Writing Neuroses

2 04 2009

I’m going out on a limb tonight and posting what could quite possibly be my first and last “literary” (and by literary, I mean “kind of creative”) post. With that said, a disclaimer: throughout my 3 years in college, I’ve developed a comfortable writing style/tone that waxes more academic than poetic. Which, of course, probably explains my hesitance to blog on a regular basis – I craft my words carefully because sounding casual doesn’t come as easily. (In fact, I reworded that sentence about 3 times. Writing takes me a long time, yes.) This inability to write casually might also be symptomatic of my high school years, which were filled with attempts at “poetry” (I cringe to admit this), emotional confessions of unrequited love (cringing, again), and not-so-subtle LiveJournal allusions to the fact that I REALLY WANTED A BOYFRIEND. Considering a certain one of my past “poetic attempts” showed up in an online archive of a certain poetry website last year (I naively submitted it years ago, but deleted it from the site when it resurfaced), I am still reeling from the embarrassment.

Okay, I’m done making excuses now. The following is a piece I wrote for my writing seminar, during my first semester at NYU (fall 2006, crazy.). The assignment asked us to choose a passage from Mrs. Dalloway and imitate Virginia Woolf’s writing style. Though I may not have my own creative writing skills, I definitely enjoyed imitating hers. After the jump! Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : NYC

13 02 2009

[Please skip this part and go to the middle]

The first time I live-tweeted an event, it was unintentional. I was watching the Golden Globes and began using the hashtag (#goldenglobes) for the sake of convenience in following everyone else’s awards commentary. It didn’t occur to me that what I was doing was considered “live-tweeting, ” until I suddenly gained 20 new followers and potentially had 20 other followers who were ready to yell at me in 140 characters or less. Then I started to understand the pros and cons of live-tweeting.

Provided that the event itself is buzz-worthy (highly-anticipated, well-attended/viewed, featuring people with influence/celebrities), the hashtag should itself gain momentum. All of this criteria applied to the Golden Globes. I had conversations with people who were watching the awards at the same time, as well as those who could not access a television and were thankful for tidbits of real-time information (i.e. “Kate Winslet is so classy!” and “Why does Drew Barrymore’s hair keep getting bigger???” and “Did Colin Farrell really just make a coke joke?”). Of course, there were people on the West Coast who were understandably peeved about having to avoid Twitter for the fear of ruining the surprise of who wins; others simply did not want #goldenglobes to continually dominate their tweet feeds. The former are the people who followed me (as I found people through Twitter Search and followed them) and the latter are those who temporarily hated me.

When it come down to it, live-tweeting involves talking about ONE subject repeatedly. Just as it gets tiresome to overhear two people’s conversation without being able to leave, it is much the same on Twitter with @replies.

******In the middle of writing this post, I read on Twitter that a plane crashed in Clarence, NY, on its way to Buffalo from Newark, NJ.  It was a Continental commuter plane carrying 44 passengers and 4 crew members, none of whom are reported to have survived. The plane also struck 1 or 2 people on the ground. @KeithBurtis was the first to tweet about it and is getting numerous phone calls from the media for eyewitness reports; he’s understandably upset about the circumstances while still having to provide information to news outlets, who will thus report to the rest of the world:

picture-1

Another neighbor, SpiketheCowboy711, took a video of the crash site and the massive fire.  He zooms in on the firemen at the scene.  His raw footage was already played on CNN and is being retweeted over and over on Twitter.

I promise to continue my original post as soon as possible but this tragedy was just too immediate to ignore.  As for @KeithBurtis and SpiketheCowboy711 (as well as all of my followers who kept me posted before I could find any information on CNN or The New York Times), they’re the real live-tweeters I need to be following tonight.


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Categories : NYC, News/Culture, social media

NYC, how can this be?!

15 12 2008
66 DEGREES IN NYC, WHAAT?

