Open Cafe season

© Joselito Briones

Spring's here. The weather's beautiful and everybody's out and about. I took pictures of several cafe's in the city, all of them full in the early afternoon, and I'll show them to you in the next few days.

The one above is the Hotel Brasserie in the pedestrian zone, corner Henkestraße, next to it, left, is a small cinema. And no, the colors aren't like this naturally, naturally. I'm experimenting again on giving my pictures an old look.


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Long My

© Joselito Briones

Long My, the Asian grocery store that I usually go to for fresh ingredients when I cook Asian dishes, recently opened a small fast-food restaurant (photo, above), right around the corner from their grocery store, next to the Turkish grocery store (photo, below) where I usually buy fresh fish. It's a very basic, no-frills, Asian restaurant, and the entries on the menu are standard offering for any Asian restaurant here in Erlangen, or Germany, for that matter, but they do try to serve the best food that they could. As is my usual taste-test in such eastern-combo restaurant, I ordered Knusprige Ente, here available in three different kinds of sauce (I went for Hoi Sin sauce, recommended by the owner - #22 in the menu), and it didn't disappoint. The best thing about the restaurant though, just like the Asian grocery around the corner with the same name, are the owners - they're supper friendly.




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Distress Call

© Joselito Briones

Norie phoned today to relay the news that my mom's ill. She'll have to fly back to California on Monday to go to the hospital, so her usual doctor can attend to her.

I so want to go there to be with her... we'll see.


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Wil's Press Release

© Joselito Briones

I am, of course, being coerced to relay this launch. OK! Wonderful. So here it goes.

It's supposed to announce to the world (I think) his current available status. Available for what, you might ask. The website, a I'm-such-a-worldly-guy-I've-travelled-the-whole-world-I'll-make-such-a-great-boyfriend declaration masked as a photography website, is supposed to show the prospect (read: victim) how wonderful his sensitivities are.

If you ask me honestly though, it's all rubbish. He doesn't need such a site. He's a great guy and that's all there is to it.


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It's a wrap!

© Joselito Briones

Well then, today's the day we flew back to Germany. Pretty uneventful, which is pretty much how I prefer it. We got to the airport (Jane drove us) really early, and I had plenty of time to kill, so I decided to edit some of the digital pictures with the iBook that we brought with us on this trip. I used the software from Olympus, called ”Olympus Studio". Pretty good. The most useful feature is the exposure adjustment, and the distortion correction and the fisheye lens distortion correction. I continued editing pictures during the flight, and got very little sleep.


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to JFK

© Joselito Briones

I was thinking of a sappy song to put here, kinda like the one I did last year on my way to the airport, but I couldn't think of any. There wasn't anything to say about the drive either, except for a brief traffic congestion. I guess the only thing remarkable about this morning is that we had pizza for breakfast, while watching "Legally Blonde" on TV. Here's "Drive" anyway, an oldie from Incubus, about making decisions.


DRIVE

Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear
And I can't help but ask myself how much
I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
It's driven me before, and it seems to have a vague,
haunting mass appeal.
But lately I'm beginning to find that I
should be the one behind the wheel.

Whatever tomorrow brings,
I'll be there with open arms and open eyes, Yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there..I'll be there.

So, if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive
Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive?
Aah-ah-oo-o-o.

It's driven me before and it seems to be the way
that everyone else gets around.
But lately I'm beginning to find that when
I drive myself my light is found.

Whatever tomorrow brings,
I'll be there with open arms and open eyes, Yeahhh
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there...I'll be there.

Would you choose water over wine....hold the wheel and drive?

Whatever tomorrow brings,
I'll be there with open arms and open eyes, Yeah
Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there..I'll be there.


-Incubus




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Is this mike on? (Jane's, after)

© Joselito Briones

After all of today's shopping, we met up in the evening with Eric and Jane, to have dinner at Krystal's Cafe also in Roosevelt Avenue (close to Renee's Kitchenette). It was easy to see that Eric and Jane enjoyed it more than our dinner from Cendrillon. I'd have enjoyed it more too, had it not for the karaoke thing that was ongoing when we arrived. Eric was shy to do a number himself, even as he boasts of always being the life of the party, the karaoke star, so he ended up bringing his magic phone to Jane's, where we all went back to after dinner, and sang his heart out there.

As promised, here's the "after" picture of Jane's living room. The mess is all mine and Mati's, of course. We didn't even have time to reconfigure the bed into a sofa to give Eric a proper performance space. I don't know what he's belting out when I took this photo, but yes, he could actually carry a tune.


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The end of the Affair

© Joselito Briones

By the time Jane, Mati and I walked towards Chinatown, it was already drizzling. It's a signal as good as any (there were a few) that this short holiday has ended. No complaints. I guess I can't really expect every thing to go smoothly. Everything else from now until we fly back to Germany (in 2 days), I'll just chuck together as extras.

