Update: I added couple more birthdays but I still have a long way to go...
So I was just looking through my calendar and adding birthdays of new people I have met (it helps me remember) and came up with an idea. Wouldn't it be great if I would be able to know someone who is celebrating his/her birthday in each day of the year. Yep, that would be 365 birthdays - I'll even include the leap day. But I will not just ask anyone for their birthdays, I have to know the person. This is going in to my Bucket List
So as of tonight, here is what I have (once in yellow)
Jan - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Feb - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
Mar - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Apr - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
May - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Jun - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
July - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Aug - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Sept - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Oct - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Nov - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
Dec - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
This does not include my own birthday and I got a long work ahead of me.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Restaurant Review: Miso Nara
22 S. Main Street
New City, NY 10956
(845) 639 - 6993
Fax (845) 639 - 5386
Japanese
Price: $2 - $60
Dine In, Take Out
Located in the heart of Main Street in New City is Miso Nara, a small Japanese restaurant that is known to the locals as New City Sushi. And when I write small, I mean it literally. The exterior is slightly decorated with Japanese themed-product such as Red Lantern except for the electronic sign that flash Open. Once you open the glass door, you will notice how small the place is. It only has five tables that could seat about only 10 people and a elevated sushi bar which can seat 5 people. But the small area is compensated by the friendly atmosphere. I was quickly greeted by Sushi Chef named Lin (not too sure about his name) who was friendly enough that he chatted with the clientele while making his sushi and sashimi. The place was clean and very organized and cozy. I grabbed a menu while waiting for my server and they have an expansive array of dishes from sushi and sashimi to udons and tempura. For a small place, they sure packed a lot of variety.
They have lunch specials and I took the liberty to order one from the specials. I went for the Tempura Box which was compose of 1 California Roll, 2 Shrimp Tempura, 3 pcs of Vegetable Tempura, 3 pcs of Shumai, Rice and Salad. I can see why this place is visited by a lot of people, Lin was nice enough to ask if I want my order to be spicy - from behind the sushi bar. I didn't have to wait for a long time as my miso soup arrived. The miso soup was served in a typical Japanese bowl. The soup was warm and tasty which was perfect for the cold weather. The tofu was soft and spices weren't overwhelming. Then my spicy salad arrived, it tasted fresh and just had enough kicked to it. Finally my main dish, the tempura box was the typical black exterior, red interior box but the presentation was superb. The tempuras were warm and crisp with a little bit of sweetness to it. The California roll was so fresh that you could taste each ingredient really well. The rice was perfectly cooked, salad with ginger dressing was fresh and bountiful and the shumai were tasty. Then the server brought me a dessert courtesy of Lin - a piece of sweet potato roll. I never had this kind of roll in any Japanese restaurants I've been to and this sure was an experience. And to clean my palate - I got a small slice of vanilla mochi ice cream.
This small place packs a lot of punch and I'm pretty sure will be back to try the other dishes on their menu. Even tag along some friends.
New City's website
Rockland County's website
Rockland Eateries Online - Listing of restaurants in Rockland County
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Restaurant Review: Di Fara Pizza
1424 Avenue J
at E. 15th St
Brooklyn, NY 11230
(718) 258 - 1367
Pizza
Price: $2 - $35
Dine In, Take Out
So my buddy called me up yesterday afternoon and asked if I was in the mood for pizza. I was but little did I know that we would be traveling an hour and a half to Midwood, Brooklyn for the pizza. My buddy said that I won't be disappointed.
Di Fara Pizza's is located in Midwood Brooklyn. Its a little pizzeria on the corner of Avenue J and 15th Street. We got there around 6:30pm and they were just opening the door. In less than 5 minutes, the place was packed with patrons as everyone started ordering the hand-made pizzas by Domenico DeMarco who has been making pizzas for more than four decades. We were the second patrons to placed an order and luckily got a table. I went up to see Mr. DeMarco make his pizza and I would say, it was amazing to see him make his masterpiece. He was very delicate but intricate in making each pie and I could see that the patrons didn't mind the wait.
So we ordered one special pie and two slices of the square pie. We also had to wait but it sure was worth it. We first got our square slices and I was so hungry that I decided to take a first bite. Big mistake, it was fresh out of the oven and kinda burn my tongue a bit. Anyway, the slice was really good, the crust ws well cook and the cheese just melts into your mouth. The basil gave it a touch of color and fragrance. It was worth my tongue getting burned.
