No rain was falling while the clouds passed overhead, but shortly afterwards, there was quite a downpour!

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 4:29 PM

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Back to the photos from our honeymoon in August! I should really get through all of these sometime soon before the details slip away.

While in the Masai Mara, we stayed at The Lodge at Saruni. This wasn't a rustic camp at all. It was a beautiful lodge with six cottages overlooking the planes. As an open camp, animals were free to wander through the area. We saw elephants on the first day, saw water buffalo off in the distance another day, heard hyenas one night, and I saw a zebra steps away from our actual cottage (it saw me, we stared at each other for a few seconds before it snorted and ran off with its group).

These luxurious cottages weren't without their drawbacks — it would get really, really cold at night. When we were in Africa, it was winter and colder than we expected. While it wasn't cold like much of the United States is experiencing now, it was still pretty cold. You have to keep in mind that there was no heat and the sides of the cottage were essentially canvas with screens for windows. One thing's for sure, the cool temperatures meant we got dressed very quickly before our morning game drives.

Posted by tien mao in Honeymoon, Kenya, Photos, Travel at 7:30 PM

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My first Christmas in Illinois with the in-laws! In previous years I was just a boyfriend or fiancé. But now a son/brother-in-law. Crazy times! As always though, it was a fantastic time with an absurd amount of gifts.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 5:43 PM

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Finally, the photos from day 2 on safari. This was our first full day on the Mara — waking up at 5:30 AM in a freezing room, heading out before sunrise, a bush breakfast, heading back out in the afternoon after a nap and watching the sunset with a sundowner. The long day was not without some great sightings.

It seemed like this day was a lesson on the lifecycle of the Mara. While we would head out each morning hoping to witness a kill (predators hunt in the early morning and evenings), we didn't see one this morning, but we did get to see hyenas feasting on the carcass of a wildebeest.

The previous night at dinner, we were told about a lioness who had her cubs killed by a male lion that recently took over the pride. In the morning, we spotted her walking across the plains calling out for her two cubs, which all the other animals took note of (3rd photo). Our bush breakfast was cut short when our guides heard that someone spotted a leopard. We quickly made our way to the scene to look at the rarely seen cat. There wasn't much to see as the leopard was just lounging around on the rocks.

In the afternoon, we saw two lions mating (the same lioness looking for her cubs). Let me tell you, if you weren't watching, you would miss it. Except for maybe the fact that the male lion lets out a furious roar at one point. On our way up to our sundowner, eagle-eyed Shannan spotted a cheeta. It turns out that cheetahs are very rarely spotted in the mountainous area where this pregnant cheeta was spotted.

Posted by tien mao in Honeymoon, Kenya, Photos, Travel at 10:48 AM

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After our stop in South Africa to kick off the honeymoon, we were off to safari in Kenya's Masai Mara. The number of animals in the Mara was especially plentiful while we were there because of the Great Migration, when nearly 2 million wildebeest zebra migrate from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Mara.

In our first day in the Mara, we managed to see three of the big five (lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards and rhinos). Not to mention the zebras, wildebeest, ostrich, Thomson's gazzelles, giraffes, topis, Grant's gazelles and other animals.

Posted by tien mao in Kenya, Photos, Travel at 1:20 PM

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After recovering from cage diving with great whites, we made our way to the Lion's Rump, also known as Signal Hill. This flat-ish hill is right next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain. The hill offers views of Cape Town and Table Bay.

Posted by tien mao in Honeymoon, Photos, South Africa, Travel at 12:46 AM

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One of the main reasons we added South Africa was because of the great white sharks that swim in the country's waters. I've been fascinated with sharks since I was a kid — probably because of the Jaws movies. While the movies portray the great white shark as a terrifying creature, I was always interested in seeing them (as well as other sharks) up close. Not where a shark is taking a piece of my leg, but close enough to observe.

Our time in South Africa provided us with this opportunity and it was one of the highlights of our honeymoon. Shannan even says that it was her favorite part. We were originally scheduled to go white shark cage diving with the White Shark Diving Company the day after our arrival in Cape Town, but the waters were too rough to venture out. Thankfully, the water on the second day was "calm" enough for our adventure.

After an early-morning pickup (before 6 AM) at our hotel, we were transported about two hours to Gansbaai (Bay of Geese) where we would be viewing the sharks. Following breakfast and an orientation ("we've never had accident while using this cage"), we were off to find the great white shark. The White Shark Diving Company provided us with all the gear we would need for the cold water (it's still winter there), including wet suits. They didn't provide any sea-sickness pills though, which is something that I should have purchased before going.

Once we set out and found the spot that we would anchor, the crew of our boat, "The White Shark," started to add chum to the water (crushed tuna/skipjack or sardines). The smell was pretty awful, but similar to Chinatown in NYC on a summer day. Sure enough, the sharks arrived shortly. In groups of 6 people (I think it was 6), we made our way into the cage to view the sharks from the water. The crew would yell "down!" whenever a shark was close, occasionally adding a direction to look once we were underwater. We did this several times. On occasion, we saw more than one shark once submerged.

The most frightening part of our time in the water was when a smaller shark managed to get its head caught in the cage between me and Shannan. The shark was lured in by a fish on a rope and as it went for the fish, the shark managed to lodge itself in the cage. The shark seemed to be stuck for minutes, but it was more likely just a few seconds. Another group had a white shark land it's front quarter on top of the cage.

All told, we saw eight sharks, the largest one at 3.5 meters (11.5 feet). I think I came out of the experience a little more scared (at least of snorkeling in the trip), and missing my breakfast. But it was an awesome experience and I'm very happy that we were able to do it.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, South Africa, Travel at 6:50 PM

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Also in Cape Peninsula National Park is the Cape of Good Hope. As you can see in the sign (taken at the tail end of golden hour) is that it's the most south-western point of the African continent! Yep, we can say we were there.

Not only can we say we were in the most south-western point of the continent, but we also saw ostriches walking next to the road. Shannan was a big fan of the park (and the ostriches).

Posted by tien mao in Honeymoon, Photos, South Africa, Travel at 6:53 PM

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The destination that we were driving to on our first day in South Africa was the Cape Peninsula National Park, which is home to Cape Point. Cape Point is thought to be the meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, but the actual meeting point varies in an area between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas in the Western Cape of South Africa.

But what Cape Point does have is a lighthouse (ooOOOooohhh)! Two, in fact! One is still in operation. The historic lighthouse, which has many visitors and signs marking distances to other cities, was in service from 1860-1919. It was found to be somewhat ineffective during fog, causing some ships to come dangerously close to land. In fact, a 1911 wreck of the Portuguese boat Lusitania resulted in a new lighthouse being built that is closer to the water and closer to sea level.

If you visit the lighthouse, you can also walk on a path that gets you very close to the new lighthouse. You can easily see the new lighthouse in the last photo.

Posted by tien mao in Honeymoon, Photos, South Africa, Travel at 6:42 PM

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After our stop in the surf town of Muizenberg, we made our way down the coast to Boulders Beach, home of an African Penguin colony.

The penguins roam the area around the beaches, but are largely fenced in. Despite that fencing, park signage asks those visiting to check under their cars for the birds.

Posted by tien mao in Honeymoon, Photos, South Africa, Travel at 5:51 PM

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Ahh. Wedding done and we're back from our honeymoon in Africa. Now you get to live through all the photos I took! We went from South Africa to Kenya and finally onto Tanzania.

On our first day in South Africa, we drove south from Cape Town towards the Cape of Good Hope. On the way, we stopped in the beach town of Muizenberg. On the beaches of Muizenberg are these colorful beach huts that weren't open while we were there. Perhaps it's because they cater to people during the summer months (it's winter in the southern hemisphere).

Posted by tien mao in Honeymoon, Photos, South Africa, Travel at 7:30 PM

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Look what we did over the weekend: We got married!

The ceremony and reception was at Benmarl Winery in upstate New York. The photo above is by the wonderful Steph Goralnick, who took photos for us. Our wedding even made it into The Times (with a photo in the print edition too!). Steph's got a couple more photos online as well.

And if you're curious about our honeymoon, here's the plan: Africa! We've gotten our shots and are going to South Africa (cape town), Kenya (Masai Mara) and Tanzania (Zanzibar).

Photos when we get back, I promise!

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos, Travel at 10:32 AM

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Way back in April, Shannan and I made a visit to the Statue of Liberty. Unlike our last visit, when we just visited at night, we were making a trip to the crown on this visit. The crown reopened last year after some security and safety upgrades (it closed after 9/11). I hadn't been up since the 80s while with my family.

From the very base of Lady Liberty's pedestal, the climb to the top is 354 steps — many of which are in a tiny spiral staircase.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 12:58 PM

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Even before I drove down to Texas with Neil, I was thinking of things to do outside our eventual arrival in Austin. Austin has a ton to offer, but seeing that it was maybe my second time in Texas ever, I was hoping to do some things besides just eating tacos and BBQ.

Luckily for me, the San Antonio Spurs advanced past the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Also lucky was the fact that I could actually make one of their home games in their series with the Phoenix Suns. Seats for were plentiful on Stubhub, but as you can see they were super high up (not to mention expensive). So high up, in fact, that we were on the same level as the guy controlling the spotlights.

The game itself was close for two quarters — the 2nd and 3rd. The Spurs jumped out to a 9 point lead after the 1st quarter and the Suns chipped and chipped away that lead until they trailed by just one point after three quarters.. Then the Goran Dragic of the Suns exploded for 23 points in the 4th quarter (!!) to give the Suns the 110-96 win and a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Phoenix went on to a 4-0 series sweep, the first time they beat San Antonio in the playoffs since 2000. The Suns lost four playoff matchups in a row to the Spurs before finally winning this year.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Sports, Travel at 2:20 PM

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I was in Austin a couple of weeks ago and ate a lot of tacos. From top to bottom:
- Taco Deli
- Izzo's Tacos
- El Chilito
- Torchy's Tacos

I went to Torchy's several times and got the Ranch Hand again and again. So good!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Travel at 12:55 PM

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Randolph has returned to exact revenge on the pizza box! While that last pizza box already succumbed to the cat, he's back for more against the original box's great great grandchild.

But is the sequel ever as good as the original? And will they make a third movie? All that will be answered in the future...

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Randolph at 7:01 PM

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Yay, the circus is in town. For the first time in ages, I went to the circus! I'm positive I went at least once as a child, but it was my first time as an adult. Sunday morning, Shannan and I went with the Epsteins to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden. It was the first time that Jonas and Willa went to the circus and Shannan's first time seeing Ringling Brothers.

And while watching the 7 motorcycles in that cage was very impressive, the greatest show on earth may have been watching Willa devour gummies off Neil's hand.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 6:00 PM

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Takeru Kobayashi really likes eating. Last Monday, he set the Guinness Record for most meatballs eaten in one minute when he devoured 29 meatballs. I was lucky enough to be there in person, but if you're curious what that meatball eating pace looks like, I have video below. It seems like he had to swallow each meatball and show the judge before moving on. I suspect that's the reason for the low count.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos, Sports at 6:10 PM

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From last Friday, when New York's new record for snowfall in February was set. As you can see, Shannan was very, very scared by the record-setting snow. Climate change! Ahhhhhhh!!!

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:50 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:50 PM

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We celebrated the Year of the Tiger Saturday night (New Year's Eve) with dinner at my parents apartment. As is the custom, my mom prepared a feast.

Saturday night we had ten total dishes. Pictured above is: smoked chicken, fresh loofah, lion's head meatballs (tiger's head?), shrimp, rice cakes, mini dumplings, whole fish, glutenous rice cakes. Not pictured were soy beans (maodou/edamame) and a fish ball soup.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 8:50 AM

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From this morning in Greenpoint. I'm not sure how Betty Boop feels about the snow. She seems underdressed.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 11:59 AM

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Because lots of people jumped on their bandwagon! But really, congrats to their fans and the city of New Orleans. I think it's fair to say that anyone who wasn't a Colts fan (or had money on the Colts) was pulling for them. It's kind of a shame that the 'Aints nickname will have to be abandoned.

Or maybe they won because of the excellent play by Drew Brees, the interception return for touchdown by Tracy Porter or Garrett Hartley's kicking abilities.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos, Sports at 12:21 PM

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Look! No aluminum siding!

And sometimes, you just want to over-process the photo.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:31 PM

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Wulai is a rural town on the southern outskirts of Taipei. It's mostly known as a destination for its hot springs as well as the native Atayal people. To get there, you take a bus ride up the mountains from the subway stop. The route has many, many turns which overlook the river far, far below. All this on a two-lane road with a bus driver that drives like he's very famliar with the road. Standing while he drives, which we did most of the way, is quite an adventure and a workout on the arms.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 5:59 PM

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The "slumping cliffs" in Longpan Park are a result of wind and wave erosion over the years, which is understandable because it's really windy there.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 7:00 PM

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So we didn't get much nice weather when we were in Taipei. It was cloudy most of the time and it was rainy at times too. But I had to show Shannan Taipei 101 anyway as it's still a sight to be seen. At that point, it was still the tallest building in the world. It was just overtaken by Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

As you can see, it was cloudy at the top of the building. And not just a little cloudy, but really cloudy. In fact, you could only partially see out of two sides. The other two sides had no view at all. It was also really windy, but they let you outside on the "observation deck" anyway. The wind was so fierce, that it caused the fencing on the roof to vibrate and make noise like a bunch of tuning forks.

One of the cooler things we saw in our "scenic" trip to the building, was the what's pictured in the last photo. It's a hallway with a cloud projection onto the floor. But once you walk over the floor, the clouds clear up behind you. Oh, that Asian innovation, so nice.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 5:50 PM

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What do we need more of on this site? Pizza photos! Duh. From our trip out to Portland in November, here are photos of two pies from Apizza Scholls and slices from Escape From New York Pizza.

The pies from Apizza were their Apizza ‘Margo’rita and their Tartufo Bianco. The pizza was very good. Could it have been better than Di Fara, which I just went to over the weekend? I would say it's possible! I can't say the same for Escape From New York Pizza though, but it did taste like pizza from any slice joint in NYC.

