An Ontarian intern in NYC

Laughter, the best medicine!

2007-01-15T20:22:00.000-08:00

Just a few clips from "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" that crack me up ...

"A Natasha-rific Gill Deacon Show" (November 28, 2006)
--> "It's pronounced /djil/." "Not according to the alphabet, /gil/."

"I Support Our Troops" (November 21, 2006)
--> "Canada's role in Afghanistan is to support our troops."

"Harper's Media Strategy Explained, Badly" (April 15, 2006)
--> "Stephen Harper is the sun ..."
--> "Stephen is like the glue in a chair ..."

Enjoy!

One day ...

2007-01-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

One day, at some distant point in the future, I'm going to stand in the House of Commons as MP for an Ontario (or Quebec) riding, and read this quote:

"It is ridiculous to get hung up on the word 'nation,' as the word does not change the facts. Quebec is a unique culture within Canada. We can embrace these facts that make us Canadian and try to move past our ugly past, or we (can) live in denial and allow our country to become split."

- Craig Rennie (from cbc.ca)

Aa Ab Laut Chalen (Title Song)

2007-01-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

Dulhan si saji dharti khula yeh aasma Earth that is decorated like the bride and the open sky
Bulata hai humein phir woh chaahat ka jahaa Calls for us again that lovely moments
Aa ab laut chalen ... Come, let us return

Anjaan tha maein naadan tha maein Unknown I was, innocent I was
Tere pyar ko jo na samajh paaya That I didn’t understand your love
Tune itna bechain kiya You made me so anxious
Maein tere paas chala aaya I came near you
Teri saansein mera jeevan Your breath is my life
Mere dil mein tera ghar hai In my heart is your home
Zara dekhe koi isko If anybody could just see this
Yeh jannat se bhi sundar hai It is even beautiful compared to paradise
Bina tere nahin chaina Without you there's no comfort
Nahin chaina yahaan No comfort here
Aa ab laut chalen ... Come, let us return

Ek pal ke liye ek din ke liye For a minute, for a day
Na door maein tujhse jaungi I shall not stay away from you
Teri palkon ki in galiyon mein The roads of your eyelids
Sapno ki sej sajaungi I shall sow the seeds of dreams
Tujhe dekhun tujhe chaahun I shall see you, and love you
Teri khushboo mein kho jaun I shall get lost in your aroma
Yahi meri tamanna hai teri baahon mein so jaun This Is my wish that I fall asleep in your arms
Dard-e-dil nahin sehna Pain I don’t want to tolerate
Nahin sehna yahaan Don’t want to tolerate here
Aa ab laut chalen ... Come, let us return

Dulhan si saji dharti khula yeh aasman Earth that is decorated like the bride and the open sky
Bulata hai humein phir woh chaahat ka jahaa Calls for us again that lovely moments
Aa ab laut chalen ... Come, let us return

Random Quotes for Your Consideration

2007-01-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

Memoirs of a Geisha

Chairman: "We must not expect happiness, Sayuri. It is not something we deserve. When life goes well, it is a sudden gift; it cannot last forever..."

"She paints her face to hide her face. Her eyes are deep water. It is not for Geisha to want. It is not for geisha to feel. Geisha is an artist of the floating world. She dances, she sings. She entertains you, whatever you want. The rest is shadows, the rest is secret."

"You cannot say to the sun, "More sun." Or to the rain, "Less rain." To a man, geisha can only be half a wife. We are the wives of nightfall. And yet, to learn kindness after so much unkindness, to understand that a little girl with more courage than she knew, would find her prayers were answered, can that not be called happiness? After all these are not the memoirs of an empress, nor of a queen. These are memoirs of another kind."

"The heart dies a slow death, shedding each hope like leaves. Until one day there are none."

