Week in Travel: NYC in Pictures

 

I got back from New York late last night so I’m positively knackered right now. Earlier this week, I was in Boston and Cambridge so it’s been a pretty travel-intensive week for me since I also had layovers in Philly and Charlotte. Layovers are the worst! I’ve said this before – traveling is one of my greatest loves in life but it’s exhausting. I’m pleased to back in my own place for the next few weeks until Denver next month. Somehow, I seem to be incapable of relaxing even when traveling for fun. If anyone knows how to stop one self from being type A, please let me know. I need to relax.  

I was in Boston/Cambridge for personal reasons unrelated to leisure so the only “travel” pictures I took were food pics at Oleana (Inman Sq in Cambridge). Plus, it’s my fourth or fifth time in Boston so my picture-snapping-tourist urge wears off. This time, I actually flew with my mum – a terrible, anxious, infrequent flier. If left to her own devices, she may have ended up in Rhode Island from Logan airport for all I know. This sounds strange but taking care of my mother, leading her around (AKA buying T tickets, taking the silver line bus to south station, taking her to my favorite dim sum place Hei La Moon in Chinatown, taking the red line inbound together to harvard to see my brother, etc.)…it hit me how much of a grown up I am now. It used to be mum with her hands full as she drags me and my brother back to Malaysia her motherland from Hong Kong during Chinese New Year and summers. What a role reversal. When did I grow up?

I think I’ll be in denial until I’m 30.

I was in New York with my friend Adam this weekend. It’s his first time. I hope he enjoyed it! NYC really is one of my favorite cities in the world. I think a big reason is because it reminds me of HK. I love big cities. Pertaining to traveling persona – I’m bossy, impatient, and unintentionally inconsiderate. It doesn’t bode well if my traveling companions are overly flexible regarding where to go/where to eat/what to see because, well…frankly because it pisses me off! Like I said, I need to learn to relax.

We covered pretty good grounds in my opinion. Stayed in the financial district, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, ate pizza at Grimaldi’s, got ice-cream at the Brooklyn Ice-Cream factory (chocolate chocolate chunk is the truth!), tried the whispering columns at Grand Central, Times Sq (gross tourist trap), 5th Ave, St. Mark’s, Chinatown, Soho, Shake Shack, met up with my friend Huy at Madison Sq Park, went to the top of Empire State Building… not bad for less than 2 days. 

I didn’t take that many pictures this trip. As I’ve mentioned, the craze-tourist-picture-snapping-syndrome wears off after the first few times. The pic at the top of this post is me and Huy on top of the empire state building. Below in order is 1) pizza from Grimaldi’s, 2)  la del gato arepa at caracas in east village, 3) south view from empire state building, 4) another view from empire state building, 5) me with north view behind me, 6) city hall park

My anaconda don’t want none unless you’ve got (HAIR) buns

 

Whenever I’m too lazy to do anything with my hair (so…6 days out of 7), I reach for a headband and call it a day. But now that I’m solidly in my mid-20s, I just look a sad grown child. Since I always look like I’m going to the gym when I wear a ponytail, the only alternative for me is the messy but oh-so-chic bun.

Alas, unlike all you “oh my hair is too thick” humble-bragging witches, I’m cursed with fine AND thin hair. Therefore, my buns simply look sad and anemic. That is, until I discovered the HAIR DONUT! It looks exactly as it sounds and magically gives you beautiful, voluminous buns. It’s akin to stuffing your bra, except you know…for hair. You can find these babies online or at beauty supply stores. If you live in the UK, I saw them at Primark for like £2.

Now, if you can’t find them anywhere, don’t fret. You can make your own! What you need:

1. 1 dress sock (I recommend one in a colour close to your hair)
2. a pair of scissors

Cut off the toe part of the sock. Start rolling the sock into itself/roll it upwards. 2 seconds later…voila! A hair donut is born.

