Repentance for Lack of Dividends

Well this year I was not able to get any presents for my family, I know epic fail. As a consolation I offered to cook dinner for my family, which I might make into a yearly tradition as this was the second time I did it. Well here is what I cooked:

First Course:
Mixed Salad with Scallops Wrapped in Bacon

The scallops were held together by rosemary stems.
They were drizzled with a lemon vinegarette.

Second Course:
Lamb Rib Chops with Young Potatoes and Asparagus in Red Wine Au Jus reduction

Lamb chops season with salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.






Reduction done with red wine from Portugal










Final Course:
Simple Yogurt parfait with plain yogurt, raspberry jelly, granola and blueberries.






Dinner was good, now bracing myself for the impending food coma.

A very warm Christmas wish to all

Hope all of you have a great holiday season full of good stuff and presents. Decided not to write a last post about London because going through all the stories and memories will just get me too depressed. But ... as I look out my window in California I realize that its never going to be as good as my view of the City that I had outside my room in Kings Cross.





















Someday I'll be back.

Stereotype Disintegration in Cork

So after one night of pubbing and clubbing in the streets of Cork, this is what I have learned about Irish people.

1. Not all Irish people like Guinness, in fact some people think its disgusting.
2. Irish girls drink Coors Light instead of Guinness
3. Irish guys like Japanese cars and drive Nissan Skylines
4. Some Irish people have never heard of Irish Car Bombs.


Lastly, the porportion of hot girls to ugly ones here its ridiculous. In one night at the club (Club Havana), I saw more beautiful looking girls than my entire semester in London. Not only that, the club's music was better than 95% of the clubs I went to. Cork doesn't make any sense, and me and Ben realized that as we stood just in awe and in puzzling shock of the situation that we saw.

Along with that, in our trip to Kinsale, the port town south of Cork the day was absolutely beautiful. Having great seafood by the pier and enjoying some nice pints at pubs that are 300 years old, there was not a spec of rain that dropped on us the entire day.


Cork is great, but doesn't make any sense, I don't know if my impressions of Ireland will ever be the same. Pictures will come up soon.

Reflection Depression Deflection

As great as the story of London goes, there has to be an end, and what better way to end it then the way I did last night. Ministry of Sound - great club, student night, great discounts. Was there dancing for four hours with everybody, didn't matter who, just whoever at NYU that just wanted to shake it and let it loose. Didn't dance to a single song with lyrics in it, just pumping beats and base. So many great stories, so many beautiful and caring people, so many memorable moments. This term has been absolutely fantastic, and once I get more time I'll figure out a way to comprise it into a series of photos.


To everyone who made London such a fantastic experience, I thank you. This place is truly a beautiful, lively, cultured, sophisticated city with so much history and tradition. No where I have lived comes close, or ever will.

Celebration of the Commencement of an Underperforming Term

Meh, grades wise this semester didn't go well, but hey what can you do. Bounce back next semester. But for now time to CELEBRATE! Going to find a club that plays this song and stay there the entire night.

Overconsumption of Nourishment

Went to Amsterdam this past weekend. It was a great time to be spending the Thanksgiving weekend with my boys from Saratoga. Finished off with a great Thanksgiving dinner at Bodeans (they do Thanksgiving in London), then hit up some pubs before flying over to the land of Vices. Stayed in the middle of the city, everything was within walking distance. It was good to spend a weekend with the boys.














Went to the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, and Heineken Brewery. The beer was as fresh as can be, and the Extra Cold Brew was absolutely perfect. Even got to pour my own tap and learn how to pour the perfect Heineken. Good stuff.

















I also ate way too much, probably gained a little bit of weight.

Over the Hump, Crashing back to the Real World

Well I have found that I have no time to even update this routinely, given the hectic schedule that I have been on. But as the time winds down in enjoying a fantastic semester abroad, reality has finally hit me, and the work that comes from going to school has finally caught up. But before that, one of the best things I have done was embark on my fall trip throughout Iberia.

