BIT [Back in Time]: 2008 Blessing of the Animals

09-18-09: Deanna Starts her weekend with Sol Lewitt

Mark planned for me to kick-off my birthday celebration with a date with one of my favorite American artists, Sol Lewitt. I featured him in one of my earlier posts and now I will see him about 4 times a week on the 59th Street Station since this is my train stop to get to my gym which is only 4 blocks away.

I love what Transit Blogger writes: "Talk about a sure fire way to brighten your day or night!"

Don't forget to CLICK on the photo to see Lewitt's awesome installation.

09-19-09: Pieta at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, Soho

It has been a long time since I have been to Mass at the St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in Soho. While I initially came to church to view the Pieta, I was blessed to attend mass and the Blessed Sacrament adoration.

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, a private collector moved an exact casting of Michelangelo’s masterwork, The Pieta. The rare piece is one of only nine casts commissioned by the Vatican in 1932 by the Marinelli Foundry of Florence, Italy. It is an exact rendition of Michelangelo’s original marble sculpture on display in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

This Michelangelo Bronze Pieta is not a replica. As an original cast from the official plaster molds of Michelangelo’s sculpture, it captures every detail created by the artist’s hand. Unique to this display is the unprecedented access the viewer is afforded to study the work. While the original sculpture in the Vatican is protected behind glass, this piece may be viewed from every angle and without barriers. (ref: http://www.1888pressrelease.com/private-collector-loans-michelangelo-bronze-pieta-to-st-pat-pr-134990.html)

Don't forget to CLICK on the photo to see the beauty of the Pieta and the St. Patrick's Old Cathedral!

09-18-09: A Huddle at the Old Boy Club, Chinatown

It is customary for Mark and I to go to the Old Boy Club for some authentic Asian kaffe pausa. We love the old feel of the Old Boy Club and the charming old customers. Mark is having his favorite custard while I have the sticky rice.

09-18-09: Pre-Birthday Dinner, Meat Market in Chinatown

I may be treated like a princess for the weekend, but I still need to feed my habib! I decided to cook easy-to-cook, comfort food - Teriyaki Beef Ribs. Check out my cooking blog!

09-18-09: 2nd Year of Park(ing) Day NYC, Upper West Side

This is the second time Mark and I participated in Park(ing) Day. It always takes place around the time of my birthday! I am pleased a "civic holiday" takes place on my birthday!

09-19-09: Happy Birthday Deanna!

I was thinking hard about why this year has been good to me. Am I near death? Am I close to achieving self-fulfillment on earth, even if I have not reduced my weight? On one my web-trawling moments, I realized that I have a triple auspicious date. The Chinese believe nine is a lucky number, which makes Triple 9's in my birthdate particularly auspicious - for good luck and long life. Lucky numbers are based on Chinese words that sound similar to other Chinese words. The numbers 6, 8, and 9 are believed to have auspicious meanings because their names sound similar to words that have positive meanings. The words the words “nine” and “long” are homophones.

09-19-09: Monet's Waterlilies at the MoMA

09-19-09: Grovaloo at the Joyce Theater

Mark took me to this no-intermission, 90-minute performance of free-style dancing at the Joyce Theater, my first time. Defying the laws of gravity, this award-winning troupe of dancers continually defies it with their many spectacular moves. More importantly, the show gave these kids from the streets a chance to express themselves through poetry and dance. There are 6 stories, but the most touching belongs to BoogieMan (Steven Stanton) who had been shot right before the first incarnation of this show launched back in 2003. His spinal injury left Stanton in critical condition with expectations of paralysis; yet every evening Stanton dances on the stage with energy and grace and retells his rehabilitation with poignancy. Call that inspirational!

I am not a fan of free-style, hip-hop or rap. But this show, made me aware, on my birthday, to keep an open mind about things.

Afterward, Mark took me to Cola's, a small Italian restaurant nearby for dinner. Tutta bene! Si grazie, mi amore Mark!

09-20-09-Opening of the Gifts!

The day after my birthday, we opened my birthday gift. And of course, the event is not complete if Mark doesn't open a gift of his own, birthday or no birthday. Happy Birthday!

CLICK on the photo to see what Mark and I got as pressies!

Happy Birthday!

Close Encounter with a Swiss Cow, the Video

To see the video on YouTube, click HERE.

We also have additional videos you might be interested in, in case you are mildly depressed, have insomnia or just plain bored. Enter "springsdxb" in the Search bar of YouTube. And yes, the humor is free of charge. ENJOY!

We Remember - September 11, 2001

A mourner kneels at a reflecting pool in the pit five years later, Sept. 11, 2006.

(Ref: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/toplists)

BIT: One Year Anniversary of Mark's Photo Exhibit at Pratt

For additional information and to see his haunting photographs, click HERE!