If you're wondering, I will not be following this up with photos of pizza from Taiwan as we didn't have any while there.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Oregon, Photos, Travel at 4:45 PM

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I've had a lot of pizza in my life, yet strangely this was my first time to Di Fara. Di Fara is a legendary pizza joint, in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn where Dom DeMarco has been toiling away for over 45 years, making each pie himself with the best ingredients. Is the pizza good? Yes, it's very good. Is it the best in the city? No, I don't think it is. Especially with all these new "artisanal" pizza places that are popping up all over the place. I'm not even sure if, taste-wise, Di Fara is better than a Patsy's (original) or a Grimaldi's.

First, the bad parts: Perhaps it's just my preferences, but I wasn't a huge fan of the end crust. While the crust to support the cheese, sauce, toppings, etc., worked, the ends just seemed to be lacking a little flavor. It's possible that the end crust was even slightly underdone on the first pie we had (plain). And, of course, there's all the olive oil that is poured (not drizzled) onto the pie. I know olive oil is healthy, but I think a drizzle of the stuff could have been better (note napkin pile). Our second pie (broccoli rabe and sausage) didn't seem as oily, nor did our final one (plain square). Maybe there was just more stuff to distract us from the oil. Some of the pies started off so "wet" that attempting to slide a slice from the pie onto our plates resulted in a pile of hot cheese on the pizza pan and a relatively cheese-less slice. And all the toppings and overall wetness, lends itself to a floppy slice of pizza. That wasn't the case with the square pie we had as it's a naturally firmer crust.

Now, the good parts: The ingredients and the care that are put into each pie is excellent. It's easily on par with all the "fancy" pizza places you go to in the city. You can taste the quality of the ingredients with each bite you take. The fine mozzarella, the grana padano he sprinkles on top, the fresh basil, and even the plentiful olive oil, lend to a delicious bite of pizza. Of course, that shows up in the cost of the pies (we paid just under $100 with drinks for 7 people), but quality doesn't come cheap. It's the ingredients and the care that Dom puts into each pie that seems to set this place apart from many pizza places.

Am I being overly critical? Perhaps. But going into my "virgin experience" at Di Fara, I was expecting a lot. Some people talk about Di Fara pizza as if it were a nectar of the Gods. Sure, Dom DeMarco has done something at Di Fara that exceeds the pizza of any neighborhood pizza place in the city, if not the world, and it's excellent pizza that I would eat again. I'm just not sure if it's as mind-blowing as I had hoped (or expected) and I certainly wouldn't wait in line for two hours just to get a bite of it. That said, I would like to go back sometime in the future to try it again. After all, it could have just been an off day at Di Fara, right?

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 12:00 PM

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That's not to say that Randolph likes marijuana, he just likes the tall grass-like stuff that comes with flowers. In fact, he goes crazy for it. So much so that he prefers to play rather than eat. And once he grabs the grass and walks away, he'll bring it back for you to play some more with him.

And doesn't he look so happy in this photo?

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Randolph at 3:38 PM

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Sail Rock in Taiwan's Kenting National Park gets it's name because, from a distance, it supposedly looks like a sailboat about to set sail. But up close, it apparently looks like Nixon, so it's sometimes called "Nixon's Head". I don't really see the resemblance to either.

Plus, this dog really loved us (mostly, Shannan, it seems). He followed us around this stop on our tour, but he was probably expecting food. Obviously, we didn't give him any.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 4:49 PM

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They sure do like Christmas trees in this DUMBO building.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 11:21 AM

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Who says the center of the universe on New Year's Eve is in Times Square? Not I! For Lawrenceville, NJ was clearly the place to be to ring in 2010. Prior to watching Dick Clark count things down (how sad was that?!?), we went to the Lawrence Historical Society's Hogmanay Bonfire. The fire was a welcome source of warmth on the drizzly night. And, as if the bonfire wasn't awesome enough, Calvin scored some tight 2010 glasses that made us the sight to be seen at the bonfire.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 3:38 PM

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How do you get 20,000 (mostly white) people on their feet in Portland, Oregon? Offer them a free Chalupa from Taco Bell if they cheer their team on to more than 100 points, that's how.

Back in November, we went to the Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers game in Portland, a game the Blazers won 116-93. The people in Portland love their basketball team.

But to sum up the experience of a Trail Blazers game, I refer you to this Bill Simmons column: "First, that's the whitest NBA experience you can have that doesn't involve the words "Salt," "Lake" and City." They didn't play hip-hop either before the game or during the game, each team seemed to have more African-Americans than the entire crowd and the pregame video right before the introduction of Portland's starting lineup was a local grunge band singing "Ballroom Blitz." And second, during a second-quarter timeout, my buddy House and I ran into the concourse to grab beers and noticed there was NOBODY else in line for anything. We felt like Will Smith in "I Am Legend." There was no sign of human life other than the workers. Everyone else stays in their seats. At halftime, those same people pour into the concourse like it's halftime of a football game. I've never seen anything like it. I don't know whether the Blazers have the most loyal, passionate, dutiful fans in the NBA, but at the very least, we can say nobody else tops them."

Search "Rose Garden" in the article for the whole question/answer about Sports Guy's stop in Portland.

Posted by tien mao in Oregon, Photos, Sports, Travel at 3:31 PM

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Merry Christmas, everyone!

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 9:49 AM

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Christina's lovely cats.

Posted by tien mao in Oregon, Photos, Travel at 12:52 PM

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Three more from Timberline on Mount Hood. So close to November skiing!

Posted by tien mao in Oregon, Photos, Travel at 1:49 PM

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Up on Mount Hood in Oregon is the famed Timberline Lodge and its ski resort, which is almost open year round. We went up in November just a week after the resort opened and it was covered in snow already. We didn't have any of our gear, so we didn't even attempt to ski/ride.

And I've made a end of year resolution to myself to go through all my photos of Portland, Taiwan and some others by the end of the year. So for the rest of December and January, there should be many incongruously ordered photos for you to see!

Posted by tien mao in Oregon, Photos, Travel at 9:46 AM

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New to the walls of Gothamist HQ, my mounted turkey head. It's the remainder of Pat, the wonderfully crafted piñata that Mari created for Fakesgiving.

I managed to make the board for the head myself. Well, after Shannan drew the lines.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:04 PM

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What's a trip to Taipei without a stop at Din Tai Fung for soup dumplings! On our first full day in Taiwan, we went to Din Tai Fung for lunch, on what happened to be Japanese Tourist day (Monday). Even by the time we arrived (which was before noon), there was a line outside. Thankfully, they didn't run out of food yet.

How did we know it was Japanese Tourist day at DTF? Well, the place was packed full of Japanese people, the wait staff was speaking to us in Japanese (despite us not being Japanese, obviously) and the soup dumpling instructions even had Japanese on them (no picture). In fact, every time they came to our table, they spoke to us in Japanese! Eventually they caught on when we replied to them with our blank stares.

Needless to say, they were awesome as usual.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 12:15 PM

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After flying halfway across the world to Taiwan (with a stop in Anchorage where we could see Russia), we landed at around 7 in the morning. Tired with jet lag, hungry and wanting to check into our hotel, we were unable to do so for a while since it was so early. So we wandered the streets around our hotel looking for a place to eat. Shannan ruled out anything even slightly western, which was fine. But we were kind of limited in our options because of my out of practice Chinese.

We ended up stumbling upon Yong He, which working out well for our needs. Nevermind the fact that it didn't have an English menu (not that I expected it to) and that I can't read Chinese. There was a lot of mixing and matching of pictures/characters to order, but we ended up getting the food that we wanted, so it all worked out!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 4:42 PM

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Apologies for the lack of updates, but we were away for a week in Taiwan.

While I still have plenty of Portland photos to go through, here's one from our trip last week. It's from the beach of our hotel in Kenting National Park.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 3:54 PM

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Another lunch spot we hit up (non-cart lunch spot), was Bunk Sandwiches in Southeast. Much to my dismay, they didn't have the pork belly sandwich that even the cashier recommended on the day we went. So I went with the meatball parm hero instead. It was good. Better than most pizza place meatball parms that you get, but much smaller as well. I guess I didn't need the extra calories anyway, considering all the other stuff I ate on the trip.

If you do go to Bunk though, be sure to avoid the busy lunch hours. We got there at 11:30 or so and there was a line out the door 20 minutes later.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Oregon, Photos, Travel at 6:49 PM

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Portland's food cart scene is ridiculous. The food carts in Portland don't seem to be of the mobile variety (like the ones in NYC), but mostly parked in parking lots around the city, and mostly concentrated in the downtown area. There are so many carts, in fact, that there's a blog dedicated solely to food carts in the city. For comparisons sake, the sheer quantity of carts in just one of PDX's parking lots puts the Red Hook Ball Fields to shame (in quantity of carts and possibly quality of food — no he didn't? Yes, I did).

In the 10th and Alder (Southwest) parking lot is Nong's Khao Man Gai a Thai cart that specializes in Khao Man Gai, or chicken and rice. They're so specialized, in fact, that it's all they have on their menu. For $6, you get your chicken and rice, a side of ridiculously tasty sauce and some slices of squash as well as a soup (perfect for a chilly Portland day).

As good as the food is, sitting in front of Nong's and watching Nong Poonsukwattana interact with her customers is just as enjoyable.

Possibly the only thing I regret not doing in Portland during this trip was eating at more food carts. I only had time to eat at two. And one cart was actually sold out of meat! WTF?!

More information:
- Nong's Khao Man Gai website
- Nong's on Food Carts Portland
- Profile of Nong on Serious Eats

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Oregon, Photos, Travel at 1:08 PM

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If you like pancakes and you like cooking food at your own table, then Slappy Cakes in Southeast Portland is your heaven. At Slappy Cakes, which just opened two weeks ago, you can make pancakes at your table with your choice of toppings. But don't worry, if you're not into paying to make your own food (which I totally understand), then you can order pancakes from the kitchen. And if you don't want pancakes, they have other food for your tummy.

The way it works is you order a bottle of batter (buttermilk, buckwheat, vegan and gluten-free and carrot) and then cook your preferred pancakes at the oiled griddle at your table. The downside of Slappy Cakes, much like Korean BBQ and any "self-cook" restaurant, is that you leave smelling a little like the food you were preparing. And no matter how easy pancake making is, you can still fuck them up (see 4th photo). You can also order a bacon strip in your bloody mary, something that apparently isn't very popular yet.

I'm wondering how long until New York City gets one of these.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Oregon, Photos, Travel at 11:10 AM

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Get ready for an onslaught of food porn from Portland. While out there last week, we ate our way through the city (kind of, anyway). After asking people where we should eat in Portland, several people responded with suggestions.

One of those suggestions was Mother's in Southwest (the city is divided into five areas, primarily using the Willamette River for east/west and Burnside Street for north/south). I ordered the wild salmon hash while Shannan had the grilled portabella mushroom scramble. Delicious!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Oregon, Photos, Travel at 9:10 AM

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I'm told that November in Portland is pretty rainy, and after two days here, I can tell you that that's been very, very true. But ever so briefly on Saturday, the rain let up and there was a rainbow!

More rain in the forecast for most of this week. Fun times.

Posted by tien mao in Oregon, Photos, Travel at 12:41 PM

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For Halloween, which I really hate dressing up for (as an adult), Shannan made us some bobble heads. They both came out really, well and actually bobbled. Somewhat creepy though, were the eyes that were painted onto the head.

The day after Halloween was the 2009 NYC Marathon and event with almost 44,000 people from around the world running in the streets of New York. I love the marathon, but I don't think I would ever run it. So maybe I should say "I love watching the marathon."

In the 1st marathon photo, you can see eventual women's winner Derartu Tulu (blue top on the right). Leading the men at mile 12 was eventual winner Meb Keflezighi, the first American to win the NYC Marathon in 27 years. Does that guy in the 3rd marathon photo look familiar? That's because it's Anthony Edwards! You may recognize him from such movies as Top Gun and Revenge of the Nerds and TV shows like ER. If you're wondering, he does respond to people (me) yelling "Go Goose!" Edwards was running for the charity Shoe4Africa, which is raising money to build a public children's hospital in Kenya. And, yes, that last photo is of a guy carrying an Eiffel Tower replica.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos, Sports at 8:48 AM

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Two weekends ago, we went down to the Princeton area to visit Johnny and Katie at their wonderful new home. One of the fun things we did was go to a farm to pick pumpkins (they were already out of the patch) and then carve them!

From top to bottom: my pumpkin, Shannan's, Maggie's, Calvin's, Katie's, Johnny's and the fun you can have while carving pumpkins.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 8:45 AM

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There's nothing that screams Fall like a foliage and an apple festival. This past weekend, we went up to Grand Isle in Northern Vermont (we're talking really close to Canada) with a group of friends for a relaxing retreat. It also happened to be the South Hero Applefest which was like a craft fare, yard sale and celebration of apples all rolled into one. One vendor at the Applefest was selling maple cotton candy, which I'm crowning as the best cotton candy I've ever had (and I love me some cotton candy).

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 12:40 PM

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Last Sunday finally brought and end to the miserable 2009 Mets season. A season where I went to entirely too many games (curses to that season ticket). But through a stroke of luck, we ended up in the front row on the field level for the final out of the stadium's inaugural season. Following the game was the Mr. Met Dash on the field for season ticket holders (not that they actually checked). Also, the word dash is very generous for the event. You're really just walking around the field as the people tell you not to stop. But at least we got to step on three bases (2nd, 3rd, and home).

If you're wondering what's going on in the 3rd photo, it's David robbing a home run with his newspaper.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 3:51 PM

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Last Friday, the National Park Service allowed night visitors to the Statue of Liberty for the first time ever as part of National Parks Week NYC. Two boatloads of passengers headed over to the island at about 7pm, just in time to catch the end of the sun set over New Jersey. I took a lot of photos of Lady Liberty, but eventually they all end up looking the same. The ones here are the ones I liked the most.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:30 PM

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The people sure got their money's worth in this garbage haul.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:16 PM

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Not surprisingly, the new dedicated bike lane on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg and the change in traffic patterns have caused some outrage in north Brooklyn. The new lane was just finished a couple of weeks ago and people are still getting used to it (see cyclist using right side of road in 2nd picture). As much as I like the new, dedicated lanes, I had no problem at all with the old lanes. In my opinion, this mostly seems like a pain in the ass for people that used Kent before. But once people get used to it, I'm sure it will be fine.