From Bowery we walked south towards Soho, through Nolita, to Little italy, pass Canal Street towards the south end of Mott Street, to the default place we always go to whenever we go to Chinatown, Hop Kee. The place is newly renovated, and the staff a lot more friendlier than the last time we were there, the food was pretty much the same as before.


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In Harmony

© Joselito Briones

We dropped by Jane's work in the afternoon, "Hom + Goldman", in East 20th Street, to pick her up so we can go for dinner together, and also to say hi to David (they work together again). We also picked up the extra suit bags that my mom made, my dad brought to California, and my brother Noel sent to Jane's office address in New York (we always seem to go through such great lengths to avoid paying excessive shipping fees). We also met her bosses and some of her colleagues. They all seemed to be excited with their forthcoming company trip to Berlin. It's good to finally see Jane contented with her job - she was really unhappy with the previous one.


© Joselito Briones

Before dinner, we decided to go to the other Osh Kosh address that Diana gave us, to see if they have the overalls. We walked south through Broadway (photos, above, were taken along Broadway - on top is a window dressing of a furniture shop, and above is Grace Church), passing by DSW to see if they have any new shoes (they didn't). When we got to the address, just north of Houston Street and south of Bowery, It turned out that the place was the company's design office.


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5th Av.

© Joselito Briones

There was just something about the bright light today. We walked down 5th Avenue from Central Park South to Times Square and along the waywe took so many photos, mostly street scenes. It helped that most of the crowd didn't care at all that they were part of the pictures, and some, although subtly, even posed upon seeing that he might be part of the picture.


© Joselito Briones

Since we were already in the area, we also took the chance to drop by Sak's, just so I can see what I can expect to buy next year. Such is my shopping pattern now. I wait for everything to be on sale before buying what I want. I guess it's not too bad. Last year's fresh fashion here in New York is still pretty advanced when I wear them in Erlangen.


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Park Weather

© Joselito Briones

I thought we might have had been running out of luck, it was grey and cloudy in the morning, but early in the afternoon it started getting bright again. We decided to do the rest of the shopping that we needed to do, friends' requests from Germany. After having lunch at the Filipino place (Renee's Kitchenette in Queens: enormous squid grilled to perfection, king prawns in tamarind soup, grilled fish), we went to midtown, via Central Park South, to Bergdorf Goodman's to get the La Mer creams Arun asked us to get for his wife.


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Jackson Diner

© Joselito Briones

Conveniently located close to Jane's is the Jackson Heights locals' favorite, Jackson Diner. It's a buffet restaurant serving Indian food (I know... didn't I just have buffet food last night? But, hey! I'm on holiday.) They have an a la carte menu, of course, but we just wanted to try as many variety available. Food was good, the price cheap, and, as a bonus, this guy (photo, above) who was so nice to let me take his picture, will make fresh vegetable-filled dosa for you, included in the buffet! Yummm!


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Apple Store

© Joselito Briones

After the heavy dinner, the three of us walked up again by 5th Avenue towards midtown, where we passed by the Apple Store (photo, above). The dramatic entrance (the only thing that can be seen from the street level) is a sleek swirling glass staircase surrounding a see-through elevator. This is the first time I've been to this store, right in front of the legendary F.A.O. Schwarz building, across the legendary Plaza Hotel.

And then it was time to go. Tomorrow we’ll probably do some shopping, and Jens in a few days will take his Chinatown-Boston bus adventure again (at one time, I read on the news, one service had spontaneous combustion, just like that - *snap*).


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Eating seafood like there's no tomorrow

© Joselito Briones

Am referring to myself, of course. After the drinks at Victor's Cafe, and walking through Times Square (photo, above), we ended up going to "Todai" (photo, below), the new reincarnation of "Minado", an old favorite, in Koreatown here in New York.


© Joselito Briones

The main attraction was the fresh oysters, shrimp cocktails, and fresh tuna sashimi. The crab legs were a bit too messy to deal with. Great seafood buffet. Everything else on the seemingly endless row of choices of sea food, plus the odd korean barbecue which in itself was a treat, was a plus.


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Free MoMA!

© Joselito Briones

We got in MoMA for free. That's a big deal, me being the cheapo that I am. I wanted to go there originally this Friday, having heard that entrance feee is waived from 4pm to 8pm Fridays, but what do you know, turned out that Jens now works for a museum (albeit in Boston) and he gets in most museums for free. Company included. How he got to be a museum's resident scientist from being a nano-physicist, I can only wonder. Actually no, I did ask him. He just happens to be one of those smart people who can do plenty of different things. He's taken up bust-portraiture (clay sculpture of heads) recently with impressive results.