September 5, 2009 - Holenstein to Eigergletscher Hike

The day started very cloudy with a low cloud ceiling of 100 feet from the Grindelwald valley floor. We decided to stay below the cloud line and started the hike at Holenstein and from there follow the "Fruit Trail" to a small town called Brandegg. From the point,we would decide if we would hike at a higher elevation if the weather improved and it did! After lunch, we went up to the Eigergletscher, the point where glaciers coming from the Eiger would come from and fall down to the valley. The path started at level ground with cows dotting the horizon but towards the end, the descent became steep and the path very narrow, only a foot wide without any markings. We figured this as a cow path more than a hiking path. Once Mark had to come down on his butt to get down safely. We arrived in Kleine Scheidegg bound for Grindelwald on the second to the last train of the day.

For more pictures, click HERE!

September 04, 2009 - Grosse Scheidegg to First Hike

Our first hike was the toughest. Climbing from 3,385 feet to 7,100 feet under a very cloudy and sometimes rainy day. The cloud cover came up from the Grindelwald valley below to cover us with a near "white out" with reduced visibility of 40 feet. Combined with the thin Alpine air, our hike was extended for another 45 minutes but still overall we did it in good time.

For more pictures, click HERE

September 03, 2009 - Grindelwald, CH

The Wetterhorn in the Swiss Alps.
Click HERE for my Web Album - Day 1.

BIT: The Grotto, Port Campbell National Park AU - February 08

Before you get any ideas of me looking beatific and praying, don't hold your breath. I am referring to the Grotto in the Port Campbell National Park along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Australia is known for its all-encompassing coastline and the Great Ocean Road offers some of the most majestic views of these serene environments. The photo without me is by David Wall, a popular landscape photographer. More to follow. My pictures of course!

Pride and Joy

My kitchen (aka laboratory) of course, designed by the hubby and my vintage Romoli poster. Everyday when I look at the poster, I feel the urge to travel.

March 2004: I Love these Breads!

From a panaderia in Quiapo near the old Ma Mon Luk.
They don't make them like these anymore!

In the Eye of the Storm: Mark makes it to the New York Post!

Last Tuesday night, there was a localized (about 10 city blocks) but powerful storm that passed through our street. I know you won't believe it but everyone in our neighborhood felt it was more of a tornado than a thunderstorm.

While we were watching Law and Order: SVU in 811, the temperature suddenly dropped, it got quiet and lightning started. We all thought it was the strong rains we were expecting but we got more. The hail, not rain, fell form the heavens. Our building was being pelted by ping pong ball size rain drops. Then the strong winds came roaring, twisting the midsection of the old oak trees in the area and then uprooting them.

I ran downstairs to 708 to close the windows. The rain and winds were so strong I could not open the door to my apartment. Fearing that the pressure could wither blow the windows into my apartment or I get blown out of the apartment, I decided to wait a few seconds. When I had the strength to enter the apartment, I saw the window side of my bed really, really wet. I closed all the windows with a struggle and cleaned up. Then after 5 minutes not a moment more, the rain stopped.

Mark, in the meantime, was very curious as to what happened outside. By the time he came back past midnight, he had a few dramatic photos which were featured in the New York Post. His alias is Mr. Mark. Below are the links to the headline this morning with a picture of my neighborhood, and 2 links to Mark's photos (he had a total of 4 photos submitted. The Post chose all of them).

I am so proud of Mark but afraid of the thunderstorm. Everyone in the neighborhood believed it was an F1 tornado. We were all sad to see 30+ of our oak trees, some of them over 100 years old, just uprooted and dead. But the good thing is, there were no human or animal injuries. Here are the links and the attached pictures:

For New York Post's story, click here.

New York Post - Part 2

To see more of Mark's photo's aka "Mr. Mark", click here.

New York Post - Part 3

To see more of Mark's photos, click here.

Way Back in Time: Deanna with a Sol Lewitt at the Met Garden

Sol Lewitt is one of my favorite artists. One of his last exhibits was at the Sculpture Garden in the Met in August 2005. (note: first photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/red_devil/26394918)

Feminista

Wish List: Femdom Poster

The planet of the fembots.

June 2009: Spotted in JBR, Dubai UAE

Dog Days in Dubai

Wish List: Buddha with Children

April 14, 2009: New York, NY - Remembrance of Things Past

My office mates of about 15 years ago. How time flies. And don't we all look good?

[BIT] April 29, 2006: Zurich, CH

X-TRA Hotel
Limmatstrasse 118, Zürich 8005

What you are looking at is a typical building in Zurich, directly across from the X-tra Hotel. The view from our room is this grand old building. We loved the location of our hotel but did not appreciate the discotheque with its blaring rock music all evening. Jet lag and rock music do not make a good pair.

[BIT] April 29, 2006: Zurich Bahnhof

The train station in Zurich. People travel by train a lot in this part of the world. And why not? It is very dependable, efficient - always on time and always clean. Mark and I love to travel in trains and the good looking guys around me only made this train station special!

[BIT] April 29, 2006: Schweizerische Bundesbahnen

The SBB or Swiss Federal Rail System (http://www.sbb.ch/en/) is the national railway company of Switzerland headquartered in Berne. Formerly a government institution, it is since 1999 a special stock corporation with all shares held by the Swiss Confederation or the Swiss cantons. The network of the Swiss Federal Railroads which has been fully electrified since 1960, comprises about 2,900km/1,800miles.