The Interpreter

Silvia Broome: "Vengeance is a lazy form of grief. "

Tobin Keller: How do you feel about him? Silvia Broome: I don't care for him. Tobin Keller: Wouldn't mind if he were dead? Silvia Broome: I wouldn't mind if he were gone. Tobin Keller: Same thing. Silvia Broome: No it isn't. If I interpreted gone as dead, I'd be out of a job. If dead and gone were the same thing, there'd be no UN. Tobin Keller: Your profession is playing with words Ms. Broome. Silvia Broome: I don't play with words. Tobin Keller: You're doing it right now. Silvia Broome: No, you are. If I wanted him dead, I wouldn't have reported it. I would sat back and let it happen. That's not what I want, that's not why I'm here.

Tobin Keller: "You think that not getting caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth."

Zuwanie: [Reading from the dedication of a book he wrote decades earlier]
"The gunfire around us makes it hard to hear, but the human voice is different from other sounds. It can be heard over noises that bury everything else. Even when it's not shouting. Even when it's just a whisper. Even the lowest whisper can be heard over armies when it's telling the truth."

Nirgendwo in Afrika

Jettel Redlich: "Tolerance doesn't mean that everyone is the same. That'd be stupid. What I've learned here is how valuable differences are. Differences are good. And intelligent people will never hold it against you."

Stupeur et Tremblements

"Moi, quand j'étais petite, je voulais devenir Dieu. Le Dieu des chrétiens avec un grand D. Vers l'âge de 5 ans, j'ai compris que mon ambition était irréalisable. Alors, j'ai mis un peu d'eau dans mon vin et j'ai décidé de devenir le Christ. J'imaginais ma mort sur la croix devant l'humanité entière. A l'âge de 7 ans, j'ai pris conscience que cela ne m'arriverait pas. J'ai résolu, plus modestement, de devenir martyre."

"Il fallait que je lui donne accès au paroxysme de l'extase. Dans l'ancien protocole impérial nippon, il est stipulé que l'on s'adressera à l'Empereur avec " stupeur et tremblements ". J'ai toujours adoré cette formule qui correspond si bien au jeu des acteurs dans les films de samouraïs quand ils s'adressent à leur chef, la voix traumatisée par un respect surhumain. Je pris donc le masque de la stupeur et je commençai à trembler. Je plongeai un regard plein d'effroi dans celui de la jeune femme et je bégayai :
- Croyez-vous que l'on voudra de moi au ramassage des ordures ?
- Oui ! dit-elle avec un peu trop d'enthousiasme. "

-----

Verlaine: "Et je m'en vais au vent mauvais qui m'emporte deçà, delà, pareil à la feuille morte." (Chanson d'automne)

... more to come!

CWB and West-Canada Alienation

2006-12-19T13:01:00.000-08:00

(I apologize in advance to those that have no idea or interest in Canadian politics for the rant that I am about to unleash. These comments have no relation to my intership or "inter"national relations, but rather the ongoing stupidity occuring in my own country ...)

First things first ... the CWB (Canadian Wheat Board.)

I was reading some comments on www.theglobeandmail.com and other websites, and I really must say how shocked and disgusted I am. The general attitude seemed to be that SOMEHOW "Eastern Canada" is uniting together to impose some hereto undefined collective will against "the West." Furthermore, the "argument" (much too generous a word) was made that "Albertans just want to reap the benefits of their sacrifices and hard work" ... without "Eastern" interference.

Ok, ladies and gentlemen ... here goes ...

1. LEARN YOUR CANADIAN GEOGRAPHY!!!
You have to do better than terms like "East", "West" and "ROC". One guy used the terms "Western Canada and ROC" ... which struck me as odd since that's the same thing I was told by just about everyone I met in Quebec, except it went "Quebec and ROC." Where is "ROC"? And yes, I know it means "Rest of Canada" ... but come on ... there is always this implied meaning just lurking under the surface that it's "everyone who's not us, plus Ontario" ... as if somehow we're responsible for everything bad that happens in the country! It's rare to hear this term in Ontario because to us, Canada is Canada, whether you're from Lethbridge, Alberta, or Mont Joli, Quebec. Trying to build regional walls to isolate oneself is childish and counter-productive to national unity. Get over it!

