of bbqs and bikes

a couple of weeks ago we invited some friends over for a bbq at chateau folchang (f thought it would be funny to combine our last names).

as the bbq was underway, we got a knock on the door. at the door was a man too old for our crowd. turns out he is the landlord of the building.

landlord: hi i am the landlord.
fede: ok
landlord: are you having a bbq outside? you are not supposed to be out on the roof.
fede: ok
landlord: it is illegal to have an open flame on the roof.
fede: ok
landlord: please make sure you get rid of the fire and no hanging out on the roof.
fede: ok. sorry we will take care of it.

by taking care of it, fede meant that we would continue bbqing our food and hope mr landlord leaves. so we took care of it.

another knock comes about 30 mins later.

landlord: i see the flame is still going (he can see the fumes i guess)
me: oh yes, we are just cooking everything up quickly and we will bring it in after
landlord makes a face and says: make sure
me: yes don't worry- we will.

and we continued grilling til evening.

a few days later we got in the mail a letter from the management office.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
RE: Roof

Dear Tenant(s);

We have been informed that you have been using the roof for personal entertainment. We are writing to inform you that the roof is off-limits to personal use. No Barbequing or hanging out is allowed on the roof at any time. It is a Fire Hazard and a violation of your lease. If you have any bottles or garbage of any kind on the roof, please be kind enough to clean up after yourself.

If you have any questions or concerns please call your Management company at the number above.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

we had also been locking our bikes on the first floor next to the stair-railings (the tenant from 1st floor apt also does the same) and one day we come home to find that a sign has been stuck onto the wall above our bikes:

All bikes that are left for more than 24hours will be deemed abandoned and removed.


it seemed like the management company was going on a personal tirade against us but hey, we ride our bikes everyday so technically the bikes are never left for more than 24 hours anyway. (of course, this is before our bikes got stolen that fateful night we went to watch indy jones.)

the sign was taken down after a few weeks (while we were in italy and the caribbean we stored our bikes in the apt) so now that we have replacement bikes (exactly the same ones as before), we are locking them back where they belong!

not worth a bad movie

last night we went to see indiana jones. i fell asleep in the middle of a fight scene because it was so ridiculous anyway. it was a terrible movie and i only went because fede put me on a guilt trip saying he had watched so many bad flicks with me so i should put myself through a blockbuster for him.

the only problem is that we biked there, but had to walk back.

yes- the bikes were STOLEN. BOTH. we parked them right outside a pizza shop where it was well-lit and all along the block there were at least 20 other bikes locked to other poles or racks. i guess our screamed "nice and quite new!" so they fcking bastards came along and clipped our cable chains and nicely made away with nearly $1400 worth in bike.

they were definitely professional bike thieves these guys. they must have seen us walk into the theater and wouldn't be out for the next 2 hours. it was right on 2nd ave and there was non-stop foot traffic so these guys must have been pretty darn smooth. now our poor bikes are probably somewhere in brooklyn or queens getting traded away.

we will probably buy replacement bikes but this time we will get huge-ass kryptonite chains (i read that the weakness is in the padlock) + 2 other locks. i also want to get a bike alarm or maybe install some kind of thief crocodile that snaps at anyone who gets near the bike.

i need a dishwasher and other stories

i need a dishwasher because i spend too much time at the sink washing the dishes. and when i have finished one load of washing, just a few hours later, another load somehow piles up and sits happy in the sink waiting to be washed. i thank viola (my other roommate) for buying these hot pink rubber gloves that i snap on each time i have to get through the dishes. the upside: fede says i look hot in them *wink wink* - but then again he would rather lie and have me do the dishes than do them himself.

speaking of washed - fede asked me the other day, "have you washed the plants?". "you mean watered?". ROFLMAO.

speaking of water - i am not altruistic about this whole save water, save the earth thing. when i ask people to not leave the water running unnecessarily, it is quite selfish in fact. you see i have this little anxiety problem and need to know water is somewhere close at hand. i try to always carry a bottle of water with me and when i don't have quick access to water, i get a little edgy and feel unbearably thirsty even though I might have just had a drink 10 mins before. like when I get into my seat on a flight or watching a movie, i get a little panic attack if I know I'm stuck in my seat for more than an hour without water. so i am one of those annoying ones who will ask for water before the attendants come around with their drink carts.

because i have this need for water constantly, i don't want the world to ever run out of it (fresh water is only 3% of total water). people (like my bf) think oh, I'm not paying for this water so I will waste it or oh, we don't have water shortage problems here so I won't worry about it. but at the end of the day we are all part of the same big ecosystem and whatever happens in the water cycle in one place will have its effects in another. so please, for the sake of your friend here, turn off the tap while washing your dishes or maybe skip the shower once in a while- it really isn't so bad.

getting frumpy

as kibum predicted, i my desire to dress up has faded. i sit in my tights or baggy pants all day, no make up, can't care less about how my hair looks.

my nails are a mess too.

yesterday we went to see roman de gare and since i had been sitting around in my aladdin pants all day i saw no need to change out of them to go to the theater. so i threw on his aspesi jacket and flip flops for a real oversized look. as i came down with my bike, my bf looked shell-shocked. this was a new look he had never seen.

