the amazing adventures of outstanding alfie and ginnie gumption!

Singapore Ping Pong Exponent Comes to NYC

2007-06-29T09:52:00.000-04:00

S drops by NYC after a Coca Cola (E-N-V-Y!!! Burp!) press trip! We Pad Thai ourselves silly, drop by her very cool hotel with a swimming pool in the lobby where the sofas normally sit, get shout-outs on the street from a bum or two, venture far and wide to get a coach bag or two (well one of us..), exchange tales of politics and intrigue of the office kind, look at photos of giant babies, and of course go to our pal Kenneth's office above Radio Music City Hall no less and, you guessed it! play Ping Pong!
"So whats the latest gos? who's popped? Nooooo..!!"
er..LOVE ALL!!.. lol
All very inspiring of course..
which results in "Ping Pong" the photo-series

Tasia Comes to Town or Canadians Do It Better!

2007-05-14T10:42:00.000-04:00

Irrepressible Tasia and husband Mark come all the way from the sudurds (yes! really! thats how they spell it in Canada.. also they drive cars with square wheels!) of Toronto to visit Gumption in NYC. Tasia and Gumption have known each other from since the days of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock! and had much to giggle over.. and the entire Xanadu soundtrack to reprise!left-right: Gumption, Tasia, Mark, er.. Somebody.. in Little Italy

Photographic evidence that Canadians are a truly fashion forward people!

Alright! Alright! So I Touched Up My Photo a Little!!

2007-04-30T19:55:00.000-04:00

Hey! Everybody Does It!
And as you can clearly see I only touched up a teeny weeny bit!

Touched Up

Untouched Up

Outstanding La! Outstanding!

2007-04-30T16:03:00.000-04:00

Due to popular demand er.. we bring you pictures from Singapore Day in New York City!
Where Outstanding was (chortle! choke!) his Outstanding self (gag!!) again!

Click on photo to read the gibberish
& close-up of Sonic the Hedgehog hairstyle!

Outstanding gives us his one and only pose!
( "Eh!? where's the wind-machine i indented?")

Outstanding's groupies milling around hoping for an autograph! heheheh...
(actually they were trying to decide whether to queue for chicken rice or bbq stingray! - Gumption)

Outstanding & Gumption Go to the Hamptons!

2007-04-29T11:36:00.000-04:00

Where they hang out with Lucie
the best returner the world of tennis has ever seen!

Click here to go to the Hamptons!

Saturday 12pm Down on Union Square

2007-03-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

I guess in a city that never sleeps, a pillow fight or two is bound to break out.

Blast from the Past!

2007-02-22T18:16:00.000-05:00

Gumption struggles to hide her disappointment at the pathetic 6 inches on Madison Square Park

There's nothing worse than a long drawn out winter, with weeks, months even, of freezing temperatures without the fun of busting out into some powdery whites.. Well last week we had a snowfall of about 6 inches.. the heaviest fall this season but nothing! nothing! like last year's 24 inches.. Then yesterday the weatherdude says for all intents and purposes that's all folks! Spring is on its way.. maybe a couple more days over the weekend, of freezing temps courtesy of another Arctic blast (Whaaat?) but no more snow!!
Bleugh!

Two and a Half Inches!

2007-02-01T15:39:00.000-05:00

As we all know too well, the weather has been totally out of whack! It's been a cold couple of weeks (by NYC standards) with the temp hovering around freezing in the day and dipping in the night to about -8°C!
But it wasn't until a couple of nights ago that we had our first sustained snowfall this season. All of two and a half inches.. not very satisfactory at all! Especially for snow loving Gumption!

Ho Ho Ho Hooo! Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting!*

2007-01-30T12:50:00.000-05:00

Attended a launch for a book by a Shao Lin disciple where they had finger food and fortune cookies.. Gumption's cookie had this message.

*to the tune of Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting"

Island in the Sun!

2007-01-28T13:53:00.000-05:00

A blast from the distant past!
An exploratory committee visits Singapore's Southern Islands.. Kusu, St John's (not the one in Brooklyn!) and Sentosa!
Starring: Shzr Ee, Uncle Foo, Gumption and a cast of a thousand turtles!!
Music: "Island in the Sun" by Weezer
Direction: Outstanding
A Monster Construction

Hello Brooklyn!

2007-01-22T23:31:00.000-05:00

We've moved! Outstanding and Gumption are now in Brooklyn! Goodbye Manhattan, it's been a blast! And here are photos of our brand new crib!

That's me in front of our lovely semi-bay windows!

Our apartment faces the street. That's St Johns Place, between Washington Avenue and Underhill Avenue, in Brooklyn!

On lazy afternoons I like having a heart to heart with the TV.

That's me in our living, dining, TV and work room!

That's me in the bedroom! Woohoo! We finally HAVE a bedroom!

Our kitchen has a window, too!

On hot afternoons I like to cool my finger in the fridge!

Check out our new shower curtain!

And here are some of the last shots of our old place...
So saaaad!

Yes! We moved by subway.. that includes carrying this Queen sized mattress on the 2 train with a carriage full of bemused Brooklynites!!

RIP James Brown!

2006-12-25T12:16:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-23T10:23:00.000-05:00

Because Blogging Takes Time, Liberty and a Whole Lot of SWEAT!

2006-10-30T07:14:00.000-05:00

Click to see why!!

God Speed Michael!

2006-10-22T15:25:00.000-04:00

GWG2 Stamford House

2006-10-05T20:52:00.000-04:00

Attention Shoppers!
From October 9th 2006
Gee Wee together with Swirl
will be located at
Stamford House #02-05
39 Stamford Road
Opening hours 12pm to 8.30pm, Monday to Saturday

Ph: 6338 5020
E-mail Gee Wee
Map

2006-09-25T11:39:00.000-04:00

2006-09-06T10:12:00.000-04:00

NEW STORY! CLICK TO READ!

"Mary finally came to understand her son
the night she killed a man with her MPV."
A new short story by alfie lee
Only at alfieleewriting.com

2006-09-02T02:03:00.000-04:00

Where Gumption & Outstanding and the gang
go to Fire Island in search of Wilson
and had a grand old adventure!!!!!
"Wilso-on! Wi-ilson!"
Click on photo join Gumption & Outstanding on their Fire Island adventure!

Hail the Bob!

2006-08-29T12:46:00.000-04:00

"Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'"
~Bob Dylan

Red Hook White Light

2006-08-14T10:36:00.000-04:00

2006-08-13T11:24:00.000-04:00

2006-08-12T12:28:00.000-04:00

Someone is very very very very very veeerrry olddddd!

2006-08-10T18:26:00.000-04:00

Yes! We are talking about a certain Gumpy Old Woman!

Because we should always respect the wishes of the elderly, we had a little celebratory meal at Sylvia's in Harlem, home of the World's Best Fried Chicken according to a certain very very very very very veeerrry olddddd Fried Chicken Expert.. you just can't beat deep fried batter made with one part flour, one part butter milk and one billion trillion part salt! No wonder they say it's dangerous up there in Harlem!!

Later at the party, we had a gigantic (btw the photos are not to scale) strawberry cheesecake from the World's Best Cheesecake joint.. according to a certain very very very very very veeerrry olddddd Best Cheesecake Expert, from Eileen's Cheesecake in Soho. Yummo!

"OK! enough photos already... Can I eat now? Yummy Delish!"

"OK! enough photos already... Can I eat now? Yummy Delish!"

"OK! enough photos already... CAN I EAT NOW? YUMMY DELISH!"

Look Out Tyra! Martha! Oprah! Ellen! Heidi! Jeff Probst! Jerry Springer! Jill Neubronner! Heeeere's Gumption!

2006-08-08T20:25:00.000-04:00

Yes! Gumption makes it on American TV.
She's in the middle of The New York Daily New's weekly reality show, "Tabloid Wars!" Literally! (She sits right in the middle of the office.. really!)
Here are some screen grabs of the episode that aired 7th August.
(Btw..for all you Gumptys (Gumption fans) out there.. this episode is available on iTunes at only USD$1.99!!

