Friday was someone's last day at work, so in lieu of cake, some pastries from Chinatown in Flushing were picked up. So they weren't quite that tasty (I've never really liked Chinese cake pastries), but look at them! At least they look cool. I mean, they have eyes! EYES!!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 11:00 AM

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I was just playing NCAA 2005 and blowing out the Washington Huskies. With little time left, I scored another touchdown to run up the score (hey, the called time outs), they did a "shot" of the UW crowd. Four Husky fans together and three that decided to leave the game. They made gestures like, "forget about it" and patted their other friend on the back.

Nevermind the graphics, but games have really made some progress. We've come a long way from Tecmo Bowl and it's 12 teams. From four plays on offense and four on defense. Guess correctly and you stop the play. That is unless you're playing with San Francisco and hit the end on the crossing play. And Lawrence Taylor with his uncanny ability to block any kick. And if you had the NES Advantage - forget about it. You could break any tackle in about 2 seconds.

I suppose progress is expected, but I want my next video game console to have some mind controlled action. Just slap on some helmet and I can transmit what I want the game to do. All this for $300 or less.

Posted by tien mao in Sports, Tech at 10:38 AM

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I was in no hurry to go home last night, so I took some photos of things that I usually pass on the way home. Factoring that, it still took me just 30 minutes to get home - a little more than double my normal time. Damn, the bike just works so well for me.

I also passed by a few of the things that Jake took pictures of while he was in Williamsburg.

Posted by tien mao in Photos at 7:25 AM

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Last night, pre-wings, I went to Paragon to get a pump for my bike tires. I tried to borrow Halo's pump, but unbeknownst to us, I had a Presta valve and not a Schrader valve. It's good to have my own pump, but I had no idea there were different valves. Good to know though. I bought the Serfas Little Stick, which isn't the best way to put a stick, but hey, it's light and it's compatible with both valves.

Semi-related, have you seen Paragon's new site? I don't even recognize it anymore. It's so snazzy and non-Paragon like. Their old logo is all the way at the bottom. I actually thought I was on the wrong page. Furthermore, can you believe that I didn't even look at their shoe section?

And yes, behind the pump are the bottles from Saturday.

Posted by tien mao in Sports at 10:37 PM

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Because the title would be too repetitive. Eventually, we're bound to have a subdued wing night, but last night wasn't it. 13 people in all showed up, with 140 wings eaten. Not bad, not bad at all. I feel like I had a lot, but I can't remember because the busboys were clearing the plates so quickly.

- Jake on "Pretty Girls Eat Spicy Wings" (he does some interesting work with his camera)

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 7:35 AM

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So last night was the Keynote Address to the Democratic National Convention and Barack Obama delivered the speech. Sure it was filled with your standard political stuff, but it was great. Just plain electrical. If you missed it, which you might have if you don't have cable or C-SPAN, you can check it out on C-SPAN. If you want to read it, you can check out the extended entry that I've lifted from the times.

Because I'm not nearly as eloquent as Barack Obama, here are some quotes from his speech:

"My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or ”blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential."

"Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation — not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’"

"Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?"

More information:
- NY Times: "Illinois Senate Nominee Speaks of Encompassing Unity"
- CNN: Pundits Scorecard of Barack Obama
- C-SPAN: Clip of Barack Obama's speech (Real Media file)
- NY Times: Text of speech by Barack Obama

The following is the text of Barack Obama’s keynote address to the Democratic National Convention, as recorded by The New York Times.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dick Durbin. You make us all proud.

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention.

Tonight is a particular honor for me because — let’s face it — my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father — my grandfather — was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.

While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton’s army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A., and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common dream, born of two continents.

My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or ”blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential.

They are both passed away now. And yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with great pride.

I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation — not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’

That is the true genius of America — a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted at least, most of the time.

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations.

And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents — I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More work to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Ill., who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do for the father that I met who was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college.

Now don’t get me wrong. The people I meet — in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks — they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead — and they want to.

Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon.

Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn — they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things.

People don’t expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.

They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our Party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. And that man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to his years as a prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available.

His values — and his record — affirm what is best in us. John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded; so instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he offers them to companies creating jobs here at home.

John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves.

John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies, or the sabotage of foreign oil fields.

John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge to divide us.

And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world war must be an option sometimes, but it should never be the first option.

You know, a while back, I met a young man named Shamus [Seamus?] in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Ill.. He was a good-looking kid, six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines, and was heading to Iraq the following week. And as I listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all that any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he is serving us?

I thought of the 900 men and women — sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who won’t be returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families I’ve met who were struggling to get by without a loved one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because they were Reservists.

When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued — and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this.

And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure.

John Kerry believes in America. And he knows that it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga. A belief that we’re all connected as one people.

