True Urban Legends

so you know it's been a dream since i saw Slam and found out that saul won the nite on this stage? and it was nice, so intimate, kinda reminded me of bowery, but only because i had been there first. it was so small that i got a shoutout "come on miss canada, come closer..." and the folks on the mic rocked it, namely miz jaha nainzabu and of course, the man i went to see, mister taalam acey. dangit. shoot.

then, lovely ayana came to meet me (that's two times in less than a month in two different cities, makes up for the two years before that that we didn't see eachother) she came to get me in the thunderstorm (jaha did that) and took me to kim's on st.mark's st. and out for my first arepa at Caracas (93 1/2 E7th-www.caracasarepabar.com) damn, that food tasted so good, i had the chorizo. we went up to Union so that i could get something to cover up my tank toppedness because i knew the subway would be freezing.

this morning, we slept in then went for columbian chicken on the corner (i heart queens!) you know your trip isn't complete until you have some plantains and a manzano soda. yummmm. now i'm gearing up for the Brooklyn! though i'm torn between Wild Style and going to the Urbanworld Vibe Film Festival. so many things, so little time!

so i'm a bit behind in the updation station, but wednesday was amazing! windy, but amazing. my interview went smashing, my first in-person in a long time...long time. it's the hawtness, man. hawt. just wait for it.

and mr. oil's publicist, one tall drink of water, Alyse, was so kind as to meet me to take the ferry over (yes, i finally took the staten island ferry) then bring me back on an impromptu walking tour through soho, tribecca, the village...for a $2 falafel, and to her spot in harlem, then back through the offices of Hip Hop Weekly, and around the corner to M1-5's weekly video spinning party, why everytime i'm here NYC's doing some nutty stuff with videos? cats were spinning videos like records. lots of celebs in that house, but i was chillin', laying low, just noticing the glitter on folks' legs and making jokes with one C-Murder, jokes, my boy "C"-cil...hahaha. it was DJ Scratch's bday so it was extra special, cats were just cramming cards and cds into my hands, and i think i made it on a video, though i was wearing clothes, so i'm not worried :) then we went to a diner because i was trying to make folks stay up with me until 6am to go home, but the lovely doctor just drove me home instead, to queens, on "his way home" from brooklyn. all kinds of sweet.

bigup to all involved, we made a nice ragtag crew if i do say so myself.

homegirl, i guess that's why, you named your company "on the fly". :)

if you need to get ANYWHERE in new york city (and any of the other cities listed) just go here:

 www.hopstop.com

so much more helpful than Chris the transit bi-atch in vancouv. i'm sayin'.

just make sure you plan your trip home ahead of time too, cuz that's where i've been slacking, then getting lost and grumpy on the way home. poo.

is what seems to blow my mind when dining in new york city. last nite, i had arguably the best meal i've had in the city-ever. we were at Cafe Habana (coin Elizabeth and Prince), a charming if air-condition-less corner eatery (perhaps for ambiance?) where the waitresses are hawt and friendly, the elbow room is scarce, the mojitos are refreshing (if not generous, i was a lil' tipsy by the time i got up) and the food is to live for. we had the grilled corn with chili, lime, and special melted cheese (still have to find out what kind) as an appeteaser, then i had the mango and jicama salad and a hominy corn stew (more like broth) with chicken, radishes, and those darling little chestnut like beings that surface in chinese herbal desserts, it was the perfect summertime meal because it was hearty without being heavy. Hardboiled went with the Cuban sandwich, which contained the tenderest swine i've met in a hot minute and delicious fries. the hot sauce is actually hot (unlike the bottle i guzzled for the Truth or Dare vid) and we ate in about 45 mins (guess we were hungry :) the whole dinner was not expensive at all, and though i crashed after my borderline drunkeness and multiple subway transfers to get home, i remember the whole experience more than fondly and still made it up at 8 this morning to worky work. :) got a big interview in a few hours AND i'm finally gonna ride the Staten Island ferry.

oh, i went overboard at Bath and Bodyworks yesterday because of that lip gloss! so many changes since last year! citrus ones, cinnamon ones, soda flavors, grrrrrrr!

and i hit up my favorite spot for threads on 46th and Lex, so i got the summer shorts i was after. :) let's hope it doesn't rain!!!!

so, i just got this answer to my call on gmail chat as to what this is: (all the way from kabul) "a pinkberry is a delicious fruit from madagascar"

aah. so i shoulda asked them in the yogurt show (in k-town) last nite, but i was so mesmerized by the plastic kitchen ware, the lineup around the block, and the rice cake, which ended up being little filling-less mochis and not savory crackers. i still wouldn't like to put cereal in mine though, i chose raspberries (which they rationed...grrr..) and mango, and the yogurt was yogurty and frozeny, but unlike any other frozen yogurt i've had.

very interesting...will i make it to Bam before i leave? maybe, but i know this for sure, the library on the brick corner and me got a date as of 1pm today.

and yes, i made it to theatre row (for the first time) on the subway all by my lonesome! and i got the last ticket to her last show and damn, was it worth it! miz kristina was every bit as compelling live as she is on the internet and in written, starring in her show about Asian-American women (with the highest rates of depression and suicide) in a knitting context. the audience participation (handholding and singing "we are the world", well, if black people and white people can hold hands and sing to represent THE WORLD, then the least that Asians can do is sit at home and watch tv, i mean, really) was amazing. it's the second show i've been to in recent history that involves the artist beaning the audience with things, this time spools of wool. her sarcasm was so earnest, which made it all the more biting, and i couldn't help but applaud and laugh out loud at points like, "jack?! did i say it right? jack? what a great name! it has that scottish soul to it! love it! it's so different!", the dramatic ark ("we're still at the crisis!"), and "creative asian women, yeah, we have this sisterhood, but i would appreciate it if you would stay away from my topic, because i did it first...and STAY AWAY FROM MY GRANTS!"-too much. competition, victim status, telling every story, "saving", revolutionary show....it's the vagina monologue i've been waiting all my life for. the one that answers that nagging suspicion in my gut when i'm running around saying "i got this, i'm alright" that knows to call, fiction. bigup kristina wong, thank-you. anytime you wanna talk about the assault by them chickens, i'm here for you, woman.

