NY random missive 02: Talking shows

Published on Friday, October 31, 2008 in Culture. 0 Comments

So recently I went to a couple Broadway shows and a spoken word show. Here’s the skinny:

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Great show! It’s about this hip New York teenager who moves to Appleton, Indiana due to his parents’ divorce and the interactions he has with his peers in high school. Nothing deep in terms of plot, but flawless performance by an all-teen cast. Go see it.

A Tale of Two Cities


Knew the story from the torn, dog-eared Charles Dickens classic I had to endure in middle school. Hence the reason I was unmoved by Sydney Carton’s (James Barbour)  heart-wrenching act of ultimate sacrifice (wanna know more? download the (e)book at Project Gutenberg) when everyone around me were sobbing like a 5-year old lost in the city.

The show was an  effervescent, skeletal adaptation of Dickens’ epic novel of unrequited love, bloody revolution and sacrifice. Oh, and there is at least three movie adaptations, so plenty of choices there for you. I’d read the book, though, at least before going to see the show.

Recountdown Tour: Celebrating the End of the Bush Era (Henry Rollins spoken word)


Went to see the Rollins himself at The Town Hall. After 2 hours and 45 minutes of non-stop spoken word combat with Hank hopping from one topic to the next like a kangaroo on speed, you mentally reaffirm the fact that Rollins is the man. The intensity with which he delivers his shows is amazing.
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Overheard at Times Square: Comedy show tickets! It makes you laugh and stuff.

Ok, I give up!

Published on Monday, October 20, 2008 in Humor and journal. 0 Comments

 This time (as opposed to last time) I actually spelled it out, letter by letter…

H…A…N…I

She decided to add an extra N and inflect an E to my name.  Whom am I to object?

Hellsih flight log: Oct 10 2008, NW 357, LGA-SFO

Published on Sunday, October 19, 2008 in Travel and journal. 0 Comments

The flight from Minneapolis (where I had a one hour layover) to San Fransisco was full to the brim. I took my seat in 22E and watched in awe as the coach class inmate in the seat in front of me tried in vain to wedge a full-sized chello between the seat next to his and the back of the one  in front of it (he actually bought a seat for his chello, now that’s love), repeatedly banging the head of the woman in said seat with the neck of the chello case in the process. My eyes were diverted from this thoroughly amusing spectacle to the seat row to my left, where a long line of passengers waited on a short, bald man in a really bad mood as he battled against futility trying to stash a duffel the size of a ballistic missile in the overhead luggage compartment, muttering various expletives under is breath.

Who the hell said onboard entertainment in coach class was bad?!

Post-con report: Free Culture conference 2008

Published on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 in Events. 0 Comments

Last weekend I flew across the country from NYC to Berkeley, CA to participate in the Free Culture 2008 conference. Students for Free Culture was founded in 2004 by students at Swarthmore College, with its mission being to promote a bottom-up, more participatory culture by focusing on activism and advocacy in the realms of balanced intellectual property rights, communication and free expression, creativity and innovation, and public access to knowledge. I founded the SFC chapter at my university about a year ago.

The conference was full of as much free culture goodness as you can possibly cram in 48 hours. Following is a an uber-ultra-condensed account of the happenings at FC2008:

Day 1, Sat Oct 11:

Lots of great panels, talks and keynotes by people like Lawrence Lessig (Stanford law professor and founder of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, author of Free Culture and Remix), UC Berkeley iSchool’s Pam Samuelson and Mozilla Foundation’s John Lilly. See the full schedule  (PDF)

Day 2, Sunday Oct 12:

Unconference day: At UC Berkeley’s Wheeler Hall. Student-focused sessions hashing out a multitude of issues. Some excellent discussions took place, and I highly encourage you check out the notes for the sessions on the UC Berkeley chapter’s wiki. What was incredible is that the day remained unprogrammed until the end of the first day! The energy and enthusiasm of everyone was simply amazing. A strong emphasis was put intochanelling this energy into tangible action (what Lessig called for and termed “picking fights”), in addition to globally expand the shpere of advocacy and activism through localizing causes and contextualizing relavant issues.

Thanks to the organizing team for putting together such an awesome conference. I am sure that the momentum for action formed at FC2008 will be carried forward and further built upon to solidify the focus and objectives of the free culture movement.