Then our pie came and you could just see everyone eying the pie, freshly out of the oven. The special pie ($35) is made up of fresh mozzarella cheese, onions, Italian sausage, mushrooms and grated parmesan cheese topped with fresh basil which Domenico adds after pulling the pizza out of the oven. This was even better. The crust was crisps, the tomato sauce was sweet while the rest of the ingredients just made the whole pie look tempting and tasty. I took my time in eating my slices - smelling the aroma as I took each bite and let it sit inside my mouth - tasting all the fresh ingredients in my palate. I can't believe we finished the whole pie between my and my buddy.
So was it worth it to travel all the way to Brooklyn for Di Fara Pizza... you betcha
Fact: Di Fara has been only closed once - when Domenico De Marco had to have foot surgery.
at E. 15th St
Brooklyn, NY 11230
(718) 258 - 1367
Pizza
Price: $2 - $35
Dine In, Take Out
So my buddy called me up yesterday afternoon and asked if I was in the mood for pizza. I was but little did I know that we would be traveling an hour and a half to Midwood, Brooklyn for the pizza. My buddy said that I won't be disappointed.
Di Fara Pizza's is located in Midwood Brooklyn. Its a little pizzeria on the corner of Avenue J and 15th Street. We got there around 6:30pm and they were just opening the door. In less than 5 minutes, the place was packed with patrons as everyone started ordering the hand-made pizzas by Domenico DeMarco who has been making pizzas for more than four decades. We were the second patrons to placed an order and luckily got a table. I went up to see Mr. DeMarco make his pizza and I would say, it was amazing to see him make his masterpiece. He was very delicate but intricate in making each pie and I could see that the patrons didn't mind the wait.
So was it worth it to travel all the way to Brooklyn for Di Fara Pizza... you betcha
Fact: Di Fara has been only closed once - when Domenico De Marco had to have foot surgery.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Recipe: Spicy Chicken Drumsticks
As most of you know, spicy wings have been a staple for Superbowl Sunday. But what if you are tired of eating wings all the time? So I decided to make my own Spicy Chicken Legs. More meat to the bone..
Ingredients:
10 chicken drumsticks
1 Lemon, sliced in half
3 small boiler onions, minced
2 tbsp Paprika powder
1 tbsp Garlic powder
2 tbsp pepper
2 tsp cooking oil
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tbsp Siracha hot sauce
1 cup water
1 tbsp flour
Preparation:
1. Place the drumsticks into a pot, pour water until the drumsticks are covered.
2. Add in oil, garlic powder, 1 tbsp of pepper, and juice of half a slice of lemon. Cover and boil till the chicken is cooked.
3. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, add in juice of the other half of lemon, paprika powder, minced boiler onions, jalapeno pepper, water, siracha hot sauce and flour. Mix well and set aside.
4. Heat up oven to 350F.
5. Once the chicken is done. Place the drumsticks in a foil pan. Pour in the mix sauce and baked for 30 - 40 minutes.
6. Serve while its hot.. and I mean HOT!!!
Enjoy
Ingredients:
10 chicken drumsticks
1 Lemon, sliced in half
3 small boiler onions, minced
2 tbsp Paprika powder
1 tbsp Garlic powder
2 tbsp pepper
2 tsp cooking oil
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tbsp Siracha hot sauce
1 cup water
1 tbsp flour
Preparation:
1. Place the drumsticks into a pot, pour water until the drumsticks are covered.
2. Add in oil, garlic powder, 1 tbsp of pepper, and juice of half a slice of lemon. Cover and boil till the chicken is cooked.
3. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, add in juice of the other half of lemon, paprika powder, minced boiler onions, jalapeno pepper, water, siracha hot sauce and flour. Mix well and set aside.
4. Heat up oven to 350F.
5. Once the chicken is done. Place the drumsticks in a foil pan. Pour in the mix sauce and baked for 30 - 40 minutes.
6. Serve while its hot.. and I mean HOT!!!
Enjoy
Friday, November 26, 2010
Restaurant Review: Union Restaurant and Bar Latino
24 New Main St.
Haverstraw, NY 10927
(845) 429 - 4354
South America
Price: $6 - $26
Dine In and Take Out
This was my second time to visit Union Restaurant and Bar Latino for dinner with friends. We decided to go back here since we enjoyed our dinner the last time we went to this Latin-infused restaurant.
Opened in 2007 and only 45 minutes away from the New York City, Union is located right in the heart of Haverstraw, one of the rivertowns of Rockland County.