2. Don't talk to me about what's "fair"
How many Albertans who hate the federal Liberals and the province of Ontario are aware that Ontario is the ONLY province to never have received money from the equalization program? If you don't believe me, go read about it on www.cbc.ca, or in the report that the provinces jointly commissioned. Yet we don't continually cry and complain about how unfair it is that all the other provinces benefit from it ... even provinces like Alberta that have no provincial sales tax (ours is 7%, by the way) and no provincial debt (Ontario and PEI are the only two provinces with a debt), we still pay more than our fair share. Yet somehow, every time there's an oil boom in Alberta, everyone gets up in arms and starts talking about "rights" and "what's mine" as if we're going to swoop in and start sucking the oil out of the ground! Well, don't worry ... we're not interested! It WOULD be nice if you accepted your prosperity a little more modestly by perhaps helping out Atlantic provinces that are having to close down coastal communities because of lack of job opportunities, or the territories where they can't hope for the same standard of services as you enjoy in Calgary or Edmonton.

3. Bathe in your oil if that makes you happy, just don't kill us, please
There seems to be this "get your hands off our oil" attitude pervasive in much of the provincial/federal discussions. Don't worry, as I mentioned in point 2, we're not interested in your oil. In fact, we don't get our oil from you anyway because it's too expensive to ship all the way across the country. So really, sell it to whomever you'd like, it makes zero difference to us. However, in extracting that oil, please try and be considerate in what it's doing to the environment. Ontario has regulations governing its auto manufacturers, and Alberta and any other oil-producing or extracting province should have regulations governing the quantity of toxins it pumps into the atmosphere in the refining process. "Fair is fair" to coin a phrase I seem to recall recently hearing ...

That's all for now ... but there will be more ...

Bollywood, and why I love Aishwarya Rai

2006-12-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

So recently I've "rediscovered" my love for Bollywood. "Rediscovered" because I used to be a big fan from back in the day when my primary association with Bollywood films was pretty girls with high-pitched voiced in colourful robes running in front of handsome men, shaking their fingers, giggling, and running off. Well, I've recently come to the realization that Bollywood is ... well, that as well ... but so much more! My revelation came about thanks to the very beautiful and talented actress from India, Aishwarya Rai. If you've never heard of Ms. Rai before, do yourself a favour and go to YouTube and watch her interview with 60 Minutes or ABC Good Morning America. Here are just some of the reasons I love this woman:

- She's beautiful ... I mean, really ... on a side note, she won "Ms. World" a few years back
- She's intelligent (she calls people out on stuff, like in this one interview where the guy asks her if she thinks that she's beautiful, and she says "There's no good answer to that question, because if I say yes, then I'm made out to be conceited, and I'm not ...")
- She's humble (see previous)
- She's spiritual (religion is an important part of her life, but she's not an extremist)
- She is traditional yet progressive (she wants to bring India and Indian culture to a wider audience, and to break down some of the intrenched stereotypes so many people have about it)

On another side note, Bollywood apparently produced more movies per year than Hollywood (almost 3 new films are released each DAY) and it makes more money than Hollywood, reaching some 5 billion people worldwide!

As I mentioned, I've just started to skim of surface of this vast empire. To whet my appetite, I ordered a movie called "Ab Ab Laut Chalen" (Let's Go Back) in which Aishwarya Rai plays a lovestruck woman who's romantic interest is pursuing a richer, more well-connected woman. (No comment ... ) Anyway, there's this one song that I love ... "Yehi Hai Pyar" (This Is Love) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqpMv84fId0 ... but ... I can't find the lyrics translated in English! Anyone who speaks Hindi would be greatly appreciated at this point ... ;) Actually, interesting note, I've added Hindi to my list of languages that I want to learn before I die. For those keeping track, here's the current list:

- English (native language)
- French (pretty much mastered)
- German (still a way to go)
- Arabic (very basic / just started)
- Chinese - Mandarin (10 words)
- Russian (10 words ... but not the same 10 words, surprisingly)
- Hindi
- Inuktitut (native language of Nunavut)
- Japanese
- Italian
- Spanish

We shall see. Realistically, I'll get functional in Arabic and Mandarin, with maybe a basic understanding of Russian, and then a few words here and there in the others. I already know a few ... like ciao bella! ... not that that counts, really. Ok, I'm rambling, so off I go ...