Desultory harangues: Episode 0

Published on Wednesday, October 8, 2008 in Random, Rants and journal. 0 Comments

Ever feel like your brain is going on overload?

By that I do not mean your garden-variety, generic onslaught of information we are mercilessly assaulted with from every direction on a daily basis. Your brain instinctively prioritizes and sorts through the random distractions as you go about your usual business, without any real “conscious” effort from you. Not the pop culture slag deposited in your mind as you watch most TV shows and the drone-like mentality you experience as you receive the daily dose of news from the usual sources. No, I am not talking about the rotten shoal that has become what we call “entertainment” today (yes, I do realize this is a blatant generalization), which infuses a constant stream of serious idiocy into culture- any culture, that is.

What I am talking about is the unrelenting excess of your own thoughts. The mental supermassive black hole into which a convoluted jumble of randomness writhes wildly in the grip of reason. The more you try to extricate an ore of logic from the mess, the more it becomes intractably entangled and further coils onto itself, smothering any sliver of sanity.

So, does that ever happen to you?
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P.S. No, I am not going crazy, if that’s what you’re wondering right now. Well, maybe a few screws have come a little loose lately, but nothing a shot of espresso can’t fix.

Hi, my name is Hani (or Mannie, or Annie, or Andy, or…)

Published on Saturday, October 4, 2008 in Rants and journal. 1 Comment

Seriously folks, how difficult can getting my name right be?

During the three weeks I’ve been here, my name has been repeatedly modified, mispronounced, and played with at will. Its mention triggered random interesting but unsolicited inquisitiveness (which, to be fair, is merely well-intentioned small talk), such as (and this is a non-comprehensive list):

  • “Isn’t that a girl’s name?

  • “Is it Japanese?”

  • “Did you say Mannie or Annie?”

  • “Can I call you Honey?”

Recently at a local gym, and despite futile attempts at polite correction, someone decided my name didn’t really fit me and kept calling me Mannie. This morning the Starbucks employee taking orders from a long line of caffeine addicts asked what my name was (to mark my order). In what sounded to me as clear, phonetically correct speech, I answered her question. She then barked my order into her walkie talkie:

“One grande Americano for Andy (looking back at me)...It’s Andy, right?”

“Right.”

Duuude, I just met the the SG!

Published on Thursday, October 2, 2008 in journal. 0 Comments

The SG stands for Secretary General (of the UN, that is). And yes, I have to use acronyms because I’ve been ODing on a gazillion of them over the past three weeks, half of which I either forgot or don’t even know what they stand for yet, but nod enthusiatically at their mention in any conversation at UNHQ.  Speaking of conversations at the UN: I noticed they’re mostly pol sci textbook, manual-dictated vocabulary, peppered generously with said nebulous acronyms. Not that there is anything bad with that, but rather just an observation. But I digress.

Back to my new buddy, the SG. For the uninitiated (or people from other planets), the SG is the Big Kahuna at the UN, and I met him becuase he came down to our department to congratualate everyone on a job well done during the GA (that’s another acronym for you. Go look it up. Hint: see earlier posts on this awesome blog). I would’ve liked to tell you we conversed heartily, exchanged jokes and high-fived. But none of that happened. Still, I shook hands with the Secretary general of the United Nations and you didn’t. So there you go. (I know you probably expected something a bit more profound, maybe like a brief psychoanalysis of the guy as garnered from the vibes he induced in the room as he walked in, but I am not into that right now. Sorry)

One a side note, almost everyone here just seems so stiff. Not stiff as in unfriendly – I’ve actually me some really cool people here. Rather,  things are in an uber-formal sort of way that makes you think something is about to snap if these people do so much as lean back in their cubicle chairs. Maybe it is something about the work environment in a place like the UN (and understandably so). This morning on the subway I entertained thoughts of how cool would it be to chill things out – just a tad – at the UN. Maybe have the high level delegates discuss world affairs over ramen noodles and coke in a camp somewhere in Africa in the spirit of “keeping it real. The General Debate would be renamed the Big Awesome Jam Session, and the delegates would be required to attend in their pajamas and flip flops. Maybe then things start clearing up – if just a little bit- inside the minds of the powers that be, and world leaders become more flinty-eyed and focus on what really needs to be done. Maybe then change would start happening. No tectonic ideological shifts necessary or expected. Just a different outlook on things can sometimes make things happen.