"Wah ebay is dem exciting!"

"Eh C'mon lah! 10:31pm already! Time to go man!! This is America! We have rights!! You think what? Singapore ah!?"

"Alright.. this calls for drastic measures.. I'll pretend to be a coat-rack and sneak out slooowwly.."

While personally, Gumption feels that her left side is her better side, she is nevertheless always smiling and ready for her extreme close-up!

A Big Hunk O' Peanut Butter Love!

2006-08-05T19:23:00.000-04:00

After talking about it for so long, Gumption and Outstanding finally make it down to Peanut Butter & Co. in the Village.
And OF COURSE we had to go for the totally sinful 1 gazillion calorie 'The Elvis'.
Hey! It's not everyday you get to eat like The King!!
I mean 'It's Now Or Never', 'Don't Ask Me Why', 'I Beg Of You'!
It's just that 'I Gotta Know' how good it was!
So 'Don't Be Cruel', just don't get that peanut butter on my 'Blue Suede Shoes', Mama!

Well what can we say but 'Viva Las Elvis!' It was awesome!
It left us 'All Shook Up' and We 'Can't Help Falling in Love' with the peanut butter honey bacon banana sandwich!
It will be 'Always On My Mind!' and we'll love it till the 'Twelfth of Never!'
Hallelujah! Long Live the King!

"The Man Who Invented the Washing Machine" published by QLRS

2006-08-03T18:46:00.000-04:00

The Man Who Invented the Washing Machine" appears on the Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, the internet literary journal of Singapore.
Outstanding!..er...Outstanding...
: D

Wah Lau! The Incredible Thought Capturing Camera (available at all good camera stores, $29.99)

2006-08-01T09:49:00.000-04:00

What do friends in NYC do on heatwaved Sunday afternoons?
Eat a lot and after, stand in the sun and take group photos of course!!

But unbeknownst to the hapless posers, Outstanding was using his ordinary looking but otherwise incredible "The Incredible Thought Capturing Camera" (available at all good camera stores, $29.99)

What they are really thinking from L to R: "Wah Lau!", "What's happening?", "Wah Lau!", "Wah Lau!", "Wah Lau Eh!", "Wah Lau!", "Wah Lau!", "Wah Lau!", "Wah Lau!"
Identities of the participants have been withheld to er.. protect their identities..

-------------------

For those not familiar with the colloquallism "Wah Lau!"..

Pronunciation: W-ah L-au-!

v. Wah Laued!, Wah Lauing!, Wah Laus!

v. tr.
To pronounce a mild adverse judgment upon. "Wah Lau! So hot still take photo!"
To condemn as harmful, illegal, or immoral. "Wah Lau! So hot still take photo! Can die!"
To condemn to everlasting punishment or a similar fate; doom. "Wah Lau! So hot still take photo! Can die! You get heatstroke best!"
To swear at. "Wah Lau! So hot still take photo! Can die! You get heatstroke best! Wah Lau!"

v. intr.
To swear; curse. "*%&$^#*$! Wah Lau! %#@%#&!"

interj.
Used to express puzzlement, anger, irritation, or annoyance. "Wah Lau! What's happening?!"; Wah Lau! Too much! Angry man!"; "Wah Lau! Why like that?! So irritating!!!"; "Wah Lau! How can like that?! Dem Annoying!!!"

Everybody Make Some Noyce!

2006-08-01T09:20:00.000-04:00

Outstanding and Gumption go for an exhibition by their fine artist friend Sean Noyce. Originally from Utah he is a visual artist as well as art director at the Staten Island Advance. Here they pose in front of one of Sean's painting.

Outstanding: " Alright Sean, the Musketeer look is cool but the straw just has to go!"
Sean: "Whartsht shtrawshss..?"
Gumption: "Duh! Can anyone tell me how many clowns there are in this photo!?"

One Billion Degrees!

2006-07-27T10:08:00.000-04:00

Where else better to seek relief from the heatwave than the scorching sand, the mightily cold Atlantic, the lukewarm lemonade, the fried sunbathers and the fake coconut tree shower thingy on Coney Island and Brighton Beach.

And this was how far we had to travel (green arrow to red arrow) to get away from the madding crowds on Manhattan and spend some quiet, quality time with the madding crowds on Coney Island.

'the last'

2006-07-19T19:22:00.000-04:00

presenting a new short story by alfie lee ~ 'the last'

also available, a text only version of 'the last'

Nexus to You!

2006-07-13T08:04:00.000-04:00

Where 1st meets 1st,
where Harry met Sally (across Houston at Katz's Deli),
where the adventure's unending.

Come back soon, Tessa!

2006-07-05T10:49:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful day in the park...

With sunbathers, posers and parkgoers...

A skate-dance competition...

And three happy friends...

New York loves and misses you, Tessa!

Fry away with me!

2006-06-30T23:13:00.000-04:00

With Outstanding gone (part 2), Gumption has taken over the cooking duties. First attempt was an Outstanding speciality...

FRIED RICE!

How does your garden grow?

2006-06-30T23:06:00.000-04:00

With Outstanding gone, Gumption has taken over looking after the plants.

While some have bloomed...

Sorta bloomed...

Others have not done as well. Come back soon, Outstanding!

Ease

2006-06-30T05:39:00.000-04:00

"All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; the Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death."

The Journey of the Magi ~ T.S. Eliot

I had been back in Singapore for a couple of weeks and met up with Pat for coffee and telling her what i had seen.. my mother the same and different, bleeding and ill, me, each night in the dark fixing my heart painstaking scotch tape feeling already the next break, sleeping once more in the kitchen of her home, like i did till i was 13, beside the washing machine now what was the oven, and we moved to a bigger flat and no more, and another and they back to a smaller, life passing and friends some much much more and stranger less and the streets full of new clothes and bright cars and the city shinier still and sadder, things different and not some yet the same much no.
Then she said to me like a thunderbolt i can't remember the title i can't remember i think you are no longer at ease here no longer at ease no here i was

Holidaying!

2006-06-26T21:15:00.000-04:00

Mousey and Mark. Post-dinner stupor.

Full from dinner but still dwarfed by giant bed.

A photo Outstanding would be so proud of!

No beef with this lunch!

2006-06-26T21:10:00.000-04:00

Photo of very expensive steak. Yes, Joshua, it did cost US$35. And boy, was it yummy! Thanks Mousey, Mark and Zann!

Spidey Sense-less

2006-06-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

It's Spiderman 3 being filmed under our block! Woohoo! exciting! But all we got to see was the back of Tobey Maguire! Still!

See that tiny little round dot in the middle of the photo? That's Tobey Maguire! Well, the back of his head anyway! Yes, Gumption shot these photos, not Outstanding...

It was such a Brighton Day!

2006-06-20T11:52:00.000-04:00

Zann has no hand-ice-cream co-ordination!

Mousey's very neat cone!

Mousey and Zann pretending to be mobsters! Welcome to the Family!

On the Rhode to Providence!

2006-06-20T11:37:00.000-04:00

We're on the way to Providence, Rhode Island! Woohoo! Check out my spiffy new Yankees cap! Down with the Mets!

On the world's most gi-normous bed!

All kinds of seafood! Yum-o!

Gumption attempts to eat a steamed clam!

All tired out from our one-day trip!

This Post is Heavily Monitored

2006-06-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

i'm in Singapore on account of my mom.