One person that wasn't used to the change (or just decided to ignore it) was a minivan driver that went south (against traffic) IN THE BIKE LANE despite the obvious green paint and signs saying the street is now one way. This guy drove the whole block in the bike lane, forcing me and another cyclist to move out of the way into the parking lane. I can only hope I don't see this happen again.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 1:45 PM

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This past Saturday we took a short drive with Calvin and Maggie upstate to hike Breakneck Ridge. Let the name scare you, for Breakneck does indeed have its scary parts. In fact, one description of the trail said, "If you deviate much from the rock ledges that comprise most of the trail, you'll fall hundreds of feet down the mountain's south face. Take utmost care on Breakneck, as carelessness has occasionally resulted in deaths." Another description reads, "while the clearly marked trail is easy to navigate even for first-timers, Breakneck Ridge may not be recommended for height-fearing folk prone to vertigo." Wonderful!

The start of the hike, a scramble up very rocky terrain, is the most difficult and time consuming. I would show you multiple pictures of the amazing view, but I was too exhausted to take out my camera more than a couple of times. For a good idea of what the climb looks like, check out this Wikipedia image. The start of the hike is from the stone structure at the foot of the mountain (left side on the Hudson River) and you essentially work your way up next to/along the exposed rock.

Once you reach the top, the trail becomes slightly easier, but the key here is to choose your descent wisely. We went with what seemed like the longest trail down the mountain. It didn't help that we got lost (despite having a trail map), resulting in an extra 1/2 miles of walking. Nor did running out of water with about two hours left on the hike help either.

If we go again, we'll probably take the shorter route down.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 12:25 PM

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Sunday when we returned home from upstate, we saw this this horrifically mangled car sitting across the street from our apartment. With a police station also across the street, we'll sometimes see impounded vehicles and cars that were damaged in accidents before they're moved to another location.

This accident occurred early Sunday morning in Greenpoint (Green and Provost) and it looks like the car just flew into some sort of pole. The car was bent right at the driver's side door. People were saying that the accident killed the driver (not surprising given the damage) and that the girlfriend in the car was at Bellevue and had regained consciousness by Sunday night. It also looks like the jaws of life were needed to extract the victims since the roof is totally cut off.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 12:14 PM

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Anyone who has taken the 7 train into Queens is surely familiar with the graffiti covered building in Long Island City called 5 Pointz. The building owners allow for graffiti artists to use the exterior as a canvas as long as they don't use curses, religion or race in their artwork. Inside, the building was mostly used as artists studios. But earlier this year, after an exterior staircase collapsed, the building was shut down until the appropriate renovations could be made. The owners later determined that the repairs were impossibly expensive and the tenants were told to have everything out by this Saturday. Last weekend, I went over to the building to take some pictures of the interior and roof (the exterior should still be a canvas for graffiti). More photos over at Gothamist.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 11:23 AM

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I was thinking that the gold at the end of it would be a Wild Card, but then they lost 2 of 3 to the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks. And yes, the Wild Card is a case of extreme optimism, but I guess you gotta believe?

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 5:57 PM

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Who needs a safari when you can go to Disney's Animal Kingdom! That's a giraffe right next to our safari-like vehicle.

The Tree of Life is the central "attraction" in the park. It has different animals carved (formed, really) into the fake tree.

Not pieces of leather, but bats.

Oooh. Tigers!

Dinosaur skeleton in the "DINOSAUR" ride. It was an awful, awful ride (and there are lots of those). Shannan couldn't stop laughing, but kids in front of us were terrified. It was also really, really loud.

Expedition Everest in the background. That was actually a good ride.

The next stop on our Disney adventure was Animal Kingdom. I actually believe this was the favorite stop for Shannan and her sister at a non-water themed Disney park. There is lots of stuff to do at Animal Kingdom — rides, zoo-like things, safari. And they have those huge turkey legs like every other Disney park (nobody bought one here though). Wikipedia says it's the newest of the four main parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios being the other three) and the largest single Disney theme park in the world.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 6:15 PM

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The iconic Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom.

There's Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. Well, statues of them.

These turkey legs are naturally large! No, probably not.

The evening parade through the streets of the Magic Kingdom. I'm not sure how parents kept their children up so late. Oh yeah, bottles of Coke for their 5 year olds!

Hey! It's Mickey Mouse. I think the only time I saw him on the trip.

Chip and Dale play the piano.

Cinderella in her pumpkin carriage with Prince Charming (not pictured).

Donald Duck!!

Next up on our adult trip to Disney World was Magic Kingdom! It's probably the most child-targeted Disney Park, which is saying a lot since they're all targeted at children.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 7:18 PM

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These people are excited! Even on the tram.

I'm wearing the hat from The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Only a hat this large could work for my head.

The theme continues.

Inside The Hollywood Tower Hotel.

It's quite scary.

No pirates nearby on the studio backlot tour.

Earthquake! Fire! Flood!

Didn't see Steve Zissou...

or LiLo.

I'm not sure the last time I went to Disney World (I'm sure my mom will tell me), but last week, I went down to Florida with Shannan, Mickala and Brian for an adult vacation at the Disney parks. It's like I won the Super Bowl! It was both Shannan and her sister's first visit to a Disney park. Our first stop was Hollywood Studios.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 7:14 PM

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Apparently down below the cliffs at Gay Head is a nude beach. They didn't have signs pointing this out on the cliffs. I do wonder if that kid using the telescope discovered the nude sunbathers though.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 2:21 PM

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Over the weekend, we headed up to Cape Cod with a bunch of friends. We all stayed in a beautiful house with what seemed like 40 other people. While the water was freezing, it was still a beautiful weekend.

More pictures to come.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 4:58 PM

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Way back in early June, Shannan and I went on a tour of the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel in Brooklyn Heights. The tunnel, built in 1844, is the oldest subway tunnel in the world and is a half mile long. It was originally built to accommodate LIRR trains that lacked breaks good enough to run above ground.

The hour and a half long tour, which is led by Bob Diamond, goes deep into the history of the tunnel and all the research and work that Bob did to find the long abandoned tunnel in 1979. The tunnel is an impressive piece of work and it's almost hard to believe that it's in perfect condition to this day (gotta love those Sandhogs).

I would recommend making a reservation with the BHRA for its next tour of the tunnel.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, NYC, Photos at 6:31 PM

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Pictured are strawberries, a bunch of lavender, pea shoots, and garlic scapes. Not pictured asparagus, cilantro, rhubarb, sugar snap peas, mesclun, kale, and eggs.

Some of this helped make a tasty dinner on Sunday night!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 3:47 PM

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Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 5:23 PM

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Apparently the parade (Festival of Chariots or Rath Yatra)culminated with a vegetarian feast in Washington Square Park. Of course, I had just left Madison Square Park where I, and thousands of other people, were gorging themselves on pork and cow at the Big Apple Barbecue. New York City is random like that.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, NYC, Photos at 1:58 PM

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This year's Belmont Stakes wasn't nearly as crowded as years past. I guess the lack of a Triple Crown possibility will do that. But the weather was perfect and the favorite didn't win the 141st running of the stakes. Summer Bird (pictured before the race in picture #2) won pretty easily after it passed Dunkirk and Mine That Bird.

More photos over at flickr.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Sports at 12:49 PM

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Last Friday, I was fortunate enough to head out to Long Island to check out The Horsemen and their P-51 Mustangs. Not only did I get to walk around and take pictures of the airplanes themselves, but I got to go up in one of them for a short flight. Ed Shipley took me out over South Oyster Bay for a couple of rolls (one regular and one four point) and a loop. He also let me take the control for another roll.

I'm happy to say that I didn't throw up in the back seat, despite it being my first time in a non-commercial airplane. It was certainly the experience of a lifetime.

Posted by tien mao in Photos at 1:50 PM

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Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos, Travel at 1:29 PM

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Why go to the beach when you can use your American Flag umbrella on the old, ratty couch that you keep in the garbage room of your basement. What better way to protect your eyes from the fluorescent lights.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:18 PM

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Dupont Circle station in the Washington DC Metro.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 5:47 PM

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This Saturday, Shannan and I drove down to Maryland for my cousin's wedding at Montpelier Mansion. Since we had a 4 hour drive down to the wedding, we decided to change once we got to the wedding, which we got to just as it was starting. We sat down as Ying was walking down the isle with her father.

Lessons learned from this wedding: Don't let my uncle (or my dad, for that matter) speak at our wedding and there's a reason, the bride and groom don't traditionally speak at the wedding.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos, Travel at 1:08 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:45 PM

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If you're debating whether to see Cirque du Soleil's Kooza this summer or hold off and see their holiday show Wintuk, let me settle that little quandary. DO NOT see Wintuk. It sucked. Kooza, in comparison, was awesome. There were parts that I thought were stupid (specifically, the juggler) and parts that I thought were unnecessary (I don't care about the storyline), but there were a couple acts of the show that were just amazing.

One small pain about the show was getting to it. Randall's Island is not easy to get to unless you have a car.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:49 PM

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Last week, when the Spacebuster (a portable event space) made a stop in DUMBO last week for an architecture contest, I was able to take some photos from outside and even got to go inside while they were setting up.

Full set on flickr.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:24 PM

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While skiing at Vail, you can eat barbecue at 11,000' at Wildwood Restaurant. As with all the on-mountain food, it's not cheap. But if you've already eaten your homemade sandwich for a really early lunch, a late lunch of BBQ is good stuff. And since the weather was so nice on our final day, we ate our food outside in the glaring sun.

Posted by tien mao in Colorado, Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos, Travel at 6:21 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 12:25 PM

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Monday night, I headed out to Flushing for the first official Mets game at their new stadium, Citi Field. It's a very nice stadium (especially in comparison to Shea), but there are some quirks: I can't see the whole field from my seats, the food lines (for the really good stuff) are insanely long, and I found the seats kind of uncomfortable.

I'm sure I'll learn to love the stadium though, just like I loved Shea.

And if you want, you can click on the image for a much larger version.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 12:47 PM

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We're leaving Vail on Tuesday after getting here late last Thursday. We were scheduled to ski for four days, but unfortunately Shannan broke her arm on the very first day. While Matty was able to get all four days in, I was only able to get onto the mountain for two days. Today (my 2nd of the two days) was great though. We had awesome weather and made many, many runs. It was a good way to end a trip with upsetting moments. On the plus side, Shannan did break her arm in one of the places with the most orthopedic expertise in the country.

Posted by tien mao in Colorado, Photos, Travel at 9:58 PM

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Thursday afternoon, I'm heading west for a few days of skiing in Vail. Now you may think that April means spring skiing conditions, but thanks to Mother Nature, there will be mid-season-like conditions. In the last 7 days, 34" of snow have been dumped on the mountains of Vail. It's been snowing for what seems like 10 days straight and it's going to be awesome.

(Photo above from a 2007 trip.)

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 6:51 PM

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Rising up on Bowery St. on Cooper Square is a new addition to Cooper Union — an academic building designed by famed architect Thom Mayne of Morphosis. The building exterior is partially clad in a perforated stainless steel panels, which can be moved to maximize energy efficiency.

Faaancy! Cooper Union has a nice page full of renderings of the project if you want to see what it's supposed to look like when finished.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:55 PM

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Making meatballs is absurdly easy. That's what I discovered last weekend after we bought some meat at the grocery store. It's like making meatloaf, if not easier. You just have to play with raw meat a little more, which is somewhat unappetizing, but the end result is worth it.

And not only did I make the meatballs in the picture, I also made the tomato sauce. The bread is from the grocery store.

If you're wondering what it looked like as I was cooking, this video should give you a good idea:

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos at 3:55 PM

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Things that sound gross don't always taste bad. For example, when I first saw the Oreo WaferStick, I thought "ew, that's disgusting." But it was actually pretty tasty. I had the same thought about the chocolate flavored Skittles, but those were actually disgusting. Some of the flavors were okay (brownie batter and chocolate pudding), but overall, they were a pretty awful tasting pack of Skittles.

So if you ever find yourself thinking about buying these Skittles, don't do it!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos at 5:04 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:17 PM

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Yay Willa! 1 year old.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 11:25 AM

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The largest snowstorm this winter hit NYC last night and continued into today. It doesn't look like it from this picture, but there are at least 7" of snow out there. I would have been even happier with some more. Oh well.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:17 PM

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A small group of us went down to Atlantic City this past weekend to celebrate Johnny's birthday. The Borgata was nice enough to upgrade us to a suite ("sweet," said Johnny). We didn't spend all that much time in the room, but the view was pretty nice. We could see the Atlantic Ocean from the room as well as Harrah's and Trump Marina.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 1:56 PM

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Here's a panorama (click for larger image) from the top of that 90-foot snowboard ramp that Red Bull constructed in East River Park.

Sorry updates have been so sporadic. Ever since finishing up last year's project of taking at least a photo a day for a year, it's been hard to get motivated to take photos. I usually only break it out when I have a specific event/item to take a photo of and not to fulfill a daily need to use it. Not sure if that makes sense at all.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 3:57 PM

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Last Thursday, the Red Bull Snowscrapers competition took place in NYC on a man-made 9-story ramp in East River Park. The morning before the event, I went down to East River Park to take some photos for Gothamist. It was cold and windy — and that's before I walked up the stairs to the top of the 90-foot ramp.

But the views from the top were pretty ridiculous. I'm not terrified of heights or anything, but I'm happy that I didn't look straight down over the edge of the platform.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 11:44 AM

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Any thoughts that people had about Calvin being crazy were confirmed yesterday. Last week, the Bacon Explosion was featured in a Times article and what does Calvin make for a Super Bowl party? The Bacon Explosion, of course. Two pounds of bacon, two pounds of sausage, all rolled into one huge log of pork. It was ridiculous and insanely over the top (and I love bacon). That said, it was surprisingly tasty, if not really salty. It's a good thing I was stuffed on lots of other food, otherwise I might have wanted to eat more than one piece of this monster.