Canadian Politics and George Stroumboulopoulos

2006-12-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

A piece of news (that everyone has probably already heard by now) and an opinion about Canada's political future ...

First off, you may have heard (if you are interested in Canadian politics) that Stéphane Dion was elected the new leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Despite some comments from the sidelines, I welcome Mr. Dion's fresh look at such hard-hitting issues as Canadian unity ... and another area we've been lacking leadership in as of late, the environment! Let's all think back to the Montreal Summit of 2005 (follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol), from which Mr. Dion was praised for his tireless work in ongoing negotiations. Now, contrast that with our current Minister of the "Environment", Mr. Ambrose, who was all but booed off stage by not only NGOs but Foreign Ministers and all the way up the political ladder! (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061115.wnairobi15/BNStory/National/home) The point of all of this is that I expect great things from Mr. Dion down the road, based on what he was able to accomplish during his short time as Minister of the Environment. Félicitations, Stéphane!

Which leads me to my second point: the political future of Canada. I was standing, waiting for the elevator today, and an idea hit me. George Stroumboulopoulos (did I spell it right???) should run for political office! For those of you who haven't watched his show, "The Hour", before (www.cbc.ca/thehour), the only way I can describe it is as the most purely "Canadian" show on television. While it's not been around as long as "Stargate: SG-1" and George (aka "Stroumbli" ... or something to that effect) might not be as renowned a television personality as, say, Peter Mansbridge , he has certainly gained himself a certain noteriety in Canadian broadcasting. His "unique" look at issues that affect Canadians at the least puts him leaps and bounds ahead of other contenders currently proposing to "represent the interests of the Canadian people." No names *cough* Rona Ambrose *cough*. You know, I never used to have this nagging cough before the Conservatives came into government ... Must be something in the air. :)

So in conclusion: run for office, George, even if the people on "22 Minutes" (www.cbc.ca/22minutes) tease you about your boyish good looks and your helluva long last name! (By the way, what happened to that clip? It was hilarious!) Oh, and last but not least, ... what's with the black shirts, really?

Challenge

2006-11-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

Most countries around the world have some sense of history. This could be a simple understanding of the events of that country's past and how they have shaped the current situation and outlook. It might be a more patriotic notion of one's country as a homeland, or as some have put it, the "heartland."

In either case, the point I'm getting at is that not all countries take their cultural past with the same degree of seriousness or urgency. For many, culture is a vestige of another time ... a world with a different reality and under different circumstances ... that seems alien and unconnected to the present. Cut to Canada ...

So I was on the internet this evening, trying to find a good version of the song "Un canadien errant." If you're Canadian and haven't heard of it, you should be ashamed of yourself. In any event, there were some links to people who sang it in the early 1900s (thanks, Government of Canada), but besides that, it was very hard to track down. Interested in buying a copy to listen to? This is where the shocked comes in ... you have to go to amazon.COM to find it! Nowhere on the Canadian sites I checked could I locate any singer who performed it, with the exception of Archambault (thank you, Quebec!) Even amazon.FR didn't have it (... I thought maybe as the song is in French, that they might have sold it ... but alas, I was misled.)

All of this to lead to my challenge. I challenge anyone interested to track down for me a "recent" version of this song, either for sale or on the internet, but on a CANADIAN site. Why? Because if we're not promoting Canada's cultural past, who is? The US? I'm sorry, but that worries me if we have to go south of the border to find out about ourselves ...