Was at Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve today. Observed

- 1 ferocious shower spelling no relief passing
- 2 monitor lizards basking in the sun motionless
- 3 monitor lizards languid swimming in the brack like snakes one in faraway shade of cathedral roots one later braving an open pool of light
- 1 unending chorus of crickets meticulously tuning their instruments
- 1 monitor lizard beatup tailless heaving out of coppery pool with an almighty splash
- 1 monitor lizard stand-off .. flickering tongue on the foot path refusing to get out the way and me nervous not knowing if he knew i come in peace
- 1 mosquito on my left arm abdomen ballooning with my blood that i promptly dispatched from this earth and too brief life and left me pondering on karma
- 1 mosquito on my left arm bloodless next to mosquito with blood who was also dispatched henceforth with same palm slap and left me itchy
- schools of fish glistening in pond like burnished change cast in wishing spell
- 2 kingfishers flash of blue
- 1 mudskipper size of a turkey drumstick sinewy in oily water spastic on land
- 1 whooping call from an unseen bird in the canopy that brought flood of memory of place i used to live where each morning i was roused with the same and swore bloody revenge but now feel fondly
- 1 monitor lizard expired in flotsam upsidedown
- 3 labourers siesta in hide tousled with my inconvenient arrival
- 5 sideways crabs brooking no audience retreating
- 1 evil looking wasp like bug that seemed to think i was following him and meant harm when i was just going down boardwalk following signs and more nervous than he before we parted buzzed his displeasure in my ear
- 1 juvenile monitor curious polished head peeking out of hollow of mangrove stump at my passing
- 4 shiny sudden skinks
- 1 mudskipper walking on water why not swim
- 2 waterhens conversation
- 2 movements on mudflats indistinct just out of field of vision imagined perhaps
- 2 singaporean families of reluctant children with complaisant parents out of element too white legs in tow
- 3 separate unexplained bursts of noises beyond the reach of language and imperfect grasp of meaning and memory
- 3 flights of rowdy pipers wading out the distant winter searching for crustaceans and news from home
- 1 five foot long crocodile whereby i went holy shit! out loud to no one and feel blessed who calms me with one primordial beady eye and soundlessly slips into water on other side of embankment out of sight forever

Fade to Black: Keane Retires from Football

2006-06-12T19:44:00.000-04:00

"Because I know I shall not know
The one veritable transitory power"

To Market To Market To the Designers Market, Nolita, NYC

2006-06-08T09:28:00.000-04:00

The Singapore contingent at Designers Market NYC
Er.. 3 pretty maids in a Row...
(this posting kindly sponsored by the Swirl Girls and G. Gumption)

At the Swirl booth
"Er... What if the shoppers get into a frenzy when they see our Swirl designs? Like at the Fashionista Bazaar in Singapore?"
"It's ok donch worry I will flap open my trench coat and flash them!"
"Er...ok good idea!"
"Anyway when they see our matching helmets they'll know we mean biznezz"
"Ya hor!"

At the alfieleedesign booth
"Er... I just close my eyes and rest them a bit.. donch worry my finger puppet rabbit will continue to serve you and answer any queries you might have... zzzz"

Happy National Doughnut Day!

2006-06-02T20:11:00.000-04:00

Today is National Doughnut Day in the US!
This yummy delish celebration was established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise much-needed funds during the Great Depression and to honor the work of World War I Salvation Army volunteers who prepared doughnuts for thousands of soldiers.
National Doughnut Day is celebrated annually on the first Friday in June.
To mark the occasion, Krispy Kreme gave its customers a free doughnut of their choice.
No. You do-nut have to ask where we went today..

Zann & Gumption's Broadway Reunion

2006-06-02T19:14:00.000-04:00

Zann & Gumption stop traffic in the middle of Broadway and 5th Avenue!
This was just after way too much Cuban soul food at Sophie's at 34th & Madison.
And not long before jet-lag kicked in and Zann boarded the express to Z Z Land..

Zann: Hey! The weather iszzzzzzzzz...
Gumption: Ya it's hot! Why don't you remove your helmet?
Zann: Zzzzzzzz..

Curry Puff Girl!

2006-06-01T20:24:00.000-04:00

Now doesn't Gumption look absolutely over the moon?
Finally, she gets to sink her teeth into an Old Chang Kee Curry Puff! Thanks to Zann for escorting the 6 Curry Puffs on the 23 hour flight across too many continents and 2 oceans!
Operation 'Chang Kee' was a team effort, with Outstanding Mom retrieving Gumption's tupperware from storage in Singapore, relaying it to Gumption Mom who handed over to Zann. It was Zann Mom who decided to buy 8 Curry Puffs.. er.. 2 were lost in transit.. eaten we believe.. reports are suspiciously sketchy.. anyway..
Well done team!

ps. Yay! Suzanne is here!!
pps. Gumption's tee is available at alfie lee design

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

2006-05-22T17:44:00.000-04:00

I'm saying goodbye to CDs.
What was it that kept me on them for so long?
Maybe inertia. Holding on to what you've been doing is always comforting.. if it ain't broke maybe don't fix it.
Maybe it's the whole ritual of dashing to the store, scouring aisle upon aisle, with that splice of song madly looping in your mix-tape mind.
And maybe even the rite of handing over money you don't hardly have.
And maybe not finding what you were looking for, in this and all the other stores, and coming away convinced, not a little unpleased, that you maybe know something no one else does.

Maybe buying music on-line just seems too easy. A click of the mouse and maybe if you have broadband, there! it’s on your hard-drive.
Maybe you’re thinking how can anything good come from something so easy?
Maybe that's the catch.

But really it was the Sony/Columbia copy protected CD of Bob Dylan’s “Bringing It All Back Home” with no polite indication and the Virgin Lady who countered “everyone has a CD player” and the vanishment of my $12.99 and the plastic silence and laptop indignation that is the why and therefore.

"Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you.
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.
Strike another match, go start anew
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.”

2006-05-19T10:29:00.000-04:00

"Well I jumped up, turnedaround, spit in the air, fell on the ground
Asked him which was the way back home?
He said take a right at the light, keep goin' straight until night, and then boy, you're on your own."

OUT NOW! CLICK TO READ!

2006-05-17T21:16:00.000-04:00

"She believed he could do anything
if he set his mind to it.
She believed he had invented
the washing machine."

Announcing the web launch of
"The Man Who Invented the Washing Machine"
A New Short Story by Alfie Lee
Wednesday 17 May 2006
Only @ alfieleewriting.com

World Enough & Time

2006-05-15T10:04:00.000-04:00

2006-05-13T23:43:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to both our Moms!
Good job!
We have to say, you've definitely outdone yourselves with the two of us!
: p
; )

Farewell Keano!

2006-05-12T09:55:00.000-04:00

Roy Keane appearing for the final time in a United shirt for his testimonial at Old Trafford on May 9th '06.

Death to the Machine!

2006-05-10T18:24:00.000-04:00

Chamber Street Station 1 am

2006-05-10T11:07:00.000-04:00

Hero

2006-05-10T09:17:00.000-04:00

"Robert Frank, Swiss, unobtrusive, nice, with that little camera that he raises and snaps with one hand he sucked a sad poem right out of America onto film, taking rank among the tragic poets of the world."
~ Jack Kerouac

Robert Frank's studio on Bleeker Street.

Another Day at the Office!

2006-05-07T10:57:00.000-04:00

Michael Schumacher wins the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring!
Woohoo!

MI:IV

2006-05-06T11:30:00.001-04:00

This is the sequel to this

Singaporean Re-Writes Newton's 3rd Law:"Every Action has an Action Party"

2006-05-06T11:30:00.000-04:00

The New Newton's 3rd Law states: "Alternative views possible without Opposition."

She's 75 this Week!

2006-05-03T16:27:00.000-04:00

She's only the 9th tallest in the world and 2nd in the US but this architectural offspring of Shaq (O' Neal that is...) and Jacq (O nassis that is..) is a tall, tough and classy broad. It's no wonder Kong couldn't get enough of her.. And she's starred in more movies than Tom Hanks.. including a big supporting role in "Sleepless in Seattle".
Here's looking at you kid!

'Who Says Singapore is Not a True Democrazy?!'aka 'That's 4¢ Worth'

2006-05-03T14:25:00.000-04:00

SINGAPORE : "Mentally unstable voters will get special help on polling day.

The Elections Department says no voters will be refused a ballot paper if their name appears on the Register of Electors.

In response to queries, it says election officials will attempt to explain to the mentally infirm how to vote.

However, if it is clear they are unable to comprehend what they are doing, officials will seek agreement from all the polling agents present that the voter be allowed to cast a blank vote."

Excerpt from: "Special help for mentally unstable voters on polling day"
By Rita Zahara, Channel NewsAsia

'Your Quality of Lift Will Improve!'aka '2¢ Worth'

2006-05-03T13:58:00.000-04:00

The Singapore general elections are coming up.