The outside edifice is made of up high glass windows surrounded by red bricks which is almost typical of the town's other building. The interior is cozy with red tile floors, white tables, wooden padded chairs and arches that separates the dining area. There is a full bar that serves a variety of cervezas, wines and champagnes as well as various cocktails. Most of the tables can accommodate a foursome but they do cater to bigger groups.
Once you are inside, you are greeted by their friendly wait staff and servers who will answer all your questions about the menu. There wasn't much of a crowd when we went the second time and this could be attributed to the bad weather the county experience that day. Anyway, we got seated, and ordered. For our drinks, we decided to share a pitcher of Sangria ($24.00) which was just amazing. Its one of the best sangria's I have ever tasted. Our server brought out a soup in small tea cups compliments of the chef David Martinez. I forgot the name of the soup but it was creamy and delicious.
For appetizers, I had Sopa de Cebolla ($6.00), an onion soup with Madiera wine and Manchego cheese. The soup was tasty, onions were cooked well, not too soggy and the cheese was just amazing. My friends had salads and they commented that they taste fresh. For my entree, I had Salmon Teriyaki ($21.50). Its white sesame seed crusted salmon with spinach and rice. I was surprised that this was in the menu and just had to try it. It surely was a good choice. The salmon was cooked well, wasn't flaky and the teriyaki sauce didn't overpower the salmon taste. We ordered a side of tostones and it came out crisp. We were just full after our appetizers and entrees that we didn't have a chance to order desserts.
Overall, Union Restaurant has great ambience, well-mannered staff and delicious food that would make you want to visit the place again and again.
Union Restaurant and Bar Latino website
The Town of Haverstaw
Rockland County
Haverstraw, NY 10927
(845) 429 - 4354
South America
Price: $6 - $26
Dine In and Take Out
This was my second time to visit Union Restaurant and Bar Latino for dinner with friends. We decided to go back here since we enjoyed our dinner the last time we went to this Latin-infused restaurant.
Opened in 2007 and only 45 minutes away from the New York City, Union is located right in the heart of Haverstraw, one of the rivertowns of Rockland County.
The outside edifice is made of up high glass windows surrounded by red bricks which is almost typical of the town's other building. The interior is cozy with red tile floors, white tables, wooden padded chairs and arches that separates the dining area. There is a full bar that serves a variety of cervezas, wines and champagnes as well as various cocktails. Most of the tables can accommodate a foursome but they do cater to bigger groups.For appetizers, I had Sopa de Cebolla ($6.00), an onion soup with Madiera wine and Manchego cheese. The soup was tasty, onions were cooked well, not too soggy and the cheese was just amazing. My friends had salads and they commented that they taste fresh. For my entree, I had Salmon Teriyaki ($21.50). Its white sesame seed crusted salmon with spinach and rice. I was surprised that this was in the menu and just had to try it. It surely was a good choice. The salmon was cooked well, wasn't flaky and the teriyaki sauce didn't overpower the salmon taste. We ordered a side of tostones and it came out crisp. We were just full after our appetizers and entrees that we didn't have a chance to order desserts.
Overall, Union Restaurant has great ambience, well-mannered staff and delicious food that would make you want to visit the place again and again.
Union Restaurant and Bar Latino website
The Town of Haverstaw
Rockland County
Friday, November 19, 2010
WMC vs Ultra
So the dates for Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival has been announced.
AND BOY IT WAS A BIG SURPRISE!!!
A little history, Winter Music Conference, is a weeklong electronic dance music event held annually during the month of March in Florida. The event, started in 1985 has become one of the premier EDM events with DJs, artists, record label representatives, producers, promoters, media and EDM fanatics converging in Miami for a week long celebration.
In 1999, Ultra Music Festival was born and had become the festival that closes out Winter Music Conference. UMF or more known as Ultra, started at Miami Beach but had to move to Bayfront Park due to the festival growing in number of attendees. It has also been known to sold out almost every year making it one of the biggest festivals in the United States.
Then came 2011...
On November 16, 2010, Winter Music Conference issued a press release that WMC will be held on March 8 - 12. During the announcement, I decided to check the website and one of the events was still Ultra Music Festival. And a line that states "A WMC badge includes admission to Ultra Music Festival". So in my mind, ASOT 500 (Armin van Buuren's 500th show celebration in March) was going to be a stand alone event.
I was wrong..
After a few hours, organizers of UMF issued a press release stating the Ultra will be held on March 25 - 27. This resulted into a massive surprise to event goers as well as DJs. I still remember that night when twitter world was all about the breakup of WMC and UMF. Now everyone is stuck with the same question,
which one to attend, WMC or UMF?