so i finally got the secret, well, as in, copped it. and it was a bootleg at that, brought to me by an old friend from elementary school. the most interesting point about the law of attaction is that it works on your thoughts, but doesn't decipher whether they are "bad" or "good" (in way to simplistic terms, but we get the idea...) they just work on the thoughts you have, so if you are constantly thinking things, even in terms of how you don't want them, you wish them into your life because that's what you are preoccupied with. i mean, i was always good with that whole bleeding heart optimist thing, but it's that other bit, that balances out my situations. i'm glad i saw it before i embarked on this lil' hiatus of mine, because it's exactly what i need to chew on whilst chilling in the midst of the brick watching d'angelo and tom jones doing james brown, and jodeci singing "come and talk to me" live on vh-1. talk about the beginning of a good morning..... perfect that i'm here in America to manifest my destiny, it is the birthplace for all of that.

yo, i just believe i heard cadence weapon say "and i got you pegged like Lite Brite"...dope.

i am listening to him on cbc radio 3 (things i find doing research), the concert coverage is uncontrollable, i also found an artist profile for one Amalia from Richmond, with some new-to-me songs, some video and audio archives at CBC and Radio Canada that are out of control, and it's three for three days that i'm rubbing computers with the hardest working dj in Montreal hip hop, one DJ Static, who is coming down with some kind of sickness on the verge of playing gigs up to and including the very important party at Jello Bar on Saturday nite, yep, that would be the decade anniversary of We Funk, which inspired a Concordia DJ that i met last nite.....

admittedly, i have never been a Fringe fanatic, i saw the chicken burlesque show last year, and this year's winner was a lil' play called "The Procrastin8or", but because i am privy....for the rest of y'all, there are still a couple more shows, so check it out, not only because the lead actor is a Mojo alum (how small of a world is this city?!)

today's budget meeting was very inspiring, with the meeting of one Mister Shaun Lynch, who has the most thought-provoking book coming out soon, "Fundraising and the Art of War". werd. Sun Tzu gettin' love like a peek from a pocket of Bonz Malone's bathrobe in Slam.

and i just read Kanye's mama's book....definitely learned some things there, now i'm all wired with Loop Dreams....and just cuz i gotta get my digs in, i've been talking to Taalam Acey and Kristina Wong on Myspace, can Facebook ever do that? hahahahahaha. i had my Viet sub without the side of strippers today....EDMONTON! (sorry, still listening to Cadence...)

oh! and the last funny anecdote, i was offered the starring role in a music video today, they were looking for a "pretty and fashionable asian" actually, the exact line is, Aussi, si vous connaissez une jolie asiatique branchée, ça serait magnifique!!! (LOL). seriously, what kind of street credibility....i know we said to "eff" it (look out soon for the qualification of that statement-nation wide, folks...) 

it's been an ongoing quest for the best Vietnamese sub..today's travels took us into Chinatown, er chinacorner. it's funny how it was simultaneously marketed as a tourist attraction and subjected to zoning laws....grrrr...bigup Chinese Family Services again for having the roundtable discussion last week where i learned that juicy tidbit of informations.

ok, so i've wanted to go to the Cleopatra for awhile to catch their drag show, but when it was just suggested to pop in on a stupidly hot monday afternoon for one drink and strippers, i couldn't say no, it was like speed dating last week, i didn't see why not. it's all for a story to tell, right? check the Myspace for the goods on that one...and for a badass Chromeo track (yo Moka, i think they stole your legs and keyboards idea!)...

anyways, we come in and there is some curly walking (a term i invented today for lackadaisical, dare i say even, lazy halfassed sashaying), excess flesh, little nudity, watered down cola, and some kind of latino remake of the nelly/kelly song that reminded me of the random dancehall covers....it musta been some kind of stripper siesta, cuz no one was really working all that hard, we saw the "danse contact" action going in the corner, and somebody's asian grandpa was drinking a green bottle in the sniffer section. he enthusiastically sat forward and applauded at first sight of snatch, though i think my eyes still didn't adjust....well, what do you expect for a spot that charges a buck to get in? next up? pussy corps.....gotta stop procrastinating on that one.

no, not my relationship status (ha!) but i finally got around to catching a screening of this amazing and brilliant film. bigup to the chinese family services of montreal for putting this on along with the chinese green association. i have to say that Al Gore is a pretty charismatic individual, getting his digs in, "I am Al Gore, I was supposed to be the next president of the United States....I don't find that particularly funny", "ooh, those gold bars look good! MMMmmmmm! on the other hand, we have THE ENTIRE PLANET! hmmmm.....", and there's the classic quote from the first Bush, "we'll have the planet overrun with owls and no jobs for any American!", wow.

i have to say, actually, that the Democratic Party's been looking pretty good, what with the all-candidates debate that i caught last week, i'm still rooting for Obama, i have yet to hear anything remotely crazy come out of his mouth, and the whole party is presenting a united front on issues like gay marriage/military/don't ask, don't tell....the war, i gotta say, "bigup".

to all the Americans that i love, i'm making my way back to y'all not-so slowly and absolutely surely....