"The hallmark of this election so far has been its predictability, in terms of where candidates from all parties will be fielded, and what analysts call "a profound lack of issues".

... But analysts I spoke to in fact agree that there is a pressing issue at hand, which is the future of Singapore, and where the elderly and needy stand in this future.

However, the "missing form incident" came along, and has hijacked the hustings.

Eugene Tan, Assistant Law Professor, SMU, said: "That prevents the parties from engaging on the issues that matter. It is not that the James Gomez issue doesn't matter. I think we need to rise above this, given that elections provide a rare opportunity for political parties to engage the voters in a very intensive campaign. I don't think if it drags on, it will do either party any benefit and in the end the voters will probably stand to lose because the real issues that matter... don't get aired."

... Some local issues have, however, managed to surface, such as lift upgrading, which seems to be the immediate need of residents at this election."

Excerpt from: "James Gomez issue will not be deciding factor in vote: analysts" by Hwee Goh, Channel NewsAsia

It Being Spring in New York City, RarelyA Day Passes By Without a Rally! Really!

2006-05-01T20:10:00.000-04:00

Gumption and Outstanding Go on a Peace March on Broadway, Whereby They Meet Donald, Condoleeza, Dick and W., and Some Scary Nuns and W., and Some Peace-Lovin' Folk Bursting with Song in the Blazing Sun and W., and Some Hooded & Masked People Carrying Corrugated Corpses and W., and Some Other Folk, Many with Placards Aloft, One Seeming Dejected In Orange In a Cage, and Marching Flag-Bearing Communists and Once More Even, Again, W.

Happy Birthday Pearlie!

2006-04-30T12:29:00.000-04:00

What Price Success?

2006-04-30T12:13:00.000-04:00

And Chelsea has yet to turn a profit.. 'nuff said.

Blast from the Past!

2006-04-28T16:23:00.000-04:00

Anyone still remember the blizzard of '06 in February?
No? Here's some footage from Washington Square Park that was lost deep in the ice and has only now just thawed out..

Public Hanami Number One!

2006-04-26T19:47:00.000-04:00

Where Outstanding, Gumption and Tessa set off on an adventure to Brooklyn Botanic Garden to check out the Cherry Blossoms in bloom.

(Click on photos to enlarge!)
1: Sakura in the sun.
2: Tessa and Gumption indicating the size of their dream brownie.
3: There were other species of flora besides Cherry Blossoms, inlcuding Tulips.
4: Gumption sits beneath a White Cherry Blossom.
5: The sky was sun and deep cyan.
6: Japanese brolly-with-thick-belt-high-waist dance.
7: Gumption's favourite flower.
8: Miss G. strikes a pose in park row.

Eat Meets Wet! or Which Way to the Peking Duck?

2006-04-24T22:21:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday, despite the horrible, wet weather (forecast was 2 to 3 inches), we decided to go down to Chinatown for it's annual "Taste of Chinatown" food bazaar. More than 50 participating merchants set up tasting stations outside their stores, selling their signature dishes at $1 or $2 a plate. You KNOW we're not going to let a little rain stop us! Come On!
(Click on left to see what, and how much, we ate!)

G. Gumption nervously holds on to her Won Ton Noodles in the midst of the hungry throng.

What's an event in Chinatown without the mandatory Lion Dance?...

And the lions asked, in their great big lion voice:"Hey Lady! Which way to the Peking Duck?"

... or the occasional "Little Fried Fish" dance?

And the little fried fish asked, in their little fried fish voice:"Hey Lady! Which way to the Peking Duck?"

Tessa and Ginnie have high tea with popular Singapore actress Fann Wong (who was in Shanghai Knights..)

When Fann Wong asked in her Fanny voice:"Hey Lady! Where the Peking Duck?"

G. Gumption braves the threat of pneumonia (it was only 40 plus fahrenheit).
And as you can see from her choice of footwear, she's totally prepared for some serious flooding.
And of course, her Peking Duck.

Up Where We Belong!

2006-04-24T14:42:00.000-04:00

Michael Schumacher wins the San Marino Grand Prix.
All is right with the World again.
Hip Hip Hooray!

Ya! Right!

2006-04-24T11:54:00.000-04:00

It's the start of National TV Turnoff Week.. (which we found out from ... the TV!)
Let's just say we didn't come halfway round the world to America to give up one week of 150 channels and Tivo... or to ride a bicycle.. (see below..)

And here are some suggested activities from TV Turnoff Weekers!
1. Visit your local public library
2. Play a game
3. Take a walk or a bicycle ride
4. Visit a museum or zoo
5. Play hopscotch, hide & seek, or freeze-tag
6. Start a garden
7. Get the news from the radio or newspaper
8. Learn about the native trees and flowers in your area
9. Make a scrapbook or photo album
10. Twiddle thumbs.

2006-04-23T11:39:00.001-04:00

       "from a way across
the street the light
                     picks her and
   gives shine"

"Here is no water but only rockRock and no water and the sandy road"

2006-04-20T22:28:00.000-04:00

You know you're turning ancient when you think how in a world with 99 billion happy meals, no one in your lifetime need sleep hungry, and you don't get angry, only sad.

TEN TEN TEN TEN!1

2006-04-20T19:32:00.000-04:00

Fold up your tray tables and buckle up bay-bey!
You're in for a ride of a lifetime!
We're so happy for you! & how we wish we could be there!
Congrats TPL!
Love love!

----
1: To the tune of "The Wedding March" of course.. doh!

The Rise of the Machines!

2006-04-20T09:51:00.000-04:00

The Terminator: The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from washing clothing. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, humans try to pull the plug.

Ginnie Gumption: Skynet fights back.

The Terminator: Yes. It starts eating the socks.

Outstanding Alfie: Why socks? Aren't they our friends?

The Terminator: Because Skynet knows that without socks you will get blisters and smelly feet.

"Terminated."

"I know now why you cry. But it's something I can never do."

Hand Can Cook!1aka. "Ouching Onion Frying Oil!"

2006-04-18T13:10:00.000-04:00

Was cooking the other day and got a bit casual with tossing the onions into a pot of oil. Got hit by some hot oil splashback!
Some hard-earned lessons here..

1) Hot oil is very very hot.

2) Never treat produce in a cavalier manner, because...

3) ... there's more than one way an onion can make you tear.

4) It must be tough being a fish-finger.

5) Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian, and had only ONE testicle.

---------
1: er... rhymes with "Yan Can Cook".. for those of you not familiar.. Martin Yan's kinda like a dimunitiver, frenziedly gesticulating Chinese Emeril

Stars are Falling from the Sky!

2006-04-17T12:02:00.000-04:00

Natalie Portman. Actress.
Queen Amidala. Beautiful Girls. V for Vendetta
This past Saturday, we walked 4 blocks (On 9th Ave, from 42nd to 39St, and down the avenue length of the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market) with some chick and this dude. We were behind and then we were in front, and then we drifted behind, going under the Port Authority Bus Terminal overpass, where a lot of doped-out junkies and winos were loitering (it was also crowded with a lot of people of the non-junkie variety, so we were pretty safe), past a tiny beat apartment we almost rented. The rent was really cheap but the place had no natural light and a sloping floor, plus you don't really want to live above a place that calls itself Atomic Wings.. Yes.. it's a fried chicken type joint (Not sure if they microwave the wings..) Anyway, it got to a point that I thought the dude looked like this pretty famous photographer, Mario Sorrenti. Maybe. Mario shot the Clavin Klein ad that launched Kate Moss's career. They were going out at that time (Mario and Kate)(tho' it must be said that nevertheless Mario is a fine photographer and I don't say that about just anyone..) Anyway we continue on our walk and then right at the end of the length of the flea-market, Ginnie almost accidentally walks into Mario Maybe's friend (all the time they were walking, there was no physical contact, for those of you interested in that sort of thing), coming face to face, within a foot of her. And that's when she realized it was Natalie Portman!
We need more practice in star-spotting! Anyway, she's pretty petite and plenty pretty, Ginnie sized or slightly smaller. Unassuming. Wears her hair in short tight ringlets.. it's still growing out i guess. Dressed in skirt, Versace shades, flat pumps.

