New York City Redux

The joy of the second visit: you gawk less and experience more.

Meann, Cathy and I had all been to New York City once before and seen most of the tourist traps. Thus, we started the trip with a shortlist of sights/events we wanted to cover. I had two items: watch Rent before it closed on Broadway, and visit Ellis Island (inspired by Hitch). Meanwhile, Cathy wanted to catch the Sex in the City tour and visit the Top of the Rock. Meann wanted to catch Wicked but otherwise was just along for the ride.

Cathy and I arrived earlier, and spent Saturday braving the holiday crowds on the ferry to see Ellis Island. We passed by Liberty Island on the way over and caught the Statue of Liberty up close—a stirring sight. We had lunch at Grand Central and walked down Times Square to the Rockefeller Center. We took the trip to the top of the Rockefeller (Top of the Rock) which has, in my opinion, a better view than the Empire State Building. We were ready to call it a day but got waylaid by subway delays and so decided to stop by Chinatown for a cheap, if boring, dinner (when will we ever learn: Zagat-rated means nothing in the context of Chinese restaurants).

Meann flew in Saturday night and joined us Sunday when we explored the street market in Times Square. Paintings, electronics, garments, and food galore. We got our fill of food (and shopping, in Meann’s case) before we decided to go to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). OK, I am not a museum fan but I had to tick this off my list. And I figured: if I had to go to a museum, I figure I’d go to one that had paintings of Campbell soup (that famous Andy Warhol painting), than paintings of people cavorting by the sea. Spent ~ 2 hours touring the exhibits before we decided to meet back up with Meann—who had decided to go to Mass instead—on 5^th Avenue. The high tax rate discouraged any attempt at shopping and for that, I was glad. I wanted to find this Korean restaurant I read about but was overruled by my hungry and tired companion. Instead, we walked four blocks to Grand Central for a late lunch.

Lunch was uneventful—if you can call getting separated and getting reunited after 2 and a half hours that. It was my fault really: I figured I’d claim our Rent tickets and save us time later that night. I thought 42^nd street was just two blocks away from 44^th street, not accounting for the West side/East side split. Long story short, our small group reunited at Central Park at 4pm. We decided to spend what was left of the afternoon recharging at the Serendipity Café (featured in the movie of the same title). It was not meant to be, as, apparently, you needed reservations to have any chance of eating at that snooty restaurant. We decided to hie off to the theater instead.

Rent did not disappoint. As a bonus, Tamyra Gray (the American Idol Season I stand-out) was playing Mimi. Not really a fan but heard enough of her to know she was good. She led a cast that was good overall, but not altogether outstanding. Having seen Rent on Broadway, I still think the Manila production (the first one at the Music Museum) was better. – “No day but today” was still playing in our heads when we got to our hotel.

We were flying out on Monday afternoon so we had planned for a lazy day walking around the city. Au, who we knew from Manila before she moved to the US for her masters and work, graciously agreed to meet up for lunch at a Filipino restaurant called Krystal Cafe. Filipino buffet pig-out! I had my fill of dinuguan, pancit bam-i, menudo, paksiw na bangus, lechon kawali, fried chicken, and cake at a bargain price of $8 including taxes. (To note: this part of town (Woodside) had a BPI, PNB, NEPA-Q, and several other Filipino restaurants, all under the raised platform of the track 7 subway. Au described it best when she said it was like being under an LRT station in Manila.

Recharged after lunch, we decided to take the subway to Manhattan and spend the rest of the time in NYC getting toured by a local. Au suggested Magnolia Bakery (featured in Sex and the City) and that became the destination. We ended up walking at least ten blocks to get there but no one complained (too much). We cut through SoHo and midtown--- with its designer and eccentric shops, before we got to the bakery. A life snaked out the door and around the corner but I wasn’t about to let that discourage me. We found a spot in a park around the corner from the bakery, and rested our tired feet and sated our craving for sweets.

There wasn’t a lot of time after that so we said our goodbyes to Au, who had been the perfect hostess, and took our last subway ride back to the hotel. We didn’t fully account for the time it took going back and after a great rush, we made it to the airport just in time for our flight.