Oh, that exploding sound was my heart from eating the Bacon Explosion. My heart aches a little just from looking at these pictures. At the same time, my stomach grumbles.

And if you're wondering what a Bacon Explosion is, here's the breakdown: a woven bacon exterior, with two pounds of sausage inside, and even more bacon inside that.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 12:36 PM

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You can see this larger on flickr.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 6:08 PM

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It was the Knicks versus the Houston Rockets, but on the first day of the New Year, there was no Yao Ming to be found! Despite all the Chinese New Year themed activities and pre-game warmups, Yao left all the Chinese people in the stands disappointed as he sat out another game to rest his knee.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 1:49 PM

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Happy New Year!!

Above are photos of what we ate to celebrate the Year of the Ox. The highlight, as always, was the lion's head meatballs. MMMMMMM!!!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos at 5:15 PM

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Based on the Mosstika website, this moss graffiti probably went up sometime in the summer of 2008. But as you can see, it's yet to fall completely off the wood or degrade.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:15 PM

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Last night was apparently the first time that the Empire State Building has changed its colors just for the Presidential Inauguration. That's special, but I don't think the color combination is very different than the building's standard red/white/blue look.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:00 PM

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With the weather brutally cold in much of the United States, I thought I would put this photo up from last summer. It was one of the photos I nearly overlooked as I was doing Project365, "Oh shit, how did I end up 3 photos short with only 10 days left in the year!"

I wonder what the man on the platform is thinking.

Posted by tien mao in Film, NYC, Photos at 11:14 AM

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I saw this last Friday and wasn't sure if it was a cloud or a contrail.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:28 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:34 PM

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The cake that Margaret bought for Shannan was so tasty that Jonas kept some around for eating later.

Jonas actually did a very good job of washing the cake off moments after this photo was taken.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 6:33 PM

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On January 1st, 2008, I started out on an insane project that many other people have done: taking at least one photo every day for the entire year. After taking the photo, I eventually (usually not the next day) put them onto flickr. Some, but not all, of the photos have appeared here. But the photos are all in one set on flickr.

You may think taking a photo every day for 365 days is easy, but I actually found it really, really hard. It was extra hard in 2008 because there were 366 days.

I encourage you to take a look at the photo set that turned out. It's an interesting capsule into one year of my life.

Posted by tien mao in Film, Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Illinois, Mortimer, NYC, Photos, Randolph, Sports, Travel at 12:08 PM

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Woo! Or maybe good riddance? More on flickr.

It seems like we really, really loved those 2009 glasses.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 6:10 PM

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"Thing" said yes.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 4:09 PM

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After a horrific day of travel on the 23rd (we're talking like 15 hours to get to our final destination), we did up Christmas with Shannan's family. And I challenge anyone to show me a tree with more gifts under/around it than this one. There's a whole toy chest with gifts in it as well as some obscured gifts on the left side. It puts our tiny Brooklyn tree to shame. Shame!

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 6:56 PM

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I'm heading to Illinois to do some cold-weather farming tomorrow morning, so no updates until next week! Have a nice holidays, everyone!

Posted by tien mao in House and Home, NYC, Photos at 5:23 PM

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These were real snowflakes from Tuesday, not the cutout paper kind at the holiday party.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:50 PM

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In a yearly bout of goodwill towards their DUMBO tenants, Two Trees had their annual holiday party last night. Maybe it's me, but it seemed very crowded last night. And unlike 4 years ago, they didn't have any rice krispy treats from Rice for dessert. Tough economic times!!

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:43 PM

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In #174, they store track lubrication. I'm not exactly sure how they get the lubricant onto the track. I assume they have some sort of tubes, hoses, pipes.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:00 PM

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Almost immediately after entering Rockefeller Plaza, I cursed myself for using it to cut from 5th Ave to 6th Ave. Gone was the, "Oh, I might as well see the tree while I'm up here" attitude, replaced by "Why can't these tourists walk faster!?!" I still ended up taking a picture though. But I did make sure I was out of the way.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:21 PM

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There's nothing quite like unboxing a new Apple product. Sadly, this one isn't mine, but Shannan's new MacBook Pro. It's pretty, very pretty.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:16 PM

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We had these frames at home that we've been meaning to use and I finally got around to ordering prints. This is how they seem to be turning out.

Posted by tien mao in Film, House and Home, NYC, Photos at 6:32 PM

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When your girlfriend is working late into the night, having Daisy May's BBQ delivered and joining her for dinner is a nice thing to do. At least, I thought it was a nice thing to do.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 6:08 PM

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Saturday night, we headed to a farewell dinner for a family friend at Danny Ng's Place on Bowery. There was a ridiculous amount of delicious food, including that conch dish in the second picture. Incidentally, I think conch is my favorite seafood item. The "food item" in the third picture is a pig's hoof, which still has hair on it. Ew. I didn't have any of that dish.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 5:57 PM

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I thought she was sitting somewhat model-like, so I told her to hold the position while I took some pictures.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 6:55 PM

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You don't have to worry about the football Bears, but on occasion you have to watch out for bears walking the streets of NYC. Or drinking beer in NYC.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 6:07 PM

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I've never met Dante and the last time I saw Mike and Rion was a year ago, but over the weekend, they brought Dante to Brooklyn to meet everyone. Even though Dante's everywhere on the Internet, meeting a baby in person is still totally different. I mean, I've never seen him fall, hit his head on the floor and cry in pictures, but in person I was able to see it three times! And he managed to stop crying soon after each time.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 6:12 PM

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I love Thanksgiving! Too bad those football games sucked. This year, Shannan and I made garlic mashed potatoes as well as a pumpkin pie. It was the first time I made pumpkin pie and it turned out really, really good and I discovered it's absurdly easy to make.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 2:54 PM

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I want to start taking photos of the entrances/exits to the subway. I'm sure it's been done already, but I just thought it would be fun. Not really all the stuff actually at street level, but looking up the stairs, down the stairs, stuff like that. It's kind of similar to an idea Shannan had a few years ago, to take a photo of every station in the subway system, but that never got off the ground. I'm not nearly as ambitious -- I just hope to take photos of a few stations here and there when the opportunity arises.

This photo is from the Nassau Ave. G stop at the southwest corner of Norman and Manhattan Avenues.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:12 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:14 PM

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Saturday night, we went out to Sunset Park to check out Zach's new apartment (very nice and it seemed to have a woman's touch) and to have some good Mexican food. We went to Tacos Matamoros, which Peter Meehan of The Times said, "were some of the best, if not the best, tacos I’ve had in New York." Pictured (not that you can see the meat) are two carne asada tacos (left, center) and a chorizo taco (right). I actually liked the chorizo one better, though the carne asada tacos were pretty good.

So much for hating Mexican food, huh? Well, I still hate the bean aspect. And I'm not so into all that enchilada business.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 6:35 PM

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Posted by tien mao in Photos at 6:22 PM

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Posted by tien mao in Culture, Photos at 6:37 PM

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At Dia:Beacon, they have a whole room with a series of paintings by Andy Warhol. Shadows consists of 102 paintings that are hung edge-to-edge around the whole room. Warhold said that Shadows was actually "one painting with...parts."

Posted by tien mao in Concerts/Music, Photos at 4:49 PM

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I took this picture Saturday outside Dia:Beacon. It was my time there and I must say that it was very cool.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, Friends/Family, Photos at 3:59 PM

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Neil does!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 5:30 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:12 PM

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I had never seen a submarine moving in the waters of NYC. Until last week, that is. The U.S.S. Growler was returning to the Intrepid Museum via the East River last week when we spotted it in our office.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:30 PM

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Garbage, okay. Poo, no.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 11:08 AM

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As usual, there were several great Halloween costumes, but I think this is the best one I personally saw. Dan is dressed up as the Gorton's Fisherman. Well done, Dan!

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 5:54 PM

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It felt really good to open The Times this morning to this cover.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, NYC, Photos at 11:27 AM

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I've never voted anywhere but in New York City. In 1996, I voted in the presidential election by absentee ballot from Michigan, but the voting system in NYC is the only one I know. And photo #2 is what it looks like. I've used them since high school school, when we used them for school-wide elections (class president, etc). NYC is so old school.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 11:31 AM

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Sunday was the best sporting yearly sports event in the city, the 2008 New York City Marathon. Almost 40,000 people from around the world participated - top-notch athletes, wheelchair athletes, blind athletes, and regular people. Even entering a marathon and running is impressive, but finishing it? I can't even imagine doing that.

Paula Radcliffe (right in the first picture) won the women's race for the second year in a row and third time overall in a time of 2:23:56. Marilson Gomes dos Santos (yellow shirt in the second photo), not leading at mile 12 where I was, won his second NYC Marathon title in a time of 2:08:43. Very impressive on both parts.

More impressive? Calvin and Maggie both ran the marathon...and finished. Calvin finished in 4:15:28, beating his goal of 4:30 despite a leg injury that almost kept him from running. I suspect he finished early because he didn't stop to pee. Maggie, who had lots of energy at mile 12, finished with a time of 4:26:17. Congratulations to both and all the people that competed (and finished) yesterday. To celebrate, Calvin had some White Castle.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 9:46 AM

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I think the first time I had this tasty drink was when I was visiting Taiwan. Ever so briefly this summer, I saw it at a store in Chinatown. Naturally, I bought some. And it was delicious.

What does it taste like? This is how they describe it on Facebook:
"A crisp and light beverage. It has an apple flavor, but its not an apple cider. Its more like a light sparkling citrus drink like 7up or Sprite. But the apple flavor adds a nice soft edge where the usual lemon-lime drink can be a bit harsh or overly sweet.

This drink is crisp & sweet with dusty apple skin flavors, kind of subtle and enticing additions to the flavor. Overall it is mellow and juicy, a refreshing drink."

I would say that's pretty accurate.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos at 5:59 PM

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Way back in July, we saw this scene in Long Island City. I would find out later that they were filming Ugly Betty with Lindsay Lohan at this fast food joint. I think the episodes that they were filming then have been airing recently. At least, that's what I gather from the commercials I've seen on ABC.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:07 PM

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Um, it's already too late, no?

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:15 PM

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Last night at Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard Jori and Matty got married! The wedding reception had the most dancing at a wedding that I've seen in a long time. I think there was maybe one song the band played that wasn't danced to. It was crazy.

And the table I was at had an insanely large centerpiece (it didn't even fit in the picture). The most popular food related item last night had to be the chocolate fountains. Right after I took this picture, people swarmed the fountain - like bees to chocolate, if you will.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 3:53 PM

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Everytime I finish up a checkup at my orthodontist, I walk to work via the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. And whenever I do this, I try to take a picture. This photo is from today. I wonder what it will look like in January when I have my next appointment. I'm guessing it will be so cold that I won't want to stop to shoot a photo.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:27 PM

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With Shannan away on vacation for 10 days, I was given the task of moving her car. That's no easy feat considering it's a stick shift (something that I'm pretty bad at driving) and that finding parking in NYC is never easy. But the other night when I got home, I noticed 5 parking spots on my block! I figured that no matter how many times I stalled driving the car around back to our block, there was a good chance that there would be a spot for me.

Lucky for me, I didn't stall once and the spot I pulled into was actually two spots so I didn't even have to parallel park.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:40 PM

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They don't travel well, especially from the Upper West Side all the way to DUMBO. Though it would have still been really good if I didn't already eat lunch.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 6:57 PM

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Saturday, the Vendy Awards took place at the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO. It was a fun, tummy filling event that resulted in the Calexico Carne Asada cart winning the Vendy Cup.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 7:22 PM

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I didn't want to leave work until the above cloud passed. Thankfully, it moved north, so I can now leave. I just hope I don't catch up with it by riding the subway.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:57 PM

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Even right outside my apartment!

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:43 PM

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People seemed to really like this photo on flickr, so here it is on the site. When I took it, I just thought it was "eh", but what do I know.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:52 PM

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In the top photo, chicken nuggets are dipping themselves in BBQ sauce and a just hatched nugget is drinking egg whites. On the bottom, a rabbit is grooming itself in its display.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 6:45 PM

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Banksy recently opened a new exhibition up in the West Village at a storefront he's named The Village Pet Store and Grill. Pictured is fish sticks in a fish bowl. Brilliant!

See the full gallery over at Gothamist.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 6:38 PM

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From Bowlmor Lanes' 70th Anniversary Party last night.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 6:25 PM

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This was over the weekend, but in the summer, people just sleep in the park all night.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:34 PM

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Guess who won the Chuck D Cup in Brooklyn Kickball yesterday? The Bacon Bits! We beat the John Cougar Mellencamps in thrilling fashion, 8-7. It was a tense 9-inning game that featured a few lead changes and several ties.

The other side of the ball features Hillary Duff's signature. Cool, I suppose, but she's no Chuck D.

The Bacon Bits have come a long, long way in three seasons. Congrats to all the other people on the team.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 3:54 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:16 PM

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I've flown in and out of Detroit International Airport's McNamara Terminal plenty of times, but I've never seen this tunnel to get between concourses before. If you happen to fly with one of Northwest's code share partners (Delta, Continental, etc) into or out of Detroit, you might see this colorful tunnel. It goes from the A terminal to the B and C terminal. The colors change behind the curved glass behind the wall and you can hear sounds of a rain storm while you ride the people mover. Probably not the best sound in an industry that can be affected by weather.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 6:36 PM

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but it may also make you salivate. Saturday morning, a few of us went to Zingerman's for breakfast. I decided to go with the breakfast B.L.T.: Applewood-smoked bacon, Vermont cheddar, lettuce, tomato & mayo on toasted Bakehouse white bread. Topped with an over-easy egg.

Mmm...heart attack!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Travel at 5:25 PM

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This weekend, we took the annual trip to Ann Arbor to watch Michigan Football. The weather on Friday was a little daunting and I wasn't sure we would make it out of NYC at all, but to my surprise, we were only delayed about 45 minutes.

