats is that they are not wide enough for me. Having said that, the distance between my seat and the seat in front of me is slightly more spacious than other airlines, so legroom is not too much of a problem.

Overall, I would recommend Cathay Pacific for long travel. The service and the people factor are a huge bonus, in addition to the already high quality economy travel.

Now, if I only had funds for a business class seat (bed)...or first class.

The End of Winter

With the flash of a thought, the cool, wet winter that started after arriving from my eventful and historic trip to Tokyo is now over. In the same period of time, a long-lasting friendship has transformed into a serious, romantic and loving relationship. Yet in reflecting on where and who I was in November 2007 compared to the present, the pivotal winter felt like an eternity of growth and self-discovery.

Driving around New York, I see the colors coming back to life, as spring is showing itself slowly but surely. I am waking up every morning with the hope that what I have found over 5 months ago will transform into several new colorsand shades as well, and that one day, at the soonest time possible, views of the seasons from my bedroom window will be shared with the one person I miss the most.

Jet-Lagged Emotions

I underestimated how difficult it would be to part ways with my girlfriend once again. The all too familiar drama scene at the airport reminded me of the challenging nature of long distance relationships, and reinforced the parameters that I have discerned would keep this particular relationship strong and steady.

Part of my absence from this blog was due to the media/communication hiatus in which my girlfriend and I agreed to partake as we decided to spend some quiet, quality time together during my one week trip home. I did, however, have several opportunities to post something new, but I simply could not clear the clutter in my head that has prevented from me writing anything sound.

Here I am now, jet-lagged like crazy, and the only thing I can say is...I miss my girlfriend immensely. The irony of this extraordinary relationship is the fact that it is surrounded by the most unnatural of circumstances, where services of the internet and telecommunications are relied upon to replace simple touches, affection, nearness, loving stares and sweet nothings...where coming home to an empty apartment is routine for the both of us...where opinions of movies, books, shows, stories are exchanged through the passage of a microphone and speakers, instant messaging windows, daily emails, and blogs, and not face to face, or in a car driving home from work.

I could spend a lot of time dwelling on how difficult the distance has been, and is now that I am re-realizing a life away from her, only a couple of days after sharing food, love and laughter in person, but perhaps I shouldn't. Perhaps I should start thinking about the next steps. Perhaps it is time to bring our relationship one step closer to being physically together on a permanent basis.

Blog Under Spiritual and Visual Renovation

In tune with this ontological change I've been experiencing over my years here in the United States, and in commemoration of its 101st post, I decided to give this blog a makeover and give it some serious traction in terms of viewership. Putter around the page and observe the first round of improvements. I invite you to subscribe when you can.

My 100th Post

About two years later, I have found myself in an entirely different place and living a life that is a far cry from the lost and somewhat slower life that once served as the premise on which this blog was created. To commemorate the life of Confessions of a Sensitive Man, I will list down some random, important and not-so important insights that have, and are continuing to contribute to the shaping of my life:

1. Many people have found this blog and reached out to me because they were part of broken engagements. On that note, I only wish for those readers that which has hopefully been evident from the evolution of this blog: we grow, live, forgive ourselves and others, and become happy.

2. Accordingly, I want this blog to completely shed its identity of being the bulletin board of a once broken man. I am tempted to erase old posts just because I knew I was a different person back then, but then my journey and story would not be so apparent if I did some erasing.

3. I am going home soon, and am damn happy about it.

4. I finally get to see my girlfriend after 4 months of creative relations and communications. Realization: I do not recommend long-distance relationships, unless you believe you've found the one, are creative and disciplined in keeping in touch, and have made some plans to be together in the near future.

5. I listen to classical music on my to work and back home. The opportunity for road rage or even negative thoughts has diminished significantly and miraculously.

6. Not all was lost during the writer's strike. I started getting into "The Office"(http://www.nbc.com/The_Office/) and has been a constant source of crazy entertainment.

