Journalistic instinct -
Always armed with my camera.


After an extremely satisfying dim sum meal with my brother, John and Noah we wandered downtown. We did not expect to witness a 25 ton construction crane leaning on the side of a condo. We later learned that the neck of the crane crushed a five story townhouse.

Being a thrill seeker, my eyes and ears are always wide open. I have always made it a point to also have my camera with me in hopes to get that winning photo.

Living in a city like NYC, hearing deafening sirens and helicopters hover above the sky scrapers is a common occurrence. But when you see more than two helicopters it typically is a sign of headline making news. We saw the emergency response vehicles along Second Avenue and 50th Street and a small group of people congregating behind the yellow tape were looking up. We overheard a man implying that a crane had collapsed from a construction site.

We were told the accident occurred twenty minutes before our arrival and a steady stream of on lookers began to flow towards us. My curiosity wanted to get a better picture so we walked to the next street that was closed off to traffic except to pedestrians who were using their cellphones and cameras to take shots of the crane.

At one point in my life I aspired to be a (photo) journalist; to follow in the footsteps of my oldest brother. It was wishful thinking but may explain why I have yet to object to writing articles for a couple websites like Newfilipina, Asians in America and presently FAN.

As a resident of NYC there will always be something to report whether it makes the news or not.

Homo Erectus - Upright Noah!

It has been a few weeks since Noah began walking. He has been cautious with his steps and quite aware of obstructions, though of course has had occasional stumbles.

Watching him learn how to navigate his body has been intriguing, particularly when he made his first round about. I think it excited him just as much as his parents!

These days he likes to flail his arms in the air and like a pinball bounce from couch to ottoman to his chest of toys and where ever else he wants to walk. We have had to block the television with the ottoman because with his newfound mobility he can traipse to the control panel and never grows tired of pressing the volume to maximum then casually walk off with a grin on his face.

Our first afternoon at the park (see picture above) in months has me looking forward to many more in the future. Noah was overwhelmed at the prospect of having so much open space and to poke through other peoples strollers. It's time to go to the thrift store and find toys for him to play with in the sandbox.

NY Chinatown - Ghost town

I laughed when I heard about the recent bust in New York's Chinatown over counterfeited purses and bags. I thought to myself that ALL of Chinatown would have to be shut down. I saw it with my own eyes. A usually bustling section of Canal Street was eerily vacant of vendors and seemingly willing customers looking for a knock off designer item. Damn, I even bought me a snazzy Hilfiger watch that never told time but it sure looked good on my wrist.

The store fronts were locked shut and glaring orange signs were posted in zig zag formation along the endless wall of metal. I am just wondering what took the NYPD so long to realize the illegal activities that seem to be the life line and tourist attraction of lower Manhattan. Thirty two stores were closed and curiously there were no arrests. If the counterfeit business was a "real" problem and considered a crime, then I would think the boys in blue would have cuffed them. The owners of the stores were slapped with an 'excessive fine.'

So why is it that I saw two women flashing catalogs of bags for sale? Is the black market truly crippling the economy of NYC? I doubt it.