Speculation were everywhere on why WMC and UMF broke up and what would now happen those who want to attend both festival. Last Wednesday, Club Space owner Luis Puig issued a statement defending WMC and slamming UMF accusing it of greedy practices. Here are some excerpts from his manifesto
"WMC used to be about free parties with DJs and industry folks sharing and enjoying new music. Now, it is about greed and money"
"I love Ultra and what they bring to the game... but I do not agree with their greedy strategy to manipulate and monopolize Music Conference. This is just not good for anyone"
"..without WMC, there would be no Ultra Music Festival"
Organizers of WMC has stated that they were "blindsided" by UMF's announcement and that Ultra's organizers breach a contract they signed in 2009 which stated that the "2011 UMF would be presented during the five-day period in February, March or April 2011 designated and promoted by WMC as the 'WMC week'."
UMF organizers blames WMC organizers for the scheduling conflict and it wasn't able to move the event to coincide with WMC due to another festival that is being held on March 13 at Bicentennial Park (Calle Ocho street fair). It also stated that it "was rendered impossible by the City of Miami police department as they [would] not have the resources to host Ultra Music Festival and Calle Ocho in Miami on the same weekend."
So what are the repercussion of the split?
For one, event goers will now have to decide which festival to attend, especially those who cannot afford to be at both festival. Then DJs might end up having to choose to support only WMC or UMF which means that it will be harder for attendees to decide which festival to attend to. And to complicate matters, EDM promoters must now act to see whether they want to thrown two different parties on two different festivals.
What do you think? Which side will you align yourself?
AND BOY IT WAS A BIG SURPRISE!!!
A little history, Winter Music Conference, is a weeklong electronic dance music event held annually during the month of March in Florida. The event, started in 1985 has become one of the premier EDM events with DJs, artists, record label representatives, producers, promoters, media and EDM fanatics converging in Miami for a week long celebration.
In 1999, Ultra Music Festival was born and had become the festival that closes out Winter Music Conference. UMF or more known as Ultra, started at Miami Beach but had to move to Bayfront Park due to the festival growing in number of attendees. It has also been known to sold out almost every year making it one of the biggest festivals in the United States.
Then came 2011...
On November 16, 2010, Winter Music Conference issued a press release that WMC will be held on March 8 - 12. During the announcement, I decided to check the website and one of the events was still Ultra Music Festival. And a line that states "A WMC badge includes admission to Ultra Music Festival". So in my mind, ASOT 500 (Armin van Buuren's 500th show celebration in March) was going to be a stand alone event.
I was wrong..
After a few hours, organizers of UMF issued a press release stating the Ultra will be held on March 25 - 27. This resulted into a massive surprise to event goers as well as DJs. I still remember that night when twitter world was all about the breakup of WMC and UMF. Now everyone is stuck with the same question,
which one to attend, WMC or UMF?
Speculation were everywhere on why WMC and UMF broke up and what would now happen those who want to attend both festival. Last Wednesday, Club Space owner Luis Puig issued a statement defending WMC and slamming UMF accusing it of greedy practices. Here are some excerpts from his manifesto
"WMC used to be about free parties with DJs and industry folks sharing and enjoying new music. Now, it is about greed and money"
"I love Ultra and what they bring to the game... but I do not agree with their greedy strategy to manipulate and monopolize Music Conference. This is just not good for anyone"
"..without WMC, there would be no Ultra Music Festival"
Organizers of WMC has stated that they were "blindsided" by UMF's announcement and that Ultra's organizers breach a contract they signed in 2009 which stated that the "2011 UMF would be presented during the five-day period in February, March or April 2011 designated and promoted by WMC as the 'WMC week'."
UMF organizers blames WMC organizers for the scheduling conflict and it wasn't able to move the event to coincide with WMC due to another festival that is being held on March 13 at Bicentennial Park (Calle Ocho street fair). It also stated that it "was rendered impossible by the City of Miami police department as they [would] not have the resources to host Ultra Music Festival and Calle Ocho in Miami on the same weekend."
So what are the repercussion of the split?
For one, event goers will now have to decide which festival to attend, especially those who cannot afford to be at both festival. Then DJs might end up having to choose to support only WMC or UMF which means that it will be harder for attendees to decide which festival to attend to. And to complicate matters, EDM promoters must now act to see whether they want to thrown two different parties on two different festivals.
What do you think? Which side will you align yourself?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
To live or not to live... in the city
This was posted on my other blog before I decided to make that blog only about music.. I posted this almost a year ago and I'm still contemplating whether living in the city or living in the suburbs is better...