7. Today, on my way to the office, I was waiting at an intersection with a school bus in front of me. I noticed a bunch of wacky kids waving at me. I waved back, and one of the girls raised her fist in the air as if she was just chosen from the audience to compete on The Price is Right. The rest of the kids kept on waving and started making weird gestures. After a few bouts of misinterpretation, I realized what it was they wanted from me. So I started honking my horn to a corny playful beat. The kids went into a frenzy and started giving me "thumbs up" signs. I'm glad I contributed to somebody's happiness today.

8. I have a new project in the works, and it involves music. Could this be it?

9. The recurrence of nerve problems down my leg has prompted me to go back to my doctor and a physical therapist. In order for me to avoid surgery, I need to strengthen my back and abdominal area. Perhaps this is the kick in the ass from God that has gotten me to become more disciplined in taking care of my body and shaping up. Perhaps, it is a true blessing in disguise.

10. I bought new hot chocolate flavored Pop-Tarts. Delicious. Get some now.

Mariska Hargitay and Robin Williams Sighting

As soon as I figure out how to transfer photos from my now obsolete mobile phone onto this computer, I will post blurry pics of Robin Williams and Mariska Hargatay shooting several takes for an upcoming Law & Order SVU episode in Grand Central Terminal on a late Friday evening. It's bizarre seeing Robin Williams a good 15 feet away from where I was standing. It almost felt like a cartoon had come to life.

It was a logistical headache for the film staff shooting the country's number one drama in a public commuter area. The handful of floor staff could barely keep the public from inching closer with their cameras and phone cameras aimed at the tandem, like a bunch of neophyte paparazzi trying to get what ever they can. When the staff would push the crowd to one side, the public found another angle from which they could position their curious observations.

To make matters even more interesting, it was quite difficult for the staff to distinguish bystanders from the "bystander" actors directed to walk past the stars during the take. Of course, if you took a look around, those with a bit more make-up, or those who were frozen at the whim of the director were demonstrably the actors called to fill up the crowd scene. Being my randomly insane self, I decided to "freeze" with the acting crowd, hoping that the camera would catch even a glimpse of the serious-looking asian lawyer on screen. I don't watch the show at all, but now I have given myself a reason to check out the episode with Robin Williams guest starring. Vain? Perhaps.

Suffice it to say, I am starstruck yet again and oddly enough, for the third time this year, the starstruck event was related to Law & Order SVU.

Long Distance Ritual: Salmon Asparagus Pasta

Admittedly, it has been awhile since my girlfriend and I exchanged recipes pursuant to our little "long distance ritual," as described in full detail in a prior post. To add a bit of humiliation, she's been giving me more recipes than vice versa...in fact, I don't think I have given her anything to cook thus far. Well, today, after saying good night to her (time-zone consequences), I went through a not-so-normal bout of missing her and started to feel the significant distance at an odd time of the day. Luckily for me, I finished up work early and took the opportunity to swing by the supermarket to gather some fish and ingredients, and attempt to concoct something delicious for dinner. After all, it's about time that I live up to my end of the promise/ritual and give her something to try out in the cucina.

The result?

Salmon Asparagus Pasta. It's a cream-based sauce, but because of the portions, it came out lighter than expected.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of Asparagus, cut into about 1-inch pieces

Half a box of Angel Hair pasta

1.5 Tbsp Butter

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Lemon Pepper

2/3- 1 lb. Salmon fillet

2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced

Parsley

Rock/Kosher Salt

Cracked Black Pepper

Recipe:

Place salmon fillet on baking sheet (I used an olive oil cooking spray over the sheet). Season your salmon fillet with the salt and black pepper, and then add the parsley and minced garlic over the fillet. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Bake for around 12 minutes or until salmon is flakey.

Boil a pot for your pasta, but before you place the pasta inside the pot, put in the asparagus pieces for around 2 minutes to soften the asparagus a bit, but not too long so that it remains firm. Take out the asparagus, and then cook angel hair pasta with boiling pot.

On a skillet, melt the butter, and then add asparagus pieces. Toss to coat. Add the cream and the lemon pepper. Heat until cream begins to thicken. Add pasta, salmon, Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper, then toss. Voila!