The game was great, and a tale of two halves for Michigan. In the first half, Michigan turned it over 5 times and had only 63 feet of total offense. Yes, that's right, they only had 21 yards! By the end of the half, Wisconsin was winning 19-0, a margin that should have been much, much larger. But the second half, Michigan finally got things going offensively. They managed to piece together the biggest comeback in Michigan Stadium history, fittingly on the day they played the 500th game at the Big House.

It was yet another awesome game that I've witnessed at Michigan Stadium. Ahh, memories.

Much larger version of the photo here on flickr.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Sports, Travel at 5:39 PM

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I've been a Mets fan for 20+ years and this week (maybe early next week) the final regular season game will be played out at Shea Stadium. I think most Mets fans will agree that they won't be missing the stadium, but it's still the place the Mets have called home since 1964. Next year, the team will move into the sparkling Citi Field (cost, $610 million) leaving their $28.5 million stadium to become a parking lot.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 2:30 PM

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Jake's got it, and plenty more C215 in color over at Streetsy.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:18 PM

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The stars of 'My Best Friend's Girl' get a makeover in this movie ad in the NYC Subway system. From left to right, that's Kate Hudson, Dane Cook, and Jason Biggs. The poster with the original photo is on IMDB.

Posted by tien mao in Movies, NYC, Photos at 6:08 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:28 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:27 PM

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Outside the stone dealers.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:28 PM

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Grandma style pizza from Driggs Pizza with pepperoni and pesto. It was quite delicious, but also quite oily.

What's grandma style, you ask? Adam's got a pretty good description:
"Essentially a thin-crust Sicilian. I've gotten guff for saying that in the past, so if any of you out there want to correct me and argue for a workable definition of this style, please comment. It was sort of a Long Island thing until the past couple of years, when it started making inroads into the boroughs of New York City. Typically has a fresh, lightly seasoned sauce."

In fact, Sliceboy lists out many regional style pizzas. I didn't get an upskirt for the pizza-perv though.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 5:59 PM

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Randolph generally likes to chew on flower petals, and I thought he would at least investigate the sunflower petals. But to my surprise, the sunflower hasn't experienced a nibble yet.

Posted by tien mao in House and Home, NYC, Photos at 5:17 PM

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It's further and further away, but still remembered by all in New York City.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:12 PM

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Recently in DUMBO, the city opened up a passageway under the Manhattan Bridget that makes it easer to walk from one side of the bridge to the other. It's nice, but I don't really understand the artwork. It's like DOT fencing on leftover DOT steel. I suppose it does add some color to the dreary archway.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 7:05 PM

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A couple weekends ago, we took another trip out to Spicy & Tasty with my parents. I thought it was better this time than it was previously. Also, that 3rd photo is some strange pork dish covered with rice. It was pretty strange looking and I didn't love the taste. I liked that fish dish (last photo) the most.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:31 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 1:57 PM

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Last night, I made my own English muffin pizzas using homemade tomato sauce from earlier in the week, some mozerella cheese, pepperoni, and Thomas' 100 Calorie Original English Muffin. First, I toasted the English muffins to crisp them up a little. After adding all the toppings, I baked them in my toaster oven. I would say they turned out pretty well!

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos at 6:38 PM

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One moment she loves the camera, the next she's tired of it, and eventually she just wants to play with her feet.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 6:19 PM

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Not like the No Homer(s) Club.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 4:51 PM

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While we were taking the Water Taxi between Manhattan and Red Hook, we saw the MS Caribbean Princess. Launched in 2004 at a cost of $500 million, the boat is 951 feet long and holds 3100 passengers (plus 1200 crewmembers).

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:14 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:00 PM

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And it's not me. Besides, it's not really my shade of lipstick.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 6:03 PM

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In a storefront in DUMBO, Brooklyn sits a carousel that is unused during most of the year. It's a vintage carousel that was restored by Jane Walentas (her husband David essentially shaped/created the neighborhood of DUMBO). Without a place to go since its restoration, Jane Walentas' carousel sits in this space and is only open a few days a week. I've never seen it lit up before, but spotted it lit with nobody around a couple of weeks ago.

Below is a piece CBS Sunday Morning did on Jane and her carousel.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:58 PM

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The Mowabb Edition (top) and the Air Max '95 Edition (bottom).

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Sports at 6:28 PM

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Sunday in Prospect Park, my first BBQ in that park. There was tons of food. Seriously. More than one could possibly eat.

*By Mr. T, I mean Terrance.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 6:35 PM

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Saturday afternoon, after getting brunch at Lokal (poor service, undercooked eggs), Shannan and I stopped by the green market in McCarren Park. On our way out, we spotted the stand selling Ronnybrook Yogurt. Shannan was hesitant about buying a drinkable yogurt at first, but I decided to get a blueberry and pomegranate yogurt. Just after crossing the street, we opened it, tasted it, and promptly turned around to buy some more. We ended up bringing seven home. I wouldn't be surprised if they're all gone by the time I get home.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 6:12 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:31 PM

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Way back in the middle of June (almost exactly two months ago), Matty and I went to Spicy & Tasty in Flushing. We were planning on a Mets game, but torrential rain put a damper (hahahaha) in those plans.

After waiting briefly for a table, we were seated and ordered some of the items that Frank Bruni mentioned in his NY Times review a while back. While the food was occasionally spicy, and occasionally tasty, I didn't think it was all that spicy or tasty. It was good, but it wasn't blow my socks off, give it two stars good. Granted, it was only one meal, so it's hard to judge the place on that visit.

I'll just have to go back another time. Hopefully just with the idea of eating and not going to a baseball game.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 6:58 PM

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This is what it looked like yesterday when I got into the office. Shortly after taking this photo, it started to rain heavily. The storm system also brought hail to parts of the city.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:41 PM

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Whenever I go to an outdoor wedding, I always worry what the weather will be like. What happens if the couple experiences bad weather?? All those plans down the tubes. That wasn't the case Saturday evening for Kim and Mike's wedding at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The weather was beautiful and it was one of the best venues I've attended a wedding at.

There was also lots of vodka at the reception (thankfully, I didn't have much) - we're talking like 10 vodka options.

Anyway, congratulations to Kim and Mike, both of whom I've known since sometime during high school.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 2:37 PM

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I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone eating in Pete's Downtown, yet it seems to have been around for a while.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:03 PM

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I wonder how difficult it was to get parts of the piece in the ridges of the fence.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:10 PM

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The evening clouds in recent weeks have been really cool looking. This photo was the sky over Greenpoint Monday night.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:23 PM

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Sunday afternoon, I attended my first Baptism ever! It was for Willa Margaret and I guess it went as planned. There was crying when the priest put holy water on Willa's head, but in all fairness, the older boy also getting Baptized cried as well.

Considering all the other religious people I know with children (like 2), this could very well have been my first and last appearance at a Baptism.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 6:32 PM

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While some people might know this building for Nobu, I know it as the first apartment I lived in. Until Nobu moved in (after we moved out), I think there was a string of unsuccessful restaurants in the space.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:14 PM

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After Jonas finished (what could have been his first cotton candy ever), he was a sticky mess. Just brushing against me left a sugar stain! Longtime readers will know that I too love cotton candy at baseball games!

And it should be pointed out that I was using a wide angle lens. Really, really wide angle.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos, Sports at 6:34 PM

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The Western Union Building in TriBeCa no longer houses the headquarters of Western Union (they moved out in 1973). Now it serves as a "carrier hotel" for telecommunications companies and is apparently the most important carrier hotel in the world.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 9:13 AM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:01 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:09 PM

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This past Sunday at kickball, there was a team that had a cat at the field! Awesome! His name was Monty, he wasn't on a leash and he had a cute little blue bandanna on his back. He was quite the well behaved cat despite the fact that he gravitated to David, who is allergic to cats.

I did hear that Monty held his own against some curious dogs though.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:49 PM

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There's nothing like cramming copious amounts of food down your throat on a hot and humid day. The challenge: first to 6 hot dogs (max of 10 minutes) and no reversal of fortune. That's what went down Saturday afternoon on Adam's roof, except the Marlon didn't need 10 minutes to down 6 HDB, just a little over 5:30. It wasn't really much of a contest for Marlon.

I think with training, Marlon could be a contender on the professional eating circuit.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 10:49 AM

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There's nothing like coming home to a clean apartment after you've been at work. An apartment that is clean and where your feet squeak on the freshly cleaned floor. That's like the best thing in the world.

Posted by tien mao in House and Home, NYC, Photos at 5:59 PM

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assuming you have an unlimited Metrocard. If you don't, this is still a reasonably priced meal for the area.

All you have to do to buy food at this restaurant is take a trip on the F into Manhattan. One short stop from York Street to East Broadway, you'll find a restaurant at East Broadway and Rutgers Street. There, you can get what's pictured above (three treasures over rice or san bao fan in Mandarin) for the super cheap price of $4.50. It even comes with those veggies. My order had two types of pork and chicken and for an extra charge, I think you can get a fried egg on top.

If only the name of the restaurant didn't escape me right now. But if you go, it's right on the corner with meats hanging in the window. And if you work in DUMBO, you'll be back at your desk in 30 minutes.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 3:15 PM

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Apparently, it got even more absurdly beautiful later.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:33 PM

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This weekend, Shannan and I went down to Virgina for Jason and Elena's wedding. Not only was it a perfect day for the wedding (not too hot, not too humid), but it was a super fast and casual wedding. No long ceremony and I got to wear shorts. That's the perfect wedding in my book.

Not so perfect was the occasional flyover by F-15s (even though I thought it was awesome).

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos, Travel at 12:45 PM

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By the end of the weekend, Jonas was getting tired of having his photo taken, so he covered his face with the sparkler in the photo. Okay, not really. That kid loves to have his photo taken.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 6:03 PM

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I believe Jonas was scared of showing us the bug in the 2nd picture. Even though he was showing the bug just seconds before and after.

No bugs were harmed in the taking of these photos.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 6:48 PM

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It's done by saying cheese a lot (when having your photo taken) and showing the contents of your mouth (also when having your photo taken).

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 6:03 PM

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More photos of Shannan in the yellow/black and white hallway of the Olafur Eliasson exhibit at MoMA.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 5:59 PM

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The winner of the 9th annual young architects program from MoMA/P.S.1 was WORK Architecture Company. As winners, they got to do the summer installation at P.S.1. They called their winning entry is called P.F.1 (Public Farm 1) and has live chickens and is constructed with large cardboard tubes.

From MoMA/P.S.1:
P.F.1 (Public Farm One) is an urban farm concept that evokes the look of a flying carpet landing in the P.S.1 courtyard. Constructed from large cardboard tubes, its top surface will be a working farm, blooming with a variety of vegetables and plants. The structure will create a textured, colorful, and constantly changing surface in contrast with P.S.1’s angular concrete and gravel courtyard. P.F.1 will work as an interactive bridge between outside and inside, creating multiple zones of activity including swings, fans, sound effects, innovative seating areas, and a refreshing pool at its center. The installation will be a living structure made from inexpensive and sustainable materials recyclable after its use at P.S.1.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, NYC, Photos at 5:33 PM

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Pictured here are parts of Olafur Eliasson exhibit at MoMA: I only see things when they move, 1 m³ light, Room for one colour.

I only see things when they move: Bright light shines through rotating color-effect filter glass panels, creating shifting prismatic bands of colors on the surrounding walls.

1 m³ light: In a dark room filled with fog, the beams of twenty-four spot-lights articulate one cubic meter of space.

Room for one colour: Monochromatic bulbs emit light at such a narrow frequency that they affect your normal color perception, making the contents of the room appear in yellow or shades of black.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, NYC, Photos at 11:07 AM

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If you really did take your time, you probably missed the Olafur Eliasson exhibits at P.S.1 and MoMA. I'm happy to say that I got off my ass and made it on the final day.

Pictured here are the Inverted Berlin Sphere and Take your time, both at P.S.1.

Inverted Berlin Sphere: Light radiates out through the lamp’s reflective components, altering your experience of the space.

Take your time: A large circular mirror affixed to the ceiling at an angle rotates slowly on its axis, destabilizing your perception of space.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, NYC, Photos at 8:01 AM

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I think the only way Mr. Met can show sadness is by dropping his head, slumping his shoulders and looking at the ground. I guess that's what happens when you have a permanent smile on your face.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 8:02 AM

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Apprently, soccer stars + NBA stars = big crowds. At least that's my assumption based on yesterday's Showdown in Chinatown. NBA players included Jason Kidd and Baron Davis, while soccer stars included Thierry Henry (with freetime after that Euro 2008 showing by France), Jozy Altidore, Juan Pablo Ángel and Claudio Reyna.

I couldn't see any action, but people were excited!

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 7:29 PM

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On the west end of the L train platform at Union Square.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 12:41 PM

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Coldplay took the stage at a packed Madison Square Garden for their final free show on Monday night. The group played many of its songs from their new album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, as well as several previous hit songs.

Working out the kinks in only the fourth performance of the new material, lead singer Chris Martin joked several times about the quality of the band's performance "We come over here, we steal your women and we can't even play one song," Martin joked. With concert goers given free tickets, Martin said that there would be no complaints about ticket prices.

In addition to playing "plugged" and acoustic sets on the stage, the entire band took to one of the concourses at The Garden to play a two-song acoustic set, which included "Yellow". They concluded the concert with a confetti filled performance of "Lovers in Japan".

Much thanks to Kathryn for hooking up the free tickets to the free show.

Posted by tien mao in Concerts/Music, NYC, Photos at 5:51 PM

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I remember when I first started working in SoHo, I told Jake that there was no way I was paying $7 for a burrito from a cart. But after several months of working here and paying that much for lunch every day, I broke down last week and got a $7 burrito from Calexico. At this point, I think paying $7 for lunch is a bargain. So sad. The biggest downside of eating at Calexico is the 20-30 minute wait for your food. It makes sense considering the small amount of grill space they have and the devoted following.