66 DEGREES IN NYC, IN DEC? WHAAT?


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Categories : NYC

Reasons to be excited

12 11 2008

Oh hey, I’m alive, don’t worry. I’ve just been swamped with papers (which is always the case, I know). Since I’ve finished four out of five at this point, I’m feeling pretty good. That is, I’m really excited to finish the last of the bunch so that I can actually relax and spend my time outside of the library. Aside from being distracted by these papers, of course, I’m looking forward to several other things:

  • This Thursday, 11/13, the Gallatin Journal of Global Affairs will be holding its delayed launch party for the 2008 edition in which my paper (”From Combined to Green Propaganda: BP’s Decade-Long Greenwashing Cycle”) is published. I originally wrote the research paper for my Propaganda course last fall. I volunteered to do a 5-minute reading of it at the event, which will probably be small and intimate (true Gallatin-style). Any NYU student can come so if you’re interested in free “global” food and drinks, and my nervous tongue-tied reading, definitely come (715 Broadway, Rm. 522, 7 pm)!
  • On an equally (if not more) dorky note, I can’t wait to register for spring semester courses. My top choices? New Media Research Studio, Finance for Social Theorists, Law & Society, and Biology & Society. It would be fair at this point to conclude that I like society and all things social. If you were my mom (and yes, my mom does read my blog), this would be the point at which you ask me what I plan to do with my life…to which I would respond with a deeply-frustrated sigh and again bring up the possibility of law school to assuage her (and my) anxiety.

Since I actually abandoned this post halfway through and have now returned to it whilst in the middle of writing said fifth paper, I will make this last point short.

I AM EXCITED THAT BARACK OBAMA IS NOW PRESIDENT-ELECT.

pic from Maxs iPhone

notice "flagboy" who eventually got arrested. pic from Max's iPhone.

A little delayed, but there we go. It’s old news but it’s amazing news. Max and I spent Election Day (that is to say, Election Night) celebrating with the huge crowds in Union Square and in the East Village. Everyone was ecstatic, high-fiving, cheering, and simultaneously shouting variations of “Obama,” “No More Bush,” “Yes We Can (Si Se Puede),” and “Yes We Did.” There was one guy who kept trying to start a “The Red is Dead” chant, which signified to me the bipartisanship/divisiveness which Obama denounces. What immediately ran through my head was the following: “We have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and always will be, the United States of America.” So in the unifying spirit of Obama’s victory and an unbelievable Election Day, I started cheering “USA,” and people joined in (that is, after the guy with the bullhorn helped).

Maxs again.

Max's again.

And the fact that Obama’s victory was largely attributed to his engagement with and mobilization of people on the internet is unprecedented. Change.gov allows people to send in their stories and reactions to the election, submit their ideas on what the next administration should do, and also apply for a job. Seriously. This website, along with the fact that my.barackobama.com is going to “live on” (thanks Mike for the link) makes me excited about the ways in which the people will interact and communicate with the next President of the United States. There has been much talk about digital “fireside chats.” TechPresident is also a website tracking the presidential campaign/administration’s relationship with the internet (Barack + internet = BFF, IMO). Bottom line: A new and connected kind of presidential administration? Yes, please. I will work for your new media team anyday, Barack!

Badass.

Badass.

I have to return to my paper now but expect a post soon about the possible deterioration of intellectual life in college and why I think that is bull.


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Categories : NYC, News/Culture, social media

Seven Years

11 09 2008

Since my blog is largely about New York City, I thought it was important that I write something on the seven-year anniversary of September 11th.  I’m not sure what else I could share except the vivid memory of where I was at the moment it happened.  New Jersey.  8th grade Social Studies.  Class had just started and the principal came on the loudspeaker to announce that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center.  Initially, I thought it was some sort of cruel joke – because, planes crashing into building didn’t make sense, right?  Right?  The teacher turned the TV on to the news and the rest of my memories of the day was just that – news.  And the same haunting images flashing on the screen for the next couple days.  And the people falling.  I remember crying that night while sitting with my dad.

Anyway, I’m running late for class and don’t have time to proofread what I just spewed onto the (web)page, agh.   Where were you on that morning?