If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription drugs, and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental belief, I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.

E pluribus unum. Out of many, one.

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?

John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope.

I’m not talking about blind optimism here - the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs. The hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores. The hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta. The hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds. The hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.

Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.

I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us.

America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do — if we do what we must do, then I have no doubts that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.

Thank you very much everybody. God bless you. Thank you.

Posted by tien mao in Politics at 9:15 AM

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I think I've always had this habit of chewing ice, but it has recently only gotten worse. It's been encouraged by the never-ending presence of ice in my apartment. To this point, the ice chewing has not caused me any trouble. I know it's not the best thing for my teeth, but it's just too addictive.

With my ice maker and the refrigerator's ability to crush that ice, now I don't even have to wait for the ice to melt to a manageable size. I can chew immediately. Instant gratification is the best!

Unrelated, tonight is wing night. Who's down? You know the drill, send me an email. I'll be there around 7.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 7:27 AM

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Some more Mao quote action while watching Barack Obama. Rock on Barack, rock on.

Mao said:
Whoever sides with the revolutionary people is a revolutionary. Whoever sides with imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism is a counter-revolutionary. Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in words only but acts otherwise is a revolutionary in speech. Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense. - June, 1950

- All "Quotations from Mao"

Posted by tien mao in Mao Quotes at 9:50 PM

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Armed with several housewarming gifts, I attempted to make a homemade pizza last night. With a pizza book from Christiona, a pizza peel and a pizza stone from Adam, everything seemed so simple.

There was a thought of making my own pizza dough (I actually bought the ingredients), but after a stop at my local pizzeria, I acquired some real pizza dough for $3. Score! I attempted to cut the dough in half to make half the large pizza, but I had major issues trying to turn the first half into circle. After giving up, I took the other half and left it as a malformed semi-circle.

Everything seemed to be going well. I preheated the pizza stone to 500°, which seemed too hot, so I lowered it to 400°. After placing the "pizza" onto the stone, it seemed like I was set. About 25 minutes later, the pizza looked done and the cheese was very toasted, so I turned off the oven. Sadly, the crust in the middle was soggy and didn't seem to be totally cooked, so it stuck to the pizza stone. The crust in the back also seemed to be a little uncooked.

It seemed to be a good start, considering I've never even bought flour before. Hopefully, I only need to try 3 or 4 more times before I make something decent. The crust was uncooked, the cheese was too cooked. There were major issues with the consistency of the crust. What was cooked though, was decent, but overloaded with tomato sauce. All mental notes for the future.

When finished, I used the stainless steel soap from Eleanor and Masako, but thankfully not the toilet paper from Necia. Of course, I washed all this down with some water in the glasses from Jonathan and Fan.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 7:33 AM

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Not necessarily the best idea after having a housewarming party, but Sunday, I went to Coney Island. How could I resist. The G train nearly thwarted my attempts, but I still got there, albeit an hour late. Nothing like a ride on The Cyclone to cure that hangover and then some a hot dog, fries and coke at Nathan's.

This is my third time out to Coney Island this year. Last time, I went to the Phish concert and the first time, I rode the cyclone and ate pizza and dogs.

Posted by tien mao in NYC at 7:35 AM

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Last night, I had some people over to warm the apartment. Friends were brave enough to come all the way to Greenpoint just to see the place and to drink. I had a good time and I hope everyone that came did too. Only now am I getting to the mess that was left behind. I didn't get many pictures from the night, but I know there are some that might be floating around out there - including one with me getting my hair braided. Yikes.

Thanks to everyone who came, thanks for the gifts, thanks for the booze, thanks for coming out to Greenpoint. No thanks for the mess that I am now cleaning. Sigh...I hate cleaning as it is, and now I have to clean. That's what I get for having a party.

More information:
- Jake on "At Tien Mao's" (awesome photos of the evening)
- Joe on "Tien's Housewarming Party" (evidence of braiding)

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, House and Home at 5:13 PM

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In the foreground are four new friends, in the background are three friends - two siblings and another friend. These seven friends wouldn't mind some new friends tonight. Hopefully, by the end of the night, all my friends won't be gone.

There are a few more friends in the refrigerator, but probably not enough.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 9:12 AM

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About two months ago, Kim went to Russia and she brought me back a souvenir - Michigan Football Nesting Dolls, or matryoshka if you're Russian. How well does she know this Michigan alum? Quite possibly the perfect gift for me from that nation. Woo! Thanks, Kim.

Oh, and if you're wondering, that's John Navarre (16), Marlin Jackson (3), Chris Perry (23), Adam Stenavich (79), and Braylon Edwards (1).