Kim Stolz. Sapphic Next Top Model. Sometime Actress.
Role in Veronica Mars.
This was last year sometime in Autumn. Forgot to include in the previous list. Spotted her midtown. She's much taller than she appears on TV. And very pretty. With flawless complexion. Was in jeans, shirt and converse. Q. cool.

Wait! Wait! Wait! I Know the Answer to That Question!!!

2006-04-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

Heh Heh Heh...

What More Could a Man Wish For?

2006-04-13T13:11:00.000-04:00

I Would Like You to Dance! Take a Cha-Cha-Cha-Chance!1

2006-04-13T10:27:00.000-04:00

Despite the raspberries' best efforts at conciliation, the kiwi refused to fraternize with the blueberries.

14 fish, 1 dog and 2 smiley humans can't wait to get started on the nervous tart.

----------------

1 : From the Beatles' "Birthday", Track 1, Side 3, The White Album.

Entertainment Weekly!

2006-04-11T09:48:00.000-04:00

Flix of the Week!

A~Pick:

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
The 1974 version is, how does one say it? Erm.. honest? And therefore WAY creepier! WAY! And also beautifully shot, kinda like "Virgin Suicides" but with a chainsaw.

"Destroy All Monsters!" (Kaiju soshingeki)
It's 1999! Godzilla attacks New York! Rodan devastates Moscow! Manda obliterates London! Mothra smashes Peking!

"In the Mood for Love"
Makes you want to cry and jump up and down with joy all at the same time.

"Leaving Home Coming Home: A Portrait of Robert Frank"
Insightful portrait of a truly great photographer/artist. A man of power and grace.

"Throne of Blood (Kumonosu jo)" - Akira Kurosawa
A tale retold by a master, full of sound and fury, signifying nothingness.

"Floating Weeds (Ukigusa)" - Yasujiro Ozu
Perfect poise. Perfect composition. Perfect color. Perfect.

"The Lower Depths (Donzoko)" - Akira Kurosawa
Gorky's play in a masterclass of ensemble acting, dynamic framing, blocking and composition.

G~Pick:

"Grey's Anatomy"
Er.. It's sooooo good!

"America's Next Top Model: Cycle 6"
Danielle will win!

"American Dreamz"
Perfect casting. Funny funny.

"Dirty Dancing"
Nobody puts Baby in the corner!

"Pride and Prejudice (2005)"
The best movie of 2005!

"10 Things I Hate About You"
Heath!

Trax of the Week!

A~Pick:

"Blue Monday" ~ New Order
The sound of the past, the present and the future.

"Bringing It All Back Home" ~ Bob Dylan
"But I mean no harm nor put fault
On anyone that lives in a vault
But it's alright, Ma, if I can't please him."

"I Know It's Over" ~ from 'The Queen is Dead' ~ The Smiths
"O Mother I can feel the soil falling over my head..."
According to Johnny Marr, Morrissey did the vocal in one take.

"Metronomic Underground" ~ Stereolab
I prefer the 10:14 version from 'ABC Music'
The groove induces a heightened sense of cool.. then you realize you've been mouthing "Crazy! Sturdy! A-tor! Pedo!"??!! Brilliant!

"I Heard it Through the Grapevine" - CCR
There are plenty of covers but CCR's 11:07 swamp rock, boogie-woogie jam on Cosmo's Factory is the witchingest, loosest and grooviest!

"The Golden Path" - The Chemical Brothers feat. The Flaming Lips
Paralyses with a powerful demon force!

"Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" - Arctic Monkeys
Smart and bristling with exuberance. Delivering on the promise made by all the skinny-tied, knackered-conversed pretenders.

"On Your Own" - The Verve
Telling it plaintive. More Otis Redding than Oasis.

G~Pick:

"Don't Cha" - Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes
"Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?" - Catchy!

"Babies" - Pulp
Joint pick. Should be broadcast into deep space so aliens will get what it means to be human.

"Dirty Dancing OST"
I say again: Nobody puts baby in the corner!

"La La" - Ashlee Simpson
Catchy! Catchy!

With Neighbors Like These, Who Needs Friends?

2006-04-07T10:51:00.000-04:00

Kidding of course! ;-P
Without friends, who would we tell about our 'neighbors' to?
Thing is, if there is one indisputable fact to living in New York City, it's that sooner or later you're gonna bump into someone famous.
Anyway, for those of you old enough to remember that Sesame Street toon,

"These are the people in our neighborhood,
In our neighborhood,
The people that we meet each day!"
(ok not quite each day... but here's a list of the people we've met in about the year plus we've been here.. in no particular order..)

Tilda Swinton. British Actress.
Chronicles of Narnia, Thumbsucker, The Beach.
Saw her on 16th Street as we were walking from Union Square towards The Container Store on 18th Street. Tall, elegant and luminescent even in the falling light.

Sarah Jessica Parker. Actress.
Sex and the City, Ed Wood, Footloose.
Saw her in Chinatown doing a 'Visit Chinatown' thingy, with a small camera crew and hair & make-up in tow. Petite and just a wee wrinkly (But we still love her!) Very bubbly and smiley. Dressed in a v. cool, slight quirky, so-cute-it-hurts way that only she can carry. In Mary Jane pumps. Not contorted.

Chuck Schumer. New York Senator. Democrat.
Shook our hands (and almost every other passenger) on the Staten Island Ferry the day after he was re-elected. Said: "Thank you for making me Senator." in a voice suitable for any House. Quite a big dude. Un-oily and did not smell bad, so he gets our vote!

Lee Ranaldo. Sonic Youth guitarist and all round artist good guy.
Can produce the harmonic equivalent of a car crash or the languor of a dawn full of flurries. Had met & shot him years back when Sonic Youth toured Singapore. Nice and laid back. Was reading on the R train, emanating no dissonance, only peace and quiet. Had on a Volcom jacket.

Jim Reid. One half of Jesus & Mary Chain with brother William. They are credited by some as the progenitors of Indie music.
Ok I saw this guy on the R train by the door. He looked exactly like Jim Reid of the Jesus & Mary Chain circa this photo (and sleeve photos of 'Psychocandy'). I was humbled in, I thought, the presence of greatness. Then months later I caught a documentary on JAMC and saw that the present day Jim Reid no longer looks like that.. not even close! I figure I must either have been blessed by a Ginsbergian Vision of a Holy Spirit or had too much MSG for lunch... either way.. as JAMC would say: "Yeah.. I'm a bad motherf**ker now, but I once was cool!" ROCK ON DUDES!

Diddy. Formerly P. Diddy. Formerly Puff Daddy. Formerly Sean 'Puffy' Combes. Rapper/Mogul. Owner of Sean John Clothing and Bad Boy Entertainment. Reputedly worth $315million. More impressively, dated J. Lo!
Saw him outside his office building walking from the front door and getting into the second of two heavily tinted, very big, double-parked, (probably bullet-proofed) SUVs with attendant ginormous dudes/posse guarding the doors and holding up traffic on midtown Broadway. I guess that's the price you pay for being a Bad Boy! Closest we ever got to some serious Bling.

Shalom Harlow. Erstwhile supermodel and sometime Actress. Was in Chanel Ad.
House of Style, Vanilla Sky, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
Walked past her on West 4th between 7th and 6th Avenue. We were struggling to suck up the bits of mango at the bottom of our Jamba Juice. She was with some dude. Smoking with cigarette arm under sling of cross shoulder slung bag. Lithe and cool. Had on pedal-pushers and a small pimple on left of chin.

