I started documenting this on a Tumblr, which I’ve created for easy updating.

i heard their voices. although i couldn’t get a good look at them because i was facing down on the wet sidewalk without my glasses, i could tell they were young. two teenage girls. when i held on to my bag, they mumbled, “let go… let go…” not vicious. almost a little scared. i let go and sprinted after them for 2 blocks… not only did i want my bag back, i wanted to scold them. come on kids, it’s not worth it. you’re better than this. but common sense kicked in: they might be young but they’re still taller and bigger than i. TWO versus ONE. i stopped mid-run and dialed 911.

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I spent Saturday out all day: yogaing, breakfasting, snowwalking in Central Park and then finally I’m back in Brooklyn to hang out with Joy and Melissa. We met up with Jesse in Bushwick because we were going to see MAMA BEAR. The venue was sweet too — reminded me of house shows in Davis. I had such a super great fun time that I wanted it to last forever. Melissa and I failed at getting a cab to pick us up after the show. We attempted to walk but I complained: I NEED a cab… and I never take cabs! After I got home I felt sick. That’s when Melissa told me that she thinks we were robbed. Both our laptops were gone and Jenn’s bike which is usually in front of the door was moved. Someone came in through there!

The next day I was still in disbelief. Mixed emotions. Melissa and I coaxed Joy and Jesse to come over from the city to have brunch with us. After brunch we went to a cafe and started reading. Not having a computer could be nice sometimes… like not having to fight for the plugs ?!

After the Manhattanites left, Melissa and I went home to let our super know about the burglary. He told us to call the police. After we got back from grocery shopping, we dailed 911. Two officers came over and questioned each of us — mostly about the times we were in and out of the apartment. They probably thought we were all party people. One left at 9:30p and came home the next afternoon. Another left in the morning and came back at 1:30a. Melissa left at noon and I was not home at all Friday/Saturday and we both came back at 4 in the morning. It was embarrassing to not be able to answer some of the officer’s questions because we couldn’t remember — it had been a long busy night. The questioning took forever. And what took even longer was that the officer had to wait for the sergeant because they forgot a form. At least he arrived again and called us both down. He asked, “do you trust your roommates?” They also informed us that the fingerprint dusting team will be coming. I almost feel embarrassed about all of this — but hey, it’d be awesome if they caught the thief(s). This whole thing took way too long and we didn’t end up eating until almost midnight.

Later, we found out it may have been an inside job because the same burglary happened a few days later. The apartment two floors down also had their electronics stolen. The point of entry was also a mystery. No forced-entry was detected.

It wasn’t until more than a month later that I received a detective call saying, “Sorry, case closed.” There was no more evidence to pinpoint anyone.

Incident  #2 of 2010.

After I left the 2 of them, I had about ten short blocks to go. On the way, I got stopped by this man who seemed desperate. “I need $ for gas! I have a 2 year old, and we’re stranded. I’ll give you anything — drivers license, a bracelet, my keys, in exchange for money. I’ll pay you back when I come back” — that sort of thing. I wasn’t completely alert, just in my feeling-good haze. The caffeine hasn’t completely kicked in yet. I agreed. Gave him $40. Emptied my wallet and gave him more JUST BECAUSE HE ASKED. He gave me a bracelet that’s on his wrist. I wrote down my work address and number. He said he’ll call me and return my money.

Now, I don’t know why I didn’t question him further. Like I really wanted to trust him and pushing him for more details destroyed that? I think I could have been smarter than this and I might have seen signs that he was trying to con me. The problem is that you could never be SURE that they are trying to con you even if they may appear suspicious.

This is, unfortunately, the first of the 3 incidents of being robbed in a 3-month span.

