We Love Goobers.. er.. We Mean Goober!

Ginnie at Madison Square Park in her new fave T-shirt! It's from Dylan's, a candy store on 3rd and 59th. Goobers are supposed to be a chocolate coated nut product from Nestle. But really, it's her new fave T-shirt because...

This is Goober! And we love Goober! She's back in Singapore and we miss her everyday!
And yes she's named after the Sonic Youth album and song!
And you know, when the boys say: Hey Goo what’s new?
My friend Goo just says: P U!
My friend Goo just says: P U!

This is the Sonic Youth album.
Every household should have a copy!

Inflation Hits New York!

Onion rings, Ron?
The night before the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade, the parade balloons, up to 60ft tall and 40ft wide, are inflated. This, of course, is an event in itself. Thousands, at an average age barely above zero, thronged the streets, in temperatures barely above zero, around The Natural History Museum, to watch their favourite characters get gassed. We managed to spot Dora the Explorer, Scooby Doo, Charlie Brown, Super Grover, Pikachu, Sponge Bob, Mr Potato Head and several other characters we're too old to recognise. Ronald McDonald had some problems inflating.

Melts in Your Mouth, Falls on Your Head!
The following day during the parade the giant M&M balloon was blown off course on 44th street and tangled with a light pole, causing the lamp to rip off and crash on 2 sisters. They suffered minor injuries.

3-DD

WARNING!
To fully appreciate the special features of this blog entry you must put on your SUPER DUPER 3-D SPECS!
Not suitable for adults aged 247 and above!
May cross eyes and cause SUPER-DUPER headache!





As New York City drags its galoshes inexorably towards the cold of winter, its denizens spend more time at home scaring themselves silly watching TV with 3-D specs (Well actually, there was a special 3-D episode of "Medium", starring Patricia Arquette. We found a stack of DIY 3-D specs near an ATM on Wall Street made specially for that episode with reminders to tune in for the special presentation.)
WATCH OUT!


If you can recognise these two, it's time to visit your optometrist!

Park Life

I like the few sad noises
Rising over this fiery sunset
An eager dog! Set free, barks in oblique barks
Chop-chopping at the trees with a hatchet
Flaking off in yellow sparks
Or, no, leaves.

(adapted from Elizabeth Bishop's Gypsophilia)

The parents in New York!

The parents visited us last Christmas!

The cutest kids in the whole wide world!!

Isaac in the snow at Mount Rainier!


Isaac playing mirror games at Sears in Seattle!


Josh has an accident with giant cotton candy!


Sara and me! Miss you!


Crazy hats! At Filenes Basement in Union Square.

Adios Dudette!

After 6 really fun months that seemed to whiz by just like that, Soch is leaving NYC. Who's going to make us sample yet another burger joint? Who's going to make us record Lost and Invasion week after week? Who's gonna bug us to watch Aerosmith and other rock relics? Who's gonna stand up for Jack White? Who's going to do impressions of Little Britain? Who's gonna singlehandedly keep the rock tour t-shirt industry solvent? Who's gonna bring us to Splash and watch those boys gett'n jiggy widit? Who's gonna supply Happy Joy with new patrons? But most of all, who's gonna fill the gap left by an erudite, fun, high energy, hair-swinging, always on-the-brink-of-breaking-out-into-dance bundle that's full of love, goodness and fascinating nuggets about Roe V. Wade?!
Fuggedaboutit!!

So one more for the road.. We'll miss you Soch!

Soch's farewell at Fat Baby!

Soh Chin with Mag, Ginnie, Kavi, Clay, Peggy who collectively have raised the average age of the patrons at Fat Baby from 21 to 30.

How Soh Chin and Tessa Had a Short Heated Discussion but Eventually Made Up!

Tessa: I used to date this really really short guy!
Soch: I LOVE SHORT GUYS!!


Tessa: He of course could not resist my Robot!
Soch: Tee hee! I love short guys..


Tessa: Let me show you his photo on my camera! I saved it on a small JPEG.
Soch: Short guys are yummy! Dr Evil's Mini-Me is so dreamy..


Tessa: OK let's dedicate this photo to all the short guys out there!
Soch: I love short guys..


(er.. the veracity of the above report cannot be vouched for.. not with any absolute certainty..)

Robot Takes Over Manhattan, PtII! The Infection!

Clay, innocently sitting in the corner is infected by The Robot! Domo Arigato!


Cannot Resist! Must Dance! Must Robot!


I am the Modern Man! Secret! Secret! I've Got a Secret! With Parts Made in Japan!


Photo taken by the Clay Robot! Does Not Compute! Reboot Reboot!

The Robot Takes Over Manhattan!

We were making small talk at Soch's farewell, when suddenly Tessa announces in a voice that seemed to come from very far away, "I can do the Robot very well!" and promptly breaks out into the Robot!

Domo Arigato Miss Roboto!


Close-up of Robot appendage.. very hi-tech! apart from the stiffening of the extremities, you can't spot the difference from a human arm!


Robot stops to refuel with... er.. Robot fuel..


Robot robots on!

Tessa Grooms Her Fingers Before Sticking Them into Her Ear!

Soch, Ginnie and Traslin pretend nothing's going on.

How a Little Rain Fails to Stop the Gang from a Final Shake at the Shack (for now!) with Soh Chin!

Soch will be going home soon!
So the Gang descends, unperturbed by the rain (we're Singaporeans you know!) on the queueless (for once!) Shake Shack at Madison Square Park.

Of course, first they send out the cleaner to dry the tables and chairs!


Fries are a little soggy and it is like 12 degrees celsius.. but still.. Yummy! Delish!

Greg & Sing Come to Greenwich!

How our friend Greg, the Blues man, came to visit and introduced us to his erhem... lady friend.. Singsingsingsing who's an actor doing her MFA at Columbia...

3 Frozen people bravely put on smiley faces in the middle of the night at the blustery Rector Street subway entrance



A jolly bunch in the apartment~ from left to right~ TV Remote, Notebook, DVR Remote, Tapered White Cup, White Cup, I-pod in Cradle, Op-art Glass with Apple Cider, Powerbook on Cushion.

We Walked Amid a Forest of Fire Passed Rocks Scorched On Floor Aflame We Walked On Beside the Mighty Hudson and Chanced upon Alas! a Bush Burning!

In search of the colours of Fall, we went on an hour plus train ride up-state New York, chugging along, hugging the bank of the Hudson, to the town of Cold Spring. Here are some pictures from our jaunt on the hiking trails around the town.

The Town of Cold Spring!

Population 2800, 50 miles from New York City in Putnam County, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. A slice of pepperoni pizza is $2.45.

Geri's Farewell and Birthday!

A former colleague of Ginnie's, Geri has been living and working in NY for the past 4 and a half years. But because of this and that, they lost touch and we didn't even realise that she was in NY until we bumped into her at the National Day Party at the Singapore Commision in NY!! But sadly, Geri is going back to Singapore!
Good luck Geri! And take care!!


Front row l-r, Robyn (Soh Chin's cousin), Soh chin, Clay (Soh Chin's friend, a film-maker), Zeke (Clay's son), Geri, Ginnie, Choon Keat. Back row, an over-enthusiastic bunch of people who started on the Birthday song without Geri!!!


Geri's friend Marian's really cool one bed-room at Brooklyn Heights. The bedroom (in the photo it is buried under all the guests' coats, it was a cold day!) opens up to a lovely veranda!



Brooklyn Heights! Just down the street to Marian's place.. Yes that's the Manhattan skyline and the little sticky-out thing on the horizon on the left is the Statue of Liberty! And the orangey blob in the middle of the water is the Staten Island Ferry!