Celebrities, Tea Cups, and more

I have met a few celebrities in my times in NY, including one yesterday. I am not going to post a list of names since I would like them to remain anonymous in my blog. I have to admit that a part of me has a fascination that makes me excited every time I meet a famous face. It could be the fact that millions of people know this individual or it could be that I see this celebrity as my window into the world of fame and glamour. I have never seeked fame, nor do I really want to be famous (to the level of every person knowing who I am). If it happens, I will accept it, but I will not seek it. Sometimes, I feel as though I get thrown into the spotlight. I will explain those situations in another blog.

Today, I had brunch at this place called Alice's Tea Cup. I am warning the men that the name does hold true and you will find it to be a very 'girly' place. Of course, I loved it. The brunch was good, and my friend and I shared a teapot with a small cat attached to it. A mirror had little pink dresses attached to it and the decor was created to resemble Alice in Wonderland story. Here is a link:
http://www.alicesteacup.com/

Alice's Tea Cup is a tea wonderland, but aren't we all living in a real-life wonderland? How do we distinguish between dream and reality? Our past memories become dreams; our future is a dream; only the present is reality.

Economy and job losses..

Like everyone else, I have been hearing news of more and more job losses in many sectors of the economy. Every morning, I get off at the Wall St subway stop; it is bewildering to see the epicenter of this mess. Trinity church continues to mightily overlook the street. Some people dressed in business suits, others in jeans and a little slumped, slowly make their way. I remember my first day at my current job. It was Sept 29, 2008. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 777 points - the largest single day point loss in history. The next day, on Sept 30th, I had to attend a meeting on Broad St. I got off the Wall St stop around 8am and started walking along the sidewalk that leads to Wall and Broad. There were television cameras and reporters waiting to cover the news that morning. I crossed Broad St and and for a brief moment I looked to the right of me - There it stood, the New York Stock Exchange - a symbol of financial birth, might, and collapse. Weeks and months later, we have seen the consequences and ripple effect on every sector, not only in the United States, but elsewhere in the world. Greed and stupidity, bad advice and unfortunate decisions, consumerism that fed off captialism - an economy that is continuing to learn its lessons. For those who thought of their jobs as their identity, they learned a cruel lesson. For those whose spending had gotten out of control, they also learned a cruel lesson. For a poor family trying to survive every day living paycheck to paycheck given wrong advice by experts - I wish they didn't have to learn this cruel lesson. I hope that our country will survive this and I really hope people all over the world will get through this meltdown.

A moment in history..

I took this picture yesterday among the crowd of people assembled next to the New York Stock Exchange. I was lucky to be next to a very symbolic building in this period in history. Years from now I can say that when our country was drowned in an economic recession, unnecessary war, and housing crisis, I was there among the hopeful, excited, tearful, and joyful crowd enjoying the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. I cast my first vote in this election and knowing that my vote made a difference in shaping the world is an honor.

I do not take my American citizenship for granted and I never will. I became a citizen in the morning of September 11, 2006 several years after I came to the United States as a child. I will never forget that moment when I raised my hand to recite the oath of allegiance- it was exactly five years after the darkest moment in American history. Yesterday, I stood among a group of Americans and tourists, young and old, wealthy and poor, comprised of all races and colors, all waving their hands and flags, shouting and hoping, crying and screaming; I stood among them feeling more American than ever before.

Lazy Sunday..

Yesterday I went to Cafe Reggio with a friend after lunch at Chola.
Here are the links to both places:
Chola : http://www.fineindiandining.com/
Cafe Reggio: http://www.cafereggio.com/

When I first came to Cafe Reggio in the village two years ago, I didn't know that it had the first espresso machine in the United States. I was drawn to it, like I am drawn to many quaint cafes that have a cozy look from the outside until you discover there is some story to it. Cafe's and restaurants have a lot to do with ambiance and I have always felt that the ambiance adds to the taste. I have noticed that in some cultures in India or the Middle East, there is less focus on restaurant ambiance and more on the food and taste. That is fine too, but I always like the added touch of an exceptional service or a nice decor with an eclectic touch and maybe a window that overlooks a small garden and ivy covered walls.

100 years from now..

100 years from now, almost all of the people we see in the world today won't exist anymore. It will be a whole new generation of people. A whole new generation of love, hate, generosity, greed, peace, war, happiness, misery, health, disease. I wonder whether people think about their legacy and what they are really leaving behind in this world. Why do we have so many people who are arrogant- considering our lives are so short?

My little pony

http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/careers/2009/01/09/december-jobs-report-what-you-need-to-know.html

I grew up in the 80's and 90's and like many people of my generation (millenials/generation Y) , I am now part of uncertain times. Maybe our comfortable childhoods were not a good preparation of what would come. We got first hand knowledge of what it is like to grow up with care bears, my little ponies, matchbox cars, and transformers into the real world of war, global warming, recessions, and uncertainty. Could we have imagined what would be ahead of us? Maybe that is one of life's biggest lessons and maybe it is the uncertainty that keeps it interesting.

New York, NY

Can cities be soulmates? Do some cities draw people to them more than others? What is it about the aura of NY that makes people live here? I have found a few reasons why I like NY and the biggest reason has to do with how much I missed the city when I was away. I came here for a consulting client back in 2006, stayed here for a year, and went back to my old traveling routine.

Here is what I had to say then:
"Manhattan is a place of extremes - rich and homeless - high skyscrapers and underground subways - expensive pets and fat rats - it is a city beyond comparison. I also learned that among the crowds lies loneliness and in the foot of luxury lies homelessness. To get to the highest of the highs in the city that defines power, people sometimes forget to smile. For now, I know that I can always go back to this city and still won’t mind living there. In the hustle and bustle of a restaurant you can sometimes spot a smile; once in while a cabbie will talk about his life story, and maybe you can spot a celebrity or two. I loved to see the faces of tourists who came from far and wide as they gazed at the billboards in times square for the first time and scrambled their way through the crowds. I loved walking in the quaint streets of West Village and then crisscrossing my way to Chinatown to see a different crowd, smell a different aroma, and hear a new tune. I loved walking past the classy abodes near Central Park hearing the hoofs of the horses and the sound of the different languages that floated in the air. I will miss waking up to see the distant statue of liberty from the apartment and a proud flag flying next to it near a ghostly void created six years ago. I will miss an occasional dove perching on a church and a cabbie speeding by splashing a puddle from a pothole onto an unassuming onlooker. More than everything, I will miss the city that defines and sets the standard for the whole world to follow."

After I wrote this, a new job drew me back to the city. So, here I am, a year later, back to the most interesting city in the world.

1st Entry

This is my first blog entry. Today is what I call one of my clumsy days - I was later than usual to the 77th and Lex subway and scrambled my way through the 8:30 am crowd, only to realize that my card had expired. As I stood in the long line for the only MTA card machine that worked, I realized that my magazine fell. As I picked up my glossy magazine, I realized that my credit card, laundry card, and an assortment of wallet items had fallen into the grubby subway floor. In either case, finally, I hopped on my train as usual packed with other morning commuters like sardines hoping not to be next to a stinky or sick individual. My highlight of today was lunch with my coworkers in Chinatown. Among the smell of vegetables, fruit, and fish, we walked among shopkeepers staring out of their displays of toys, jewelery and random, useless, but colorful items. In the restaurant, I had mostly vegetable dim sum, tasty as usual. I end today on a normal and unassuming day hoping that I can continue my musings in my blog.