Uneventful Subway Rides

Yesterday was the first time I take the subway alone with my daughter. I contemplated not taking her stroller but then decided I wouldn't be able to carry her for long if she was walking and got tired. So, I opted to take the stroller. :) However, I didn't go at the usual time I go with my brother (morning rush hour). I left the apartment around 9:30. Which meant less people were on the commuting down to their jobs. So there was no adventure going downtown.

But I pulled a pretty bad stunt thinking it would be easier to get off at 125th street since they have escalators there. Well, it wasn't because that meant I had to walk 5 blocks uphill!

By the time I got half way to the daycare, I thought I was about to give birth! But I ventured on.. very very slowly. A trip that probably takes a normal person 5 mins, took me 20 mins! I got there eventually and dropped of my daughter. Then grabbed breakfast and headed to Columbia. The weather was perfect for sitting outside. So I sat on a bench by the library. Ten minutes into my meal, I was surrounded by 7-8 birds. I guess that's Columbia's version of AUB's cats!

So, back to my subway adventures... 

On our way back home, I decided to stick to the original plan and catch the 1 train at 116th. I boogied the stroller down the stairs one step at a time. My luck had it that no one was going down at that time. So I did it all on my own. However after I swiped us in and was standing at the top of the stairs that lead down to the platform, a young couple passes by me. Instead of taking the stairs I'm standing next to, they walk off to the other stairs. So, I just shrugged and started strolling down one step at a time. Half way thru, the train arrived! Knowing that I had to make a quick decision, I grabbed the stroller, lifted it and ran down the last 5-6 steps! I must've looked really funny with my belly almost smooching my daughter. But I weighed my options and decided this train looks slightly empty-ish and I wasn't going to take my chances with the next train.

So, that was my adventure, the couple who avoided me by taking another flight of stairs. How considerate!

The MOMA

I went to the MOMA today. OMG, what an incredible experience! I was greeted by a very nice lady who gave me two flyers, one of the MOMA layout and the other of current exhibitions. She also gave me some really good advice: "Start at the top and work your way down." So that's exactly what I did.

I walked into the first gallery and there it was.... a Cezanne!!! A still life painting of fruits on a table. It brought back memories of the one surviving painting my grandmother drew of peaches in a bowl.

To have been in the presence of such great art, I got goosebumps all over! I was speechless and  I choked up. Seriously if there weren't any people around I would've probably cried! I was so moved. And obviously so were a lot of other people because the way we all came as close as we can to the paintings to check out the details and authenticity was neither weird nor taboo.

As I walked thru from one gallery to the next, I kept my eye out for a Monet. But there was no such luck. That was probably my main disappointment. The other disappointment wast that there was only one Salvador Dali. How could a museum of this importance not contain a Monet and only one Dali? Well as I continued my journey, I figured out why. There were so many Picasso's! They should probably consider changing the name of the museum to "Picasso Museum". Obviously, I'm not a big Picasso fan. However, for the first time in my life, I stood in front of one of his paintings and fell in love... "Ma Jolie"!! I was instantly mesmerized! What a breathtaking piece of art!

Then walking on further I heard a lady explaining a piece of art. She was talking with such intensity that I couldn't help but be drawn in her direction. I looked over peoples heads to see what she was talking about so passionately... and there hanging on the wall was a dark red canvas with an orang-ish line going thru the middle! I don't mean to undermine it in any way.. but I was expecting a Rumbrant or a Chigal!

Unfortunately one of the most eye-catching piece of art according to me, went unnoticed by a lot of people. I was there for a full 5 mins and people just walked through like there was nothing there. I'm talking about Mel Bochner's "Measurement Room". It's nothing more than a small room with measurements written on the walls, like it was something out of an architectural sketch. But it was fascinating according to me!

Another head turning piece was Jim Hodges' "Happy III". It's so simple. Just lines drawn with different colored pencils. The perfect crayola ad!

So, if you're ever in NYC and have three hours to spare (that's how long it took me to go around)... go to the MOMA!

Considerate Neighbors

New York is an 'exciting' place to live. More so the Bronx! The flavorness of the residents here makes every night seem like something out of the movies. From the people hanging out in front of their buildings and talking loudly into the weary hours of the night... to the inconsiderate 3 am DJ!

One of my brother's neighbors is sooo oblivious of neighborly manners, it's a miracle! Can you imagine someone listening to music with bass that literally shakes the building? Well, if you can't, you should come visit us at 3 in the morning when this very considerate neighbor decides to play his/her music.