An Ice Cream Phase 2008

It was probably over 5 years ago when I made one of the biggest steps towards a healthier lifestyle. That was the year that I decided to take softdrinks out of my diet entirely (although if absolutely necessary, I will take an orange soda or a small coke once in awhile for lack of having an alternative available). I stepped it up and started drinking more water and juice, and then became less groggy, full and bloated for the years to follow. The second biggest step was cutting down my ice cream intake. I believe at one point, I lasted more than a year without touching ice cream once. Once in a blue moon, I will return to an ice cream phase, which simply translates to finishing up one container and not buying ice cream for another year or so.

My ice cream phase has returned, and this phase's winning indulgence for the first quarter of 2008 goes to ... Edy's Vanilla Sandwich flavor.

During my childhood, I always used to buy grocery brand vanilla sandwiches (not klondikes, or ice cream sandwich wannabes), primarily because of the sequence of taste that fills the mouth when biting gently into a soft but firm chocolate "cookie" while the taste of vanilla cream spreads over my taste buds like a refreshing milkshake. Unfortunately for me, I never really learned how to finish an ice cream sandwich without making a mess of myself, whether it be staining fingers with melted chocolate cookie, allowing vanilla ice cream to drip on my lap, or creating a brown and white mustache.

Decades later, Edy's decided to make life easier for me. Peculiarly, it tastes nothing like your typical cookies n' cream flavor.

So, if you like ice cream and haven't been to the frozen section of the grocery in a long time, take a trip and see what kind of creative new flavors are available.

And the World Grows Old with You...

Have you ever been disoriented by the sight of college kids crawling and rolling down the street in drunken stupor, not because the laughable image is somewhat annoying, but because there was a time in your life when people looking that young were still high schoolers? Do you remember that one day you had a conversation with friends and realized that many of your former schoolmates and other friends are getting married or having children? How about the shocking news that some acquaintances have passed on due to medical complications that are not typical in persons in their mid-20's to early-30's? How did you react when you heard updates of friends becoming regional managers at a big consumer company, or have the title "VP" attached to their name?

The 30-year mark of my existence in this world beckons on the eve of the launch of the Beijing Summer Olympics. The Chinese are very particular about numbers, and have found that the number 8 is an extremely lucky digit to have around, so much so that the Olympic organizers have decided to launch the Olympics on August 8, 2008, at 8 minutes after 8. It isn't the number 8, however, that is swimming in my mind like a guppy dropped in a goblet of merlot. The number 30 is upon me, and surprisingly, I invite it with open arms and heart-pumping anticipation.

This is the year that I become the stories I have witnessed thus far, and take life to an all new level. It is the time for me to shape my career with utmost prudence, and take it down a balanced path of uncertainty, excitement and reasonable calculation. It is the period in which I allow the smallest of mistakes and annoyances to become challenges, and the fatigue of having a year-older body, an opportunity to return to a rejuvenated physical and emotional state of being. This is the year when music, interests, relationships, goals and travel merge into one scheme of life. This is definitely the year that calls me to be as mature as an adult as I need to be, and removal of all the "unnecessaries" and complications becomes a priority. This is also a year when I must take up one notch my responsibility to myself and those most important to me.

Appropriately, it is the Olympics that houses the slogan, "Faster - Higher - Stronger," and as the world grows older, such a simple yet powerful thematic motivation could not have come at a better time...and to mark my 30 years, an even more precise celebration, down to the day and down to the minute. 8:08.

Compatibility Measured Through Candy

Yes. Another cheesy post is at hand, so I'll keep this one short.

My girlfriend and I were chatting online about candy, and suddenly launched into a conversation about skittles. I told her that I would never eat skittles again in a movie theater because the lighting was too dim to distinguish one flavored skittle over the other, and that I only liked the green (lime), yellow (lemon) and orange (orange ... duh) flavors. Sometimes when we chat online, we end up sending messages to each other simultaneously (that's just the nature of the communication). It just so happens that as I had sent her my message of skittles preferences, she had sent me a message at the same time stating that the only skittles flavors she eats are the purple (grape) and the red ones (cherry).