Things to do in The City ...

2006-11-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

As if there weren't already a plethora of resources and far-flung suggestions on what to do in NYC, let's consider what Steve did with his Friday (no judgements from the peanut gallery!)

Well, to begin with, my day didn't really start until 11am when I crawled out of bed. Come on, I'm entitled to take advantage of my day off, non? Well whatever, you're all just jealous ... :P

So, once I finally got out of the house, I went down to Central Park North (also known as the border of Harlem and ... Harlem! lol) There was this outdoor skating rink set up ... which was great because it was a beautiful day for being outside ... not too cold, but not too hot either. So anyway, after wandering around the part and watching Margy et al skate around for awhile, we went back to her apartment and had hot apple cider and ginger cookies! Let me just reiterate what a HUGE fan I am of apple cider ... as Oliver pointed out, it's the "new hot chocolate." Margy wasn't entirely convinced ... and as per usual, I'll sit on the fence on this issue for awhile.

Oh on a side note, Tigist (stroke) H (dot) A managed to elude our little get-together yet again. We're starting to feel unloved, Tigist! Ayiii ... lazi tchu nauw bereyen yaridkut!!!! :P (I seriously need to learn some more saying in Amharic!)

So anyway, after that ... oh wait, before I continue, somewhere between my sugar overload and diabetic attack, we had a very interesting discussion about books. I was interested to hear how many people read non-fiction ... I personally am a huge fan of fiction ... perhaps that's a window into my psyche ... ;)

Moving along ... so after that, I met Hoda, the kids, Janet and her daughter, Sam, at American Girl on 5th and 49th (???) ... on the understanding that we were going out to dinner together. Well, silly me, TWO HOURS LATER ... we were still in the store. It's true, I have the pictures to prove it (to be posted eventually ...) So after being exposed to probably the MOST obvious propaganda I have ever seen in my life, we went to dinner at this place called Jakyle and Hyde. It's a "spooky" restaurant near Central Park and I think Lexington where they have live entertainment, etc. Anyway, the food was meh but the entertainment made it all worth going. This one woman, dressed as a gypsy, came around and read everyone's palm. It was quite ... interesting, to say the least. No, I won't tell you what she said about me ... :P

After that ... it was like 11pm so we headed home, with a short detour to Janet's house to drop her and the HUNDREDS of dollars of "Christmas stuff for the girls" off ... anyway ... lol no comment.

So that was my Friday afternoon and evening in NYC. Granted, I didn't go to a ?able club like Milo and Bob ... Bob referred to it as an "assembly line" of ... well, use your imaginations! ;)

On that note, I had better get dressed if I'm planning on doing anything with the rest of the day. I'm thinking of going to see "Stranger than Fiction" ... since I can't seem to coordinate with anyone else. Oh well ...

Where is the UN?

2006-11-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

I just witnessed one of the single most disappointing things I think I've seen this year ... bad journalism.

You know, there is something to be said for actually doing some research on a subject before going and shooting your mouth off about it. I know that sometimes I lack this good common sense mechanism ... but one would hope that by the time something goes through the "filtration process" at CNN that it would have been subjected to at least SOME degree of scrutiny.

In short, as you've probably guessed, the two "news" clips I just watched were about the UN. Why do we need the UN? What is it accomplishing? Is it true that they are trying to tax Americans, support Hezbollah and overthrow Israel? Where is the UN when we need it?

Well ... let me tell you where the UN is, just in case you are incapable of picking up one of the many books that have been published on this subject. First of all, UNHQ is comprised of some 3000 employees. That's 3000 people to try and fix the problems of some 6 BILLION people currently on this planet. What's the ratio? That's like one person per every two million people. Finland, for example, has 5 million people ... that makes roughly three people theoretically just responsible for Finland. How many people are in the US? The Middle East? Africa? There are just a FEW of the hot zones in the world today ... and that's being generous as not all 3000 of these people are employed in actual UN business! Someone has to make sure that the bills are paid, the meetings between dignitaries are run on time and in an orderly fashion. You might not realize this, but that's what the PROTOCOL office is for (well, DGACM also, but you get my point) ... ignoring things like this can cause dignitaries to get SERIOUSLY ticked off!

