Coney Island

I went to Coney Island today. Wow, what a fantastic beach resort! The temperature was in the 90s, so tens of thousands of people were on the beach, strolling along the boardwalk, riding roller-coasters, throwing balls at targets to try and Dunk the Creep and generally having a really good time. The air was so clean, the sky perfectly blue. I'll surely miss summer now. The evening's cold sea breeze even made me shiver. I should have brought a coat! Once again, a short train ride brought me back into the protective smog of the city. No more shivering tonite!

Queens

I was trying to decide where in Manhattan to go and waste some time this evening when I realized I had't been off the island since I arrived. So I decided to take the R train to Queens and see how the 'other half' lives. After about 15 minutes I stepped out onto Northern Boulevard, about 2 miles from the city. I quickly realized I was in the middle of nowhere. Cars were speeding by and the only shops I saw were a Staples superstore and Home Depot. Back in Manhattan I could see the Empire State and Chrysler Building both stand brightly lit under what remained of the day's sunlight. Feeling hungry I took a packed bus 20 streets further in to try and find a cosy local diner. I failed and had to settle for Kentucky Fried Chicken. All greased up I made my way home and within no time was back amongst familiar brand names and exotic restaurants.

Politics

I went to see The Manchurian Candidate today. Some people felt the need to shout at the screen with anger during the movie, half-believing this stuff to be true! After seeing how popular Fahrenheit 9/11 was I'm getting used to the fact that people in this country don't have all that much faith in their political leaders right now.

Afterwards, I walked home past Madison Square Garden where trailers line up in the surrounding area in preparation for the Republican convention due to start in a couple of weeks. One disgruntled pedestrian muttered "lousy Republicans, taking up the sidewalk!" while another walked by with a T-shirt with the face of George W Bush on the front and the word Idiot printed underneath. Banners on lampposts read "The Republicans are coming. Be nice." I wonder if they know what they're in for!

Tip

Walked around Union Square after work today. Watched dancers in the street. One guy could walk with on his hands while his body was perfectly horizontal. I've never seen that done before!

Afterwards I met up with a friend to eat sushi. We had to queue for an hour to enter but the food was definitely worth the wait. Two outrageous things happened there: first the Spanish girl opposite me, sitting next to my friend blatently wore no brassiere beneath her revealing shirt, enough to put anyone off their raw fish...! Secondly, as we left the waiter hurried up to us at the door to inform us that we had only given an 8 percent tip and that it was customary to give at least 15. Feeling somewhat surprised we made up the difference. While walking towards the station I asked my friend if he had noticed what I had noticed about the brash lady next to us. He replied "No! You should have mentioned something!"

Lemonade & Cookies

Met David and his family at Aunt Miriam's apartment (including a dog that weighs more than the average adult male!) which gave me an excuse to visit Philadelphia and Connecticut in the near future. In the afternoon David and his two kids (+dog) sold home-made lemonade and cookies on the corner of Broadway and 89th. I watched as people looked on with amazement at the size of the dog, the cuteness of the kids and the cheap price (50 cents) at which they could buy such delicious cookies. Later while talking about American culture and identity, David decided to lend me a copy of Beyond the Melting Pot. While walking the dog, David was also quite forthcoming with advice on how to approach and behave amongst other women. He married when he was my age which might explain his confidence in this area.

In the evening I saw in Yvette's birthday with drinks at her apartment. I spoke with other Filipinos and learned more about their culture and identity. All in all, a pretty interesting day!

Happy 98th!

I went to Aunt Miriam's 98th birthday party on 89th tonite. My Uncle Phil and his wife Pat flew in from San Diego en route to London, where they will be having dinner with my parents in three days time...! My Aunt couldn't blow out all the candles on her birthday cake so Phil helped out. "That's my son!" Miriam said, looking happy. I spoke to Phil's son David on the phone. We arranged to meet there midday on Saturday when he comes up from Philadelphia.

Pot-smoking mom, dimples

I went to my first American summer party last nite... in New Jersey. My roommate Catherine's cousin (mother of 2) invited all of her friends and co-workers around for drinks, music and.. well, pot! (courtesy of Catherine...!) While i was happy to enjoy lots of the first two I was the only one not to partake of the last. Our hostess, her sister and catherine all enjoyed themeslves :) from 7pm-10pm until the first of the guests arrived. Then the apartment became a lot more smoky... It turned out that only about 7 other people came to the party compared to the 20 or more who were expected. Two guys actually drove over 2 hours from Connecticut to be there! After everyone had left, the hostess, her sister, catherine and I all fell asleep on couches. We woke up in the morning with heavy heads and ate omlettes for breakfast. Stepping outside onto the balcony the air was so humid, the setting felt so much like Spain. At home in the evening I enjoyed a conversation with someone on JDate who liked my dimples. We talked about lots of things. Maybe we will meet face-to-face soon.