Posted by tien mao in Sports at 9:15 AM

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You know, with all the junk food I eat, I've got a lot of favorite snacks, from Munchos to Cheez Doodles, but my favorite popcorn has got to be Smartfood. I've non-scientifically determined that. It's just so delicious. It almost seems like the popped kernels dissolve in your mouth once they hit the saliva. Mmm...disintegrating cheesy corn.

Of course, since the white cheddar gets on your fingers, you have to use the lazy eating method.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 7:34 AM

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Ahh, nothing like gathering everyone for another night of Buffalo wing indulgence. Over the course of the evening 100 wings were consumed. That pales in comparison to the 200 wings when people came out for Shannan, but still, that's a lot of chicken in very small and spicy doses. As you can see, there were also some curly fries consumed last night.

I guess we'll have to do it all again next week!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 7:38 AM

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When my cousin lived a certain part of Brooklyn that was only served by the G Train, I would always joke that it was the G was for ghetto. Hey, it's the only non-shuttle like that never enters Manhattan. As I moved to Greenpoint, there was naturally some consternation about living off the G Train. While I've been living here though, I've learned to accept the train and even enjoy it.

Sure, the stations are dirty and it's never on a reliable schedule, but what trains are? I'm lucky that I don't have to take the train late at night to return home, but can just walk from the Bedford stop on the L. But one thing the G does provide is excercise. What other train is so short that it only takes up half the station? The G Train, which was apparently shortened during budget cuts, is only six cars long. Because of that, if you hear the train coming into the station, you have to sprint from wherever you are to the front or back of the train. If not, you won't catch it. Thankfully, the train operators are pretty cooperative for those that are running. Who needs exercise when they have the G train?

You know what's funny? Despite what the mural depicts, the G Train never actually goes above ground in Greenpoint. Oh well, in art, there isn't always accuracy.

Also, this just in, the Straphanger's released their subway report card and the G Train is ranked high! Well, at least in some categories. The service is "regular" but not frequent, clean but breakdown a lot, they also don't have enough data on the G to rate the crowds. I, however, can tell you that you can always get a seat on weekends and sometimes during rush hour. And I'm convinced the in car announcements are good because of all the service changes they have on the line.

Posted by tien mao in NYC at 7:12 AM

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Last night, I went to dinner with Kim at Totonno's in the Gramercy Park/Murray Hill area of Manhattan. I had previously gone to the Totonno's in Coney Island as part of a Slice Pizza Club trip, and I was quite anxious to try their 3rd outlet (they have another one uptown). I was curious if Totonno's would become like John's Pizzeria post-expansion, or remain the superior pizza that it was when I tried it last.

Lucky for us, it was excellent. The decor and the storefront are nothing like the Totonno's in Coney Island. The walls are pink verses a white with a sea-foam green, and the pizza place looks more like a diner (the lighting reminded me of a cheap Mexican place for some reason). The pizza itself was so delicious and paper thin. There was a nice charring of the crust that was perfect as well. Sadly, I do not remember Totonno's of Coney Island too well, but I can honestly say that I was not disappointed in the new branch for the pizzeria.

Soon after taking my first bites of the pizza, I wondered if Totonno's could now be the best pizza in Manhattan. No doubt in my mind that it's the best pizza south of 110th Street. As for the Patsy's/Totonno's smackdown, I will let the people at Slice handle that.

Oh, and if you're coming to get wings tonight, shoot me an email.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 7:05 AM

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Here are a few more images from my weekend exploration. Don't ask what that thing in the first two photos is, because I really don't know. I think it's kind of cool though. Lucky I didn't hit my head on it though, otherwise I would be out.

Previously from Saturday, the water tower and greenpoint graffiti.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 8:30 AM

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Already dreaming of wings on this Tuesday.

Mao said:
The imperialists are bullying us in such a way that we will have to deal with them seriously. Not only must we have a powerful regular army, we must also organize contingents of the people's militia on a big scale. This will make it difficult for the imperialists to move a single inch in our country in the event of invasion. - September, 1958

- All "Quotations from Mao"

Posted by tien mao in Mao Quotes at 7:10 AM

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So am I making more use of my bike? Quite possibly. This Saturday, I took my bike and ventured North of my apartment to do some exploring. Admittedly, I didn't really look at too much of the area, but I saw some pretty cool things while I was out. In the process of taking the last photo in this entry, a man approached and asked me to take his picture and wondered if I could mail it to him. Of course, I was thinking, maybe I can e-mail it to him, but he had never heard of e-mail. He had also never heard of a fax until recently. We chatted for a few minutes before parting ways, but it's somewhat of a shock, you know? I'm thrilled that I finally got my Internet connection, but this man doesn't even know what e-mail is. (Yeah, I know this happens all over the world - I'm not that sheltered.) Anyway, Keith, your print is in the mail, hopefully you like it.