The first stop was to Barcelona where although it was raining for most of the time, was still a fantastic city with a crazy nightlife. The place was so different from what I have been used to, with the old town rising up with fantastic old architecture and close quarters. The people were so friendly, and the coastal area I could only imagine during summer being so great and enjoyable. Being able to step into the Picasso museum was also another plus, being able to see his early works was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. I really like his stuff, and brings me back to the time where I was doing art myself.



















































































The second stop was into the heart of Spain, into Madrid. The capital was fantastic. It was the culture that I was really enjoying. The idea of siestas were awesome, the nightlife where it doesn't start at a ridiculously early time like London, the Tapas, oh man the TAPAS. So good. The Spanish food is so colorful, so vibrant, and the flavors so bold. I was trying to describe the difference to my friend. The best analogy I could think of was that French food was like riding in a Rolls Royce, it gently lets you into its nice interior of plush leather and refined colors, and while it drives it simply glides and takes you from point A to point B on a bed of clouds. Spanish food is like stepping into a hot rod during the summer, with black interior so your butt is on fire. The huge engine in the front with 230498230948 pounds of torque pulls you forward and blasts you down the straightaway. You are getting beaten up by all the wind hitting your face but you love every minute of it.

Madrid was great, the Sangrias were great, and of course had to visit Santiago de Bernabeu. Also got to go to the Renia Sofia museum, which was really cool because they held a lot of Impressionist paintings including stuff done by Dali and Picasso. Really good time, could have stayed there the entire day, wish I could. The Spanish hospitality continued here, really nice people, all willing to help even though they didn't speak English at times. Got away with knowing my California Spanish, barely.







































































Last stop, and my favorite stop, was Lisboa Portugal. I was really happy I came here last, as the weather finally turned for the better and it was nice and sunny. The city of Lisbon was great, really family-oriented atmosphere and people here were very welcoming. The seafood was great, lots and lots of shells and Pork too. I wish I had more time to try out the different foods here. But I was able to bask in the sun and really enjoy myself.

The last day of the time at Lisbon was what really set things off. I had the day to myself, and I went on a walking tour organized by the hostel. During that time, I was able to go to a terrace that the tour guide knew that was his favorite spot. There, because Lisbon is really a city upon hills quite like San Francisco, the platform was on the top of a roof but accessible by foot. It was great, lights stringing up in the air with music coming out the speakers stationed on poles. Plush couches for people to sit on overlooking the water. It was a great place, and I can only imagine how bumping that place would have been during the summer on sunset during the hot hot days. There I was able to sip on some red wine and really take everything in. I really enjoyed myself, and it was a surreal escape. Here I was, 20 years old, travelling on my own, sitting in a place very few people know about and enjoying Portugal. Six months before I was sitting on the BART commuter train going home, now I'm sitting on the couch overlooking the water. The people I was able to meet while on my walking tour came from all walks of life and different areas. I was able to speak with students, grad students, lovers, back packers. Everyone's story was different, and it was amazing to really get to meet everybody. I remember meeting a guy from Northern England. He's not rich, but he saves money here and there and travels around the world. He's single so he doesn't have a family to support, and he is able to travel to various countries throughout the year. This guy, from Northern England, knew Japanese and carried a book of languages in his backpocket. To be from such humble beginnings, and yet be so well travelled, and hear some of the stories he had - the most memorable one while in Budapest - really inspired me to one day be able to do that. I loved Lisboa, I loved everything about. The architecture, the family-atmosphere, the view, the weather. Fortunately, my time with Lisbon isn't over, as I'm going back after school finishes.


































































































































Being back in London after Fall Break was good. Got to hang out with Dad and get some free food, along with going to the Arsenal Manchester United Match at Emirates





























Well thats about it for that game. Manchester United didn't have the wanted result but its still early in the season so nothing too crazy to fret about. But the escape that Fall Break provided is now over, and the work has finally caught up. Being able to enjoy the little time that I have left here does not coincide with academics as I have found out. Which is a shame, because NYU in London is a scam and anyone considering doing it in the future should look for programs in London outside NYU. Probably cheaper, and you won't have to be stuck in on the weekends desperately finishing papers and projects. But regardless looking back on it now I wouldn't change any experience.