I could end this post with a cheesy, "We are indeed a match made in candy heaven," but instead I will just say that the money I invest in buying skittles from now on will not be put to total waste ever again.

Celebrity Sighting...Again

In true New York form, I found myself bumping into yet another star on the streets today (see previous posts on Kevin James, Mariska Hargitay, The Brand New Heavies etc.). Rihanna, known for her hit "Umbrella" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdPScXhaztg), was in her SUV surrounded by bodyguards and policemen, as a big crowd congregated in a semi-circle, as if gravitating slowly and collectively like an organism of some sort to the passenger seat where Rihanna was situated. I decided to join the amoeba of people and take a look. Starstruck yet again.

Speaking of Rihanna, Mandy Moore (one of my guilty pleasures now - and I will explain later so keep on reading) did a cover of "Umbrella". I must say, it was actually pretty cool. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMB6YOWzQMY

As for Mandy Moore, her music has gained my respect ever since she came out with remakes of old rock pop song classics, "Can we still be friends?" by Todd Rundgren (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olc1PTyeCzM), and "Breaking Us in Two" by Joe Jackson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C-xazgqpPc). If you get a chance, listen to Mandy's versions (I know...I'm making it sound like she and I are close) and compare. The production quality is excellent, and Mandy's voice puts a good spin to these once soft tunes.

Long Distance Rituals

I never thought that it would be such a challenge to maintain an intense long-distance relationship. My girlfriend and I have had an online friendship for the past few years, grounded by high school memories, and continued intermittently through a 15-year period of platonic banter...yet even if we had built a solid foundation of uber comfort, the stakes have been raised, and now we're in a serious commitment. Instant messaging isn't the same as it used to be.

We wondered what it would take to "be in a commitment" though physically separated. At the end of our brainstorming, we decided to get creative, and somewhat dedicate our little tasks and accomplishments in our respective cities to each other. Sounds vague, yes...but I believe an example is appropriate to illustrate this airyfairy mantra:

Since we are both foodies, we came up with the idea of giving each other simple recipes to try and cook.

She would give me a recipe, then cook that recipe herself, and then I would attempt to mimic what she did and cook it myself, and then vice versa. Recently, she decided to give me a new recipe of sole fillet with a honey dijon marinade. The challenge was on. For good measure, I decided to steam some garlic broccoli, and prepare a side of tri-colore fusilli pasta with a light parsley-butter sauce and baby bella mushrooms.

Well, I tried cooking it for dinner tonight, and here are the results. The only sole fillets available were very thinly cut, so due to overmarinading, the fillets broke up into little shreds, looking like poor excuses for pale chicken strips. The taste was very tangy and light. I liked it very much, although next time, I'm going to reduce the amount of honey I use for the marinade and perhaps increase the tabasco. Cooking needs its adjustments so that the end result is "just right" after a few attempts, and fittingly, it will be these little rituals and adjustments that will steadily help us to get better at this thing called a long-distance relationship.

Poise and Composure at the Doctor

Today, I went to the doctor for a check-up, but made the mistake of going to the bathroom ahead of the appointment, forgetting that I had to give a urine sample (no, I am not an athlete that has been selected for random testing). The personnel in the clinic needed a sample and suggested that I wait around until my body decides that it is time to go again.

So, in the waiting room, the youngest patient around - me - all dressed up in his little lawyer-suit and tie, decided to speed things up a bit, for work was beckoning. Next to me was a water dispenser and a pile of unused plastic cups. I took one of the cups and realized that it was quite a small container. As I bent down to reach the dispenser handle, I filled the cup with water, and started my "fast-track" mission to expedite the production of this oh so important urine sample. I took my first drink, and realized that it was like taking only a double-shot in quantity. So, I bent over again, to fill the cup once more. While the refreshing feeling of drinking the water affirmed to me that the enjoyability factor was working, the disappointing lack of "sensation" in my bladder started to tell me that a couple of double-shots were far from sufficient to get the job done.