Pictured is the tasty Calexico carne asada: grilled skirt steak with rice, beans, cheese, pico de gallo & avocado sauce wrapped in a giant flour tortilla.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 12:54 PM

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No matter what the weather is, people like playing softball in this park. Even when it's raining and there's lightning in the skies. Lightning + metal bats = not good.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:36 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 4:20 PM

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I kind of preferred it when it was abandoned to what the pool has become. Though I guess using it for something is better than using it for nothing.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 7:02 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 8:09 AM

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The outcome of last night's game took a while, but at least they won in extra innings after a blown save by Billy Wagner. This afternoon, Wagner blew yet another two-run lead, but the Mets lost when Aaron Heilman decided he had enough of this extra inning stuff and gave up a run in the top of the 10th.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 5:12 PM

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Because I didn't sweat enough Saturday at the Belmont Stakes, I decided to hit up the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party on Sunday. I was actually cooler while stuffing myself with meat than I was watching horses running in circles.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 5:35 PM

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Horse racing will go at least one more year without a Triple Crown winner. Saturday, I went out to Belmont with a bunch of people in Adam's annual trip. Big Brown was the heavy favorite (1-4 with almost $7 million bet on him to win), but he finished dead last. Winning the race was Da' Tara, the biggest longshot, who went off at 38-1 (you would win $38 if you placed a $1 bet).

While I would have loved to witness history, I'm kind of happy Big Brown didn't win.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Sports at 8:41 AM

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Previously on Jersey Street: hula hoop, Michael De Feo.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:12 PM

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Okay, maybe she hasn't/won't be supporting Obama, but at least in some graffiti in New York City, Hillary is wearing an Obama hat.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 4:23 PM

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A couple of weeks ago, we got a CB2 catalog and saw these cool inline vases. As one of our cats broke another vase of ours around that time, we thought it would be a good time to get a new one at CB2. While there, we got the inline vase too. But it looks like I need to work on my flower arranging skills. I was having some difficulty cutting the flowers to the right length. I do see potential though (in the vase, not in my skills).

Posted by tien mao in House and Home, Photos at 1:00 PM

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

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:28 PM

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But his mom tried, at least. He did come in 3rd though, but that's not going to break that Andretti luck.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Sports at 7:03 PM

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From Tuesday's sunset.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:23 PM

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One of my favorite blocks in Greenpoint is Guernsey Street between Meserole and Norman Avenues. While the buildings on the street are nothing to speak of and it always smells like piss halfway down the block, the canopy of trees is kind of beautiful.

Alternate photo on flickr.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:02 PM

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I remember running up the stairs in the middle when I was a kid. I'm not sure I could do that anymore without passing out at the top.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:40 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 8:02 AM

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One set on the right side of the construction shed, the other set on the left side.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:50 PM

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The ping pong table at Iona sat idle for a brief moment.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 12:44 PM

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I have no idea why this girl was dancing on 22nd St, but I was told she was promoting some show she was in. I was also told she was dancing for about an hour and a half before I saw her. Odd.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:25 PM

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Getting up to speed after a hard drive dies is slow! And painful. So here's another cherry blossom photo.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:41 PM

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There was a lesson learned when the hard drive on my MacBook failed on Monday - backup, backup, backup. I already do that, but I didn't do it for a couple weeks and I still lost a bunch of stuff. FAIL!

On the plus side, my new hard drive is double the size of my previous one.

Posted by tien mao in Photos at 6:17 PM

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A trip to the BBG for the cherry blossoms. It's like an annual rite of spring.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 9:26 AM

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Fortitude in front of the New York Public Library.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:08 PM

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I think the garage door is mostly mad at being across from the Edge building.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:13 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 11:16 AM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 8:12 AM

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A plain old hamburger (with lots of ketchup) and a vanilla shake.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 12:00 PM

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Jessica and Chanse didn't actually get married in this tiny chapel, but the larger chapel in the same "complex". The Old Towne Grove Chapel was much more picturesque though.

Posted by tien mao in Film, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 5:25 PM

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This is what it looks like when you're looking up while laying on a beach in Jamaica. Well, at least the beach I was on. I think I had a frozen beverage in my hands too.

Posted by tien mao in Film, Photos, Travel at 6:08 PM

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This was the view of the sunrise from our hotel room in Ocho Rios. It was shortly after 6 AM local time (7 AM in NYC).

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 8:13 AM

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Taken with FUJICHROME-T64 film.

Posted by tien mao in Film, NYC, Photos at 2:43 PM

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A lesson from his Aunt Shannan.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 6:09 PM

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I've got a lot more images from their wedding, but I have to sift through them all. I especially like this image that I took. And because Shannan loves her brother so much, we're going to tag along on Jessica and Chanse's honeymoon.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 2:48 PM

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This past weekend, we went to Illinois for a wedding. Little did we know, we would be traveling on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Because of crappy East Coast weather on Friday morning, we missed our connection in Chicago and spent the night there (many thanks to Whalen and Brynn). Early Saturday morning, we finally made our way to Peoria for the wedding only to return to Chicago and NYC on Sunday. Way too much flying for a short weekend.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 11:02 AM

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Gotta feel sorry for this little dude. His feet are broken off his body!

Posted by tien mao in Culture, NYC, Photos at 5:52 PM

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In continuing the whole image manipulation thing with Lightroom, here's a photo from last year's trip to Hong Kong. You can see a similar picture on flickr.

Posted by tien mao in Hong Kong, Photos, Travel at 5:15 PM

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I'm trying some stuff out in Lightroom. You can see the original photo on flickr.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 9:16 PM

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Pantless, yes. But with the rest of your Easter outfit on.

Posted by tien mao in Film, Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 8:34 AM

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Taken with a Holga on Easter Sunday using Illford Delta 3200 film.

Posted by tien mao in Film, Friends/Family, Photos at 5:15 PM

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A couple weekends ago, I went on a tour of Tom Otterness's studio in Brooklyn. Organized by OpenHouseNY, Otterness was there to give the tour himself. Some of the items in the studio were models of finished project, while there were others that were projects in development. One of these finished models was of his Humpty Dumpty balloon, which made its debut in the 2005 Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here's a nice photo of the balloon in action.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:45 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 4:40 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 8:08 AM

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The top photo is of Shannan and Colton using the blue flash. The bottom photo is of Margaret and Willa using the yellow flash.

Posted by tien mao in Film, Friends/Family, Photos at 11:37 AM

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Way back over Christmas, I got a Holga as a gift. Well, I finally finished (or at least thought I finished) the roll last week and got it developed. I'm pretty pleased with the results considering it was my first time using it and I haven't used anything with film in it since like 2003 (or earlier).

Posted by tien mao in Film, NYC, Photos at 11:39 AM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 10:08 AM

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First, they said that last year was going to be the final year of Astroland - the end of Coney Island as we know it. Then, Astroland got a reprieve. But now they're saying it's Astroland's final year again. I guess we'll see if it's really the final year or not. Maybe I'll finally ride the Wonder Wheel.

Whatever happens, it's obvious to any visitors on opening day that you're seeing everything at its cleanest, everything with a fresh coat of paint, and minimal crowds. Yesterday's lousy weather didn't help either.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 8:27 AM

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Sunday night, Shannan and I went over to my parents' apartment to participate in a traditional Chinese expeience...dumpling making. I'm not sure I've actually ever done this, but apparently people all over China do this on New Year's Eve when members of the family return home for New Year's celebrations.

There are a few stations involved in the process: the dough maker/chopper, the dough flattener, the skin former, the filling stuffer, and the dumpling pincher. I'm sure there's some official terminology for the actual people in those positions and that some of these roles can be combined, but for the five of us (Aunt Bonnie was there too), that's how the roles were split and that's what I'm calling the process. The easiest job fell to me most of the night - filling the dumplings (if you know how to use chopsticks, you can do this job).

It took us a little while, but we made something like 200 dumplings - pork and shrimp with Chinese leek and pork and shrimp with Chinese cabbage. The best part about the labor intensive process of making dumplings has to be the family bonding and of course the dumpling eating afterwards.

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

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:30 PM

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Mmmm...Bo Ssam.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 3:04 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 8:59 AM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 4:25 PM

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Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Photos at 4:39 PM

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The first time I saw one of these wanted posters was around the corner from a police station, so I actually thought it was real. That is, until I looked at it more carefully. I could then see that it was really a marketing campaign for the newest Grand Theft Auto title. Those sneaky bastards!

I spotted the ad above today while walking around in SoHo.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:55 PM

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Some of the meat items at Hill Country are rather large. For some reason, Jonas wasn't keen on trying much of the food (perhaps it was the ice cream that he was eating), but he did seem to enjoy the spare rib once he got his hands on it. It's unfortunate that actually eating the rib wasn't an easy task. Jonas also enjoyed dancing around on the stage with some random kids, but I don't have any pictures of that.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 10:35 AM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:04 PM

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I can't recall the name of this flower.

Posted by tien mao in House and Home, Photos at 5:36 PM

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Or so I would hope they claim to be. I mean, look at all those Peeps they have on display! This was right across the isle from the health-food section.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos at 1:52 PM

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The first hot pot of the winter.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 8:57 AM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 5:06 PM

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The wind was blowing like CRAZY yesterday. Of course, you can't really make out the motion in the tarp in the picture.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 12:19 PM

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Sunday brunch at Cafe Henri in Long Island City.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 12:40 PM

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I think the 21st Street station in Queens is one of my favorite subway stops in the city. It's so run down and in such a huge state of disrepair. Beautiful.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 9:07 AM

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When I relayed what Janelle told me to Shannan - that Taco Bite had reopened - Shannan was very excited. How excited? She insisted that we go that night AND she said I should have kept it a secret and taken her there for a Valentine's Day dinner. Ever since Taco Bite closed way back in 2006, she hasn't been happy. She would go there as many as three times a week for dinner, so when it closed she lost a major part of her diet.

Taco Bite just reopened this past weekend, but it's no longer all that close to us. Now it's on South 4th St at Rodney (by the BQE). They've expanded their menu and are a full fledged restaurant now, no longer just operating out of the side of a restaurant. They're still waiting on their liquor license, but their menu spans a whole two pages now (not including booze/desserts).

After talking to the owners/employees, it seems that they'll deliver all the way to our apartment. I'm not sure if we're really in their delivery zone or if they're just willing to deliver to us because they still remember Shannan.

Taco Bite 310 S. 4th St (at Rodney) in Williamsburg, 718.302.1117, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner except on Mondays

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:32 PM

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It may not look appetizing, but it sure tasted good. And I don't even love sausage and peppers that much!

It's not on the regular menu of the Crosby Connection. It was the special that day. Yum.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 5:22 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:50 PM

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If I ever tried to pull the things the competitors do at the Union Square Street Sessions, I would break a few bones.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 9:00 AM

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It's a Chinese New Year feast fit for a emperor! A king! A prince!

Last night, my mom did her yearly Chinese New Year cooking and as usual it was extremely delicious and filling. From top to bottom are: peanuts, jellyfish, chicken and something to wrap in lettuce, lion's head meatballs, eight vegetable dish, a shrimp dish, vegetables with dried scallops, a whole fish, and glutinous red bean rice cake.

Welcome, Year of the Rat!

Posted by tien mao in Culture, Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 4:53 PM

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Did someone say ticker tape parade? Oh yeah! The last ticker tape parade I witnessed was way back in 1994 when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup. While there have been parades since, I'm not a fan of the team that was feted.

And even though the Giants have won Super Bowls before, this was their first parade in New York City. As you can probably imagine, it was a pretty awesome experience.

Maybe in late October or November, I'll be at another parade. This time for the Mets!

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos, Sports at 11:57 AM

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That candidate shown above is an option. Not saying it was my choice. But merely an option.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:20 PM

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Jonas is growing up so fast! So fast that he's got a mustache. Who cares if it's from chocolate cake!

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 2:42 PM

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If you have a performance for Chinese New Year, the best marketing is to make your performers wear their costumes home. Cruel, but cheap. They were even handing out fliers. It's possible that they're related to a cult though. Who knows.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 6:32 PM

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Now that I've determined that beans are the main component I hate in Mexican food, I've found that there are actually some items that I like.

With Taco Bite near our apartment closed, we've turned to Acapulco Deli and Restaurant, which is almost as north as you can get in Greenpoint. The typical items I order are pictured - Pacifico (complete with frosty mug!), chips with red sauce, and a steak burrito (no beans). Not pictured is the Mexican Coke I always get as well.

And it's not just me that loves it, the users over at Yelp are big fans too.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 2:10 PM

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It's been more than a month since Christmas. And way too long since normal people throw out their Christmas trees. But last night in Greenpoint, I saw a tree waiting for disposal on the street. Who the hell keeps their tree this far into January. This is certainly the latest I've ever seen a tree on the streets of New York.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 10:58 AM

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Remember Paradise Island? That tiny sand dune that is somehow called an island?

Well, we finally developed the underwater pictures from snorkeling in the Dominican Republic. Man, those underwater cameras kind of suck, huh? I'm not sure if it was the camera or the developer, but there were some pictures that had some issues. Oh well.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 11:13 AM

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How shitty would it be to: run to the subway station only to find that the green subway globe you see leads to you a station entrance that has long been shuttered? I think that would be pretty damn shitty.

That's almost like notification that a train is arriving at a station only to find that it's a garbage train or a construction train.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 1:25 PM

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How shitty would it be to: run to the subway station only to find that the green subway globe you see leads to you a station entrance that has long been shuttered? I think that would be pretty damn shitty.

That's almost like notification that a train is arriving at a station only to find that it's a garbage train or a construction train.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 1:25 PM

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One of the better lunch options in SoHo is the Crosby Connection. Pictured here is the meatball sandwich (Crosby special), the smoked gouda and ham sandwich (with apples), and the beautiful prosciutti (freshly sliced prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, sundred tomatoes, sweet roasted peppers, basil, virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar). Yumm.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 3:12 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 10:09 AM

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I wonder if these shoes were thrown out or if someone dropped them into the nasty pool of water and determined they weren't worth salvaging.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:25 PM

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The 50mm lens that I've had on my Canon 20D for the past week or so can't really capture this Michael De Feo piece on Jersey St. very well.