The food in the museum cafeteria, "Cafe 2" isn't bad at all either. I had butternut squash ravioli in a very, very rich sauce, and lentl and portobello mushroom soup, both very good. I'd have preferred the ravioli with a simpler, subtler dressing though. The price was just slightly more expensive than the numerous cafe's scattered in the city.


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Search & Destroy

© Joselito Briones

This is one of the most interesting shops in the East Village, called "Search & Destroy". What's on sale are actually, literally, junk. Interesting junk. The junk that some collectors look for. The junk that somebody else's granny threw away that young girls (or boys) might be interested to wear. The kind of junk that you'll never think of finding in a shop. This is one of the shops that make East Village what it is. Don't expect to be buying anything wearable though, unless you're a hardcore hipster, the prices aren't exactly cheap.


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Astor Place

© Joselito Briones

Missed this one. I've told you all about this one, of course, when I took pictures of it last year, I just thought I'd take more photos of it under different light.


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One more

© Joselito Briones

Last Union Square photo, promise. Also taken from DSW, I like how the place is covered with snow, and the atmosphere complete opposite of what it looks like in spring and summer (doh) where the place is full of skateboard kids. This photo was post processed, there was way too much difference between the highlights properly exposed (buildings in the background) and the shadows (the whole park) so I had to tweak it a little.


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Views from DSW

18 March

© Joselito Briones

While shopping in DSW, Jane pointed out to me the awesome view from the open windows of the store on the third floor. Above is the view looking northwest, with the Empire State Building on the left, and below is the view looking north east. Naturally, I was too busy looking at the merchandise to notice for myself what's going on outside the building.


© Joselito Briones


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The last time I saw you

© Joselito Briones

Well then, Jimbo... It's been exactly a year since I last saw you, and tonight I'm flying to New York again. I wonder what you look like now. We'll see. I'll be arriving Friday night, with Mati, and Jane has volunteered to pick us up from the airport. I can't wait.

Above is the very last photo I took from my last visit, from the Airtrain service to the airport, in Queens.


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Signed, sealed, delivered

© Joselito Briones

So I finally finished my home-video DVD project. I went to the post office to send them to Carmona in the Philippines and to San Lorenzo and to Mountainhouse in California. I wonder how long it's gonna take to reach them.

On something unrelated, I received my first birthday greetings today, two days in advance, from the ever-reliable friend Cyntch. She was craving all sorts of sour things when I last saw her, she's probably very, very pregnant by now.

In the afternoon I packed suitcases to go to Mannheim, and from there, to Frankfurt Airport, to fly tomorrow early afternoon to New York. So yes, Jimmy, I'll see you soon.


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Final Cut Express

© Joselito Briones

I've been working a lot on video editing lately, doing the video for the family christmas party. I've been using iMovie, but I've finally reached the point when it's not enough anymore. I needed more than the single track for video that iMovie provides.

Yesterday, the Final Cut Express software that we bought online arrived finally. It took sometime to install it, and last night I tried to learn the basics - for a 1-hour video that I want to finish by today. Which I did. After not getting up from my chair for the whole day. I'm burning DVD's as I'm writing this.


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Lea

© Joselito Briones

Most of the people I know seem to have their birthdays around these three months. Either that or it just so happens that the people born during these first three months are the most willing victims to my camera's experimentations.

Pictured above, of course, is much more than someone I know. She's my Inay. Her name's Lea (yep, like the princess), but everybody in our neighborhood calls her "Aling Sile". I didn't even take this photo of her. It's a studio portrait taken in the first year or two when she moved to California, about 20 years ago. I tried to make it look like a painting, hence the visible photoshop effects.


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Boxers and Glass Boxes

© Joselito Briones

Everybody here in Mannheim is talking about a new store - the flagship store of Peek & Cloppenburg (photo above and below), designed by "starchitect" Richard Meier (known for his glass boxes), opened today.


© Joselito Briones

Meanwhile all the buzz today isn't just about the new shop. A big sporting event was held here in Mannheim - big in that just about any German sports celebrity was there - the boxing match between Germany's adopted son Wladimir Klitschko (watch out, Borat!) and Ray Austin for the world heavyweight title. Klitschko won.


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Anne

© Joselito Briones

Anne was all dolled up when she showed up at Wil's for our brunch, and Chinese new year dinner that night - special make-up, new 'do, the works - I just had to take pictures of her. Photo taken in February this year.


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Ika'y kaibigan ko

© Joselito Briones

Here's a videoclip of a number some of my nephews and nieces did in the last family christmas party we had in Carmona. I thought Krisi (guitar) looked really great in this clip. With her are Omar (drums), Mark (bass) and Jane (vocals). The number they're doing is called "Kaibigan ko" (My Friend). The sound and video quality is awful, of course, but until I get myself a proper videocam, this will have to do.


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