[BIT] April 30, 2006: Lugano - The Monte Carlo of Switzerland

Hoping to see George Clooney, we stayed for about three warm days in Lugano. It is such a quaint town, with a strongly infused Italian culture within the ambience of the Swiss. Lugano lies at the edge of Lake Lugano (Lago di Lugano or Ceresio), which is situated between the lakes Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como, south of the Alps. The city is located where the river Cassarate enters the lake between the Monte Brè (925m) and the Monte San Salvatore (912m) mountains.

[BIT] May 01, 2006: Piazza Riforma, Lugano

My idea of pleasure in a foreign town is to stroll at leisure, peering in shop windows, buying postcards, having tea or a drink at a cafe. The Piazza Riforma is the main square of the town, with an elaborate fountain, benches, flowers and cafes. For just plain walking, the town of Lugano has interesting corners to explore, and convenient trolleybuses. There is an old quarter, whose cobbled streets and alleyways made me glad I wore my thick-soled walking shoes.

[BIT] April 30, 2006: On the Steps of the Lugano Cathedral

The Cathedral of Lugano is a church in Lugano, the canton of Ticino, in Switzerland, founded in the High Middle Ages but rebuilt in the late 15th century, with the façade completed in 1517. What is fascinating about this cathedral is its age.

High Middle Ages means like before the year 1000. The church is known on this site from 818. In 1078 it was made a collegiata, becoming a cathedral in 1888. Just a good 800 years to apply from a convent to a cathedral. The original Romanesque building was oriented the opposite way to the present church, as is shown by remains of the apse discovered under the current parvise. In the 15th century the church was expanded and the entrance moved to the present position, while the open roof was covered by a groin vaulted ceiling. Extensive renovations to the cathedral were done in 1905-1910, when some Baroque chapels were demolished and the interior received frescoes by Ernesto Rusca.

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Lawrence_Cathedral,_Lugano

[BIT] April 30, 2006: Milan Train Station – A Digression & Adventure

Very, ever so briefly, Mark and I took the last train out from Lugano to Milano via the SBB- FFS (Ferrovie Federali Svizzere)-Terniatalia. We wanted to at least step in Milan before boarding the next train back to Lugano. But we missed our connections and arrived in the middle of the Swiss-Italian border, in a small town of Monza where we spent the night. It was good that we had the wherewithal to carry our passports as we crossed borders and we used it to book a hotel room for the night. We took the first train out from Monza back to Lugano the next day.

[BIT] April 31, 2006: Monza, Italy

QUESTION: Guess what Monza is known for?
ANSWER: Monza is known internationally for the Autodromo Nazionale Monza motor racing circuit, home to the Italian Grand Prix, and previously to the Alfa Romeo team. The circuit is inside the "Parco di Monza", a park that is double the size of New York's Central Park.

[BIT] May 01, 2006: Parco Paradiso, Lugano

For the most part I was happy to relax by walking around, sitting on a bench at the lakeside, or just enjoying the beauty of the lake and the mountains, some of them topped with fluffy-looking white snow, like dabs of whipped cream. The air was fragrant with the scent of oleander shrubs with their pink, red and white blossoms. We sat at the Paradiso section (photos in the future), where there were gardens in long, straight lines of asters, marigolds, zinnias, petunias, iris, scarlet-flowered salvia, different kinds of lilies - all in that exotic mixture that only nature can get away with harmoniously.

Forget George Clooney, I’ll take Lugano with or without him!

[BIT] May 02, 2006: Geneve

Geneva, geographically, is in the most beautiful of locations, centered around the point where the River Rhône flows out of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in French) flanked on one side by the Jura ridges and on the other by the first peaks of the Savoy Alps, but for all that, it’s a curiously unsatisfying place to spend more than a few days. We usually are here for specific things to do such as connecting to Paris and other key cities in Europe and, more notably, searching for a good place to eat in the area!

Mark poses in front of an Art Deco building in the Rue de Rhone, Old Town, Geneva.

[BIT] May 02, 2006: Feeling continental at Gare Cornavin, Geneve

The city’s main train station – the Gare de Cornavin – couldn’t be more central, barely 400m north of the lake. The station is also a terminus of the French rail network. Mark and I found it irrepressibly efficient that if you’re arriving on an intercity SNCF train, the TGV from Paris or Lyon – which come in on platforms 7 and 8, separate from the rest of the SBB platforms – you’ll be directed to pass through both French and Swiss customs and passport control before joining the throng within the station proper. Is that cool or what? I feel so…continental.

I took a picture of the large murals on the walls of the station. There are two more (picture forthcoming) which I hope to post later. They are wonderful to view and only heightens one’s desire to see the Swiss countryside.

[BIT] May 02, 2006: To Zurich Flughafen

We leave Geneva satisfied that we have completed our tasks and return to New York very optimistic about our future. It took us three hours by train from Geneva back to Zurich where we boarded out flight back to New York the following day.

Happy Father's Day

Now that I can finally articulate what I have observed when growing up, I can describe my Dad as minimalist chic. Thanks for you being my fashion guide. May we all be sartorially appropriate at all times.