I have done more things this semester than I have in the last two and a half years. Travelled to various places, experienced different cultures, and met some fantastic people along the way. The experiences hopefully I can keep with me when I return back to New York, and along with the people I have met in London. It is a shame that the only hiccup to this semester will be the fact that I am not doing so great in my classes and my averages are going to falter. But the thing is, I took a risk taking 3 electives and 18 credits. I have spent more time in the library, doing research, writing papers, and finishing my sketches (for "Seeing London") than I have in all my other semesters combined. I wasn't used to this kind of academia - Economics was midterm midterm final, and thats it. But this was good, even though at a very expensive price. Got to learn things I wouldn't have in my Economics class. Learned a lot about London that I wouldn't have just by walking on the streets.

I learned about Chavs, Lorries, what its like on the Night Bus at 3AM, how the Brits love chips with everything, why things are so, Politics of then, politics of now, pub culture, what it means to support your club, race relations, the history of London as a city.


But more importantly, I learned how to make connections again, how to be open to everything, how to be receptive, how to communicate how you feel, how to live.

I have one more weekend open, and I'm spending this Thanksgiving weekend in Amsterdam with my friends who I have been with since the days of Argonaut Elementary. And from then on its cramming and trying to finish everything on time. Its going to be tough, the temptation to experience London "one last time" and not get cooped up in a room overlooking the skyline at the City is tough, but at the end of the day I am still a student. To be perfectly honest, I am quite ready to get back to NYU. I miss the lecture atmosphere, my Econ class, how I don't have to spend hours and hours in the library. But I don't want to leave London, it has treated me really well at the expense of my wallet, but it has treated me well.


More to come, lets hope I survive with all the work that has bit me in the ass.


On another note, how about my Sharks huh? First in the league with 35 points? 17-3-1? Ballin', my dude Devin Setoguchi is tearing it up! Undefeated at home, makes me want to run back to the Shark tank right now and watch them play

Throwback to the old days

Hella good.

Large Scale Experience Recollection

I have finally found some time to explain whats been going on for the last month. The fun of studying abroad wore off and right as things got fun, the work caught up and started tearing me apart. After two rounds of midterms, papers, and presentations, things are finally in the clear for now at least for a week after fall break next week. Whoever said that classes abroad would be easier are full of crap, classes are definitely harder here. And the grades that I've been receiving are going to make a huge dent in my averages. Looks like I will have to take the L for this term and just work harder when I get back. It's quite hard at times to realize that your honeymoon vacation away from school gets a shot of reality when you get handed a mark with super slashes through it and a poor grade, along with comments that make you feel like you have nothing remotely intelligent to contribute to academia.

Given that, I guess I have two choices. Either mope about the fact that I'm going to fail, or just have a great time while I'm out here. You only study abroad once, so you might as well make the best of it. Grades are temporary, stories are forever. And in these last months I have been lucky enough to go through some once-in-a-lifetime experiences in and out of London. Things that I could not give away. You talk about life lessons, go abroad. I've been able to get past the bumps on the road, and been able to live on. Go out, enjoy London, share it with friends.

And now as we roll into November, I have started counting down the remaining days that I have out here. I don't want to look in that path, but its the big elephant in the room, and I know that my days are getting numbered and it will be back to reality soon. Back to New York, back to the real world, back to school, back to all the baggage I left behind.

Lets get on with whats been going on:

1. First of all I have beaten up my laptop so much that even my Mac now gets the blue screen of death. Along with that I have busted the "a" and "x" keys, so I have a keyboard that looks like its been beaten with a hammer.

2. I was able to go to the Royal Albert Hall to listen to a concert. Jason Mraz was performing so I figured it would be a good time to check it out, along with writing a paper that I had for that building for my "Seeing London" class. Well, suffice to say the grade on that paper was rubbish, but at least the concert was good.


The beautiful Royal Albert Hall



















Inside.













The clearest picture that I could get from my seat at the concert.










3. I went on a school trip to visit the land of the scousers in Liverpool. Along with getting all the history of the Beatles and enjoying the interesting Liverpool nightlife, I was able to visit the Kop and take the tour. There's not much there, the area is in the process of gentrification, but yea...as a fan of United, I can't get myself to say I'm extremely fond of the place.









Random statue on beach










Penny Lane with Jimmy.


























It was at this point that I decided that I had to go to Old Trafford or else I would have commited a cardinal sin.




Luckily I did.