Then a big dude with what seemed to be massive subwoofers attached to his ears tapped on my shoulder; I was blocking the subway door. I was back to the real world.

What do I know anyway? I am just an intern.

NY random missive 01

Published on Tuesday, September 30, 2008 in journal. 0 Comments

Miguel d’Escoto’s Inclusionasry Logic of Love:
As world leaders continue to dish it out on hot global affairs during the 63rd session of the General Assembly, I found myself re-reading Miguel d’Escoto’s statement upon assuming the Presidency of said session on September 16th. Strong words. The world would be a much cooler place if just 10% of what he’s calling for ever materializes anytime soon. Not that I am cynical or anything, but…heck, I am cynical.

Excerpts:

This is the suicidal madness in which we find ourselves. Wake-up calls, whatever their form and no matter how brotherly their spirit, always make some people uncomfortable. However, in view of the dangerous excesses of human behaviour, these wake-up calls are imperative. Our basic problem is an ethical problem. Simply stated, we are not treating each other or the natural world as we should.

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In addition to the capacity to forgive, we must all rediscover our role as stewards of planet Earth. Little by little, we humans, especially those of us in the West, have rebelled against our vocation of stewardship, our reason for being. We have increasingly turned into arrogant landlords, believing that we have absolute rights over what has been entrusted to our care and management for the good of all

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At the United Nations, the word “democracy” is becoming increasingly empty, with no real meaning or substance. Take for instance, the 45-year-old United States embargo against Cuba. Even with a majority as overwhelming as 184 votes to 4, this patently unjust and universally repudiated embargo remains firmly in place. If the opinion of more than 95 per cent of the membership of the United Nations can be so casually ignored, of what use is this General Assembly? This is a question that deserves some thought. How can we be content to say that we have democracy simply because we have the “one nation, one vote” rule? What good are votes if they can be ignored or have no real consequence?

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It is all well and good to preach democracy, but it would be better still for us to put it into practice, right here, at the United Nations. It makes no sense to wage wars of aggression that kill hundreds of thousands of people with the purported aim of supporting democracy, while at the same time using every imaginable means and pretext to prevent a process to democratize the United Nations itself.

.....

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Weird subway story:

A couple days go on my 80-minute commute back home, the train was somewhat crowded (not rush hour crowded). I was seated (unusually), had the headphones on and was consumed in reading something. You know how narrow subway seats are, and there is barely any space between your seat and the next, so you’re basically squeezed shoulder-to-shoulder with whoever is seated on either side? It was like that with a guy who was really into his music to my left, closed eyes lip-syncing and all, and a girl in gym cloths to my right. But then half the number of people on the train disembarked at some station, including Mr. Music Fan, and I moved to the now empty seat to my left in order to, you know, make some space. That’s when the girl to my right turned to me and said:

Subway gym girl: Are you mad at me?

Me (looking at her, then behind me, than back at her): Excuse me?

Subway gym girl: Are you mad at me or something?

Me: Ahh..umm. No. Why would I be?

Subway Gym girl: You moved away.

Me: Umm, just making space, you know.

Subway gym girl: Okay.

Me (stupidly grinning now): Okay.


I love NYC subway.
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Am I that generic?

So three people who do not know each other told me that I look “exactly” like one of their friends (in one week). Two showed me pictures of my look-alikes. Scary thing is: these guys did look like me (well, the two I saw pictures of at least). Hmm. Bummer. So I am not a unique snow flake. And neither are you.
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You shower using a sponge? That’s weak. Real men use Axe’s “shower tool!

So I was buying toothpaste or something at some supermarket, when something on the shelf caught my eye. Something dark and ominous in a sea of pastel-colored, perfumed liquid soap containers. Upon closer inspection, the object in question was identified to be Axe’s Detailer Shower Tool. It’s black and red, with what appears to resemble propeller blades on the edges. Because real men use nothing less than a tool to clean up. Not a sponge, not a loofah, but a friggin’ tool.
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P.S. Fellow UN intern Rebeccah has a blog which you should check out.