So all of these photos are of "graffiti", the former scourge of society, but I would consider a lot of this graffiti art and no longer something to be painted over. Perhaps, that's why the building owners where these were taken didn't paint them over either. This isn't the work of some punk who just takes some spray paint to a wall, but something that should be preserved. At least in photos anyway.

See also, Rion's photos of Greenpoint graffiti.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 9:05 AM

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Inspired by Rachelle's entry on her grilled salmon, I had a desire to have some fish. I went to the grocery store, picked up some random stuff, and some salmon. After coming home, I looked on the various food sites for a recipe that involved salmon, ingredients I had already, and one that was easy. I finally found a parmesan crusted salmon recipe on the Food Network's web site.

Indeed it was quite easy. All I had to do was add some salt, pepper, and coat one side of the fish with cheese. The recipe calls for skinless salmon, but I like the skin, so it kept it on. Of course, I couldn't have a meal without some carbs, so I made some corn that I had in the freezer. Nice, easy, tasty, and somewhat healthy.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 7:50 AM

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During this past week, with Kevin's help, I put up some code on my site that doesn't allow people to use my pictures on their site while pirating my bandwidth. It's not horribly important that you know what this means, since it shouldn't affect your reading pleasure (or lack there of) while on my site.

Although this is only supposed to affect people who use my images directly, it's come to my attention that at least one person can't see the images on my site at all. I'm just wondering if anyone else is having this problem.

Thanks.

Posted by tien mao in Blog-ing at 7:29 PM

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I've always loved water towers and how they look in New York. Looking up into the sky and seeing old looking structures that supply the apartments below. In Manhattan, it's usually difficult to see water towers for apartment buildings since they are so tall. But if you're in the outer boroughs, you tend to see them better, since buildings are lower. For the taller buildings in the city, the towers are required because they are too tall for they city's water pressure alone to supply the buildings. See How Stuff Works for more info about water towers.

In Greenpoint, there aren't too many water towers, since many of the buildings here are pretty low, but there is one huge tower in the area - the water tower for the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse. It's one of those things that you can see from almost any part of the neighborhood. On one side, a Polish flag is painted (barely visible from the third picture) and the other side says, "Save the Palestine".

The way the water tower is visible from all of Greenpoint makes reminds me of the Brooklyn Union Gas Tanks, which were visible off the BQE and from parts of East Williamsburg. Man, I wish those were still there, they were like a lighthouse for the area. If you were lost, you could just go towards the tower to find your way.

Update:
Because I wanted to show you the view from elsewhere in the Greenpoint, here is another shot of the water tower.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 9:24 AM

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Yesterday was Dahlia's birthday and to celebrate, she invited a few people to The Porch for some birthday-related libations (like I need an excuse to partake). Due to a minor detour in Flushing, I was a little more than fashionably late. No matter, I had a good time and hopefully Dahlia enjoyed herself as well.

In a related thought, when the hell did I become so old? It wasn't too long ago when I could stay out really late. Don't get me wrong, I'm no party machine or anything, but back in the day, at least I wouldn't be yawning my ass off at 1:30. Due to the yawning, I had to head home at 2, which is the latest I've been out in ages. Ages, I say, ages!

Dahlia, it looks like you have a lot to look forward to in a year.

- Dahlia on "Birthday Success"

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family at 11:32 AM

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Call me oversensitive, but why on earth would you preserve a street called Jap Road? In Beaumont, Texas (East Texas) there is a four-mile road called Jap Road which is causing an uproar, with many civil rights groups looking to change the name. Sounds about right in my mind. The name is just wrong. It's thought that the original name was meant to honor the memory of Yasuo Mayumi, a Japanese farmer who settled the area in 1905. Some tribute.

Local man Buddy Derouen says, "I hear 'Jap' cars and 'Jap' bikes all the time. Why not Jap Road?" Well, just because you hear that, doesn't make it right, does it, Buddy? Another local, who is leading efforts to keep the name says, "We're not here to bash the Japanese. How can I be considered a bigot and a racist when I got a Puerto Rican son-in-law?" Don't you mean Spic, Wayne? It's not about being a bigot or a racist, it's about being offensive.

No stinging names for streets come to mind for white people, but what about KKK Lane? I mean, you're in Texas after all. Don't forget all the rest of us either. Please change the rest of those street names to Chink Road, Kike Way, Nigger Lane, Fag Boulevard, etc. Please, don't stop at Jap.

Well, it's 2004 now, why not update the name to something that doesn't offend people now? It would be a great tribute to the centennial of Mayumi settling the area, no?

- NY Times: Texas Community in Grip of a Kind of Road Rage

Posted by tien mao in Rants at 1:42 PM

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Say goodbye to AOL dial-up and connection speeds of 28.8 kbs; say hello to DSL via an Airport Card. To say that this is one of the best days of my life would be sad, but I don't know, I was pretty excited to finally have this connection up. After some issues in getting DSL service through Verizon, I'm finally connected.