Previously on Jersey St. was that half-faced hula hooping girl.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:18 PM

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Way back in 2006, I was given a deep fryer for Christmas. Since then, it's been in our cabinet waiting to be used. Why hasn't it been used since December, 2006? Because Shannan hates the smell associated with deep frying. As she was away this past weekend, I seized the opportunity to fry some shit up! On the menu were fries, onion rings, and chicken wings (I was watching football).

I found that fries were the easiest (essentially all you do is cut and fry), followed by wings, and onion rings. It was hard to tell when the chicken wings were done, but otherwise they were easy. I think I liked the results the best with the onion rings, but my batter, while good, could have used some salt. I also learned that you can't put a whole bunch in at once because they stick to one another.

I think that everything I fried tasted good and seemed healthier than any fried food I would get while eating out. Maybe it's because I used fresh ingredients and knew what I was putting into/onto the food.

Given the results, I don't think Shannan should discourage me from using the deep fryer again. I think she would be pleased to eat the results.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, House and Home, Photos at 12:29 PM

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Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 11:03 AM

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Over the weekend, Shannan and I went to see Fuerzabruta, the new-ish performance by the people behind De La Guarda. The show consists of the same dancing, yelling, and some similar aerial tricks as De La Guarda, but I didn't think it was great like the older show. Fuerzabruta also featured a random story line of a guy running on a treadmill and getting hit with foam/cardboard walls (I found this kind of boring). What is cool is the water pool that drops down from the ceiling of the theater, the energizing music parts, and the dance club feel at points (not that I like dance clubs).

I would say that the Times review summarizes the show pretty well. I would say that it was good, not great, and not nearly as good as De La Guarda.

Posted by tien mao in Concerts/Music, Culture, NYC, Photos at 3:27 PM

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While it can probably be said that ANY day is a good day for Shake Shack, yesterday was almost the perfect day to go. They may be putting heating lamps in for the winter, but I'm still not sure I would want to sit in the cold eating a burger. After all, those things can only warm you up so much.

Besides, isn't it possible to have too much of a good thing? Waiting for Shake Shack to open used to make the burgers that much more satisfying. Now they're going to be open all year, making a shack burger that much less special.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 12:27 PM

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I took this photo last Thursday in Chinatown when it was super, super cold in New York. It was so cold that the neighborhood didn't even stink and I don't think the fishmongers needed to use ice to keep fish fresh. Today's forecasted high is going to be about 50° higher than it was on Thursday. Fucking global warming.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 11:08 AM

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To commemorate her 30th birthday, Shannan decided to have a bunch of friends meet up to go bowling at The Gutter. She was treating 30 as a big deal, so she was happy that so many friends came out. I'm not sure how I'll be treating my 30th birthday when it rolls around in two months. Probably as just another year.

Note: There were more people than just the few pictured. There were actually LOTS of people.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 10:55 AM

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A goal of mine this year is to spend less money. It's not to save money, as I kind of already do that (I have a spend and save philosophy), but to spend less money. Which I guess would increase my savings. Clearly that doesn't make sense, but I like it as a goal. Of course, the piggy bank pictured (a Christmas gift from Shannan) helps my goal.

Posted by tien mao in Photos at 12:38 PM

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There are these new tenants in my building (most units are owner occupied) that are young banker guys that like to party. I think they had 2 parties last year and another on New Year's Eve and well into the New Year. The parties are never quiet - doors slamming, people yelling in the hallway, loud music - but I don't think they've ever been as bad as they were the other night. It's like we were living in a frat house. Bottles were broken on the street and bottles left in the hallway, someone was banging on our window for us to let them in (this was after we got home from the night out), a fire extinguisher was knocked down, and someone puked in the hallway on a completely different floor. This of course is in addition to the loud music, door slamming, and yelling in the hallway.

This makes the rest of the building people sound like prudes, but we're not. We just dislike the lack of respect they have for our building. It's a small building, so it's kind of like a community.

Posted by tien mao in House and Home, Photos at 8:58 AM

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There's nothing quite as tasty as a fleece glove to young Colton.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 9:19 AM

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Note the cute reindeer slippers!

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 5:28 PM

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For the past few days, Shannan and I went to Lacon, Illinois (that's Lacon, like bacon) for Christmas with her family. In addition to gift giving/receiving, it was also the first time that we got to see Shannan's new nephew Colton.

Santa was good to me, because I got some mighty good gifts: a Holga camera, Guitar Hero III for the Wii, a Wiimote charging station, Top Gun (collectors edition DVD), V-MODA vibe earbuds, a copy of The Simpsons Movie, Taboo, a copy of Sneaker Freaker magazine, a nice shirt, another thin wallet (mine is falling apart), and a gift card to Pizza Hut (mmm!). Shannan and I also got a chair, some towels, and a wine refrigerator. Thanks to Santa (and those that act on his behalf) for all the great gifts!!

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 10:39 AM

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I kind of like the first picture because the camera miraculously captured that stick in almost the exact middle of the picture. But as you can see, the northwest coast of the Dominican Republic has some nice rolling hills to it.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 4:08 PM

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While on the bus back to Puerto Plata, we stopped by a cigar factory (if you could call it that) to inject some U.S. dollars into the economy. Tourist that I was, I bought some cigars to bring home. I'm not that big a smoker though, so who knows if I'll ever get to them.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 3:39 PM

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After snorkeling around Paradise Island and before we made our way to Punta Rucia, we stopped by a little inlet where I took this photo of the insane mangrove trees.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 12:30 PM

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In honor of the Dolphins finally winning their first game this season, here are three shots I took on the way to the Dominican Republic via Miami. In the first picture, you can see Dolphin Stadium on December 1st. That's a day before they lost to the hapless Jets.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 12:46 PM

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After snorkeling at Paradise Island, we took our speed boat to Punta Rucia for lunch before our trip back to the hotels. It's really not much of a town, but the guide told us it's a fishing village, which seemed possible based on the looks of things. We wandered a bit during our free time there and saw a lot of abandoned lots.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 1:29 PM

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Early one morning (we're talking 6:45 early), we took a trip to go snorkeling at Paradise Island. To get there, we had to take a bus to a "speed boat" (a small boat with a 75 horsepower engine on it) to this thing they called an "island". It's essentially a sandbar on the coral reef but the size apparently varies depending on the time of year and tides. Despite the pathetic "island", the snorkeling at Paradise Island was a great time. On the island, they have some huts, light snacks, and refreshments. Thankfully when we got there, no other groups there. By the time we left, the island was packed with people. The only shitty part of our trip was the weather. It actually rained a few times while we were there (including once when we were in the water) which actually proved to be somewhat cool. Also cool, dolphins swimming alongside our boat en route to the sandbar.

Eventually, I'll have some underwater pictures from snorkeling. Who knows how they look though.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 1:05 PM

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I think the number of photos that I took on this trip reflects the amount of things Shannan and I did. I only walked away with about 100 photos (many of which I will delete), which means that we didn't really do that many activities during our week away. Most of the time we spent at Sun Village Resort & Spa in Puerto Plata (Cofresi, to be precise) was either by the pool or by the beach. I don't even think I took my camera to the beach once. The resort was kind of sprawling, which you can see from this photo on their website, so you had to walk about 5 minutes to get to the beach and walk up a fair amount of steps to a couple of the restaurants. If it wasn't for all that walking, I'm not sure how much more weight I would have gained during the trip.

Pictured here are the views of the ocean from one of the pools, the view east towards the mountains around the resort and one of Sun Village's many pools.

And we're totally trend setters. Puerto Plata was named one of the 53 places to go in 2008 this past Sunday by the NY Times: "Puerto Plata, the rowdy beach resort on the Dominican Republic's north coast, is about to get rowdier. Maxim, the racy men's magazine, is opening a 108-bungalow resort on Cofresi Beach, near the Las Vegas-style Ocean World Marina and Casino. Expect the drinking to start onboard JetBlue, which is offering nonstop flights between Kennedy Airport and Puerto Plata next month." That Maxim resort is opening up as part of Sun Village and Ocean World was right next to Sun Village. See, trend setters.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 10:57 AM

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We're back from our vacation in the Dominican Republic and home to a 40° drop in temperature. Believe it or not, I welcome the temperature change. I didn't take too many photos on the trip (another believe it or not) because how exciting is lounging by the beach or lounging by the pool? We did go snorkeling while there, so it's possible there will be some photos of that.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Travel at 7:49 AM

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Tuesday night, Adam celebrated his birthday at Joe’s Bar. Ever fond of his bear suit, that's what he was wearing. You may remember the bear from such posts as: Wiimbledon at Barcade.

Happy birthday, bear. You furry, furry man.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 5:32 PM

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Last night, we went with my parents to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. With my new, youthful haircut, it made sense to sit in a crowd with all the other children. But seriously, The Rockettes were amazing. But I could have done without the dancing bears, the Santa Claus mumbo jumbo (though the dancing Santas were entertaining), and the Jesus story. Just make the show 100% Rockettes exhausting themselves for an hour and I think you've got a hit!

Then again, they've been doing it for 75 years, so they probably won't listen to me.

Posted by tien mao in Concerts/Music, Culture, NYC, Photos at 3:50 PM

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I like to think that this is Ronald McDonald consuming the world's resources, but it's just the juxtaposition of the two balloons from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 9:00 AM

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Looking at this photo, you can kind of see what it was like at Thanksgiving for me. Sadly, you can't really taste what it was like or smell what it was like.

Pictured clockwise from the turkey are: two types of cranberry sauce (one with walnuts), garlic mashed potatoes, yams, corn with pine nuts, some strange avocado/shrimp, and green beans.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 9:35 AM

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The new Macy's Thanksgiving balloon, Shrek. From last night's insane scene at the balloon blowup.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 8:55 AM

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Lady Liberty with M&Ms that were made to help the Central Park Conservancy.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:20 PM

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In the Spring Street entrance for the C/E, there's a mosaic in the stairwell as you enter the station. It was made over the course of a year by Edith Kramer using glass, marble, granite, slate, brick, and ceramic tile.

To my expert eye, it looks like the downtown 4/5/6 platform at 14th St.-Union Square to me.

Posted by tien mao in Concerts/Music, NYC, Photos at 2:34 PM

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Now open in the United States for the first time at 455 Broadway in SoHo.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 12:45 PM

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Neither Shannan or I have green thumbs. It seems like every few months or so, we get some new plan and a month or two later, they're dead. We've got a few plants that have managed to endure our brown thumbs, but similar plants in the hands of my parents seem to thrive. With us, they just manage to stay alive.

The other day, Shannan brought home these paperwhite bulbs. If all goes well, they'll bloom into beautiful, fragrant flowers in a month. With our luck, in a month they'll be rotting bulbs.

Posted by tien mao in House and Home, Photos at 5:17 PM

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Lunch options in SoHo are generally not cheap. A good sandwich runs $6 or $7, depending on where you go, and anything else tends to be $9+ for lunch. Salads (not that I eat them for a meal) can sometimes set you back more than $10. No thanks!

On Lafayette St. near Spring is La Nueva Conquista (formerly just La Conquista), which will stuff you silly for the same price as that good sandwich - $7. Pictured is my lunch from Tuesday - yellow rice, pork chops (which are briefly fried in oil), rice crust (I would call this guo ba in Chinese), and topped with onions and gravy. I usually get plantains as well, but I went with the rice crust this time as I've never seen it as an option. La Nueva Conquista seems to be described as a "hole in the wall" quite frequently, but I think it's slightly larger than a hole. And if you're walking by at any time, you'll see that the restaurant has quite a devoted customer base.

More information:
- La Nueva Conquista is located at 236 Lafayette Street
- Eat for Victory (Village Voice)
- Yelp

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 5:17 PM

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Currently on exhibit (through Nov. 24th) at the Storefront for Architecture in NYC is the CPH Experiments. The exhibition shows 5 different examples for high-density living from BIG/Bjarke Ingels Group from Copenhagen.

It's almost like watching all those futuristic movies where people live in huge towers, but in model form. The coolest model has to be the one that is made entirely out of Lego.

See also: on Gothamist.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, NYC, Photos at 1:23 PM

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I think I've figured out one reason Jonas and I get along so well. Our mutual love for pizza (and his snacks). Though I think if he suddenly decided one day that he didn't like pizza anymore, we would probably still get along.

And if you're wondering why he looks so disheveled, it's because he was eating after he got up from his long nap.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Friends/Family, Photos at 11:43 AM

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The penthouse of the SoHo Grand is very nice. And it's got a gigantic terrace that almost seems bigger than the living area. Then again, I was only in a small part of the penthouse.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 3:17 PM

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Partially faceless hula hooping?

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 4:38 PM

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Shannan and I went upstate for the weekend and spotted this sunset outside the room of the bed and breakfast we were staying at.

Posted by tien mao in Photos at 2:14 PM

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Eating this lobster roll at Ed's Lobster Bar last week made up for that horrible, horrible seafood that Jake made me eat at City Island.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:16 PM

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Okay, I said that I was done with Storm King photos, but I just saw this one in Lightroom and I had to share. Hopefully you like the photo of Storm King Wall as well.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, Photos at 1:56 PM

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After going up to Westchester yesterday, Jake and I stopped in City Island (The Bronx) for lunch. Somehow we ended up at Johnny's Famous Reef Restaurant, which I was pretty disappointed in. I think, in hindsight, I would have preferred a McDonald's (though I didn't see one). Pictured are the fried calamari and fried clams. Not pictured is the horrible stench of sewage that seemed to permeate the establishment.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 5:08 PM

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The ever-knowledgeable Jake Dobkin says that this is Plasmaslug.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 2:01 PM

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From Papabubble, the new candy store that opened up last week. This is their fruit mix, which is my favorite so far. While there are some fruit flavors that I like more than others, it's nice to mix it up on occasion. And the fruit on the sides is a nice touch.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 11:47 AM

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This was taken not far from Storm King as we took a wrong turn to head to Woodbury. While at the outlets, I had to shop with 3 women, which is not a fun experience. I would recommend avoiding it at all costs!