To get back to the point of paying bills ... this organization of 3000 people is not allowed really to raise money of its own. The large chunk of its financing comes from member states. When member states don't pay their bills, what happens? People can't do their jobs! And gee, let's stop for a minute and think who the biggest complainers are about the UN, and who also happen to be the worst in terms of paying their dues? Need I name names ... ?

All of this to say ... stop wailing on the UN for every "maux" that happens in the world! They're doing their best with very limited resources, and frankly not getting very much appreciation for it at all. In fact, the UN seems to be everyone's favourite scape goat when something goes wrong and no member state wants to take responsibility for it. "Oh, it's the UN's fault!" Well gee, WHO makes the decisions at the UN? The General Assembly. And who makes up the General Assembly? MEMBER STATES!!!!!!!

So, to answer my initial question of "Where is the UN?" ... the answer is: "Right here." They have been here for the past 60+ years, and thanks to them, we're still around here, too. Has there been another world war? No! That doesn't mean that bad things won't still happen in the world, or that they haven't since 1945. Thanks largely to the UN, though, we can sleep a little safer at night.

If you want someone to complain to, try your local government representative. Ask him/her what he/she has done lately to make the world a better place.

Dalida and Petula Clark?

2006-11-04T19:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8asuA88VB0

Al Gore, and other reasons to love America

2006-09-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

So this was the week from hell ...

Things were just out of control in general, and I think it just got to me a little. For example, one of the managers that I work closely with is leaving, and that really sucks. Anyway, let's focus on the positive of this week ...

1. Al Gore came to the UN to deliver his slideshow presentation on global warning and climate change. He is a very commanding presence, and I have to say that from my personal impressions, everyone in the room was blown away with how strong a knowledge base he possesses on the subject, to say nothing of his exceptional communications skills. He went for almost two hours without missing a beat! Definitely am motivated now to go see the movie and read the book, "An Inconvenient Truth."

2. Went to a gym to check things out and was severely disappointed, so then went to Lindt and dropped $50 US. (All for presents, of course ...) And NO comments from YOU, Olu, about "cupcakes for my cousins." :P Anyway, I also bought a blue iPod Nano ... very good investment. ;)

3. Went to ANOTHER gym yesterday and was much more impressed, so I signed up there. It's NYSC on 43rd and 1st ... very good location for UN interns, and they're all really friendly and nice staff. The price is average for NY, but the location is much nicer than the other place I went to visit. They have a lot of classes (boxing, strength training, yoga, etc.) that I'm going to try out eventually, but I think I'll go Monday just to try things out.

Oh, I had a story that I forgot to share earlier in this blog. It's a joke, so don't take it too seriously. Anyway, the joke is that the cafeteria sells cookies that promote racial discrimination. They're called "Joe's Black and White Cookies" and apparently they're very common in NYC, but seriously ... on the top, it's half black and half white icing! It really looks like it's promoting segregation! I was so shocked when I first saw them, then got laughed at by my Nigeria friend for being a fool. ;)

So that's the story for this week. Living in the new house is going great ... College Point is a nice area ... far, but nice, and a LOT cheaper than Manhattan, to say nothing of the much higher standard of living. Just have to get myself motivated to get out more and explore the city on the weekends ...

More to come ...

A busy week at Camp Crazy ...

2006-09-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

Well one more week has gone by, and it was a busy one.

The General Debate started this week, and Heads of State from all over the world came to give a 15-minute plug to the UN about what they saw as the most important issues going forward. The event kicked off on Tuesday morning with Brazil (apparently that's tradition), followed by the United States. The security over the past week has been INTENSE to say the least, which I suppose makes people feel safer.

