Warm heart of Africa

Mon Utopie Ideal:

Beating triumphantly in New York. A mesh of art, fashion and music for one night. A couple of connections, a simple "yes" and a lot of effort brought me back to the wonder and amazement that is Africa.

Every drum beat like the heart.

Each garment a part of the soul.

Sudafrika

Futbol serves reminder of those memorable two weeks in South Africa. Two weeks into the tourney. Amsterdam Ale, how appropriate.

Bye New York

So after a weekend at my parents' house on Long Island, I am finally on my way to South Africa via JFK international. 4 months of waiting for this day. 14 years of desire for this journey. OT Tambo International, here I come.

I'll see you in 14 days New York!

(PS, this is what gets done while waiting for my flight)

NYC Harbor

It's surprisingly refreshing to do some sightseeing in New York. Even if you feel like a tourist, it's a good reminder of why this city is so memorable, so distinguished.


You almost forget that some of the taller structures are on the other side of the Hudson. In New Jersey... eek
Best of all, this is compliments of the Staten Island Ferry (greatest freebie in the world).

Cleopatra's Needle

Hidden behind the Metropolitan museum of art is Cleopatra's Needle. One of the oldest structures still standing in NYC.

niege/snow/nieve

There is love for the snow everywhere in NY. From indoors:



and outside:


... or even in the hood:

Je t'aime mon lapin.

The return of Ana Peru/ PeruANA

She showed her face in Union Square now...

after meeting her work on the Aberdeen/Bushwick ave stop

and again at my home stop of Jefferson ave:

(from a previous post)

Birthday hotmess

Celebrating 23 was a hassle: between planning to have a grand outing, and having to do my presentation at the Bronx River Art Center, not to mention finals... it was just tooo much.

Firstly, I met up with Carlee in Harlem to make our way to the bronx to get the presentation of our collaborative documentary in the Bronx. Ugh. We went, and much to our surprise, the film was edited to be flawless. I was in great fear since i had been conducting the interviews and was feeling unsure about their pertinence to our topic (Ethnographic views on the pollution of the Bronx River). I'd link it, but it's trapped on facebook, so inquire me on that to see it.

Um well the gallery proved to be really amusing in addition to the presentation of multiple environmental documentaries. The are exhibit on display (until June 1st) "Bartered States" is curated by a fellow Salvi, Jose Ruiz. In addition to that the art was really diverse, including homages to the 'chicano' ways out west, as well as to the Salvadorian tradition of aggressive politicians and revolution. No wonder my parents left, jaja. The one who stood out the most to me was Irvin Morazan who had this crazy contraption atop his head. He was living art, and he was art cooking too, b/c from what i inquired he was cooking up pupusas while wearing another extravegant headpiece.

After the matter, I went back to Harlem with Carlee for some shopping and the begining of a night of boozing. Met up with Cat in Morningside Heights for some Lychee-tinis, and then headed further down to 123 Burger Shot Beer. I fucking love that place. I ran into a fellow May-8ther, who just so happend to be turning 23 also, and well 5 shot (each) later, we were really celebrating, fusing our two groups together for a bit.

The funny thing is, drinking was done for about 10 hours in about 40 different places, but it's all pretty memorable. We were supposed to go out dancing to a salsa club downtown, but opted for some random Australian bar. I got hit on by the sexy waitress (go figure). She was sexy though, have asian-half french, with an australian accent. Gay or straight, that's hot.

return home: 8am

I don't think I'm in love with you new York. At least not any more. I drove in to visit the Scotsman, and drove on the henry Hudson bridge to get to midtown. Of course it was beautiful out ant the view of the Hudson is grand. But the charm wasn't there. I gave the Scotsman a lift to the ues, and well no map, I just know how to navigate through this city. I may as well become a cab driver with this new york intuition. The citifield illuminated a great portion of queens, it's great to see that the recession hasn't affected the running of that $180 million facility. It was beautiful though. Blinding but beautiful nonetheless.