A haiku tribute to NYC subway

Published on Friday, September 26, 2008 in Random and journal. 0 Comments

Picture source: http://flickr.com/­photos/inflite/­2419329769

A river of faces flows


A swarm of hands hold on to a bar


Headphones are your best freind

New York, New York

Published on Thursday, September 25, 2008 in journal. 0 Comments

 

From Blog stuff


Day three of my second week in New York city where I am interning at the United Nations headquarters. I arrived here on September 12th (direct business class flight..those frequent flier miles are actually useful!) to a rainy, windy NY, which is a good break from the stifling heat of the Cairene September.


I applied to this internship last July. I figured it would cool to intern at the UN and see New York again, this time for a little longer. Initially, I thought that even if I get an acceptance I would have had to do some intense expense management since the internship is unpaid and I have to take an unpaid leave from work, in addition to a leave of absence from school, which means one more semester plus a summer session of juggling a full credit load and frequent work-related travel to finish my MA. I got the offer letter in early August and thought “screw all that, I am going to New York!”. At least it looks good on a resume, and I did need the “break”.


So, internship schmenternship. I didn’t really know what to expect and honestly,  didn’t want to expect anything. I share the “interns office” in a quiet, windowless room (see above picture) on the 37th floor of the Secretariat building with two other interns, both Rebbechas (what are the chances, huh?) from Sweden and the U.S. This fall, there is 200+ interns assigned to various UN departments and offices, an during the orientation session, we were told that we are very lucky because this is going to be the last significantly large class of interns to be taken for a long time, the reason being  that the Secretariat building will be torn down from the inside and completely renovated; a plan that is going to take about 7 years.


Things started a little slow (maybe too slow) but are starting to gradually pick up in a very unexciting way. Although just familiarizing oneself with the one billion and one acronyms people here use took up most of the first week. My computer induces bouts of “tech rage” that I try to keep under control for the sake of sparing my fellow interns a slew of expletives that I would otherwise direct at the stupid heap of scrap; it crashes if I do as much as type too fast. You’d think the U.N. would have decent machines! Ahh, amid all the excitement I must remember that this is the interns office. No expectations, only experiences. Besides, I signed a confidentiality statement or something like that and I don’t think Ban Ki Moon would be happy if he read my blog and found me badmouthing UN computers. That would be bad.


I am staying in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Manhattan is right across the George Washington bridge. The morning commute is about 75 minutes: two subway trains, a short bus ride and a 15 minute walk. Don’t mind it as long as the iPod is juiced up and piping the tunes and I’ve got something to read. I did some unintentional sightseeing though getting off at the wrong stops then wandering about thinking “this does look familiar”on the first few days. Loving New York in all its crowded, dynamic, refreshingly cosmopolitan and overcaffeinated glory.


Highlights of the week:


The General Assembly: It just started this week. Security is  as tight as an iron vise ( and that’s probably an understatement) in and around all streets leading to the UN headquarters building. There are multiple I.D. inspections starting 3 blocks away from the entrance to the Secretariat building, metal detectors, dogs, cordons, road blocks, route detours, intense-looking secret service agents and cops…the whole nine.


A morning with Mahmoud Ahmedinejad: Today I attended a “briefing session” with none other but President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad of The Islamic Republic of Iran at the Grand Hyatt New York. The ballroom was packed with at least 500 interns and students.


From Blog stuff


The Iranian ambassador to the U.S. gave a short speech, and so did a couple university professors, then the man himself spoke. This was followed by a Q&A session in which he skillfully demonstrated the fine art of “political answers”, with a few gems of wisdom here and there. The session concluded with a photo op frenzy and Ahmedinejad inviting all attendees to go out and have lunch in any NY restaurant of their choice, and the Iranian Embassy is treatin’ (at which the ambassador joked “..but nothing too expensive!”).


The guy blogs too. He seems to suck almost as much as I do when it comes to updating his blog though; his last post is dated December 2007. C’mon, dude.


Celebrity spotting: Who needs to go to Hollywood? The U.N. headquartes is apparently celebrity-infested these days. Saw Micheal Douglas and a couple others during a cermemony on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, and today a fellow intern saw Jude Law walking around the Secretariat building.


From Blog stuff


That’s about it for now. Over n’out.