My next door neighbor has DSL (yes, he does and I don't) and he was nice enough to share it with me. Even after moving my computer here and installing an Airport Card, I was unable to connect to his network. Except for a brief one hour period, I wasn't even close to picking up a connection. the instructions for the wireless card called for me to plug in an antenna that came with my G5, but I either never got it or misplaced it during the move (guess which). Thankfully, Apple sent me one after I called them and said it wasn't included with my computer and I just got it today - only two days after talking to them.

Never have I been so happy to be connected to the Internet - okay, there are times when it was better, but this was a damn good feeling. So sad, but so true. You don't know what you're missing until you try life on a dial-up connection after years of broadband.

What does this mean for you? Probably very little, except maybe some better, more thoughtful blogging.

Posted by tien mao in House and Home, Tech at 9:57 AM

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Last night, I went to a member's preview of the Tall Buildings exhibit at MoMA. (Insert expected pun about membership privileges here.) The exhibit featured 25 buildings from around the world that are either built, in the planning or construction phase, or remain conceptual. There were large-scale models along with some drawings and photos. All the buildings were designed within the last decade and "redefine the genre for the twenty-first century."

I thought it was a very interesting exhibit. All of the buildings were wild, crazy designs that seem to stretch the laws of physics. Several of the designs for the site of the World Trade Center were on exhibition (the "Dream Team" plan from Meier, Eisenman, Gwathmey Siegel, and Holl, United Architect's design, and the plan from Sir Norman Foster) as well as the winning NY Times Building design by Renzo Piano as well as Frank Gehry's losing design.

Other buildings were from around the world, including the Jing Mao Tower in Shanghai, 30 St. Mary Axe in London (pictured bottom right), Turning Torso in Malmö, Sweeden, and the CCTV Tower in Beijing. The architects for the buildings on exhibition was almost who's who of architects.

There's nothing quite like seeing scale models that are so intricate and detailed up close. It's almost like playing Sim City or something. While I enjoyed the exhibit, I think an architect or a building buff might enjoy it even more. That said, there might not be enough details or sketches to please that crowd.

More information:
- Tall Buildings at MoMA
- Tall Buildings Flash Exhibit
- Gothamist Arts+Events on Tall Buildings
- NY Times: "Skyscraping Around the Urban World"

Posted by tien mao in Culture at 7:23 AM

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Christiona and Jeannette, composite photo.

Bubble blowing contests and bets to see who would drink wing juice - that's why coming Wednesdays to Croxley Ales is a good idea. I mean, the wings are 10 freaking cents. Why wouldn't you come?

The weather was a tad crappy last night, and I was the first person to show up. I waited and waited, but Joe finally showed up, and I knew Halo was coming, so that got us a table. Christiona showed up the same time as Halo and Jeannette and Eleanor came a bit later. I was very worried that it would be a bust at first, but turnout was pretty good and hopefully it can last. Get tired of wings, you ask? At 10¢, I refuse to get tired of them.

Next week, same time, same place. Mental note though, find out who is coming beforehand so you can tell the waitress how many people are in the party.

- Joe on "Wings and Bubbles"

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family at 7:40 AM

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Since every Wednesday at Croxley Ales features 10¢ wings, I think it needs to be a weekly tradition of going. No pressure in going, but just make it if you want. And why wouldn't you? The wings are cheap and the beers are reasonably priced. Bring some friends and a good time is guaranteed to be had.

I'll be there today, and if you want to join me, come on down! I'll be there around 7 again and hopefully you can make it. Hell, I'll even buy 20 wings each for the first 3 people to show up.

Yum! My mouth is watering and my tongue is already tingling at the thought of the wings. Sure, there's not a reason to do it like last week and the weather may not be the greatest, but why not eat and drink? Unless you're a herbivore or something. For you, there are always curly fries.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 7:23 AM

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Today is Krispy Kreme's 67th birthday. I'm not sure if they are giving away birthday doughnuts, but they should! Especially to bloggers that seem to love their product and talk about their tasty delights (that sounds really dirty). Mmm...I want some birthday doughnuts. In lieu of that, I would also accept a "Friend of the Month" listing. I mean, really...I eat your product enough, no?

I digress. So everyone should go to their local Krispy Kreme and buy a doughnut and wish them a happy birthday. Sounds like fun, no? Who's up for it? I think it could be a lot of fun. Since I didn't ride my bike to work anyway, damn rain, I might as well pack on some calories.

For those that want to know more about Krispy Kreme, here is some information from an e-mail:

Krispy Kreme is 67 years old and still growing! So much has happened since Vernon Rudolph, our founder, sold the first Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnuts on July 13, 1937. We've gone from one little store with a hole cut in the wall for taking orders to more than 375 retail stores worldwide. Thanks to you, we hope to have many, many more years to come!