I'm leaving. I'm getting my degree, and I'm bouncing. I'm so unamused by my native metropolis.

I saw 'nick and norah's infinite playlist' tonight, and it was good. I hate michael cera, but the movie was entertaining enough to put up with that piece of toast. It reminded me (the movie) that there was something magical about manhattan, and well manhattan in general that I loved. We take eachother for granted now... I need to leave you dear apple just to learn to miss you. I wanna feel like norahs wasted friend caroline, really loving the city in particular the restless nights and the noises and sounds that keep you ticking way past the necessary hour.

I'm a city kid, and always will be. But Im liking the idea of going. DC has strong poss/probability, so I want to find out for sure what's there...

Tag, you're soo it

I was browsing through the NY Times today, and I ran into this editorial piece that caught my attention. It was about Martha Cooper, a photographer for mounting graffiti art that would otherwise have been unseen today. The 70's and the 80's were a time of social decline in New York. Funny enough how the film "the Warriors" comes to mind: relentless feuds between gangs in NYC that seemed unstoppable even to the police forces attempting to bring these wars to a halt.


Part of the charm of New York is simply the ability for an artist to use anything found in this city as a canvas. Whether it have been hanging glass ornaments in the New York's Botanical Garden in the Bronx, or tagging up the side of a building, this city has been home to art, and in some cases has become a work of art. Let's face it it is already. I love the color that can be seen on the bricks of Long Island City, it's just as rich as anything that MoMA could present.

I kind of wish i was around during the devolution of the Bronx, from an enclave of Eastern Europe into the place which a large Dominican and Black community called home. This transition in the 80's resulted in the appearance of extensive graffiti. To some it was vile and a commemoration of the decline of the Bronx, and to others it was the voice of the people, the people that felt oppressed and neglected. Martha Cooper captured these images well aware that soon these buildings would be tumbling down, and the subway cars derailed so the public could no longer see this beauty. Preservation of FREE ART (free for the masses to see as these trains pulled in from the trainyard to their predetermined destination, free transportation to spread the message of their art). A huge canvas that demonstrated so much more than the ghetto.

She plans to do this for her hometown of Baltimore, and I look forward to see what she captures in the Wire.

check it: The art of tagging

MTA STFU

I said it would be a cold day in hell if ever i were to pay MORE than i already am to transport myself in the NY metropolitan area. And i guess they're having a blizzard down there, because once Memorial day comes through, so do the fare hikes and the cut of many bus (not that I care) and subway routes (bye W and Z...).

Geeze... as if all my money wasn't going into metrocards, LIRR tickets and tolls... now i have to give more??? This recession is financially afflicting everyone, and now it's going to be more noticeable to those of us who've cut out taxi cabs and keep car driving to a minimum. May as well save the fare and invest in a good pair of running shoes.

can't i just sever a leg and call it a day??? I don't have money either MTA, so why couldn't you just wait it out until Albany did something... you know they ain't have to worry about Buff, Albany itself, or any of the other insignificant cities in NYS.

Why I'm going to start walking everywhere!!!!

I love new york

I love you, dear city.

Our affair started one day, years ago in Jamaica.
With one F you showed me Queens, Kings and Manhattan.
With one A, I traversed your champagne bottle: the brim to the bottom.
With one R, I went from China to Korea, from stardom to a more subtle ground.

Though you've taken me all over the world, it's just a microcosmic taste.
I want to see the world; engorge in the larger picture which i have yet to see.
But I've decided, we must part our ways.
Though you feed me with the culture and the life that my body craves, I feel as if I haven't progressed anymore. I can't.

No longer am I on my toes wary of what may come, I see it before it even comes.
What happened to the spontaneous ville that left me wide-eyed and eager?
It's been harder for you to amuse me, and that worries me.
You're the greatest (and longest) love affair I've had, but I need more.
You'll always be in my heart. But I have to leave you soon, I need to continue to grow.
This plant can't remain potted in your soil forever.
These roots need to stretch for a while.