a thanksgiving like no other

*** hover on each photo for a better description ***

for my first thanksgiving, i say i did pretty damn well.

checked in at the Intercon in Times Square on the 21st and then went to Central Park for the inflating of the balloons to be used for the Macy's Thanksgiving parade on the 22nd.

partied til the wee hours with my fab NYC friends...met an Argentinian gay guy who wanted to make out with me! twice. so i did. twice! ehem ehem. (bucketlist item checked! hahahha!)

got drunk...sat on the sidewalk in freezing weather...didn't make it to my bed and slept on the carpet instead. woke up at 12noon only to realize i'm missing one contact lens.

OH! which meant i missed the parade the next day, had a hangover while having lunch at Dallas BBQ in Timesquare but i had the best ribs ever! by the time lunch was done, i was up and about but was not up enough for the ice skating challenge over at the Pond in Bryant Park.

by dinnertime, i was almost back to my usual self so we went out for drinks at Heartland Brewery on 41st and 8th followed by a night of pure karaoke fun in Koreatown with dear college friends.

i spent the day in my hotel room on Friday (23rd) and then went out with another friend for a different kind of night in town. we had way too much fun at the Museum of Sex and learned that bonobo monkeys trade sugar canes for sex favors!

for dinner, in order to satisfy my earlier craving of paella, we headed to La Nacional, one of NYC's best kept secret to have our paella fix. mike could not have chosen a better authentic Spanish place in that side of New York. the place was cozy, the food was great and the service was excellent! a must try for food connoisseurs...even the snooty ones!

after downing 2 kinds of paella, a pitcher of sangria and a plate of octopus, we decided to walk a few blocks. my friend wanted to show me the Washington Arch and the Flatiron Bldg. so we did. they both sounded fairly familiar. and they were!

the Flatiron Bldg was constantly used in Friends and was the headquarters of Peter Parker in Spiderman. now the Washington Arch in Washington Square Park was featured in Ugly Betty, August Rush and I Am Legend. i managed to get a few shots before my iPhone died whew!

and since it was my last night in New York, going home early was not an option. we took a cab and went all the way to 3rd street to see a live band perform at Cafe Wha?. the club's vibe was different from what i expected. the band played a mixture of jazz, soul, r&b, rock and pop! turned out, the band has been playing there since forever! it. was. fun!

i checked out on saturday (24) to get ready for yet another post thanksgiving party in New Jersey with my colleagues from work which started at 12nn and ended at 12mn. if that doesn't spell wonderful time, i don't know how else to call it. we had our traditional turkey plus loads of other pinoy food and a heaping array of alcohol. it was thanksgiving pinoy style.

so there, that's how my thanksgiving week went. so much to be thankful for.
i am really blessed and i can't ask for anything more (well except for a boyfriend!!!)

to my best friend

a lot has happened over the last year.

you are not the same person you are the last time you celebrated your birthday

you have changed. a good change.

you are now back in Manila and are constantly around shiny, happy people.

you are back in the arms of your family - mom and ninay and your ever faithful throng of friends  who love and will fight for you no matter what.

you have gone back to your old job. a job that you truly truly love. 

you have gone from a fab fashionista to an up and coming entrepreneur.

you may have ended an era in your life but an epic one has already begun.

you are blessed. you are loved. 

what more can you ask?

Happy Birthday bitchsis. I trust the coming year is gonna be a blast.

I love you.

crossing the brooklyn bridge

two things i said i wanted to do in new york : watch Wicked and cross the Brooklyn Bridge. 

Brooklyn Bridge

last saturday, i met up with Eric and Shai, both friends from manila who now live in Brooklyn and they gave me the brooklyn bridge experience (we first took the subway going to Brooklyn and then crossed the bridge on foot going back to Manhattan.)

and what heck of an experience it was! the Brooklyn Bridge has the best view of Manhattan on one side and of Brooklyn on the other; love locks lined the walls and railings and hinges of the bridge, left there by lovers/couples to express a promise love and loyalty; artists with their sketch pads lay on the path as they drew/sketched;  locals and tourists, camera on hand take pictures as they thread the walkway along with a number of cyclists (be careful as they might run you over if you're on their side of the walkway.)

 

                            love locks                                           more love locks

                            my designated tour guides :)                halfway thru the bridge

   

crossed the bridge on foot...all 1.8miles in 38degree weather. 

others may call it it crazy. i call it badass!!

every inch of the bridge is picture worthy with an awesome backdrop on all sides - Brooklyn, Manhattan skyline, Manhattan Bridge and a very small view of the Statue of Liberty can be seen on that vantage point. add to that the ferries crossing the the  East River down below. 

                            view of Manhattan Bridge                Manhattan Skyline

Brooklyn Bridge Landmark

one item on my New York Bucketlist, checked! i have crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. the same bridge where Miranda and Steve met and reconciled. awwww!

tomorrow, i'm of to DC to visit the presidents! woot woot!

NYC Pride Parade 2012

my trip here in the US coincided with probably one of the major events in NYC this summer.  in support of my LGBT friends and family, i stood for 4 hours, camera in hand, amidst throngs of people - gay and straight, under the scorching heat, to watch the 2012 Pride Parade, the culmination of a month long Pride celebration  in New York.

rainbow colored flags greeted me as i exited the subway to meet a dear friend from Manila. he is gay and proud and very very happy. we went to Chelsea to catch the parade and was fortunate enough to get a good spot up front. the mood was festive, everyone was smiling. people from all ages of varied cultures, religion, race and sexual orientation flooded the sidewalks.

banners with messages ranging from flamboyant ("foreskin is fabulous") to the more serious ones ("HIV is not a crime, criminalizing it is") were seen in almost all the floats expressing what the LGBT community feels. or what they have gone through in the past.

 

i found myself hooting and yelling "Happy Pride" with the rest of the crowd.

there was no room for hate nor insult and ridicule.  it was a happy place, a happy energetic place.

then came the men, hot naked men, in pinks and golds and silvers and camouflage. omg. i think i may have drooled at one point. just a bit!

and of course the ladies and the "ladies" in drag,  in costumes or simply au naturale



the pride parade was one heck of an experience.

i'm glad i went.

i'm happy to have worn the beads and read the flyers.

i'm honored to have been a part of their community even just for a day.

in a world where cynicism. prejudice and hate exist, it was nice to be in the presence of shiny happy people who are proud to be who and what they are, standing tall with dignity. not to mention fierce and fab outfits!

and to my dear friend, thank you for taking me. you have gone a long way from the shy kid in Manila. New York suits you. i'm so happy to know that you are happy, accepted and free. you are one good person, a gift to society and more importantly to your family. don't let anybody tell you otherwise.  looking forward to our next NYC escapade.  next round of drinks on me!

happy pride!