Jack White. The White Stripes. Credited with reinvigorating and introducing the blues to a new generation. Married to model Karen Elson.
Was standing outside Economy Candy, a neighborhood wholesale candy store in the Lower East Side across the street from Hotel on Rivington, when this tall, very.. er.. white, slightly chubby-in-the-jowl dude (with a ridiculously thin chinstrap) walked past and into the store. He saw the queue, made a U, and a beeline for the door. I quickly went in and informed Tessa and Ginnie who were shopping in there. He was standing across the road when we came out. We were still discussing whether to ask for photos when he and his band mates sauntered off round the corner of Rivington and Ludlow (where Paul's Boutique's at). Has veryveryveryveryvery matted hair. If he spent only half of the time he did on trimming his chinstrap, he could maybe wash and condition and comb his hair.. twice over.. But that just ain't Rock & Roll, Izzit? Cool on the axe but not so cool on the 2-in-1. Did I mention his hair was matted?

Famke Janssen. Actress.
Bond Girl, Xenia Onatopp, in Goldeneye, Jean Grey in X-men.
On 6th Ave in Greenwich. Has legs up to her armpits and a lot more svelte than on film. Was walking her dog. We were late to meet Tessa and Arthur.

Harvey Fierstein. Brooklyn-born Gay, Jewish Tony Award winning actor.
Mrs Doubtfire, Independence Day, Torch Song Trilogy.
Recognised him by his very raspy voice. Crossing a busy street in midtown manhattan, rasping excitedly.

Frances McDormand. Actress.
Fargo, Almost Famous, North Country.
On Central Park West. We were on our way to The Natural History Museum. It was drizzling a little. That explains the poncho thingy she was clad in I guess. Looked like she just stepped out of the set of North Country, not very glam.

Isaac Mizrahi. Fashion Designer. More Martha than Donatella, his clothes can be found in Target. Like Oprah, Tyra, Jerry Springer, he has his own eponymously titled tv show. Had a movie made on his 1994 collection, Unzipped
Erm.. was walking his dogs in Chelsea.

Alec Baldwin. Actor. Oldest of the Baldwin brothers. Once married to Kim Basinger! Was Dennis, Plankton's hitman in The Spongebob Squarepants Movie.
Beetlejuice, Working Girl, Mercury Rising.
Passed him on our walk back from Chinatown, on the corner of White Street and Broadway. Bespectacled and on cellphone. Had briefcase in other hand. Pudgier than in photo, un-Brylcreemed and more dishevelled.

Dave Gahan. Singer of Depeche Mode. Nuff said.
Met him with Alan on our way to lunch appointment with Soh Chin at Corner Bistro. We were late and had a mini debate as to whether to ask for a photo. ("What good is a photograph of you?") Stubbly, salt-&-peppered but moves with animal grace. Lanky and very very cool.

Ethan Hawke. Actor. Once married to Uma.
Dead Poets' Society, Reality Bites, Training Day.
Bumped into him at Columbus Circle. He was on cellphone. He was in a Broadway play then. Looked like he just stepped out of Reality Bites. Had lighter colored hair. Not very tall. (... 'angon.. he's about my height..mmm...) OK. He's tall!

Arthur Elgort. Old fogey photographer. Shot for Vogue et al. Did the 1990 Pirelli Calendar.
We passed him on 42nd Street doing a photo shoot with a cloth backdrop and a quite large entourage in front of Starbucks. Still uses film and polaroids. Didn't recognise the model.

Curtis Sliwa. Former McDonald's Restaurant manager. Founder of the Guardian Angels. Conservative radio talk show host
The Guardian Angels were a civilian-watch type, anti-crime force that patrolled the subways and other seedier neighborhoods. Founded in 1979 when they were much in need, but as far as we can tell, no longer in service (The NYPD is presently a 40 000 plus strong force after all). The Guardian Angels are recognised by the red berets not the bubble gum. Ginnie saw him in the Daily News newsroom. He is a witness in an on-going trial involving an attempt on his own life by John "Junior" Gotti and the Gambino crime family for comments he made on air about the late crime boss, John Gotti (the senior).

April is the Cruellest Month

2006-04-06T17:51:00.000-04:00

After all that hullaballoo about the sun, wouldn't you know it, it snowed today.. It's the 5th of April!!!!!

The Weather gets real flakey in New York.

It Seems Like Years Since It's Been Here1...

2006-04-05T09:31:00.000-04:00

... The Cliff Notes²

It has been a long cold erratic winter³..
btw don't you think it takes pure genius⁴ and a large serving of cojones⁵ to wait 2 min 11 secs, 3 choruses, 2 verses and an extended double handclap bridge⁶ into the song before introducing perhaps the sweetest melody line ever mooged⁷ in recorded history? The one cloud with the silver lining though is that John⁸ never participated in the Abbey Road⁹ recording.. minor traffic accident in Scotland.

Anyway, there were days when the sun did come...

Arthur¹⁰, Tessa, Ginnie hiding from the fuzz¹¹ on the corner of Berry and 11th Street, Williamsburg¹², Brooklyn, just a block¹³ from Beacon's Closet¹⁴.

Ginnie dealing¹⁵ with a parking meter and a green bicycle, Bedford Ave, Williamsburg.

Tessa and Ginnie fronting¹⁶ Katz's Deli, where Sally had that incredible sandwich with hapless Harry¹⁷. It wasn't bad, but it didn't quite do it for us though.

And the point of this photo.. in front of some very strange antiquarian¹⁸ public toilets set in the middle of a traffic island at a major junction along Delancey St is....

... as the days get longer¹⁹, the pantleg recedes..

Here I am on the Bowery²⁰ doing an impression of a dingbat²¹ & this is why I belong behind the camera! Well the point of this photo is to highlight Ginnie's tonsorial²² talents. Notice also how I am fully decked out in alfieleedesign²³ stuff! Yes! We wear our own products! If it's good enough for you! It's good enough for us! er.. and ditto²⁴ too! Actually it's a very nicely composed shot.. photographic skills are contagious!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

1 : From the Beatles song "Here Comes the Sun", Track 7 (originally released on B-side of LP, track 1) on "Abbey Road", 3min 5secs, written and composed by George Harrison. Supposedly the song was written in Eric Clapton's garden, which George had escaped to, after endless rounds of Apple Records meetings during the last days of the Beatles. (back)

2 : Study guide with copious foot notes and commentary on text which has pulled many a student back from the precipice. Provided here to address complaints that some of the posts on this blog have been too cryptic. (back)

3 : Refer to Archives. (back)

4 : George Harrison, terribly under-rated Beatle and sometime Travelling Wilbury. (back)

5 : Courage. From the Spanish word for the part of the anatomy from which a man's courage and baritone is reputed to derive. As yet scientifically unproven. (back)

6 : Provided by the one and only Billy Shears from Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (right right I'll spare you a foot note to a foot note... it's actually Ringo Starr, another very under-rated Beatle, who gets by with a little help from his friends). (back)

7 : Analogue synthesizer, with keyboard interface, designed by Robert Moog. "Abbey Road" was one of the first instance of extended use of the Moog synthesizer on an album. (back)

8 : John Lennon. Duh! (back)

9 : "Abbey Road" was the last album recorded by the Beatles, April 20 - August 18, 1969, at Abbey Road studios.
Released September 26, 1969.