So I kept on bending down, filling up my cup and drinking, bending down, filling up my cup and drinking. Eventually, there was just complete silence in the waiting room, except the sound of a plastic dispenser being moved, water pouring onto a cup and me gulping in the liquid. The older patients around just stared at me and maintained a smirk as if to say, "Hehehe. The kid has to pee..." I just looked at them and said with my eyes and fake smile, "how you doin' folks? Minding your own business?" The lab technician and receptionist also took notice of my attempt to drain this water dispenser of the supply that someone will surely need after me, but did not say anything presumably because they did not want to humiliate me, or they just didn't care.

There was a chair next to the dispenser, so I tried sitting down to be less inconspicuous with my mission of the hour. Alas, it was too far and cumbersome a reach for me to sit down with my legs crossed and reach over to fill my cup again between 10-second intervals (the time it takes me to finish my cup). So, I stood up every 15 seconds or so refill and then realized that people were staring in amusement. In a defensive reactionary move, I then picked up a Sports Illustrated to read on my lap to make it look like I was not the least bit embarassed about the situation, but realized that was stupid too, as I had to put the magazine down every 15 seconds to stand up, making me look even more idiotic as I fetched more water from the well. At the end of it all, I decided to go back to my standing-around-the-water-dispenser-and-bending-down-to-refill-my-cup routine like a dude in a bar alone drinking shots quickly and pretending that he had friends or a date showing up to keep him company.

It didn't help that a personnel member went up to me several cups later and handed me a sample cup saying in front of everyone, "sir, please fill this up when you are ready."

It finally took me maybe a gallon of water or 12 double-shots of H2O to get me going. That my friends is my urine story of the day.

The Best Christmas and The Best Present

I'm in such good spirits notwithstanding this relentless cough and pinched nerve in my back that is keeping me from enjoying movement and comfort freely (not to mention the nasal congestion that is preventing me from tasting my food). I think people would guess that I just completed what I would consider to be the best holiday season ever, spending time at home with my family, friends, and of course my new girlfriend/old friend. Well, because the truth of the matter is simple, then there is no need to delve into detail and fully describe the events that constituted the most amazing two Christmas weeks ever.

There is, however, a need to blog about what I consider to be one of the best Christmas presents, if not, the best Christmas present I have ever received. Allow me first of all to briefly distinguish between Christmas presents and gifts before I describe the present I received. My take on gifts is something a bit more macro, intangible and experienced. Presents are tangible, wrapped and given. The best Christmas present I have received thus far was given to me by my girlfriend (big guess there).

She decided to dig deep into our past and construct an awesome reminder of our first few years as friends. Let me describe it. Within a rectangular frame is a picture of me and her on Christmas Eve 1993 - high school days - posing awkwardly as her mother memorialized a holiday image of us. I was much narrower in frame and had braces like any other geeky teen. I was wearing a big t-shirt and baggy jeans...and I had an undercut (give me a break, it was the in-thing back in the day). My arm was somewhat placed behind her, but not around her waist, although the picture makes it look like I have my arm around her. Sneaky. She was also wearing a big t-shirt and baggy jeans, and had her long long high school hair and a headband. There's a smirk on her face presumably shaped in reaction to the teasing that was going on behind the camera at the time. Body language? Her arms were crossed. Go figure.

The frame also included a Christmas card dated December 25, 1992, in which I greeted her Merry Christmas and thanked her for being a wonderful person even if I had just met her at the time (we met because I was supposed to be her senior prom date, but she decided not to take me). Notably, the message in the card was short compared to the novels of writing I would give to friends during my high school days. Accordingly, I wrote the following P.S. - "sorry so short...no time :)" What can I say? Things you do as a kid. But it didn't matter I guess. She admitted to me she had a crush on me back then (I had one on her too) so I got away with it.

To top it all off, my girlfriend, the artist, decided to draw her rendition of the streets of Tokyo around the card and picture, to symbolize how far we have gotten from being high school crushes up to Tokyo in November when things started anew.