1. Career-life decisions: Get it together and study for the GRE’s and look at grad school possibilities. Or else I think it may never happen. Could I get it together and be in school by 2012? I need to make a decision. Choose a path. I’ve already thought about what I might possibly study/research.
2. Emotional-personal-life: This is a tough one. Oh my god, what do I want? All I know for sure is that I will work hard on all relationships (including friends & family) — the ones that matter. What may follow may be dating, relationship and even emotional connections with the past.
3. Living situation: This comes third, but I do still need to plan for where I want to be eventually. New York City is the present, and I’m not in a hurry to change this, but mentally I need to prepare for what may come. Truthfully, if I face an amazing opportunity — school or job-wise, I’m ready to pack up. But this is serious because I’m considering international. Canada still comes to mind as a viable option… so does the Europe. Need to research.

2009 had been a serious year in terms of working/career: it was working all year besides the two trips back to California. Though 2010 may be a little less structured, I’d say it would be more serious since it’ll guide me for at least a while! School… job… it’s time for a change of direction for the better!

Ginger molasses dough

I’ve been cooking a lot more these days. Instead of lurking around LES or Chinatown afterwork, I’ve been coming home to COOK. My power ingredients these days are: nutritional yeast, coconut oil/milk, tahini, SoyBoy 5-grain tempeh, curry powder (tumeric/cumin). Also into grains: the other day I made huge portions of barley, and then quinoa. Ah, you ask what a vegan eats? There you go. It’s pretty filling and healthy most of the time. I just gotta add more veggies & fruits in there somewhere.

Tonight I baked. I am way filled with sugar now. Ginger molasses cookies — vegan & gluten-free. GF only because one coworker has a wheat allergy. I’m baking for the coworkers because everyone else on the team (all 4 of us) have been doing a gift exchange. I promised them cookies. So there. It took all night but it’s tasty… just a bit too moist & doughy!

I was never into sweets until I got into veganism. Really. Now I crave cupcakes and cookies and ice cream. I’m getting fatter as a vegan.

Afterwork, I went through the crowded Chinatown streets to get groceries. I came across some guy on the streets. At first I thought he was a bum sleeping. But his position wasn’t right. He was on his back and his legs twisted oddly. I stared at his stomach and swore his stomach wasn’t going up and down. There were 2 kids beside him, claiming he just fell over. One guy was on the phone with a cop and called the ambulance. I couldn’t just leave. It’s easy to just take off in a crowd and not help out — what is it… the bystander effect?

Anyway. A firetruck came and I heard them shouting, “get up, get up now”, so I think he’s alive. I left since he got help, after all. By the time I left, there were 5+ police cars swarming to the same block. I thought, “Oh, no is this a crime scene… am I leaving the crime scene?” But no… there was another incident around the corner.

Damn, Chinatown. You crazy.

Light bust at Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park

Although I’ve been bicycling for many years now, I’ve come a long way from bike-friendly small-town Davis, California. Biking in New York City now is more than just a ten minute commute to class. It’s an urban alternative transportation, which is both enjoyable and practical. But as with large cities, more conflicts arise as we cyclists battle for the road with not just cars, but pedestrians, and less obviously, cops? Just because there are many miles of bike lanes laid out, it does not mean that we are recognized. I’ve ditched my monthly metrocard a few months ago and become a serious bike commuter. So it would make sense I’d attend my first Critical Mass in my city of Brooklyn. (FYI: Critical Mass is group biking around the city in an effort to make biking more prominent and legitimized)

I wouldn’t say this one in Brooklyn was a complete let-down, but it definitely wasn’t what I expected. First, there weren’t too many people. 25 max. Second, there was a weird tension between the cyclists & the cops. Apparently October had always been a stressful month for cyclists. I researched for any recent cyclist-cop clashes but couldn’t find any. Hmm. It was definitely a strange setup: there were way too many cops to cyclists. I see that cops could facilitate our ride by blocking the streets, but that is just too much. The trail of cops was quite intimidating. The feeling “whooo, it’s like we’re being escorted”, faded quickly. So during the ride, which was in and around Prospect Park, one of the cyclists commented, “Let’s confuse the cops!” Though I’m not the biggest fan of cops, I didn’t think it was an amazing idea to piss them off. We followed anyway because it was just a bike ride. It was a lovely night. Light breeze, mid-high 60s. Prospect Park at night might be creepy but it feels okay since I’m with so many others. We rode through a marching band parade. Confused street onlookers. Then after our final ride through the park, to our starting point, the Grand Army Plaza entrance, we saw blinking lights — LOTS of them. At first I didn’t know what was going on. The row of cops were pointing and shouting instructions: You pass through, you turn right. I was one who made it through. My friend wasn’t so lucky. We found out it was a “light bust.” Cyclists without lights got tickets. Oh dear, it was a TRAP. I didn’t believe it. According to another, Brooklyn cops have always been lenient toward the cyclists, and kept out of our way. Manhattan was the stricter place. Now that Friday night, at least 20 cops were waiting for us knowing there would be lots of cyclists at that point. What a set-up. At the end, lots were busted for not having headlights. One was arrested for not having an ID [Edited: He was detained. Thanks, Jabir!]. My friend had handed me my bike light not knowing it mattered. Well, it was either him or me. It was also his first Critical Mass experience.

