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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