Full disclosure - I'm a stockholder. Not many, maybe like 40 or so shares...but I hear good things about their shareholder's meeting (free doughnuts). What can I say, when I believe in a product, I'll buy its stock.

- Previously on Krispy Kreme

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 8:46 AM

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Another Tuesday, another quote. Oh, while you're reading this (if you bother), you should go on over and sign a petition to extend the assault weapons ban. (via Janelle)

Mao said:
If our Party does not have a great many new cadres working in unity and co-operation with the old cadres, our cause will come to a stop. All old cadres, therefore, should welcome the new ones with the utmost enthusiasm and show them the warmest solicitude. True, new cadres have their shortcomings. They have not been long in the revolution and lack experience, and unavoidably some have brought with them vestiges of the unwholesome ideology of the old society, remnants of the ideology of petty-bourgeois individualism. But such shortcomings can be gradually eliminated through education and tempering in the revolution. The strong point of the new cadres, as Stalin has said, is that the are acutely sensitive to what is new and are therefore enthusiastic and active to a high degree - the very qualities which some of the old cadres lack. Cadres, new and old, should respect each other, learn from each other and overcome their own shortcomings by learning from each other's strong points, so as to unite as one in the common cause and guard against sectarian tendencies. - February, 1942

- All "Quotations from Mao"

Posted by tien mao in Mao Quotes at 7:25 AM

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While in Virginia over the weekend, I spotted Mount Trashmore Park next to the highway. Intrigued as to what it could be - could it actually be a pile of trash turned into a park? - I naturally had to check it out. Turns out, it was indeed a park, and a surprisingly nice one at that.

Mount Trashmore is 165 acres of parkland that is 60' high and 800' long and was created with compacted layers of solid waste and clean soil (always a good combination). There are also two lakes, Lake Trashmore and Lake Windsor. Lake Trashmore is "fresh water" and Lake Windsor is brackish water. It even seems like Lake Windsor was actually natural. In the park, there are also running paths, playgrounds, and even a skate park.

The Virginia Beach Park's Department says that 1 million people visit the park each year. Strange that a garbage dump could attract so many people. After seeing this, I wondered if they could make Fresh Kill Landfill a park too.

Posted by tien mao in Travel at 9:25 AM

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I went to Amazon.com last night looking for an antenna for my computer so I could try to share my neighbor's Internet connection. First thing I see is my Amazon Plog. Apparently it's a personalized blog for my shopping needs.

From the Amazon Plog page:

The Plog™ Service is a personalized blog. A blog is a straightforward and now widely adopted method of posting a reverse chronological diary on the Internet. Here's a list of some of the best and most popular blogs:

- Boing Boing--A directory of wonderful things

- Gizmodo--Reviews and charts the latest gadget trends

- MobileWhack--Energetic discussions of mobile technology

- Megnut--Evolving communication through blogging since 1999

- John Robb's Weblog--Thriving on rapid change

- Jeremy Zawodny's blog--Daily ramblings on life and technology

- www.lileks.com--The Institute of Official Cheer

- Gina Smith's BIOTECH--Tech/biotech journalist and author

- defective yeti--The musings of Matthew Baldwin, Pretty Okay Guy

- InstaPundit.com--The Blogfather

- Talking Points Memo by joshua micah marshall--A thoughtful contemplation of current affairs

- andrewsullivan.com--A respected intellectual columnist blogger

- Intel Dump--Near-real-time military analysis

- Daily Kos--Political analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation

- Six Apart--Six Log is the weblog of Six Apart, the company behind TypePad and Movable Type

Your Amazon.com Plog is a diary of events that will enhance your shopping experience, helping you discover products that have just been released, track changes to your orders, and many other things. Just like a blog, your Plog is sorted in reverse chronological order. When we think we have something interesting or important to tell you, we'll post it to your Plog.

Hello?!? Where is the Mao love? I know it would be impossible to do, but how about saying, "We've noticed you have a blog, here's a plog for stuff you might like." Admittedly, that would be creepy, but it still would have been cool. Now that Amazon is telling the general public what people a blog is, maybe they will understand what they are.

Incidentally, I never did find that antenna, so if anyone has a recommendation for an antenna for my G5, I would appreciate it.

Posted by tien mao in Tech at 7:33 AM

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I've been eating these peach things recently, and I didn't look at the labels until yesterday. Apparently, they are called "Saturn Peaches". I mean, they don't really look like Saturn at all. I think the people at Sun Valley Packaging are trading on the good name of Saturn.

I'm on the road, so I guess I won't be commenting here and stuff...

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink at 6:30 AM

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Last night, a bunch of people got together to wish Shannan good luck. See, for some strange reason, she's moving to Virginia. Something about a job with a nifty title. Lucky for everyone in New York, her plan is to return within a year. She also promises to visit frequently and have a housewarming party. So if you're in Southern Virginia...you know where the party's at.