Well, there you go. I’m not certain I’ll participate again. Even if I avoided a citation, I didn’t want it to be a play between cyclists and cops. I just want to ride, ride, ride, show our existence to not just the cops, but to everyone. Critical Mass just isn’t the way to go about it, at least not in Brooklyn.

Prospect Park Bandshell, after Blonde Redhead played a set

Parks are essential to my summer in the city. They’re for picnics, music, sports, parties, lounging and peace. I’ve already compared the New York City parks last spring. Let’s compare & list all my activities at each: Central Park vs. Prospect Park

Central Park
Juana Molina
Philharmonic
Met Opera Rehearsal
Vegan picnic (for Couchsurfing)

Prospect Park
Blonde Redhead
July 3rd Picnic (for CouchSurfing)
Sport Day
Biking loops

Certainly there is not a glaring difference between the two. While I may be  an affinity for Prospect Park, I admit it’s more because of my loyalty to Brooklyn. This summer is one of all boroughs. I’ve spent way more time out of Brooklyn. I have more than a few friends in Manhattan! Thus, Central Park is quite a “central” meeting place. Even when one forgets the crowds, the tourist traps, and its iconic status, it still is a large piece of green to escape to from the chaotic city.

Busy neighborhood where my office is located. Business hours Mon - Fri 9:30 to 18:30

“But what does that mean?”, I’ve often been asked. Unless I have more than 5 minutes, I leave everyone with vague answers which of course elicits confusion and make me feel like an arrogant snob. Here is a lengthier description — much more than “I do web stuff”.  It’s not too hard to describe, but it does require explaining my background, which is boring, if not in the realm of TMI to most strangers. Read on if you don’t feel like that stops you!

I’ve been involved in the production process of print newspapers & magazines and websites & blogs. While the role of a contributing writer, photographer, artist and editor is clear, the role of a producer less visible. After all, the finished publication only consists of contributors’ content. But, how does it reach from that stage, a collection of editorial pieces, to the final product? There is a gap in the process, before it goes off to press — or, in the web world, pushed live.

While production may vary greatly from one company to another depending on the size of staff or objective, the production staff is most likely responsible for managing the final stages of production.  At my print newspaper office, the production team, separate from the writers & editors, consists of the copy editors and the layout artists that work nightly from 5pm until press time. It’s no wonder most major newspapers have staffers that are jointly copy and layout people. My internet office is similarly organized into an editorial and a production team. The editors handle all of the editorial parts, while the producers work with the editors to manage the project from beginning to the end. I find that at least 75% of the work is at the production level, simply because the editorial pieces is only a small chunk of the overall finished product. This web content will most likely involve design, promotional content, legal issues, corporate standards, editorial revisions, QA (quality assurance) — each with their own processes.

So, how would I describe the role of a producer? Some suggestions: a project manager, an organizer, a researcher, an editor, a do-all-er.

The official start of summer, sun setting on the longest day of the year.

It’s officially day 2 of summer! Weather outlook so far looks to be a wetter and cooler summer here in New York City. I hope it doesn’t mean a boring one. I’m all set for summer fun with a new camera, a fixed up bike and some new found energy. Lookin’ forward to some summer festivities!

More photos and possibly other projects to come.