In all, the trip was satisfying. We got through most of our shortlist albeit not entirely (Cathy got a very SATC-eque picture with sailors, and visited Magnolia Café; and Meann? Well, her feet turned green from all the walking =). – Too bad we weren’t able to meet up with Ben/Clovy and Penpen (who flew to NYC the same weekend). I can’t but look forward to our third trip to NYC.

What can I say: I Heart New York

Civil War Reenactment

Been waiting to catch one of these for a while now. Saw the ad in Citybeat and checked it out. It was cool - the 'battle' wasn't epic in scale but was set in a village cum museum that showcased life during the Civil War era. We even caught Abe Lincoln delivering his Gettysburg address after the battle (no pictures of that- the actor spooked me).

Some pix:

A Fish Out of Water: My Cincinnati Interlude

(This was my 4th Toastmasters speech. Couple of things to improve: make sentences shorter; use common words.)

A Fish Out of Water: My Cincinnati Interlude

As far as idioms go: one of my favorites is this: “A fish out of water”. This expression is often used to denote the discomfort of being thrown into a new and unfamiliar situation. If you’ve ever seen an actual fish taken out of the water, you’d know why this expression is so appropriate. A fish in such a situation plops around violently, eyes bulging, gasping for breath. It is not a pretty sight.

Fellow toastmasters and guests, I have been—and in some cases, still am— like that fish. You see, I have lived in Manila, Philippines most of my life. In May 2005, work brought me to Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Boy, was I in for a shock. For this speech, I wanted to share some of my experiences from the roller coaster ride of these past three years. If any of these stories make you laugh, or make you say a-ha, then I would have achieved my objective.

I will start with one of my hardest adjustments: Being away from family and friends. I come from a culture that values personal relationships. As such, being thousands of miles away from family and friends was disconcerting, and even painful. Sure, with email, telephones, instant messaging, voice over IP, the world has gotten smaller. However, there will be those moments -- birthday celebrations, baptisms, graduations, and even hospitalizations or funerals—that you cannot personally attend.– This distance from loved ones, truly, has been my hardest challenge.

To cope: I aggressively maintain contact with folks back home. I make it a point to phone home once a week. I blog about my daily life and encourage others to do the same. I maintain regular email communications, and SMS with family and friends. I carry three cellphones all the time: a personal US mobile number (this is what TM has on file), a work mobile number, and a personal Philippine mobile number. The Philippine mobile is so that people in Manila can SMS me at a cost of 2 cents, instead of the 40 cents it would cost them to SMS my US mobile. Sure it is a hassle to carry so many phones but every message is precious. Whether it is a forwarded message, a joke, or news of goings-on back home, these messages never fail to make me smile.

The second hardest thing to adjust to was the vastly different lifestyle in the US. Whereas in the US, self-sufficiency and independence are valued traits, I was accustomed to the service culture. Case in point: before coming to the US, I have never pumped gas. Thus, imagine my chagrin when I had to refill my gas tank for the first time. Where does what go? Is the fuel cap screwed on tightly enough? What if I do something that generates a spark and blows up the gas station?

I was similarly ignorant about the most basic tasks around the house. Something as simple as changing a light bulb was cause for consternation. There was also this incident just last winter when the lights suddenly went out. We thought there was a electric blackout—not an uncommon incident back home. My wife and I spent four hours bundled in jackets in the freezing cold waiting for the lights to come back on. When we realized that only our apartment did not have power, we called the apartment manager’s office. They sent a custodian to our apartment and after flipping a couple of switches in the fusebox, we were back in business. Needless to say, I was truly embarrassed.

While on that image: Winter. Back in the Philippines, we have two main seasons: sunny and rainy. Here: I was introduced to the colors of autumn (which I love, by the way), and the bleakness of winter. Ah, winter, glorious and fascinating on one hand, and wretched and frustrating on the other. Driving in snow is a tricky exercise I was hardly prepared for. For that matter, walking in snow was also an interesting proposition. Salting the streets, de-icing the windshield and scraping off snow were also entirely new concepts.

Social norms are also perplexing. You know how in the US you flash your car’s headlights to signify that you are letting the other person go first? In the Philippines, it is the exact opposite. I would flash my lights to indicate I want to go first. Imagine what kind of potentially life-threatening situations that small difference might lead to.

These were just some of the anecdotes I have compiled these last three years. For the record, I want to be clear that all these mishaps aside, I have thoroughly enjoyed these experiences. Being in a new and unusual situation has a way of expanding one’s horizons and forcing one to grow. And I do believe that all these experiences have forced me to mature and expand my world view. For this, I am forever grateful.