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Categories : NYC

Nina & Max Do NYC

29 08 2008

Max and I spent the past couple days venturing through the various NYC boroughs and exploring their tourist attractions (though in a laid-back, New Yorker way, of course). Among our sightseeing activities: we roamed South Street Seaport, walked both ways across the Brooklyn Bridge, sat by the East River at the Williamsburg Reclamation Site, rode the Staten Island Ferry, drank coffee in Battery Park, and ate Nathan’s hot dogs at Coney Island. So if that list doesn’t justify my lack of recent posts, I don’t know what will – except maybe the fact that I didn’t want to see my photo project bumped down from the top two posts?

And now for a series of touristy pictures, courtesy of Max and his iPhone:

view of the BK Bridge from South Street Seaport

view of the BK Bridge from South Street Seaport

We were standing on the pier by the Ice Cream Factory, looking at the BK Bridge waterfall.

We were standing on the pier by the Ice Cream Factory, looking at the BK Bridge waterfall.

As I was typing this post, I realized that the majority of these locations offer amazing views of Manhattan. That is, they’re known for their phenomenal panoramic views of the NYC expanse. I absolutely love the views because they provide a slightly-outside-of-NYC perspective through which I can appreciate both the huge size of the population and the small sized of the actual island. Maybe that’s why some of these places are so popular? What does it mean to overlook/watch the city and its bright lights and skyscrapers from a distance?

View from the Reclamation Site on N.9th & Kent - one of my fave places in Williamsburg

View from the Reclamation Site on N.9th & Kent - one of my fave places in Williamsburg

On the Staten Island Ferry, my hair blowing in the wind, ha.

On the Staten Island Ferry, my hair sexily blowing in the wind, ha.

My first time at a real beach this summer - took long enough.

My first time at a real beach this summer - took long enough.

Pretty picture...too bad the place is pretty grimey.

Pretty picture...too bad the island is pretty grimey.


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Categories : Everyday/Life, NYC

If you can read this, you’re spying on me…

24 08 2008

After hopping the East River again, I’ve landed north of 14th Street (which is a first), on the eleventh floor of my brand new dorm. It doesn’t quite feel like home at the moment (I almost sound like Josh). That is, Maria and Emily haven’t moved in yet and I’ve put off unpacking because I’m half sick and half in denial. It’s like my body craftily plotted and enacted its revenge for being forced to work nonstop all summer. As for the view from my huge windows? Not bad – the Met Life Tower surrounded by apartment buildings as far as the eye can see (which, in this case, isn’t very far because several apartment buildings are blocking my view).

According to Wikipedia, it was the tallest buildling in the world from 1909-1913.

According to Wikipedia, the Met Life Tower was the tallest buildling in the world from 1909-1913.

Oh, there’s also a poster in a window across the street that reads: If you can see this, you’re spying on me. It makes me think about how many people could be spying on me right now, what with my blinds open and desk light on, while I awkwardly blow my nose and type this entry. Then again, I’m sure I’d be watching my neighbors if I were staring out my window and someone’s light happened to be on. Voyeurism: every New Yorker’s favorite pastime – it’s like live reality TV!

Anyway, I’m going to bed in a last-ditch attempt to sleep off this sickness. Welcome Week officially starts tomorrow, meaning much of downtown NYC will be aflutter with fresh(men) faces as anticipation floats in the air like allergy-inducing pollen. As a rising junior, my plan consists of the following: avoid thinking about my future career while memorizing these new avenue names (Lexington, Park, Madison, Broadway, 5th) and enjoying the remaining days of summer vacation.

Update: some Spybusters (?) dude posted what I wrote about voyeurism in his security blog as the “Quote of the Day – A New Yorker Ponders…Surveillance.”  Internet microfame, here I come, ha.


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Categories : Everyday/Life, NYC

Like Mother, Like Daughter [Photo Project]

21 08 2008

Here are the final results of the photo project I’ve been working on with Don. Together we recreated three pictures that were taken of my mom in Thailand, circa 1976. She was 21 – less than a year older than I am now. Um, and she’ll probably yell at me when she sees this because I kind of just revealed her age.

She's in Thailand, I'm at the Williamsburg Reclamation Site

How adorable was she?

Considering how much I love my mother and how often people tell us we look/act alike, this project has long been something I wanted to do. And I’m grateful to Don for taking on all the artistic work (shooting/editing) while my duties consisted of nagging him and trying to look pretty.