There were over 20 people and 200 wings ordered. Good thing the wings were only 10¢ each. Really, an insane amount of food, drink and fun. Good times. Too bad it was for such a sad event.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family at 7:38 AM

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...or something like that.

Last night, I met up with Jens, who is from Sweden. It's funny, I've never met Jens until yesterday, but we've communicated a few times from our respective homelands. Him in Stockholm, me in New York. I can't remember how he found my site, but he stops by every once in a while, so when he said he was coming into town, I thought meeting up for a drink with him would be harmless enough. Unfortunately, I'm very busy this week, so I wasn't able to show him around town too much. Note to all creepy readers, just because you're reading this, doesn't mean I'll be hanging out with you too...kidding...or am I?

So have blogs become a new type of penpal? Probably not. I would think e-mail would replace the actual pen, but I think you know what I'm getting at. I've made a fair amount of friends via this blog thingy and it seems to be working pretty well. Sure, my life is an open book, but I get to choose what I write. I share what I want to share. It also allows me to communicate (albeit, it's very one sided) with my friends that I don't see too often.

Who knows where my site will lead and what I'll do with it in the next year and after that, but so far, I have no complaints. I've made some friends, gotten some shit off my chest, and had a pretty good time of it. Works for me.

Posted by tien mao in Blog-ing at 7:23 AM

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I don't even know what to say about this article in yesterday's times. It's very strange. Those crazy Christians are selling t-shirts with slogans on them. As if having Southern Baptists crawling around New York wasn't bad enough, Christians are having rock concerts and selling catchy t-shirts.

Slogans include, "Hardcore Christian," "Hetero-Boy," "Jesus Freak," "Do the Jew," and "Religion Is Dead. Jesus Is Not." Um...hate to break it to you, but last time I checked, Jesus is dead. Hetero-boy? Yeah, way to breed acceptance. I wonder how Christians feel about those "Jesus is my homeboy" shirts.

Possibly even more disturbing is that they sell hacked-DVD players at the music festivals. The DVD players skip racy material on DVDs. Are they nuts? Skip the racy material? That's the best part! How about a DVD player that skips the crap in movies and just plays the racy material? If said DVD player was to play an adult film, it would skip the fluff and go directly to the action. Now, that's an idea.

One person at the show bought a bunch of stuff (CD's, t-shirts, posters and bibles) and said, "This is our biggest purchase for the year, so I knew exactly what I wanted to buy." Food for thought, no?

- NY Times: At Festivals, Faith, Rock and T-Shirts Take Center Stage

Posted by tien mao in Culture at 8:34 AM

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On this short week, here's a double dose of the Mao quotes.

Mao said:
The people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history. - April, 1945

The masses are the real heroes, while we ourselves are often childish and ignorant, and without this understanding it is impossible to acquire even the most rudimentary knowledge. - April, 1941

- All "Quotations from Mao"

Posted by tien mao in Mao Quotes at 7:26 AM

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After coming home from a thrilling game yesterday, I sat got ready to watch the 4th of July Fireworks. Since the buildings in Greenpoint are relatively short, I was able to watch fireworks from my roof. Unfortunately since there is a school across the street, I was unable to see the midtown fireworks (except for one or two which seemed insanely close). Seeing the downtown one was good enough for me. You see them once, you've seen them a million times.

Posted by tien mao in NYC at 12:11 PM

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The popular way to celebrate July 4th might be to go to a barbecue, which I did Saturday at Mike's new place, but an even better way to celebrate is to watch a baseball game. The Mets played the Yankees again on Sunday to wrap up the Subway Series for the weekend. Unlike Saturday's game, there wasn't an offensive explosion by the two teams, but it was still a very close game.

The Mets beat the Yankees again, sweeping the series at Shea Stadium, winning the season series, and giving George Steinbrenner a nice birthday gift. It was the first time that the Mets won the season series or swept the Yankees since interleague play began eight years ago. Last year, the Yankees swept the series. I wonder what's going through Steinbrenner's mind right now. "Let's see, we have a payroll that's two times bigger than theirs and we lost?!? Quick, go get me another starting pitcher, some bullpen help, and some more bats!"

The game was won in the 8th inning when Ty Wiggington hit his second home run of the game, giving the Mets a one run lead that would prove to be the difference. Braden Looper came in to close the game out in the 9th inning, giving up one hit during his save. As the game got closer to ending, Mets fans chanted "Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!" and Yankee fans could do nothing. Sure the Subway Series means little to the players and the games have lost some of their allure, but a sweep of the Yankees is still a monumental feat. Hopefully for the Mets, this will propel them to bigger and better things.