As I signed on to Facebook last night, I saw the Tiesto was going to have a free show last night but only for 100 people. This surely got me thinking... if I live in the city, I would have surely jumped out of my apartment and headed to where the concert will be and surely be one of the hundred people trying to go in. So let's see what are the positives and negatives on living in the city...
The positives...
No more driving
I go to the city all the time - sometimes, twice in a week. And I would say it takes 60 miles round trip when driving to the city. Not to mention the hassle of finding parking especially in certain areas. If I take public transportation, it would cost roughly $20 back and forth. It's not much but the travel time is the killer - I will be sitting on the bus or the train for 45 minutes to an hour. Oh and btw, it takes the same amount of travel time if you live in Queens yet where I live is considered Upstate. So if I live in the city, I don't have to drive, no need to find parking and my travel time would greatly lessen to quarter of my current travel time. That means more time having fun.
More events
I always get notices about events in the city and mostly I would go to a couple of them but if I live in the city, then I would definitely go to more events. I could go to free movie screenings on Mondays to rooftop street fairs on Sundays, not to mention the numerous concerts and Happy Hours that I could easily get to.
The city life
I use to live in a big metropolis and really live the rough and tumble of it. Everything is so near to each other that its almost impossible to not find something you want or something to do. And with New York City, you can basically see everything from museums to parks, from concerts to comedy clubs, from sporting events to festivals. It sure feels like everything is at your grasp.
Now for the negatives...
It's expensive
Yes, there are so many things in the city to do that are for free but not everything is free. Everything in the city cost more than where I live - not to mention that higher sales tax.
Smaller living quarters
Unless you have a six figure job, then your living quarters will be smaller than what you might think. For the amount of money I'm paying, I would surely not have an apartment of the same size and quantity in the city. I would probably only get a third of the size - almost like my previous apartment when I was living with roommates which I probably wouldn't be doing anymore.
Quiet neighborhood
I do like the rough and tumble of the city but once in awhile, I would love peace and quiet and that wont be possible in the city that never sleeps. Probably the only way you can do it is to plug your ears and where eye shades.
So there are positives and negatives of living in the city. And I'm sure there are lot more reasons that most of you have (share if you are willing). I do still want to try living in the city but I guess only if there is a real reason for me to move...
As I signed on to Facebook last night, I saw the Tiesto was going to have a free show last night but only for 100 people. This surely got me thinking... if I live in the city, I would have surely jumped out of my apartment and headed to where the concert will be and surely be one of the hundred people trying to go in. So let's see what are the positives and negatives on living in the city...
The positives...
No more driving
I go to the city all the time - sometimes, twice in a week. And I would say it takes 60 miles round trip when driving to the city. Not to mention the hassle of finding parking especially in certain areas. If I take public transportation, it would cost roughly $20 back and forth. It's not much but the travel time is the killer - I will be sitting on the bus or the train for 45 minutes to an hour. Oh and btw, it takes the same amount of travel time if you live in Queens yet where I live is considered Upstate. So if I live in the city, I don't have to drive, no need to find parking and my travel time would greatly lessen to quarter of my current travel time. That means more time having fun.
More events
I always get notices about events in the city and mostly I would go to a couple of them but if I live in the city, then I would definitely go to more events. I could go to free movie screenings on Mondays to rooftop street fairs on Sundays, not to mention the numerous concerts and Happy Hours that I could easily get to.
The city life
I use to live in a big metropolis and really live the rough and tumble of it. Everything is so near to each other that its almost impossible to not find something you want or something to do. And with New York City, you can basically see everything from museums to parks, from concerts to comedy clubs, from sporting events to festivals. It sure feels like everything is at your grasp.
Now for the negatives...
It's expensive
Yes, there are so many things in the city to do that are for free but not everything is free. Everything in the city cost more than where I live - not to mention that higher sales tax.
Smaller living quarters
Unless you have a six figure job, then your living quarters will be smaller than what you might think. For the amount of money I'm paying, I would surely not have an apartment of the same size and quantity in the city. I would probably only get a third of the size - almost like my previous apartment when I was living with roommates which I probably wouldn't be doing anymore.
Quiet neighborhood
I do like the rough and tumble of the city but once in awhile, I would love peace and quiet and that wont be possible in the city that never sleeps. Probably the only way you can do it is to plug your ears and where eye shades.
So there are positives and negatives of living in the city. And I'm sure there are lot more reasons that most of you have (share if you are willing). I do still want to try living in the city but I guess only if there is a real reason for me to move...
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