Desperate SeaHorsewives

A brief article in todays' New York Post confirmed my suspicions about cheating Seahorses (Blog Entry: http://steytsaydilongga.blogspot.com/2006/06/alien-stingers.html. )(photo credit: FUNNY POSTCARD)
Nah, not this kind of "Sea Horse".
(photo credit: ZECA HAUER)
This one...

Under a heading worthy of a Star magazine's cover, someone wrote: REVEALED! SEAHORSE SLUTS - "Visitors to a British aquarium have been given a bizarre assignment: spy on the seahorses to see if they're cheating. It's part of an experiment to test the theory that the tiny creatures mate for life, the BBC reported yesterday."

"Scientists at the Great Yarmouth Sea-Life Center have put tiny colored necklaces on the seahorses, and visitors have been asked to report on who's pairing up. Early results are showing us that males stay faithful to one female, said researcher Terri Harris. However, the females may have more than one male partner, so they are the ones who are more likely to stray.
"It is the male seahorses who get pregnant and give birth to live babies!"

With the last info, I imagine quite a few women wouldn't mind being reincarnated as female seahorses in the next life.

Read more about this topic at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2006/08/25/nature_seahorses_feature.shtml

Steppin' Out: ABSINTHE at the SPIEGELTENT

A few days ago, we dropped S off for a late night playdate with her favorite "tita" while we watched ABSINTHE - a 2-hour raunchy, "for-adults-only" cabaret/circus/comedy show at Spiegeltent. (Thanks to Theatre Mania for the discounted tickets) . Well surprise. Surprise. When I opened the first page of Daily News' NOW Section this morning, guessed what stared back at me? Two pages of ABSINTHE!

Here's an excerpt from Michelle Icahn's article entitled - ABSINTHE makes the Heart Grow Fonder:
"The house lights dim and the audience members without seats lean against mirrored columns, or stand in the back near a vintage bar. Chairs form a circle around an intimate center stage (we were seated on the front row). A round outer wall is lined with booths, and colorful stained-glass windows glisten. A beautiful brunette (Irish bombshell Camille O' Sullivan) in a formfitting dress steps onto the stage, and glows in the spotlight - "Absinthe" is about to begin. As one of the main attractions at Spiegeltent, a months-long event at South Street Seaport's Pier 17, "Absinthe" is a circus-meets-burlesque show consisting of several sexy, eye-popping acts..." (Photo: Prudence Upton)This is Miss Behave, who's scarlet rubber dress matched the lopsided expressions on her rubber-like face. She drank wine and beer throughout the show, then amused everyone with her insane antics. The audience watched in awe as she placed (and swallowed) a variety of objects in her mouth.
The shock value was nothing though compared to the tricks of a sexy Spanish magician. She kept the audience guessing where she hid a tiny red hanky. (Hint: ...where the sun don't shine!)
(Photo: Prudence Upton)Acrobat David O' Mer was the show's last act, to the delight of all the ladies in the crowd. Almost everyone on the first 2 rows got doused (deliberately, I suspect) by cold water from his tub - but heck, who cares? After the show, most of the audience chilled out at the Beer Garden (Heartland Brewery), with its fantastic Brooklyn Bridge view. The show's cast members/performers even came out to mingle with the crowd.
Music was provided by Vintage DJ until the wee hours of the morning.

ABSINTHE

Camille O' Sullivan (far left) standing outside the 1920's inspired Spiegeltent structure.

For more on ABSINTHE, visit http://www.spiegelworld.com/

Family Event: German-American Volksfest

The Plattduetsche Volksfest Vereen of New York and New Jersey presented the 132nd Annual Volksfest in North Bergen, NJ last weekend.

Authentic German food was available along with traditional American fare (hot dogs and burgers). We sampled wursts, apple struedel, potato pancakes (shown)...

...roast beef & pork sandwiches, and fleischkaese (shown) - also known as leberkaese. In Bavaria, this beef and pork loaf is typically pan fried and then served with a fried egg on top. It is usually accompanied by potato salad on the side. Kids love it (tastes like bologna!) and most of them prefer to eat it cold. The festivals' big draw for the men was the seemingly endless supply of German beer. While the adults were busy drinking, the kids were having a jolly good time with the huge Castle Bounce, clowns and games.

Lively musical entertainment was provided by German Quartet, Q-Stall. Everyone was encouraged to sing and dance with the band. After a couple of rounds of beer, no one really cared if you were skipping around with two left feet!
BTW, the German-American Steuben Parade will be held in NYC on Sept. 16, 2006.

LINKS:
http://www.volksfest.org/
http://www.germanparadenyc.org/html/queen_2006.html

Good Eats: ITALIAN FOOD!!

Located a couple of blocks away from the Loews Orpheum 7 theatre, this restaurant is a great place to stop by for a leisurely dinner after the movies. Prices are reasonable, the waiters (why all-male?) are attentive, and the food - savory. Pesce Pasta's at 1562 Third Avenue, between 87-88th Street.
They have different kinds of antipasti but whenever we drop by, we prefer to share a large order of fleshy mussels in a broth of garlic, chopped tomatoes and onions for starters.