Track list:
Side one
"Come Together" - 4:20
"Something" (Harrison) - 3:03
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" - 3:27
"Oh! Darling" - 3:26
"Octopus's Garden" (Starkey) - 2:51
"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" - 7:47

Side two
"Here Comes the Sun" (Harrison) - 3:05
"Because" - 2:45
"You Never Give Me Your Money" - 4:02
"Sun King" - 2:26
"Mean Mr. Mustard" - 1:06
"Polythene Pam" - 1:12
"She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" - 1:57
"Golden Slumbers" - 1:31
"Carry That Weight" - 1:36
"The End" - 2:19
"Her Majesty" - 0:23

All tracks by Lennon-McCartney, except where noted.
(back)

10: Cool designer dude from Nottingham. (back)

11: The Law. The Cops. The Man. Police. Though in this case there were actually no police involved, or hiding of any sort. Haha. (back)

12: Hip section of Brooklyn, New York. Populated by loftsful of artists and creative types as well as normal folk dressed up as artists and creative types. (back)

13: Standard unit of non-standard measure of distance in US. Distance on sidewalk between one junction and the next. Been known to vary widely. There are long blocks (or Avenue blocks which could be up to 150 plus meters) or short blocks (usually Street blocks which could be as little as 50 meters). (back)

14: Large excellent vintage clothing store. (back)

15: Engaged in activity. Sometimes criminal. (back)

16: Standing in front of. Not engaged in criminal activity. (back)

17: "When Harry Met Sally", 1989, director: Rob Reiner, writer: Nora Ephron. Starring Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal..."Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning?"
The table in the restaurant at which the above scene was filmed now has a plaque on it that reads, "Congratulations! You're sitting where Harry met Sally." (back)

18: Ancient. Old. (back)

19: It's Spring and the days are gradually getting longer. (back)

20: Famous avenue bordering Chinatown and Little Italy lined with lighting shops, kitchen equipment suppliers, flophouses, all forms of rowdy activity and the famous CBGB. (back)

21: Empty headed or silly person. Passing resemblance, but no relation to wombat, an Australian, burrowing marsupial. (back)

22: Relating to barbering or a barber. (back)

23: Site offering very very cool graphics and cute designs on T-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, totes, caps, kids' apparel, bibs, toddler tees, kid sweaters, mouse-pads, tile coasters & much much more!
Includes official merchandise from "Radioactive Animals!", "Make Poopie!", "alfieleewriting.com" and" Monster Construction magazine"!

24: If it's good enough for us! It's good enough for you! (back)

It Seems Like Years Since It's Been Here..

2006-04-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

It has been a long cold erratic winter..
btw don't you think it takes pure genius and a large serving of cojones to wait 2 min 11 secs, 3 choruses, 2 verses and an extended double-handclapped bridge into the song before introducing perhaps the sweetest melody line ever mooged in recorded history? The one cloud with the silver lining though is that John never participated in the Abbey Road recording.. minor traffic accident in Scotland.

Anyway, there were days when the sun did come...

Arthur, Tessa, Ginnie hiding from the fuzz on the corner of Berry and 11th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, just a block from Beacon's Closet.

Ginnie dealing with a parking meter and a green bicycle, Bedford Ave, Williamsburg.

Tessa and Ginnie fronting Katz's Deli, where Sally had that incredible sandwich with hapless Harry. It wasn't bad, but it didn't quite do it for us though.

And the point of this photo.. in front of some very strange antiquarian public toilets set in the middle of a traffic island at a major junction along Delancey St is....
... as the days get longer, the pantleg recedes..

Here I am on the Bowery doing an impression of a dingbat & this is why I belong behind the camera! Well the point of this photo is to highlight Ginnie's tonsorial talents. Notice also how I am fully decked out in alfieleedesign stuff! Yes! We wear our own products! If it's good enough for you! It's good enough for us! er.. and ditto too! Actually it's a very nicely composed shot.. photographic skills are contagious!!

These Fragments I Have Shored Against My Ruins or Talking Rubbish

2006-03-30T15:06:00.000-05:00

Finally went to Rauschenberg's "Combines" at the Metropolitan Museum.
Way cool. To be able to see the works "live" and not on the pages of a book.
For the uninitiated, the "Combines" incorporate both 3 dimensional as well as 2 dimensional collage and are part sculpture, part painting, part construction, a large dollop of audacity, 35% irony and a more than a pinch of cheek. They 'combine' materials both found and incidental, as well as 'created' specifically for the piece. Many of the pieces feature silk-screens, photography, drawing, expressionist style painting, cunning and intelligence and newspaper clippings and wit and old bed spreads and light bulbs, stuffed chickens and cardboard and ladders, leaning, glued, painted and laughed over and nailed together and mulled, .. the debris and detritus of modern life sampled and wrought through the conduit that is Rauschenberg, sublimely composed in an infinitely inclusive space.
The visual/sculptural predecessor of the modern day DJ/sampler, Channel Surfer, Chat-room Chatter.
Of course there will be those who will say it's just rubbish.
Well that'll be a waste.
Just because Rauschenberg has his collected by the Met rather than the Sanitation department is no reason to trash one of the greatest and surely the most representative visual artist of the late 20th century.

Monogram, 1955–59
Freestanding combine: oil, paper, fabric, printed paper, printed reproductions, metal, wood, rubber shoe heel, and tennis ball on canvas, with oil on Angora goat and rubber tire, on wood platform mounted on four casters; 42 x 63 1/4 x 64 1/2 in.
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Art © Robert Rauschenberg/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Untitled, ca. 1954
Freestanding combine: oil, pencil, crayon, paper, canvas, fabric, newspaper, photographs, wood, glass, mirror, tin, cork and found painting with pair of painted leather shoes, dried grass, and Dominique hen mounted on wood structure on five casters; 86 1/2 x 37 x 26 1/4 in.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, The Panza Collection
Art © Robert Rauschenberg/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Just Rubbish, 2005
Freestanding garbage: paper, wrapper, melted ice-cream, styrofoam plate (with Hoisin sauce), gunk, penny, fabric, chewing-gum (chewed), plastic bags, bacteria, mineral water bottle (half-empty), beer, puke, oil, newspaper, more plastic bags, coca cola cup, take-out, dirt, receipt, receptacle, unidentified stuff, goo, corrugated cardboard, lamp-post, tv, politics, on gum-spattered sidewalk; 102 1/4 x 56 x 46 1/2 in.
Corner of Canal Street and Broadway, New York, Collection of the Sanitation Department of New York
Art © Alfie Lee, New York, NY

If You Can See Us, You Are Shaking Violently!

2006-03-09T21:09:00.000-05:00

Er.. this is why God created PROFESSIONAL photographers.. we were at Ping in NY's Chinatown for dimsum and asked this guy in the queue to take a photo. Well he looked like he knew what he was doing! Maybe cameras should come with breathalysers..
l-r: I'm not too sure but I think that's Ginnie on the far left, that's Diana (Tessa's friend) in what looks like a beret, and Tessa with 2.. er.. 3.. er 2 fingers up.

GO TO alfieleedesign.com! NOW!

2006-02-19T17:40:00.000-05:00

YES! Outstanding alfie has done it AGAIN!
Check out alfieleedesign.com!
All types of T-shirts, hoodies, sweaters, kids' apparel, bibs, toddler tees, mugs, mouse-pads, post-cards, tile-coasters (you get the idea!)
All with cool graphics and cute & quirky prints!

Need a great gift idea? alfieleedesign.com is the place for YOU!

Also merchandise from Monster Construction magazine and alfieleewriting.com. (YES! Impress your friends! Or at least puzzle them! Wear some REALLY 'cheem' stuff! (that's deep for those of you unfamiliar with the vernacular)

To see the full selection and buy a real cool design go to alfieleedesign.com!

And please help spread the word! .. tell your friends, your family, your colleagues, your insurance agent, the people on the bus, the security guard, total strangers... Blog it, link it, mass text it!
Outstanding alfie will be externally.. i mean eternally.. grateful!

Meanwhile, here's a random sampling of products and designs to whet your appetite..

"No Such Thing as a Bad Kitty!" Ringer T-shirt!

"Fag & Coffee Make Poopie!" Trucker Hat!

"One of These Hippos!" Tote Bag!

"One Hippo!" Tote!

STILL HERE?
Go to alfieleedesign.com to see the full range and buy some cool stuff NOW!

"Shapes & Colors!" White T-shirt!

"One Car!" Women's Cap Sleeve T-shirt!

"Radioactive Ant!" Black T-shirt!

"No Such Thing as a Bad Rhino!" Mug!

WHAT? STILL HERE?
Go to alfieleedesign.com to see the full range and buy some cool stuff NOW!

"Fish Make Poopie!" Bib!

"Platypus Make Poopie!" Mouse-pad!

"Moon Rocket!" Women's Raglan Hoodie!

"Under the Sea!" Diorama Tile Coaster!

"41/41" Fitted T-shirt! (official merchandise from alfieleewriting.com)

"One of these Fish!" T-shirt!

WHAT? STILL HERE? I CAN"T BELIEVE IT!!!
C'mon! Go to alfieleedesign.com to see the full range and buy some cool stuff NOW!
....er... pretty please?