 

 

 

 

Now that we got the basics down, how do you actually use the hair donut or DIY sock bun? Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Put hair into a ponytail. Aim high if you want your bun on the top of your head or lower if you want more of a ballerina-style bun.
2. Thread ponytail through the hair donut/sock bun so that the latter rests around the base of ponytail*
3. From centre out, wrap hair around the hair donut/sock bun then tie with an elastic or pin with bobby pins.
4. Pin excess hair around bun.

*Alternatively, you can leave hair donut/sock bun at end of ponytail and roll your hair around/along with the donut as you roll the hair donut up towards your head

And that’s it! I give you Sir Mix-A-Lot approved massive, meaty hair buns! For a better tutorial than mine, click here for Mr. Kate’s DIY Sock Bun Tutorial. Opening Ceremony also did an awesome tutorial here. Meanwhile, here are 3 inspiring pictures of great buns:

 

 

 

TV Writers vs. Fans

Should showrunners and writers listen to fandom?

It’s an interesting question. One that begs an answer especially today. The abundance not to mention ease of online social media platforms (i.e. twitter, tumblr, facebook, etc.) means audience responses come fast and furious. And by fast I mean immediate. There’s seemingly no need for professionally-penned reviews anymore (sorry journalists and critics); one simply needs to look at one’s twitter feed for audience feedback.

And boy…can fans be critical or what? Safe behind the wall of online annonymity, fans can be as adulatory or as no-holds-barred vicious as they want. And they usually are. I’m talking vitriolic harangue over story arcs, relationships, characters, show writers/producers/directors/actors, everything. Now, perhaps this is an indication of my sophomoric taste in TV shows but lately, I’ve noticed an escalation in what is known as “ship wars.” Shipping is where you’re absolutely convinced two fictional characters belong together in romantic OTP (“one-true-pairing”) sort of way. That is, you (relation)ship them. With the internet as their soapbox, the most fervent of shippers produce fan videos, write fan fiction, post on fan forums, create polls and campaigns, vociferously voice their opinions on twitter, etc.

I’m not opposed to creative output by fans. In fact, some of them are  quite good. The bad ones…well, they’re excruciating but harmless. There’s something to be said about shippers’ passion. Indifference is, after all, the death knell in this world of entertainment. Is it great TV if no one is watching? Yet, while we’re all entitled to our own opinions, some obsessive fans go too far in my opinion. I’m talking about incredibly rude attacks on others who don’t like their “ship” or others who “ship” another pair, amplified threats directed to writers/producers swearing to boycott the show, etc. There’s no other way to put it - it’s ugly. And again, a clear sign I’m watching age-inappropriate shows (read: CW dramas) based on the immaturity shown online by my fellow viewers…

Back to the original question at hand though – should TV writers cater/pander to audiences? Ignoring the possible issue of vocal minority/silent majority, do fans have a right to be part of the storytelling process? On one hand, producers and writers reserve the right to adhere to the integrity of their artistic vision. By this I mean they need not be influenced or compromised by little old you and me. On the other hand, in this world where viewing figures and advertising dollars matter, shouldn’t public opinion count for something? If at least one reason for storytelling is to entertain, is it considered ‘selling out’ if you listen to feedback? Indeed, sift through the mountains of unrighteous barbs and shipper nonsense online, one can find intelligent and insightful comments that may benefit the show overall. At the very least, shouldn’t writers be aware (or should it be wary…) of viewer expectations? Yet, what – if anything at all – is the obligation of writers to viewers? Artist to audience?

So, there’s no right or wrong answer to this question. Sometimes writers know best and sometimes…well, regardless of any missteps you and I feel they’ve taken taken, it’s not really our show now, is it?

All my ruminations have led me to a bigger question – that is, does ‘art’ require an audience in order for it to be art? And taste…what a subjective little beast. Is a TV show great if no one is watching? Can a book be considered great literature if no one is reading it? Is your painting great art if no one this generation appreciates it? Tolstoy said all works of art are merely objects of use and are to be judged therefore by the extent of their use. Does this mean there’s no such thing as “art for art’s sake”? What is art? Who gives value to a work of art (whatever that is) – the audience or the thing itself?  

Don’t look at me. I don’t have the answers. There’s a reason why I hated philosophy in uni.