The other day one of the neighbors (not sure if it's the same one or not) had his/her computer volume so loud, I could hear it ding every time s/he got a new chat line! I understand that buildings here are made of wood and therefore the walls are paper-thin, but that was just ridiculous! I seriously contemplated trying to locate that neighbor, but I don't know the protocol on how to deal with such things here.

Oh, and the neighbor above rearranges the furnisher in the room right above where Mimi and I are sleeping every day at around 4 in the morning! I mean there's serious furnisher shuffling as if the room is transferred into a bedroom at night and then things are put away during the day. Again not sure of the protocol!

Don't get me wrong though, some neighbors are soooo nice, they make you want to hug them. Like the time a lady was walking out of the building as I was walking in with a million things because I overestimated my ability to carry. And she was so nice. She carried almost all my groceries all the way up to my brother's apartment (that's two flights of stairs!). How do you thank someone like that?

That's what I mean by a flavorful neighborhood. NYC what a city!!

Some Outstanding Quotes

I'm always on the lookout for some great quotes that reflect my attitude towards the world. Here are a few I came across recently:

- Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak.

- The first 40 years of parenthood are the hardest.

Constantly Forgetful

So this pregnancy has brought with it an added dose of forgetfulness. The up side is that I'm forgetting arguments and discomforts even faster than I did before. But the down side is I'm actually forgetting things... material things!

Two weekends ago I was in Shelton celebrating a 25 year anniversary with my sister-in-law's family. What a wonderful weekend it was! Well, it wasn't until we had been back in NYC for 3 whole days that I realized I had forgotten my maternity hoodie at the party! Allow me to explain: I bought that hoodie online from Mimi Maternity (i.e. paid quite the penny for it)... and had it shipped to Kuwait (which is where I live.. ie adding to the cost). Plus it's the only maternity hoodie I have and it's white! So it goes with everything.

Luckily, my sister-in-law contacted her cousin immediately. And my hoodie was recovered. :) Yippppeeee. But I had a week of thinking it was gone.

The new addition to the forgetful-list is my Ipod Touch. I was at the Columbia bookstore a few days ago. Thinking I didn't have enough time to make it home and then back to the Columbia vicinity to pick my daughter from daycare, I decided to go into the Columbia bookstore and kill time by reading. After spending an hour and a half there, I reach for my phone and find a missed call and a text message from a frantic husband, who obviously had been trying to reach me for 2 hours. So I grab my stuff in a rush... race to the cashier... pay... and leave. As I'm walking out I realize that the cashier over charged me for a book, so I turn around and go back. Unfortunately, she realizes her mistake but instead of giving me cash, has to debit my credit card, which sucks since my credit card is in KDs and paying in a foreign currency means exchange rates! Anyway, moving along in my story... I walk out of the bookstore and head out to where there is better T-Mobile coverage so I can call my poor worried Hubby. I talk to him really fast, apologizing a gazillion times for not hearing my phone, and catching up on our day. Then I hang up, head over to my brother's office, drop off my purchases, and go back to sit on one of the outdoor benches at Columbia. When I finally found a bench in the sun, I reached for my phone, deciding to follow-up with the billing-lady at Columbia MC (where I'm going to give birth)... and then scrummage in my over-sized purse for my Ipod Touch which contains a list of the questions I want to ask her. But I scrummage to no avail. There was no Ipod! So I rush back to the Columbia bookstore. I asked three different employees before I got to someone who was helpful enough to look where I was sitting, ask other employees, go to the back room, and then come back to me with sullen look of no-it's-not-here. She was nice enough to take my name and number in case it turns up. How can something disappear within the frame of 20 mins?! It's been 3 days... and my fingers are still crossed!

Subway Adventures

Today will be the first day I take the subway on my own with my daughter. To say I'm anxious is an understatement. We've encountered some really 'interesting' people in the past three weeks that I'm only intrigued how much more 'interesting' people will get.

Previous encounters have included:

The "you watch your stroller" lady: who was going to bang Mimi's head with her huge bag and when I nicely tried to move it out of the way, she snapped, "you watch your stroller".

The I've-gotta-cut-you-off Old man: who cut infront of me while we were getting on the elevator to go up to the platform. Separating me from my daughter who's stroller was being pushed by my brother.

And the countless I'll-look-away-and-avoid-eye-contact-so-I-don't-have-to-give-you-my-seat people: who always look away, close their eyes, or sometimes bury their faces in what they're reading, so they don't 'see' the 8-month pregnant mother pushing a stroller on to the train.

So, today will be another adventure... I wonder what kind of people I will meet today!