Posted by tien mao in Photos at 3:28 PM

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Here's the last set of photos from inside Storm King. I'm sure it's going to be crazy beautiful this weekend.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, Photos at 11:13 AM

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Pictured are parts of Richard Serra's permanent installation at Storm King called Schunnemunk Fork. The last photo was taken between the pieces of Schunnemunk Fork.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, Photos at 10:39 AM

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There's nothing like a Fall trip to upstate New York. This past weekend, we went up to Storm King Art Center on what was a less than Fall-like day. While it eventually turned pretty cold, it was pretty mild when we first set out. As you can see, the leaves are starting to change colors, but there are still plenty of trees that are green. Last year I went to Storm King in May.

Posted by tien mao in Culture, Photos at 10:59 AM

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I feel like the quality at Tang Pavilion has dropped off a lot since I last went there a couple of years ago. But it's still popular enough that members of the head of the UN mission for China dines there (he was there on the same night).

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos at 4:40 PM

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When asked where his baby is, Jonas will point to his belly. And with the ball, which he seems to enjoy eating, stuffed under his shirt, he really does look pregnant. Too bad he's just not built to handle pregnancy.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 3:19 PM

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These aren't even my cats! These are extra fancy cats from the CFA-IAMS Cat Championship press preview. I have a few more pictures that I'll put onto flickr tomorrow.

In order the cats pictured are a British Shorthair, a Sphynx, a European Burmese kitten and then two cats that were up for adoption (Bebop and Jazz).

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 4:00 PM

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Ahh, October. When we combine socks and the month to create Soktoberfest. It's the best time to break out your fanciest pair of socks for a party at my place. After all, you gotta keep the floors clean. The parties keep getting bigger and better. And despite thinking that there was way too much beer, there really isn't too much left over at all.

Best costume (no, not required) clearly goes to Grego and Adriane (not pictured), who came in authentic (I think?) German outfits. And whatever Jake thinks, he didn't have the best socks. I think that goes to Miguel and Julia, who made their own fancy socks!

Final alcohol consumption totals: 115 12oz beers, 1 1pt 9.4 oz beer, 2 1pt 6oz beers, 1 1pt .9oz beer, and one 1.1 imperial gallon beer.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, House and Home, Photos at 5:17 PM

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While the food looks pretty good, I don't remember it being all that awesome. It was supposedly an example of the local cuisine in Sun Moon Lake though.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 12:30 PM

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I'm heading back to MSG today to hit up the press preview of the CFA-Iams Cat Championships. I hope my cat allergies don't go haywire with all the cats around. I should have sniffed Randolph and Mortimer fur more last night. Damn.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 12:17 PM

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Did you know that the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower was at one point the world's tallest building? From 1909-1913, it held that distinction, until the Woolworth Building passed it.

I think I have to take this picture while waiting in line for Shake Shack at least once a year. Last night, we went after going to Shaffer City Oyster Bar for their $1 oyster night. Four people combined to eat 54 oysters. I followed that up with a Double Shack Burger. Mmmm!

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 1:07 PM

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Early Thursday morning, there were two separate police cars that crashed while in pursuit of a stolen vehicle. This car one got the worst of the damage. I believe this car, which flipped onto its side, hit a utility pole on McGuiness Boulevard near Calyer before flipping. The police officers were fine and the suspect was arrested.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 10:33 AM

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Last night at The Garden, besides many bitches and hos, there were two block parties. There was Bloc Party at the WaMu Theater (what a horrible name) and the La Kalle Block Party Concert 2007 at the arena, making for a somewhat confusing evening. It even led to Garden security to say, "this entrance is for the English group 'Bloc party.'" Kele Okereke even made mention of the dual bloc(k) parties at The Garden during the show.

Posted by tien mao in Concerts/Music, NYC, Photos at 12:23 PM

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In the long-standing tienmao.com tradition of putting things up way after I take the pictures, here are some pictures from The Gutter - a new bar/bowling alley in Greenpoint/Williamsburg (it's really right on the border). Almost the entire bowling alley is made of old lanes, which gives the place a nice look. The best part about The Gutter? It's conveniently located to my apartment.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, NYC, Photos, Sports at 12:28 PM

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I remember when I was on a trip to China one summer, there were these two sisters from Long Island. One was a "model," who probably modeled stuff that would appear in local circulars or something like that. There was one thing that the sisters would always say, "not for nothing." When starting a sentence, it was always, "not for nothing, but..." Over and over again. It was incredibly annoying and it didn't even make sense in the context they used it in.

Naturally, when I saw this graffiti in Williamsburg, I thought of those two annoying girls.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 10:25 AM

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Here's yet another temple at Sun Moon Lake.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 11:02 AM

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Jack's almost 2 now, and if this play action fake is any indication, we could have a future quarterback on our hands.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos at 12:58 PM

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Which makes it my...? I was never good at the whole 2nd cousin, 1st cousin once removed stuff. So confusing! That or I'm too lazy to remember how it works.

Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 11:47 AM

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I can't believe there's going to be a Home Depot right next to the Holland Tunnel. I guess it's perfect for commuters that are on their way back to their homes in Jersey who need to pick up an item. It's not finished yet, but they are hiring now, if anyone is interested.

Posted by tien mao in Photos at 11:08 AM

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Whatever that means.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 8:44 AM

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7-Eleven in Taiwan is all over the place. Taiwan has the 3rd most 7-Eleven locations, only trailing Japan and the United States (in that order). One of the nice things about 7-Eleven in Taiwan is that they have hot food that is actually somewhat appealing. Granted, like 7-Eleven here, you would only want to eat it if you didn't have any better options.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Taiwan at 9:09 AM

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It's hard to believe it's been six years since 2001. It's probably the only think I actually remember in detail six years later.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 7:48 AM

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Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan is the largest natural lake on the island nation (or rogue territory if you wish). Though we ate lunch in a restaurant overlooking it, we didn't spend all that much time at the actual lake. The eastern part of the lake is round (like the sun) and the western part is shaped like a crescent moon, which is how the lake gets its name. I didn't really see the sun-moon aspect of it, but maybe that's because of the haze. There is an island in the middle of the lake that was much bigger before water levels rose when a hydroelectric power plant was built and water was redirected to Sun Moon Lake from other lakes.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 11:17 AM

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Jonas threw himself a big bash on Friday to celebrate his 2nd birthday. He gathered his friends at Two Boots Pizza in Brooklyn. He got a bunch of great gifts (I got him a T-shirt and some MTA toy trains (works with Thomas and whatnot), including a nice big tricycle that made another kid in the neighborhood a little jealous.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, Photos at 8:30 AM

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I almost think Taipei 101 is like the World Trade Center used to be. For me, the WTC was an anchor in lower Manhattan, something that you could use to navigate if you needed as it was almost always south. It was also there whenever I got off the subway and looked downtown when I was growing up.

Taipei 101 is slightly different as it's not really in one specific area for all people - north for some, south for others, etc.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 10:26 AM

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Wenwu Temple on Sun Moon Lake was originally built in 1938, combining two old temples that were moved when a dam was built. It was rebuilt in 1969 in its current form. The pair of lions (one pictured) are the largest ones in Taiwan. Wenwu Temple is dedicated to Confucius and the ancient Chinese generals Kuan Kung and Yueh Fei.

The historic staircase was originally the only way to access the temple, each step representing a different day of the year. There are 336 of them, including 2/29.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 9:10 AM

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At Sun Moon Lake is a Peacock Garden with more than 200 peacocks. It was one of Madam Chiang Kai-shek's favorite places to go when they would go to the area. I don't think I've ever seen so many peacocks in one place before.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 7:53 AM

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When we arrived in Taipei, it was rather late and my dad and I were hungry. Nobody else was, so we ventured from our hotel to find some food. We found a local restaurant on while walking around that liked serving seafood dishes (as evidenced by the seafood noodles, fried cuttlefish, and clams). The one non-seafood dish we had was stinky tofu.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 8:13 AM

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Onto Taiwan! What better to start the pictures of Taiwan than Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. The CKS Memorial Hall is named after the late Kuomintang leader, who was the first President of the Republic of China after it moved to Taiwan (I'm butchering a little history, but that's essentially right).

There's been a recent movement by President Chen Shui-Bian of the Democratic Progressive Party (opposition of the KMT) to rename the hall the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall (the DPP doesn't like anything with ties to the KMT). Apparently the name change was repealed, but the old name wasn't exactly preserved. It was an ugly fight between the two sides, with the city of Taipei (controlled by the KMT) also stepping in. There were times when signs were installed with the new name, but later removed by the city and such other drama. Wikipedia has a nice section about that craziness.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Taiwan, Travel at 10:11 AM

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It's unfair to compare New York City's subway system with that of other cities. After all, it's older, larger, and transports more people than most other systems. Because of this, it lacks a lot of the newer, modern features that are in other cities. This is slowly changing with the new cars on the 4/5/6, 2/3, L and the new R160s that are rolling out, but cars are only part of it. If the 2nd Ave. line is ever built, then NYC will have something that is comparable to that of other cities.

In Hong Kong, they have platforms that prevents debris/people from falling onto the tracks, modern stations, smooth rides, and you know when the trains are coming. While I do love NYC's subway system (most of the time, anyway), there's definitely a lot that can be improved. Then again, there's a shortage of money too.

Posted by tien mao in Hong Kong, Photos, Travel at 8:55 AM

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I didn't get to these last week, but they are from after Calvin's 4 in 3 hot dog moment. We actually missed the first three goals of the game because of crazy traffic, but it turned out fine because there were an astronomical 9 goals scored.

And it was obviously the David Beckham show. There were a ton of "Galaxy fans" that had Beckham shirts and there was even a group of girls that painted his name across their bellies. Those girls must have been happy when he took his shirt off after the game.

Posted by tien mao in Photos, Sports at 8:57 AM

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Sunday was the last Pool Party at McCarren Park Pool in Greenpoint this year and possibly ever. Performing was one man show Yacht, who stopped his performance at one point to take Q&A and got into the crowd to perform; The Baltimore Bass Connection with The Cool Kids, Kid Sister, Santo Gold, Spank Rock, and Amanda Blank; and Ghostland Observatory, who are awesome.

Posted by tien mao in Concerts/Music, NYC, Photos at 10:35 AM

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Calvin has always been a fast eater and drinker. And he's always loved hot dogs. So one drunken night, he told Adam that he could eat 10 hot dogs in 5 minutes and really thought he could do it. We had our doubts, but on Saturday we did an abbreviated version of that bet - 4 dogs in 4 minutes. Miraculously, he finished in 3 minutes, but not without the shakes from eating so fast. AND he didn't have a reversal of fortune.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Photos, Sports at 9:09 AM

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Friday night, we celebrated K's birthday at Beast in Prospect Heights. Not only were some of the items finger licking good, but the mussels were so good that Kate had to help herself to some of the sauce when the mussels were finished. And I don't know what it is with all the bike helmets at birthdays recently, but things devolved as the night went on.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, NYC, Photos at 8:26 AM

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I've been pretty busy using my camera for the past few days, so I'm going to go in order of event.

Thursday was the 2007 U.S. Air Guitar Championship at Irving Plaza (now dubbed Fillmore New York - guh) where contestants vied to represent the United States at the World Air Guitar Championships in Oulu, Finland. 2006 champion Hott Lixx Hulahan was defeated by William Ocean, who came in 2nd last year.

See also: Last year's championship at Bowery Ballroom

Posted by tien mao in Concerts/Music, NYC, Photos at 8:54 AM

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Why eat at McDonald's when you're in a foreign country? Never underestimate the power of air conditioning and the knowledge that they have clean bathrooms.

Pictured here is the red bean pie (not nearly as good as the apple pies at non-U.S. locations or the sweet taro pie), corn (not very good), and a coffee from the McCafé.

Posted by tien mao in Food/Drink, Hong Kong, Photos, Travel at 9:49 AM

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Hi above Hong Kong Island is Victoria Peak, the island's tallest mountain at 552 meters (1,811 feet). It's also Hong Kong's biggest tourist attraction, drawing about 7 million visitors a year. Once you get to the top of Victoria Peak via the Peak Tram (it gets to what seemed like at least a 45° angle at points), there's a modern mall (complete with an EA Sports zone and Bubba Gump restaurant) that you walk through before reaching the observation deck at The Peak Tower.

As you can see, the observation deck offers a great view of Hong Kong. It's a shame that it was so cloudy again.

Posted by tien mao in Hong Kong, Photos, Travel at 8:33 AM

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While you can get to the Giant Buddha in Lantau by car or bus, the newest way to get there is the Ngong Ping Skyrail. It's a 3.5 mile (5.7km) cable car that takes you from Tung Chung station on the MTR to Ngong Ping Village. It's probably the longest cable car ride that I've ever taken and certainly the only tram/gondola that I've been on that passes through two stations where the actual route changes (see map). The ride from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping takes about 20-25 minutes. The skyrail offers nice views during the ride, but they would have been much better if we experienced nicer weather.

Construction on the skyrail started in 2004 and it opened in mid-September, 2006. Right now, it seems like the skyrail is closed indefinitely after an "incident" in June. Apparently, a gondola cabin fell from the cable for no reason. Nobody was hurt and the skyrail remains closed while they investigate the accident.

Posted by tien mao in Hong Kong, Photos, Travel at 9:20 AM

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(Click to enlarge image)

I saw this note (click the image to enlarge) at the Greenpoint Avenue subway stop on Saturday. It was scrawled from right to left and reads:
"It's hard loving someone whose [sic] in love with someone else." 8-4-07
"But thank God that's not the case 4 me anymore."
"Lovers & Ballers. Briggs N Bunz since 10-4-06."

I thought it was a pretty nice message.

Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 8:13 AM

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Calvin's birthday isn't until tomorrow, but he wanted to celebrate on a weeknight, so we went out last night for dinner and drinks. After dinner at 'inoteca (see how much Calvin enjoyed the singing of Happy Birthday?), we went out to The Back Room where a few people tried on Lauren's Stormtrooper scooter helmet.

Posted by tien mao in Birthdays, Friends/Family, Photos at 9:25 AM

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