Happy Halloween

A tradition since 1973, New York’s Village Halloween Parade is believed to be the largest Halloween celebration in the world that features puppets, marching bands, as well as limited numbers of floats. It is the only night time parade in NYC; starts at 7 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m. It is a fun and unique way to celebrate Halloween. The best part is that anyone can participate in the parade – arrive at the beginning of the parade between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and join in. It kicks off on Sixth Avenue at Spring Street, and continues north along Sixth Avenue to 23rd Street.

Humor

If you are trying to be funny and no one seems laughing, that is embarrassing. Either your friends don’t appreciate your sense of humor or they just merely no sense of humor. How long you’ve known your friends? Is it long enough to find you funny and those things you’ve had said or done should not be taken personal? Obviously, they don’t know you well enough. But if your friends find it hard to accept your humor then that’s become a problem with your relationships. Every time you pull out a joke it will offend them.

Happy Birthday

Max Crumm who plays Danny in Grease on Broadway signs authograph on my playbill.

Capitalism

It was crisp, cool, and lots of sunshine on Sunday. It was perfect to walk the dog in the park and let it frolic with other dogs. I don’t have a pet so I called my friends if they wanted to hook up in Manhattan for a Sunday brunch and an afternoon stroll at Bleecker Street towards West Village. Better than dogs, I don’t need them to leash and clean up their poops. That’s a bad analogy.

As we walked towards to the Village, I noticed that Bleecker has changing and joining fast with the trend of capitalism. Only last month there were only a few high-end retailers. Now it has flooded with upscale clothing stores and merchants. They are rubbing off the image of the Village that I had known for years. The appeal of the Village that was built up by a Bohemian crowd, through music venues, art and culture has slowly diminished. This poor artist community has lost its spell. Eventually these young Bohemians will be replaced by young investment bankers. Sadly enough, Bleecker will become just another homogenous city street.

Birthdays Celebration

The cake was from the three lovely ladies: Sofia Purification-Requejo, Jojo Villaruz-Sy, and Joy Monsalud-Estioko.


The celebrants from L-R: Nelson Lapus, Brenda Rosario-Sanchez, Lorna Reyes-Sabino, Jocelyn Camota-Basilio, Antonio Grafil (standing behind Osie), Enrique Bagacina, Marcelo Reyes. Not in picture: Carlo Cabalbag


These were the bagets of the 1970's. Are we the sex-revolution generation?


The guests...friends, classmates, schoolmates.

Oktoberfest

Cheers! Or as they say in Deutschland – prost!

If you can’t make it to Munich, not to worry, NY brings Oktoberfest in the city. Oktoberfest is one of those holidays that you don’t need to buy gifts, to prepare complicated foods, and to attend services. For some of us, it is the simplest and easiest way to celebrate. The only obligation is to attend the party and make sure you have plenty of room in your stomach.

On Sunday (10/7), on the east side of Midtown Manhattan, along Lexington Avenue, I felt giddy and tipsy to be part of this massive outdoor celebration for the third time. Though I’m not a beer drinker neither (obviously) German, it didn’t stop me to revel in German’s “drink-up-the-culture”. But my friends indulged their beer-loving selves. Not a single second that I’d seen their glass empty. As they filled their stomach with beer, I was preoccupied with the side orders - - soft pretzels, homemade pickles, Wiener schnitzel, and Kobe Beef bratwurst. That raised a red flag after I sampled all the edible side orders. The Y Hotel has never been convenient.

Oktoberfest Street Fair on Lexington Avenue celebrates the way they do in Munich. It is a family-friendly event that features arts-and-crafts vendors, live German music and traditional dancing.

And I found important information from a beer expert, which I incline to share (even if you don’t agree). He said, “If you want to enjoy Oktoberfest without hitting the bar, these are my holiday favorites that are available at many grocery stores. (1) Sam Adams – slightly sweet and amber malt is surprisingly heavy (2) Brooklyn – light, bitter, smooth, and very authentic (3) Beck’s – dry, sharp flavor with a light easy-to-drink head.”

For me, honestly, I cannot tell the difference. They’re all taste bitter to me. In any case, do you think San Miguel beer can compete with the best of Oktoberfest?