Tuesday, October 9, 2007

NYC and DC Fall Break highlights

There is so much to detail of our trip to NYC and Washington, DC.

So here's a quick list:

- Visited with new parents and friends, Shaireen and Joe and baby Amaya in Brooklyn.

-Learned more about Joe's home business, Counter Sourcing, Inc. and was impressed by how this modern couple holds it all together. Also, met Shaireen's auntie, Yasmine Kabir and learned about her films. Saw the first night of the full moon from Prospect Park

- Transferred to mid-town the next day amidst the hub-bub of Bush speaking to the UN and the Iranian President addressing Columbia University

- Helped out with my sister's last minute wedding details. Got to see the second night of full moon from her place in Spanish Harlem

- Paid respects at Ground Zero and quiet time at St. Paul Chapel

- Connected with lots of family and friends we hadn't seen in years.
Got to experience the excitement of a New York wedding and
the blending of various Igorot, Filipino, and Italian cultural traditions

- Hosted post wedding brunch for family and out of town guests at Cendrillon.-- Thanks to Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, we were able to compliment their delicious Filipino cooking with my Auntie's tupig (sweet rice and coconut wrapped in banana leaf) which we brought from Hawaii. Also big mahalos to Johnny Brillo-who just moved from Oahu to NYC- and connected us with Kaina Quenga, who danced three beautiful hula for our small family event.

- Thanks to Shalani Kantayya, we attended the Lark's Closing night of their playwright's Week, highlighting South Asian plays in development. Met other playwrights working on pieces taking on redress for the African American community and truth and reconciliation processes in Central America.

-Rode the Ferris wheel with Malaya twice at the Toys-R-Us at Times Square.
Had carrot cheese cake with Jimmy P at Junior's.

-After 11 years, got to talk story with Wai.

-When plans to spend the weekend in San Francisco got derailed, we headed to DC to be with my parents.

-Got to attend the conference, What's the economy for, anyway? and The Green Festival I loved that it was a family affair! All of us- Mom, Dad, Malaya and I went. There was something for everybody!

-Caught one film highlighting Robert Cazamiro's Halau Na Kamalei from the DC APA film festival with my cousin, Chris. We ran into Gem D. and Wilma C there and had dinner afterward at Wilma's favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Clarendon.

-Also snuck in breakfast with Stacy B and friends at Eastern Market. Malaya and I had a home cooked meal with high school and college buddy, Katie W! Got to meet her beautiful girls, Zoe and Clara and supportive partner, Torrey.

Whew... what a whirlwind! I gave myself yesterday to unwind from this all. There are so many stories to tell. I look forward to the next few days to take a few moments of the above and unweave and reweave them here.

For now, I am so grateful for the waters at Kaimana that welcomed us home.

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