And so, having shared all this, I also hope that you will walk away today with an appreciation of some of the hardships a non-local might face. So the next time you see someone looking puzzled at the gas pump, why not offer a hand? You might not be able to help the little “fishie” back to water but at least you might make adjusting to land a little bit easier.

Oooommm

(This was my third speech for Toastmasters.)

Ommmmm

I'd like to start by stating for the record that I was lured into meditation class under false pretenses. I signed up for meditation class enticed by the course description that said 'reduce your stress, find inner peace and balance'. It sounded innocuous enough, and exactly what the doctor ordered. So you could imagine my surprise when, on the first day of classes, the instructor started off by asking the participants to sign disclaimers saying she would not be held responsible should any of us were to commit suicide, get depressed, or divorced. Ummmm, at that point, I think my stress level just shot way up.

Ladies and gentlemen, what I'd like to share with you today are my experiences from having started meditation three weeks ago. My objective is to share my personal experiences with meditation: why I took it up in the first place, how I have been faring the last three weeks, and how I see myself growing-- or not-- in this practice.

Let me start from the beginning: why did I take up meditation? Well, meditation has always been an interest area for me. As a child, I used to watch Chinese martial arts shows where the kung fu masters developed extraordinary powers by using meditation to cultivate the power of their minds. Telekenesis, healing the fatally wounded, and flying through time and space were just some of the supernatural acts that they were able to perform. I remember thinking: How cool would it be to be able to do all that and escape from homework, and chores, and all the sordid worries of life as a ten-year-old. And how hard could it be: just find a cave, sit cross-legged for a few hours (or days, or weeks), and emerge a superhero. I could do that.

Fast-forward twenty years: I never did find a cave in which to develop my innate mental powers. Instead: I am now a full-fledged adult deeply immersed in the travails and stresses of daily life. Thus, when I saw the ad for the meditation class: I figured, it is about time I gave meditation a try. I decided that stress reduction was a good objective to start with, and that I can progress to flying, and bending spoons with time.

And so, on to the first class and the infamous incident with the disclaimers. After explaining some basic tenets, the participants—all 20 of us-- were told to sit in a comfortable position, either on the ground, in a lotus position, or on a chair with feet planted solidly on the floor. We were instructed to close our eyes and focus on our breathing. If thoughts of work, or other worries, were to interrupt, we were supposed to acknowledge them, but gently, nudge them aside. Then, ting, she struck the bell and we began.

And so I closed my eyes and focused on my breath. In and out, in and out. In time, my mind started to wander: Argh, I forgot to do this and that. And then an outtake from a favorite movie. Must. Not. Get. Distracted. Breath in and out, in and out. Live in the moment. Be in the now…. Breath in and out.

Did I lock the car? The sound of sirens in the background. Someone coughing to my right.

Breath in. Breath out. In and out.

Ting.

Ten minutes was up. Was it ten minutes, or an eternity? The instructor answered some questions and told us we will meet next week. Till then we were supposed to try doing at least 10 minutes at home each day.

Driving home, my mind felt more alert and focused. Things seemed to come into sharper focus: greens are greener, blues, bluer. Distant sounds seem closer. It was exhilarating.

But it was not always so. There are times when after 10 mins of meditation, the mind seems to fail to clear. I remember washing my face with shampoo and realizing it only when it started to sting. The sensory deprivation of meditation seemed to give way to a sensory overload which the mind was not always equipped to handle it. The calmness of one moment, might give way to the storms of the next.

And so it has been for the last three weeks. I am sticking it out because I do feel it has reduced my stress levels. I seem to be generally calmer and more focused. I also tend to think it has also helped me sleep better since it helps me clear my head before I turn in at night. For now, I am planning to stick it out at least till this Thursday when the four week course ends. After that, I’ll see: If meditation has taught me one thing, it is to live in the present and not fret about the past, or the future.

Having shared all that: I did want to end with a disclaimer of my own. Everything I have shared were based on my personal experience. Results may differ per individual and you might want to seek out expert guidance before trying it out on your own.

However, should you do decide to try it out and pursue it seriously, do let me know. I might need to someone to split the cost of the cave with.