4. Lets get to the best part of my study abroad semester, and most likely the best experience of my life. My journey to Old Trafford. My major goal this term was to get to the Theatre of Dreams and experience what it was like sitting with 75000 other fans screaming for your club. It was a serendipitous time too, as I just received my first marks for this semester and found that my paper was found to be "Average". Being pissed and moping, I check my email to find that I landed tickets to the game, for free. Being so short of time I could only drag one friend, Jimmy, and bless his soul (being an Arsenal fan) decided that it would be okay to come experience Old Trafford with me. So we hopped on the bus to Manchester and watched the game. It was a great weekend, with my only regret not having a pint with the crazy Irish guys from Cork that we shared a hostel with. Those guys were definitely fun, and even more fun to decode what they were saying through their heavy accents.





The main entrace at the North Stand











Jimmy, being the great friend that he is, came out to watch the game with me, know what he was doing was sacrilege to his pride in Arsenal. We had great seats, just 16 rows from the corner flag, with all the goals being scored when United was going in our direction. Great night, 3-0 over West Brom Albion.











The beautiful stretford end the next day on my tour.












5. I guess it was my time to repay Jimmy also for his kindness in coming to Manchester with me, so in a few weeks we will be going to Emirates to watch a Carling Cup game. However, before that he and I took a tour of the place, just to see what it was like. I have to say, totally different that Old Trafford in a sense it was way more corporate, definitely a money making machine that stadium.





Not as great as a name like Old Trafford.














Players tunnel.









Emirates makes 31 million pounds a year just on the corporate boxes alone, crazy stuff. Thats worth one Dimitar Berbatov!



Well I guess to update the checklist:

Here's the new list:
- Get those Manchester United tickets and go to Old Trafford - Done
- Find that go to club/bar lounge - narrowed it down, found some nice places, but I am getting
scared that my go to club might be Cheapskates....
- Try the London Curry - did it, was great, so delicious.
- Have dinner on the Thames. - In planning stages
- Find time to go to Paris for one weekend. - probably won't happen.


What else has been exciting is being able to share my experiences here with not only my friends from NYU but also from home. Along with the guys that are studying out here come the friends who have come out to visit. Connie and Dora recently came out to visit and I took them all around London, and had some great fun. Greg should be coming during Thanksgiving break, and we should be hitting Amsterdam that weekend, so we'll see how that goes.


Anyway, long enough update. Not sure when the next time will be, but until then, realize that you only have a short time to live, so make the best of everything that comes your way. Life gives you speed bumps, its how you accelerate out of them is what matters. I am fortunate enough to say that my time here has more ups than downs, and I'm a little upset that my time has started to wind down.

Two songs that I have been playing constantly that sort of suit my mood right now, for various reasons.

"A Beautiful Mess" - Jason Mraz
"Stitched Up" - Herbie Hancock with John Mayer


Anyway, take care.

Weekend Pilgrimage to The Theatre of Dreams

This is where I was this past weekend:



More about the trip and everything since the last post later, once I get through this next round of crazy papers, presentations, and sketches.

UK Update 2

I honestly have no time to write blogs. I am either out, drinking, playing futbol, eating, reading, sleeping, or travelling around drawing. Somehow I squeeze time here and there and put up some photos. So here we go, here's what has happened since the last time








































































From finding out what GMT finally means (Greenwich Meridian Time), to going to the Prime Meridian, to going up to the London Eye, to the Thames Festival, to Saratoga people in London, to going all around the outskirts of London to finally being able to watch my first Premier League match, to going out almost every night, I doubt I will finally have a time for when things settle down. Which is great, although I will probably lose a couple years of my life doing this. But everything has been fanastic, besides the obliteration that my wallet has taken as a result of it. Gone to the craziest places (IceBar London, Maya London), to the most historically exquisite (St. Paul's Cathedral, Church of St. Bartholomew, Kew Gardens), to the suburbs and areas in which I normally wouldn't go to as a normal London tourist. I am trying to take everything in and really try to experience life as Londoner, along with meeting new people along the way. It has been a fantastic time. I wish I was back in New York, there are elements that I miss - Lamb and Rice, 24 Hour Subway, the US Dollar, DSP - but there are some things that are just so much better out here. Short list:

1. The Chips, or Crisps, out here are just astronomically better. Walkers > Lays, all day.
2. Beer is better, even the Natural Ice equivalent out here (Carling, Carlsberg) is still better.
3. Pubs - enough said.
4. Salt and Malt Vinegar over Chips (Fries) is the best idea ever.
5. The metropolitan atmosphere is amazing - with old history blending with modern, its just not comparable to any other place.
6. Tipping - you don't have to tip as much. At the bars, you don't even need to. If you're at dinner, 5-10% is customary. Awesome.
6. Football, football, football, football. I love the sport, and every day is a new story about football. It is just so easy to play a pick up game at the park, its a beautiful thing where the fields are lined for football, not baseball or American Football. And I've taken a liking to Rugby, which is just crazy those guys.

Well last time I had a list of to do's, here's an update:
- Watch a Premier League match - DONE
- Get at least some kind of soccer going on a real pitch with my boots on and group of people
knocking the ball around. - DONE
- Find that "go to" restaurant - TOO EXPENSIVE TO EAT OUT
- Find chopsticks for eating - DONE
- Get some kind of Fall Break intinerary punched out. - DONE, WALLET R.I.P.

Here's the new list:
- Get those Manchester United tickets and go to Old Trafford
- Find that go to club/bar lounge
- Try the London Curry (I know, its pathetic I still haven't done it yet)
- Have dinner on the Thames.
- Find time to go to Paris for one weekend.


'till then.

It Costs Twice as Much to Play in the UK

Okay, so I've finally got some time to get back to this after a whirlwind two weeks of traveling and getting used to living across the pond in the UK. Classes just started this week and I can definitely feel that these classes are going to challenge me in much different ways. Equations have been replaced by essays, problem sets with readings. Poop is going to hit the fan unless I'm on top of it. Its nice that all my classes are in the afternoon so I don't have to wake up early, considering that the walk to class is ridic - 30 minutes at California pace. And with me carrying my gym stuff its just exponentially heavier and sucks. But to recap, basically these last two weeks have been spent with my family and with new people and trying to set my feet down in a new environment.

I arrived into Heathrow and instead of doing the tourist-y stuff that you would normally do, me and my dad just tried to get acclimated to the London atmosphere in the terms of a Londoner, how to live, how much prices are, the cost of living. After buying a rice cooker and sim card I knew that it was going to be a rough semester in terms of the funds. But, things look good and I feel comfortable in London. Its completely unlike New York, its got a character of its own that I can't describe right now, but I'm sure I will be able to in a few weeks. After doing all that, it was to Scotland in Edinburgh where it was just me and my dad. It was great, it was rare for me to spend so much time with my dad one on one, and it was truly a fantastic experience to share with my dad, and definitely a good "bros hanging out" sesh. Because my sister and mom weren't around, we even got to steal a day and sneak off to St. Andrews to play golf at the home of golf. Here are some pics to recap:

After spending time with my dad it was time to move into NIDO and start my life at NYU again. It was a whirlwind of activities and little sleep as I was meeting new people, going out, doing orientation, sleeping little, spending lots, and doing it all over again. Its been nice, meeting some NYU kids that I didn't meet before and kind of getting in touch with the guys that I didn't talk to over the summer that I knew before. The next step now is to step out of my comfort zone even more, to go beyond the familiar and into the new. I'm looking into joining some competitive football (as they call it here) clubs and seeing if I can meet people that way. And then maybe meeting some new people in the classes that I'm taking. With all this and planning for weekend trips, football games, signing up for gym memberships, groceries, other intangible costs, and you can see that its been a wild ride for the first few days. But now that I've got the routine down hopefully things will slow down a little bit. I'm just afraid that I won't - and I probably won't - have enough time to really do all the things that I want to do. At least I got tickets to the Manchester United/Arsenal match at Emirates on November 8th, super wicked. Anyway, first week of London with NYU pictures:







































































Lets hope the next time I'm back on here I have made some kind of progress in the goals that I have set before you:

- Watch a Premier League match (planning on going to Fulham vs. Bolton)
- Get at least some kind of soccer going on a real pitch with my boots on and group of people
knocking the ball around.
- Find that "go to" restaurant
- Find chopsticks for eating
- Get some kind of Fall Break intinerary punched out.



As always, have fun and stay classy.