That's it for the great Christmas present. How about greatest Christmas gift this year? Well, I think it's pretty obvious at this point.

Not Today

Perhaps one of the negatives about living in New York is the fact that night comes in really early during winter. As I look out the window at 3 pm, I notice that streetlights and some car lights have already started to do its job, and the sky is blanketed by only the thickest of clouds. Indeed, the sun looked like it was setting at noon earlier today (seeing the sun today though, was a rare site).

Having said that, the earlier night of December 20, 2007 is definitely not a negative. Seeing the sun set at 3 pm is an earlier personal reminder that the next time I see the sun, I will be relaxing on a plane going home to start a new chapter in my life.

Happy Holidays. Don't forget to be grateful this holiday season. Cheers.

Au Bon Pain: Bread and Mush

It really was a struggle for me, but at the end of it all, it became quite a fulfilling victory, one which, in the greater scheme of things, is minute compared to other challenges we face every day...even if it's the same challenge on a different day. In particular, I am talking about choosing the right food to eat, and even more specifically, what I chose to eat yesterday during lunch on a cold winter Manhattan day.

My good friend and officemate and I decided to eat at popular bakery/we-have-everything-nice chain Au Bon Pain. The place was just a madhouse in terms of people traffic during lunch, but it was also a lunch equivalent to Willy Wonka's Chocoloate Factory. Well, maybe not, but it's much healthier than McDonald's but also not a vegan joint. After a long long morning drafting court papers for a couple of cases (and one morning of pure oatmeal, water, vitamins and a banana later), I found myself hungry yet again, and the view upon entry into Au Bon Pain did not help by encouraging indecisiveness and distraction from what I perceived to be a good healthy lunch: several cookies, brownies, croissants, tarts, cakes...big batches of rosemary, onion, garlic and cheddar breads...hot roast beef melt, cheesesteak sandwiches and so on and so forth...and of course, an offensive corner stand of KRISPY KREME donuts. I just wanted a small piece of everything hoping that there was something like an "ABP sampler."

Well, I ended up veering towards the soup and filled a small bowl with what turned out to be a yummy tomato basil soup. I wanted a huge piece of rosemary focaccia but decided against it. Instead, I got a half sandwich of turkey, tomato, lettuce and cheddar on a roll. The most difficult part was staving off dessert I must say. There were just way too many sweets from which to choose, but I used my will power and concentrated and focused, until my hands had voluntary movement again, resulting in the pickup of a banana on my way to the cashier. I ended up loving my lunch, and it felt good.

So, the question is, am I dieting? Perhaps. To a certain extent, yes. I think most importantly, this is just the result of having an uber healthy girlfriend. She isn't a hardcore health freak, which at the end of the day makes me believe that she is healthier than others, because she still retains beef, chicken (and KFC once in a blue moon for god's sake) and other good stuff in her diet, but she's gotten rid of a lot of bad things. I guess I have never really consciously said to myself, "eat healthy damnit." Her influence just sort of rubbed off and I'm just going along for the ride.

On a side note (an important one at that), I believe I've come a long way from the beginnings of this blog and have since transcended from what was then the underlying premise of my writings. Things have a way of coming full circle, and I am starting to find a clearer way through this thing called life. My girlfriend now is a huge part of that, and I would never have guessed that a close friend for 15 years would end up being that one special person.

Cheers to you friends and readers. It's been a long ride, but we have reached the beginning of something new, real and exciting. *End of Mush*

Have a nice day.

Celebrity Sighting Again

In the spirit of this unplanned transition in theme from "Confessions of Sensitive Man" to "Confessions of a Starstruck Man," I had experienced yet another celebrity sighting. Last week, I attended a charity event for victims of domestic violence, and it was pretty fancy to say the least. I was wearing a tux for the first time ever (a partner at my firm pretended to order food with me), and the venue in one of the Chelsea Piers off the West side of Manhattan was absolutely gorgeous.