Anyway, Bush's comments were predictable to say the least: terroism, bad. I was surprised how "soft" he was when addressing Iran and Syria ... making comments about how he loves their peoples and their cultures, just not their governments.

The other speeches were less predictable. Later on Tuesday, the Iranian President made his speech ... which was surprisingly discrete ... up until the end, when he invokes the name of almost every Prophet in recorded history. Anyway, I think I will reserve my comments on that for the moment ...

So Thursday was another exciting day ... Lebanon and Canada presented. I listened to Lebanon's Lahoud and it was heart-breaking ... hearing how his country had been torn apart while the international community just sat back and did nothing. Canada, again, was a surprising speech. Harper came out as VERY critical of the UN, which is not the traditional Canadian view toward the Organization. Less surprisingly, he used the majority of his time alotted to push Afghanistan down everyone's throats ... it sounded more like a campaign speech than an address to an international body. Anyway, it was a proud moment to see Canada represented on the international stage.

I was disappointed to see that Britain, China and Germany didn't actually send Heads of State. Having said that, I was very interested to listen to the first two speak. The UK Foreign Secretary was very interesting to listen to, as was the Chinese Minister. He was very concise, direct and relevant in all the comments he made. I say A+ to the Chinese government for representing itself exceptionally well.

On that note, I'm off to take a shower. I was supposed to go to the St. Janero Day festival today in Little Italy, but it's pouring rain outside and I'm not really up to it at the moment.

Cheers.

First Weekend Adventure

2006-09-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I had my first NYC weekend adventure. I took the 7 subway to 5th Ave. and 42nd St., and walked up 5th to Central Park. The weather was incredible, so that was good. I stopped in stores along the way, did a little light shopping (don't worry, no big expenditures), took some pictures and did a little browsing in the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art.)

All in all, it was a great day! The stores are out of this world ... Versace, Cartier, Gucci, ... they're all there! Ashlie, you would have gone nuts! (Don't worry ... I took pics for you.) ;) As for me, I was more into Kenneth Cole, Banana Republic (never really found anything there before but bought a really nice shirt), and Abercrombie & Fitch (THAT was an experience ...) OH, and I went to Saks 5th Avenue ... the store is INTENSE! It's something like 7 levels and there is every designer label you can imagine. Shirts were like $285 ... US!!!

Anyway, that was my first exciting Saturday in NYC. Today, I have to do boring household chores ... laundry, ironing, office work, etc.

Next weekend: ...???

First Week of Work (... and some updates)

2006-09-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

Another appropriate title for this blog might have been "On Banking, Apartments and fUN in the City." But I digress ...

First off, I just finished my first week of work at the UN. Fun times, let me tell you. I'm in EOSG (for those of you interning at the UN, you know what I mean ... EVERYTHING is an acronymn with them, which is actually cool once you remember what they all mean.) Work is picking up with the start of the GA in two weeks time, and the Visit of Heads of State next week. Apparently, security will be even MORE intense than usual, which should be fun to see. Anyway, I love my department, the people are all really nice and it looks like some interesting work might be coming our way in the near future, so cross your fingers!

Regarding banking, this is another note to future interns: you can open a bank account at Chase Bank within the Secretariat, all without the hassle of trying to go through an American bank. This all has to do with the fact that the UN is technically on international territory, so it's not subject to the same laws as the rest of NYC. On that note, definitely go on the guided tour during the first week you're there. It's worth it just to see all the exhibits and the conferences rooms!

Final point: apartments. So for those of you who knew that I was going off to NYC, you know that the search for an apartment has been HELL on Earth to say the least. Well, I FINALLY went to see a place last night and it seems pretty cool. The guy is renting a room in his apartment, not too far from the UN (although people around here call any walking more than 5 minutes "far"), and it's in a nice area. Of course, the building itself is made out to look somewhat worse given the surrounding splendor, but it serves it's purpose: a place to crash at night. I'll find out this weekend if I got it or not, but here's hoping. As much as I enjoy living with Hoda and Co. (ana bahibak aktar, ya roohi!!!!), it's 1h 15 mins to work every day with a combo of subway, bus and my feet! The area where she lives is nice, and her house is nice ... but ... I don't know ... I want to "do 'er up" in the city! That is, after all, why I'm making myself go broke for this whole experience, right?