My favorite of the three.

My absolute favorite of the three.

Fast forward to 2008 and my mom is still pretty cool. While driving to the mall this past weekend, a car kept beeping at us unnecessarily. Pissed off, I rolled down the window and flipped off the driver in true New Jersey fashion. Okay, so she happened to be another Asian woman who was headed to the same parking lot as us. I got a little nervous but my mom was unfazed as she parked the car and coolly declared in Thai, “Come on, let’s go start a fight.” The whole incident only made me love her more, of course.

Brownie points for whoever can identify the guys in the posters behind me.

Brownie points for whoever can identify the guys in the posters behind me.


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Categories : Everyday/Life, NYC

New York, I Love You (New York, je’taime)

26 07 2008

Before you quietly start singing LCD Soundsystem to yourself (”New York, I love you, but you’re bringing me downn”), here’s a little disclaimer: this blog post has nothing to do with that song, nor does it have anything to do with the ridiculous reality TV show called “I Love New York.” Rather, I’m talking about the upcoming (early 2009) New York, I Love You film. From the producers of last year’s Paris, je’taime, this new movie has the same structure and theme – it is another anthology of short films about romance and love. Instead of being set in eighteen of Paris’s arrondissements/districts, however, the narratives will take place in New York City’s five boroughs.

I remember how excited I had been to see Paris, je’taime at the very beginning of last summer. And though not all eighteen short films were amazing, there were several phenomenal stories and actors. I actually walked past Rufus Sewell on Broadway and Prince St. about a month ago. He was featured in Wes Craven’s short in Paris, je’taime about an engaged couple that visits Oscar Wilde’s grave. The character’s fiancé struggles with his lacking sense of humor and nonexistent spontaneity.  Oh, but then Oscar Wilde’s ghost gives him some advice.

Natalie Portman, who played a young actress with a blind boyfriend in Paris, je’taime, plays a Hasidic woman named Rifka in New York, I Love You. This time around, she has also taken on a much bigger role as actor/writer/director/producer. Apparently, this movie will mark both her and Scarlett Johansson’s debut as directors. That’s pretty respectable and badass, ladies.

pictures from NY Daily News

click for more pictures from NY Daily News

Other actors to get excited about include James Caan, Kevin Bacon, Orlando Bloom, Hayden Christensen, Ethan Hawke, Shia LeBeouf, Rachel Bilson, and Christina Ricci. According to the Wikipedia entry, Blake Lively is also supposed to make an appearance as the mysterious character called, “a girlfriend.” Seems like a primarily young cast.  I’ve always considered NYC to be a place for young people (then again, my opinion is definitely shaped by the fact that my city life consists of college students during the school year and hip young Williamsburg residents in the summer).

Either way, I’d say New York, I Love You has me even more starry-eyed in anticipation than Paris, je’taime did last year. Maybe because the stories are set so close to home, in and about the places I frequent, in the city I love the most. It’s New York City romanticism, squared.

Here’s the memorable Paris, je’taime short starring Natalie Portman – y’know, to get you feeling a bit romantic yourself:


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Categories : NYC, News/Culture

Hipsterizing Craigslist

22 07 2008

Josh brought this ridiculous Craigslist rant/rave to my attention today because this picture of us was, for reasons entirely unknown, displayed as a random example of “modern day hipsters.” My understanding of the word “hipster” itself is so fuzzy and vague that my opinion of the whole concept is that I may or may not hang out with hipsters and that I may or may not be one myself. I have very little investment in the idea, so it baffles me how some people (like the person who posted our picture) can ardently define hipsters as the new social order against whom everyone else is simply a Douchebag, while others can insist that hipsters are the evil spawn of the Ray-Ban-wearing, Parliament-smoking, tattoo-covered Devil.

My favorite (and least comprehensible) sentence of the entire Craigslist post?

“In a sense, the hipsters have won as they have successfully ‘hipsterized’ modern day sensibilities.”

Well you know me – leading the modern day battle of sensibilities with my unbeatable hipsterizing skillz.

Apparently I have a hipster...face?

Apparently I have a hipster...face?


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Categories : Everyday/Life, NYC, News/Culture

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