While I was chowing down free wasabi chips, risotto balls, tuna skewers and other lovely hors d'oeuvres (and numerous glasses of cheap pinot grigio), a tall man and a stunning woman entered the room. I had no idea who the man was, but he was escorted by no one other than Emmy awarding Mariska Hargitay (http://www.mariska.com/), best actress from surviving NBC spinoff, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. I tried to get her autograph on my hors d'oeuvre napkin, but I was too late, because I didn't swallow my food in time and couldn't whip out a pen quickly enough. Plus, the ink of the pen would not have found space on that poor napkin due to an overabundance of food oil smeared all over it.

I also feared she might give me her champagne glass thinking I am collecting empty dishes.

This comes a few weeks after my good friend appears in the opening scene of an SVU episode, as she discovers the body of a dead student under an elevator (see previous post of Friend on SVU).

Good times.

Interesting Aspects of Japanese Culture

I believe it is common knowledge that the Japanese people are relatively deferential, respectful and accomodating in nature. Many are aware of Japanese customs, which reflect this nature, such as bowing and their perpetually friendly greetings. Sure, during my trip to Tokyo a few weeks back, the crazy television shows, funky futuristic aura of the city, and ridiculously fashionable (almost to a fault) people all caught my attention, and dealing with the "Lost in Translation" part of the trip brought about an opportunity to practice my language skills (e.g. sumi ma sen, ohashi o kudasai - excuse me, could I please have chopsticks; shashing tote kudasai - could you please take our picture; hoteru ginza washington wa doko desu ka; where's Hotel Ginza Washington?) was quite the trip... but it really was the occurrence of two smaller, insignificant incidences that really caught my attention for reasons beyond me.

(1) Immigration officers. Was it me, or were they nicest people in all of Japan? Upon entry, my immigration officer must have apologized to me a hundred times for taking forever in processing my passport and thanked me just as many times for visiting Japan. He appeared to be around 24 years old (I'm a bad judge of age at times) and was nervous as hell as I towered over the tiny immigration desk thinking that someone a few meters away would accidentally take my generically black Samsonite off the baggage carousel. Wow. A really nice immigration officer.

(2) ATMs. My first attempt to withdraw from a local bank ended in failure, mostly because I entered an amount of Yen that was not divisible in accordance to the bill denominations of the country. Lo and behold, I could not understand the several Japanese characters appearing on the ATM screen that presumably rejected my withdrawal transaction...however, other than the fact that no money was dispensed by the machine, two cartoon characters appeared on the screen with sad faces...and then bowed...and then remained in a bowing position. I almost wish there was a button to tell the animation to stop bowing and stop apologizing (I mean that with utmost respect even if I know it's their custom -- I thought the cartoon didn't need to apologize).

"It's all good," I said to the lonely ATM screen turned animation reel.

Anita Baker and Rage Against the Machine

Want to hear something odd? I was driving to work this morning, and my Ipod was on its usual "shuffle songs" mode. I felt something was off when I realized that I was peacefully listening to "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker (http://www.noolmusic.com/blogs/YouTube_Music_Videos_80s_90s_-_Anita_Baker_-_Sweet_Love.shtml), only to be followed by some drum-banging on the dashboard to the tune of "Take the Power Back" by Rage Against the Machine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmdkh1iMT_M). Even more bizarre was the fact that I was not fazed by this schizophrenic manifestation of musical randomness.

I always thought there was some algorithm in the determination of the sequence of songs on shuffle mode, which relies on several factors such as the number of times a track is played and which songs are most similar in genre to a previously/subsequently played song. Clearly, the algorithm was out of control this morning.

Yet, despite this incident, I am a true believer in the concept of the music genome project. Our individual different musical tastes converge at a certain point with similar characteristics, rhythm, chord progression etc. So I believe that the R&B movement had a lot to do with the development of hard rap pro-communist tunes you get from bands like Rage Against the Machine. Hard sell? Maybe. For more on the music genome project, check out http://www.pandora.com/.

How diverse is your musical taste?