"NYC + cozy coffee shops = BLISS"

One of my favorite things to do when visiting NYC is finding cool coffee shops. There are so many!

After walking for hours around this busy city, it's wonderful to find a cute, little place where one can just sit and marvel. Stop for a moment and really take in the day, the city; the thoughts and feelings that NYC provokes.

Looking out the window, I open my journal and liberate my thoughts. The smell of coffee in the air, the indistinct chattering of strangers, my random thoughts finally drawn onto paper. My taste buds jump up and down as the delicate, warm liquid caresses my palate. The familiar flavor brings back memories, ignites ideas and passion...suddenly, all things look prettier and possible. BLISS.

I've written about this before....about how much I LOVE moments like these!

...and to think that there are so many yet to find!

I love coffee shops :)

"NYC + Guevs = UNEXPECTED FUN!"

I am exhausted!

Just got home from a day with Guevs walking around NYC.

Here's how our day went:

*After watching INCEPTION--at crack of dawn (so we could get cheaper tickets)--, we went to Chipotle for lunch. Of course, I couldn't help noticing an Urban Outfitters on our way there, so I begged Guevs we paid a visit. He made me promise it would be a short one (tough!), and I did. So, we went in and hung out at UO for a little bit.

*As we walked 33 blocks downtown (once again, $-saving), we literally found a TREASURE-- as is the case in almost every corner of this city! A cute, small thrift shop; one of those that is organized with very fine taste, therefore, things are a bit on the expensive side. I got my usual rush of being surrounded with vintage and used items *SIGH* Also, as it always happens, I didn't want to leave without a little treasure, and I sure didn't. I spotted a box with a tag that read MYSTERY BAGS, and in it were brown paper bags labelled with a big question mark (?). You can imagine how excited I got! Each bag cost $2 dollars and I can assure you they were the two dollars best spent! The excitement of wondering what could be inside was delicious! As soon as we stepped out of the store, we nervously opened the bag to coincidentally find a treasure that has Guevs' name all over! His favorite toy from childhood: ANIMAL TOYS!

*We finally reached our destination: HELL'S KITCHEN FLEA MARKET! NOTE: Thank you, Guevs for taking part of all my little fantasies on this day ;)

*The heat from the sun burning our skin as we walked around the flea market made us really tired and thirsty. We decided to get some refreshments. I got myself the signature drink of this trip: Thai Iced Tea. Guevs, on the other hand, decided for quantity over quality (jaja): a dollar iced tea from McDonald's! NOTE: sorry, no pictures from this part of the day. I guess I didn't want the evidence of me sitting in such place :p

*We walked to Time Square. The place was packed with tourists, as always! It is so uncomfortable to walk around there :S But oh so worth it. These streets are so full of live, of movement; there's always so much going on. Time Square is certainly the HEART of this city. Guevs and I finished our drinks sitting at the new closed sections for pedestrians. People-watching; taking the city all in...

*Guevs decided we go into the Visitor's Center in Times Square. There, we grabbed magazines, maps and advertisements for touristy attractions. We took a picture next to the New Year's Ball which is dropped every year at Times Square. Then, we spotted a very cool wall filled with confetti! The title above this colorful wall read: HOPES AND DREAMS. We got closer and noticed the confetti all had handwritten messages from tourists that come in here and write down their hopes and dreams for 2011. Guevs and I went ahead and wrote ours. Supposedly, these will be the confetti thrown in the air once the clock hits 12am this upcoming December. WOW! How cool is that!

*Then, another snack at nowhere else but...McDONALD's!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't believe it still, I know :)

*Last stop...goofing around at another of my top places: H&M!

Good times ;)

Fragment: FEET

As I organized photos on my computer, I curiously realized that I tend to take pictures of my feet, especially when I am ALONE somewhere.

I became intrigued, and immediately wondered: WHY IN THE WORLD DO I DO THIS?

Hmmmm...

Now that I became aware of my FEET photos, I find them everywhere! I began to search online and have come across SO many! It's so exciting to know that other people do it too ;)

But wait...Does this mean/say anything in particular?

Most of the people call this kind of photo a SELF PORTRAIT--interesting.

The irony of my feet-picture-taking is that I actually dislike my feet =/, so...why do I want to record them so often?????

Of course, this was my immediate thought after realizing how often I do it. Nevertheless, after reading photographer Karen Walrond's explanation, I understand that when I take pictures of my feet, what I really want to RECORD is the moment; a memory lived and understood by me...just by ME.

Here is Karen's insightful explanation (http://www.gadling.com/2009/04/30/through-the-gadling-lens-self-portraits/):

"And finally, the above shot of Susannah's feet: in this case, Susannah wasn't trying to capture her feet, per se, but the memories of what she was feeling and experiencing right at that very moment on that cold, rocky English beach. In this case, the photograph is a tool to record emotion, rather than to document scenery."

WOW! It explains to PERFECTION the reason why I take self portraits of my feet--to record emotions of a specific moment/place in time *SIGH* Love it!

I am hooked to finding more feet pictures now!!!! Do YOU take this kind of self portrait too? If you do, please, DO SHARE ;)

Here are my findings:

From my friends' pictures on Facebook

1. Frenchy Aish girl's feet @ France 2. Paopao's and her friend's feet @Bariloche 3. Sol's and her friend's feet @DR 4. Jirehsita's and her friend's feet @Boston

From complete strangers around the world

Notes: Just in case people from the "strangers from all over the world" section come across their pair, here are the sources.

1. David Avery's feet after bike race (ice on shoes) from his blog

2. Stephanie Levy's get together with other bloggers in England

3. S and J's feet in lake from Susanna's Sketchbook blog

4. Rosemud's blog http://rosemud.blogspot.com

5. Rosemud's blog http://rosemud.blogspot.com

6. "Fishnet Feet" from Lauratitian flickr photos

7. Kyle Silverman's feet in climbing aiders from Oregonlive blog

8. Dgypsy flickr photos

9. Christian girls rebuilding in New Orleans from Elca blog

10. Baby Gideon from Baby Gideon's blog

11. Ian's feet at beach from Netspeed blog

12. Mama Vee's feet before surgery from Avital blog

13. Megan's feet at Charles de Gaulle Airport from Not Martha blog

14. Rosemud's blog http://rosemud.blogspot.com

My own :)

1. Me @Astor Place, NYC 2. Me @train station, NYC 3. Me@Lemay's wedding, DR 4. Me @Productos Bautista photoshoot, DR 5. Me @airplane on my way to NYC 6. Me @My Way Coffee shop, NYC