"are you going to the movies in your peejamahs?"
"what"
"what the f are you wearing?"
"who cares"

well, anyway, we stopped at whole foods to get theater-dinner. someone in line asked me, "can i ask where you got your jacket? i've been looking for one exactly like that for the longest time!"

see- i obviously make oversized stylish.

baby steps, but together we can!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazine/20wwln-lede-t.html?ei=5087&em=&en=76d14e551d4461fb&ex=1208923200&pagewanted=all

homeworking

working from home isn't as fun as people think. first of all, being in PJs all day is not as fun as dressing up in nice clothes. so today i met kibum at mercury dime (cafe in the east village- i cannot reveal more for fear it becomes an afternoon watering hole for college kids) and i was wearing a pretty top with jeans and heels (and i had biked no less- but i bike in heels all the time anyway so no biggie).
k: what are you so dressed up for??
me: i have all these nice clothes and no where to wear them to anymore!
k: don't worry that anxiety will fade soon
me: i don't want to be one of those women who has let it all go... (slightly depressed at the thought that in a year i might be frumpy and not care)

second, it gets boring sitting at home all day by myself. which explains why i was out at mercury dime. but also because i had to meet our new intern who just moved to NY from spain. she is working with us a few hours every week and for two days, we will meet to work together.

third, it is a lie that home-workers have it easier. i wake up at 7.30am and start work almost immediately (after a quick breakfast that is... i cannot do without my morning meal). no luxury of day dreaming or leisure reading in a subway or bus. and although i take the liberty of "finishing" early to beat the after-office gym crowd, work is sort of simmering in the worldwide web, waiting to envelope me when i come home. since home is also office, and the business is my own, the if-i-don't-do-it-who-will / why-do-it-later-when-i-can-do-it-now impulses are much stronger, and the tendency to act upon them also much higher.

fourth, no benefits. no insurance. no more corporate perks. so no tickets to tribeca film fest or pretentious galas. but i saved a box of my old business cards so i can use them for museum admissions. heh heh.

fifth, i have to constantly keep the house clean (ok somewhat clean) so it's bearable to work in. which means i spend at least 40 mins a day doing some household chore. when i was working at an office, i could ignore dishes left in the sink and bread crumby table tops. now no longer.

sixth, my bf thinks that just because i work at home i have more time so i have been assigned the terrible task of watering the plants on the terrace (which he endearingly calls "our garden").

seventh, there is a lot of admin-type stuff that needs to be done- a system to create, infrastructure to build. just very basic things to help this organization function more smoothly, but which take a lot of time and effort at the beginning, with hardly any real immediate gains to show for it.

but i enjoy this new life. i bike around everywhere i go and save on the bus and subway fares and especially cab fares. i can eat more healthily and work out more frequently. i get a change of environment whenever i feel like i need it, and if i did feel like sleeping in one morning, i wouldn't have to call in with an excuse.

it takes discipline, this homeworking thing, but i think i can do it.

genial

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazine/20Live-a-t.html?pagewanted=all

In the above article, under the Sweat Equity section, Hong Kongers are literally peddling energy. Funny enough about 2 years ago Fede suggested that all gyms should be equipped to harness energy from its members as they work out. I laughed it off as one of his great ideas because the efficiency would be low and storage would be a problem. If this project is viable in the long-run, I will have to say that my bf can sometimes be quite "genial".

I am back in NYC and have conquered jetlag. bf surprised me with homecooked nouvelle cuisine (seared scallops atop mozzarella buffala and topped with marinated sundried tomatoes- quite heavenly). he kept urging me to take a shower and when i finally agreed (i mean, what, do you think i smell bad??), i pull open the shower curtain and in the tub is a trek bike and in the bottle holder is a small bottle of champagne. i have to hand it to bf, he has swept me off my feet for the second time.

the bike is the best present i've ever received. i have been dying to get a bike since i lost his (it was stolen when i parked it outside barnes and nobles due to torrential rain- i couldn't bike it back!!). but for fear of getting it stolen again, plus it was getting cold anyway, i put off the purchase month after month. he did not scrimp on this one too. i was willing to spend about $100 for a second (maybe third, fourth or even fifth) hand bike off of craigslist. but he got me a spiffy stree bike with titanium body (who cares if it's not- it just sounds cool) so it's light enough to carry up the stairs in our building.

riding around the city is like traveling in a parallel universe. you notice things you never would have. like most streets do actually have bike lanes. like there are many more bikers than one notices when just a pedestrian. like the streets are terribly pot-holed. like the awnings of stores look different than when walking past them on a sidewalk.

the best thing about biking is that i actually CAN get EVERYWHERE in 10 mins. i usually think i can get everywhere in ten minutes on foot- but as everyone can attest to, that is a gross underestimate. but with a bike, i foresee that my chronic lateness will become less of a problem. for example today, i left my place at 12.45 and told flo i would meet her on the other side of the williamsburg bridge at 12.55. i had never biked across the w'burg bridge so i had no clue if 10 mins was enough time. but hell yeah, i got there in 9 minutes and was early!

now every errand seems a breeze to run and my efficiency is doubled thanks to my new bike. also, i will no longer pay for the smelly subway and crowded bus, plus my carbon footprint is greatly reduced. what a marvelous gift!

truly a paradise to behold, sipadan is like a dream island. as the boat approaches the island, one can see the waters change from a deep blue to a bright aquamarine. the atoll wall is a plunging 600m and the reef around the island is not large. the water is unbelievably clear and visibility is easily about 30m.

my father did not dive but came on every boat ride to snorkel on the surface. he was intrigued by what he could see even from the top- reef sharks, green turtles. he even swam in a school of barracuda and a school of jackfish.

i dived and so was able to see much much more. of course turtles were a regular sighting- they were often resting on the coral wall or sometimes swimming up for air. we saw some reef sharks and a family of white tips which was fun. swimming among the colorful and very plentiful reef fish all along the coral wall was like diving into a fantasy aquarium.

we met some nice friends from germany and sweden and my father, as a true blue singaporean, always wonders how they manage to afford taking weeks on end off from work. i tell him people just choose to live life very differently, not take up too many obligations which will tie them to their desks too much. sometimes i think he fears i might become a wandering, traveling vagrant for the rest of my life.