On that note, I'm off to do some reading. I know, reading for work on a Friday night should be illegal, but there you have it! Hahaha ... it's not really that bad (it's worse ...) ;)

Cheers.

Touch down in NYC

2006-09-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

Finally arrived in NYC last night at around 8pm. The flight went pretty well for the most part, except when we were landing and the plane was bouncing up and down. We kind of landed with a "thud" ... but we arrived alive, so no complaints.

I do, however, have a complaint about passing through customs. Two of the agents I spoke with were very helpful and polite, but the third was just a jerk! He was wanking off doing nothing, and kept three of us sitting and waiting for over 15 minutes while he just sat in front of his computer. Anyway, I ended up getting everything sorted out ... but a word to the wise: don't believe what the American Embassy people tell you over the phone. It's the people at the airport that decide if you can enter the country or not, so it's worth going down and being very specific about the nature of your internship, what you'll be doing there, etc.

On that note, I'm off to get myself a bus pass and explore some of what the French so loving call "la Grosse Pomme" ... au revoir! ;)

Fun with Banking

2006-08-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

So you're going to do an internship in the US. How do you access your money once you're there? Bear in mind, the US is not Canada. While the two countries might be similar in many respects, our banking systems are not inter-connected.

So what do you do?

Well, if you don't care about getting nailed on the conversion rates (not to mention bank fees for the whole 0.000000435 seconds it takes their computers to make the conversion happen), then you've got not too much to worry about: just make sure that your bank card has an Interac or PLUS sign on the back and away you go.

However, if you want to save yourself some money, you'll need to open an account with a US bank. Not as easy as it sounds ...

One way is to wait until you're in the US and try to open an account in person. Simple, yes. The problem is that you're going over without anything pre-established, so you won't be able to use it right away. Also, banks are incorporated differently than in Canada. The moral of the story is you're giving away personal information to a financial institution you don't know or have a banking history with, which might be all right, if you don't care.

I, however, have to always be 10 steps ahead. As such, I decided to try and pre-arrange an account before going down to the US. The moral of all of this is to BE CAREFUL. Not all banks actually have US fund accounts that you can access in the US (go figure.) Make sure that you allow yourself a couple of weeks to sort out the banking nightmares before you head down so that money is organized beforehand. For certain classes of visitors to the US, you require proof that you can financially support yourself before crossing the border, so keep that in mind, too.

Happy banking!

When one door closes ...

2006-08-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

Woohoo, NYC!

It's official: I finally got an internship! There was a moment of doubt (mostly from me), but it's finally come true, and the offer of a lifetime has fallen into my lap. In one week, I start my internship at the UN. Come on, how long was I suppose to wait before I started to panic? Eight more months?

Anyway, I'm off on a new adventure to represent my people (lol) in the city that never sleeps (or is that Los Angeles?), and hopefully to make some lifelong memories (good ones, that is.) "Yo yo ma' brotha!" Hahaha ... it's a long story (i.e. Dom. Republic '06 ... good times!!) The point is that it's NYC, I've never been, and there is a LOT of stuff that I want to pack into the next three [point] five months.

On a side note, I just e-mailed my thesis off this afternoon. Woohoo!!! That's a load off!!! Now all I have to do is print the puppy off, get it bound, and ship it up the Saint-Laurent to ULaval. Then it will be really done ...

So I don't have many details at the moment, but drop me a line and I'd be happy to tell you what I do know about the assignment (at least, what I can.) ;) By the way, if anyone has a place for rent in NYC, hook me up! I'm desperate at this point ...

S.