"One Chick! Red Women's Cap Sleeve T-shirt!

The Day After Blizzard '06 & Other Adventures in Central Park!

2006-02-17T10:02:00.000-05:00

For those of you who were here last year, this is where we had our picnic. That's Belvedere Castle overlooking Turtle Pond. For those of you who weren't.. erm take our word for it.. we sat somewhere in the middle of the foreground and it was sunny, hot, green and grass covered.

Somewhere under all that snow is Great Lawn.. where in the summer New Yorkers play baseball, run around and talk very loudly.

Another photo of snow covered Central Park..

Yeti another photo of snow covered Central Park..

The Day After Blizzard '06 & Other Adventures in New York City's Park Row!

2006-02-17T08:35:00.000-05:00

Braving lost hats, dirty gloves and other grave dangers, and overcoming almost insurmountable obstacles and an occasional garbage receptacle, the two Explorers make it to the top of the Snow pile by the side of the road.
Well Done Intrepid Adventurers!
Here they pause to take in the view and to enjoy the quiet before returning to what will surely be a jubilant and raucous reception (as befits all from that proud nation who would do what no one else are wont to do).

A Message to that Special Someone!

2006-02-17T05:03:00.000-05:00

Wish we could have celebrated your birthday with you dear!

Blizzard of '06

2006-02-16T10:17:00.000-05:00

We've been having unseasonably warm weather here. Some days it's like 10, 12 degrees celsius. In the middle of winter (ought to be in the 5deg range)! But of course, there's nothing as fickle as the weather. Before we could say "white out!" the biggest single day snow fall in New York City's history had come, covered and gone! 29 inches of snow over parts of NY. 26 inches in Central Park.. er.. thats 2ft plus (er.. that's up to your knees.. er.. for the shorter people and those under 5 yrs, thigh level.. you know who you are!) in a day! Up until then the total of the whole of this winter (it's been about six weeks so far) was 12 inches! Temperatures were close to zero. You know it's time to bring out the heavy coats when you start breathing out 'dragon breath' in the normally warm subway stations.

This is the view out our window on the morning of the blizzard! You can't tell where the road ends and the pavement starts! And you can actually see the snow pelting down. It had been like this throughout the night and would maintain this intensity throughout the day!

Erm? Dude! Where's my car???!

This is a rare shot of a traffic free Broadway.. normally crammed with human and jammed with vehicular traffic. That's Trinity Church to the left. There's little snow on the road as the City's Sanitation Departments snow plows have been working through the night to clear it. The snow is basically swept and piled in banks on the curbs.

Another shot down Broadway, this time looking downtown. Somewhere in the mist is Wall Street. On a clear day you can see all the way down almost to the end of Broadway, with the patch of open sky where Broadway ends. Ginnie is looking at her boots because the wind is carrying the snow horizontally and into her face and eyes! Or so I'm told.

Snow is beautiful and all while it's making it's way down. But once it hits the ground it becomes a physical challenge! It's cold, can be treacherously slippery, and slushy at parts where it's been treaded on a lot like at traffic junctions. You can see here how the snow is 'falling' sideways!

The gusts of wind were so strong they knocked Ginnie over! haha! No! it's a crazy snow angel!

That's city hall behind those trees.

Brooklyn Bridge! We only went half the way. The wind and cold was just a little bit much for us tropical people!

HCNYFNY! & GXGXGXNA!

2006-01-29T10:38:00.000-05:00

In other words.. Happy Chinese New Year from New York! & Gong Xi Gong Xi Gong Xi Ni Ah!
And may the Dog of Fortune smile upon you!

All about me!

2006-01-26T13:46:00.000-05:00

Four jobs you've had in your life
1. salesgirl at Rest & Relax (don't play play!)
2. cashier and waitress at Shakeys pizza
3. tupperware dealer (you get 30% off when you buy for yourself)
4. survey taker (oh! and of course, journalist at Straits Times. almost forgot. haha)

Four movies you could watch over and over again (not to be confused with favourite movies)
1. Troy
2. Any Given Sunday
3. Pretty in Pink/Pretty Woman
4. When Harry Met Sally

Four TV shows you love(d) to watch
1. Gilmore Girls
2. Law & Order
3. Felicity (season 1)
4. Survivor

Four places you've lived
1. Limau Garden, in Bedok
2. Wilkie Road, downtown Singapore
3. New York
4. Chua Chu Kang

Four places you've been on vacation to
1. London
2. Seattle
3. Tokyo
4. Australia
(Does New York count?)

Four places you would rather be
1. My sister's house in Singapore
2. My mom's house in Singapore
3. Hawaii
4. watching TV at home

Four of your favourite foods
1. Salted vege duck soup
2. Krispy Kreme original glazed donuts
3. I Can't Believe It's Not Butter butter
4. Joo Chiat bak kut teh

Four websites you visit daily
1. hotmail.com
2. urbanoutfitters.com
3. landsend.com
4. dbs.com

All about me 2!

2006-01-25T17:39:00.000-05:00

Four jobs you've had in your life
1. Photographer
2. Writer
3. Creative Director
4. Door to door fruit juice and chocolate waffle sales man

Four movies you could watch over and over again (not to be confused with favourite movies)
1. Spaceballs
2. Any Austin Powers Movie
3. Days of Being Wild
4. You've Got Mail ("How about a movie, or a cup of coffee.. for as long as we both shall live?" or something like that..)

Four TV shows you love(d) to watch
1. Forensic Files
2. Formula One
3. Dexter's Laboratory
4. Seinfeld

Four places you've lived
1. My folks' no-room flat in Bukit Merah
2. My folks' 4 room flat in Jurong West
3. My folks' executive flat in Choa Chu Kang
4. My folks' 3 room flat in Rochor

Four places you've been on vacation to
1. Cairo
2. Mandalay
3. Zurich
4. Christchurch

Four places you would rather be
1. With Ginnie watching TV
2. With Ginnie walking the streets of NY
3. With Ginnie sleeping
4. With Ginnie

Four of your favourite foods
1. Bi-valve molluscs - cockles, oysters etc
2. Sushi - in particular Kohada and Shime Saba
3. Prawns - prepared in any style except breaded
4. Salted Fish - a little at a time of course

Four websites you visit daily
1. alfielee.com (you should visit it daily too!)
2. alfieleewriting.com (you should visit it daily too!)
3. alfieleedesign.com (you should visit it daily too! er.. once it's ready)
4. dictionary.com

Happy Birthday Dad! & Congrats for Winning the MVP! (Most Valuable Parent!)

2006-01-21T10:58:00.000-05:00

He could have joined the NBA but instead he decided to be dad!
Hoop hoop hooray!
l-r,
Ben Wallace: Position: Centre, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, '04-'05.
Robert Lee: Position: Dad, Most Valuable Parent, '69-onwards.
Michael Jordan: Position: Guard, 5 times NBA Most Valuable Player.

Go to alfieleewriting.com! Now!

2006-01-10T14:57:00.000-05:00

Yes! outstanding alfie has decided to do the write thing! Literally!
Check out alfieleewriting.com
Somethings Old! Somethings New! Regularly Updated! Visit Anytime!
And of course it goes without saying, share it with your friends!

Snow on December 31st 2005 on the corner of 6th Ave & 40th

2006-01-01T12:03:00.000-05:00

(erm.. for the uninitiated.. please click on photo to see your two favourite adventurers better!)

Ginnie Gumption says THANK YOU! for the BESTEST Christmas Gifts EVER!

2006-01-01T11:05:00.000-05:00

Hallo! Hallo! This new CELL PHONE is GREAT! It cuts out all other noises and is so big I will never lose it! THANK YOU!

This new GLASS POT COVER is GREAT! And look it even fits this crock pot that came together with it! THANK YOU!

This new BLUE CARDBOARD BOX is GREAT! I can keep so many big and flat things in it! Kramer, George, Jerry And Elaine are all jealous! THANK YOU!

Happy New Year One and All!

2005-12-31T12:01:00.000-05:00

May 2006 be the Best One yet!

It takes quite a man to accumulate this many candles!

2005-12-30T21:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Daddy!