They are now two games over .500, a mark that isn't that impressive, but something they have reached for the first time this season. The Mets play a series against the Phillies with their two best pitchers. After a series like this, the players must be thinking good things.

Posted by tien mao in Sports at 11:42 AM

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At dinner Friday night, I was lucky enough to come upon tickets to the Mets/Yankee game at Shea Stadium for Saturday afternoon. Despite plans to go on Sunday, I wasn't about to turn down free tickets to the best, and only game in town. It was a beautiful day for baseball, but a tad sunny, resulting in some redness on the left side.

Awesome, awesome game. Back and forth between the Yankees and Mets. Big hits to in the top half of the innings, bigger hits in the bottom half. It was as if each team was taunting the other by scoring more and more runs and the fans ate it up. Chants of "Lets go Yankees!" followed by either "Lets go Mets!" or "Yankees suck!" Great stuff. A constant battle down to the 9th inning.

After the Mets went ahead in the 7th on a Shane Spencer double (they played that damn Venga Boys song), the Yankees tied it in the 8th inning. With two outs in the top of the 9th inning, the score tied and the bases loaded, Jorge Posada was facing John Franco. Franco ran the count to 3-0 before fighting back to strike Posada out.

In the bottom of the 9th, the Mets looked to put it away. After loading the bases themselves, Spencer, the former Yankee, came to bat with one out. Spencer knocked a slow dribbler to the first base side. It was too far for Posada to get and too close for Tony Clark to get. Tanyon Sturtze, the pitcher, grabbed the ball and threw it over Posada's head allowing Kaz Matsui to score. There's nothing quite like a walk-off dribbler.

The Mets have at least tied the season-series (they're still losing the all-time series by a lot) and have already won the home stand. All they need to do now is win tomorrow and they can claim a sweep and a series victory for the season. Important bragging rights for a team that is fighting to stay above .500 and move into first in the NL (l)East. Not bad progress for a team that was swept by the Yankees last year.

Lucky for me, I get to do it again this afternoon.

- Panorama of Shea Stadium during the top of the 1st inning. (440 k)

Posted by tien mao in Sports at 9:08 AM

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Last night, "the families" had a reunion dinner, something we try to do once a year. Eric, Mark, and I have been friends since early, early childhood (like infant early), so every time Eric comes home from California, we try to get together for dinner. The dinner took place at Fu-Lai in Chinatown and was fabulous. At least twelve courses, nine bottles of wine with seven different varieties, all for twelve people. There was some serious eating going on.

Such a great way to get a long weekend going.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family at 10:40 AM

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This spring, Six Flags has started to air one of the most annoying commercials I have ever seen or listened to. If you don't know the commercial, you can actually watch it with Media Player. The main character in each commercial is this old guy who finds Six Flags so much fun that he breaks out in dance. The theme music for the advertisements is the annoying part. They play Venga Bus by the Vengaboys.

The song is annoyingly catchy - trust me on this. If you hear this song, you will be annoyed with it immediately and then get it stuck in your head as well. Not a good combination in my mind. If you hear this song first thing in the morning? Forget it, you're done. Your only hope is to fire up that iPod or iTunes and get Venga Bus out of your system.

At first, I thought this ad might have only been for Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, but that would be too painless. While I was in Chicago last weekend, I saw a billboard for Six Flags Great America also featuring "Mr. Six", as they call the old dancing man. Apparently, they even stage Mr. Six look-alike contests. We can only hope that they play the Vengaboys in the background during the contest.

Posted by tien mao in TV at 8:36 AM

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Last night, a few people behind the "-ist" family of sites gathered. Jen and Jake of Gothamist, Joe from Gothamist Weather, and Tom of the soon to be launched LAist. On the menu...Daisy May's BBQ of course. It might be the official food of Gothamist.

Posted by tien mao in Blog-ing at 7:23 AM

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I'm ready to say that it's simply not possible for me to bike to work every day. Tuesday and Wednesday were the first two days I rode my bike on consecutive days, and three times that I rode to work in all. It's not that I don't want to ride everyday, but more that I can't. If I have plans after work, I'm not at the stage where I'm ready to ride to said plans.

Example - if I'm going to dinner in Manhattan, do I ride my bike all the way from work? I suppose it's possible for the experienced rider, but I'm just getting back on the proverbial horse. It's a mere 2 miles to work, but my thighs get sore from the 16 minute ride. That's right, I'm in poor shape to be riding around. While the solution may be to ride more and for longer distances, I also feel I would run into something if I rode for a longer time or in more crowded situations. And if were riding to said dinner, I would show up sweaty and exhausted.

So the real question is if I can go one week, biking every day to and from work. It will have to be a week where I have no after work activities. I think I can do it, but the over/under for consecutive days riding has to be 3.5.

Posted by tien mao in Sports at 7:26 AM

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