The last time we went in for dinner, S thought the Cheese Ravioli was simply fab. The Mixed Grilled Seafood was also fresh. P had the rich and flavorful Seafood Lasagna in pink cream sauce. All main courses were served with a choice of steamed vegetables or pasta with marinara sauce.

S didn't want to forgo the obvious Tiramisu for another dessert. It was apparent that she (and her pert nose) enjoyed every creamy bit of it.

Banana-Jackfruit Turon

What could I make with left-over Spring Roll pastry/shell?
Here's a simple, easy-to-make, delicious dessert:

Get a few plantains (the more "rotten" it looks, the sweeter it'll be),

Peel and slice them into 4 lengthwise strips, then cut into three.

Wrap plantains and a few jackfruit (langka) strips in pastry shell (2 plantains & 1 jackfruit strip per pastry) then fry them until golden brown.

Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top and serve as is, or drizzled with caramel sauce.

Photo of the Day: Airborne Boats

"Big Pleasure Point"

More than 40 used boats were utilized to make this 40-ft. tall, 55-ft. wide sculpture. It was created by LA-based artist Nancy Rubins and is currently on exhibit at Josie Robertson Plaza, Lincoln Center until Sept. 4, 2006.

For more on the artist and the exhibit: http://www.playbillarts.com/features/article/4652.html

NYC Event: Lincoln Center Carnival!

Last Thursday, Lincoln Center hosted an Out-of-Doors Event dedicated to "Caribbean Cultural Center: 30 Years of Carnival".
It started at 3 PM and featured performances and workshops for young children and families. Kids were able to fashion different houses from assorted, sparkly sequins...

and create colorful noisemakers using plastic cups and lentil beans.

S with gorgeous "Miss Trinidad & Tobago".
Musical entertainment was provided by an Afro-Caribbean Punta Ensemble and Haitian Rara Music, to name a few. The highlight of the event was a huge evening concert featuring Mighty Sparrow, otherwise known as the "Calypso King of the World" and "Soca Sensation" - Rupee.

Ending the afternoon music session was Ologunde, playing fast and energetic Samba Music. If you think this Brazilian dancer looks hot facing front...

...wait until she turns around!!

Summer Day-Camp Ends

During our initial inquiry, P and I were told that this particular Day Camp was accepting enrollment for all kids ages 6 years and above. Since S was almost 6 (she's a few months shy of her 6th b-day), they eventually considered her. Initially, we had a few concerns about how she would handle being the youngest kid in camp. This feeling soon dissipated when we saw her thrive in the company of her peers and caring Counselors.

Well what do you know - in what seemed like a blink of an eye, four weeks is over!

For their last day in Camp, the kids had prepared an hour-long Talent Night Show entitled "A Walk In Time" for their parents and loved ones. The boys stood out in their bright red shirts while the girls wore white, their hair tied back in neat buns.
There was singing, dancing, gymnastics, step performances, guitar playing, and hilarious skits.

One of the evening's crowd pleaser was a lively dance number to the beat of Chris Brown's "Gimme That".

After the program, S requested to pose with two of her favorite Counselors.
Then the Program Director made a surprise announcement that they were presenting 2 Awards (Best Athlete and Best in Arts & Crafts) for each age group.

P and I were both speechless when they called S' name as the recipient of BOTH awards for the 6-7 year-old group!

A few days into camp, she had told us that she was enjoying herself - we simply had no idea it was this much.
(This may seem mundane to some, but do indulge me a bit while I gush. I haven't received any Sports awards/certificates when I was in grade school. Nope - not even for "Perfect Attendance" *sigh*).

Of course, P took the gene credit for the "Creative Jeweler" one. Here's S posing with her proud Dad.

"Gimme That" Video: http://mp.aol.com/video.index.adp?pmmsid=1483983&referer=http%3A//music.aol.com/artist/chris-brown/724933/main&mode=1

Good Eats: THAI FOOD!! (Queens)

" You might not eat Thai food anywhere else in New York City again..."
- Time Out, New York

Don't let the storefronts' austere "bank-office look" fool you. Zagat had included SriPraPhai on its list of the Top 50 Best Restaurants in the city. NY Citysearch had given it a whopping 9.4 Overall Rating, and NY Magazine's recent survey of "101 Best Cheap Eats in NYC" lists it at #5.

The restaurant is located at 64-13 39th Avenue (between 64th and 65th Street) in Woodside, Queens. Take the #7 Train to 61st St. - Woodside Station and walk up along Roosevelt Avenue. At the corner of 65th Street, make a left turn to 39th Avenue - it's right across the street.

For appetizers, we tried the Fried Calamari with Chili Sauce

and the Steamed (super-plump) Mussels with Lemon Grass, Chili and Basil.

The Fried Fish (Red Snapper) with Green Mango Sauce was a spicy/tangy/sweet/salty/minty/crunchy gastronomical deeelight!

We also had the very tasty Pad Thai (Saute rice noodles with bean sprouts and shrimps). We were unable to try the popular Catfish Salad.   We simply had no more room for it. That certainly was a good excuse to come back...

LINKS:
http://www.zagat.com/verticals/Menu.aspx?VID=8&R=51870&HID=500002351
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/restaurants/cheapeats/2006/18479/index1.html