Over the course of the last few days, I’ve resumed the series. This one was particularly difficult, but I’m pleased with the result. So here it is. Thanks, E. Wong.

I had originally planned to do all three using three different lenses, but that got foiled when I sprained my ankle trying to climb some rocks for a better view… Since I couldn’t climb any higher, I had to swap out my 50mm f/1.4D and shoot the 24-70mm at 40mm. Totally possible though–one day when I’m feeling particularly athletic, I’ll go back and try it again.

The first pic is of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline from the Brooklyn side (DUMBO). The second is on the bridge and is of the North Tower. The third is from South Street Sea Port and is of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and Williamsburg Bridge (the BMW Trifecta). Pics were taken over the course of three days. Top and bottom are with the 24-70mm f/2.8G. Middle one is with the 20mm f/2.8D.

Title for the photo comes from the Decemberist song Myla Goldberg… See below:

The (beautifully) handwritten check. It’s all in the details…

Salmon cornet.

Started with Oysters and Pearls — Sayayon of Pearl Tapioca with Island reek Oysters and Sterling White Sturgeon Cavier

Fluffy, croissant-esque bread with six imported salts. And, of course, their famous butter that comes from a lady with six eight cows (one named Keller).

Terrine of Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras – Field Rhubarb, Freddy Guy’s Hazelnuts, Celery Branch Ribbons, Greek Yogurt, Petite Mint and Aged Balsamic Vinegar with Toasted Brioche. (Side story of the night: when your brioche gets a little cold, they replace it with hot brioche–pretty awesome.)

Chatham Bay Cod “En Croute” – Per Se Chorizo, Pea Tendril Raviolo and Cilantro Shoots with Toasted Almond Butter

Butter Poached Nova Scotia Lobster Mitts – Young Artichokes, Green Garlic, Petite Parsley and Heirloom Carrots with Barigoule Emulsion.

Four Story Hills Farm’s Supreme De Poularde – Brown Butter “Pain Perdu,” Oregon Morel Mushrooms, Wilted Dandelion Greens and Fava Bean Tapenade with Blis Maple Syrup Jus.

Snake River Farm’s Calotte De Beuf – Moelle Confit, Broccolini Tempura, Hakurei Turnips and Braised Spring Onion with Bordelaise Vinaigrette.

Degustation of Hoosick Falls Spring Lamb – Asperges en Deux Facons, Compressed French Breakfast Radishes and Frisee Lettuce with Sauce Gribiche.

Monte Enebro – Croustillant de Pignons de Pin, Roquette Leaves and Red Beet Essence with Sour Cherry Pate de Fruit.

Guava Sorbet – Black Sesame Nougatine and Kiwano Melon with Whipped Green Tea.

Swiss Roll – Chocolate Roulade, Manjari Chocolate Cremex and Chocolate-Covered Banana with Glace a la Creme Fraiche.

Lemon Gingersnaps – Jamaican Gingerbread and Meyer Lemon Marshmallow with Pain d’Epices Ice Cream.

Special Requested Dessert – Coffee and Donuts.

Another little something extra. Vanilla bean creme brulee.

Another something. Yogurt Pot de Cremeux with Hibiscus Jam (we think).

The post-dinner kitchen tour. Immaculate. Unbelievably immaculate.

Ok. A bit about the restaurant.

• It is one of only six three star restaurants in the US.
• They have an in-house florist who does the centerpieces and flowers.
• There is a webcam that goes to Thomas Keller’s other three star restaurant in California (The French Laundry) located in the kitchen–the webcam is mechanized and can zoom, pan, and tilt via remote control.
• There are lots of little nods to French Laundry. For example, blue (nonfunctional) doors at the entrance are identical to those at FL. Also, lamp shades have laundry symbols on them.
• Their most expensive wine is $18,000.
• It’s all about you at this place. We requested a kitchen tour and an off-menu dessert and got both. We also requested paper menus to keep–it comes in its own little folder.
• They start you off with some salmon cornets and gruyere gourgeres–traditional Thomas Keller starters.
• The skyscrapper where Per Se is located, Time Warner Building, subsidizes their rent and also houses Masa–another three star restaurant.
• Thomas Keller’s motto is “product and execution” and he obviously excels at both.

Here it is. I officially have 2/5 Thomas Keller restaurants under my belt. Well on my way to getting all of them before the end of the summer.

1. I got engaged.
2. I saw the inauguration of President Obama.
3. I authored my first published paper.
4. I won the Steinhardt Dean’s Grant for Graduate Student Research…
5. …Which allowed me to use NYU money to donate to charities via The COCOA Experiment.
6. And I got three other academic awards…
7. …Which allowed me to spend the summer in Cape Town, South Africa (and Dubai, Rome, Cinque Terre, Paris, and London for that matter).
8. I am officially one class away from my master’s.
9. I traveled over 70,000 miles.
10. Got to level 69 with a kill ratio of 1.46 in Modern Warfare 2 in a little over 2 days of game time. (Oh yes, this does deserve a space on this list.)

In 2010:

1. I’m getting married.
2. I’m finishing my master’s.
3. I’m publishing (at least) two more papers.
4. I’m moving to Boston.
5. I’m either taking the plunge into being a real adult with a real job or remaining a perpetual student in a doctoral program.
6. I’m (probably) going to Ghana.
7. And hopefully more…

Here’s to the unknowns, adventures, and promises fulfilled in 2010. To friends who stuck around. To friends I have yet to meet. To everyone who kept me sane. To my five jobs that kept me busy. To Korean fried chicken. To airplane food, those tiny disposable pillows, and safe travels. To visitors who helped me remember why I loved California. To random phone calls. If next year is half as good and exciting as this one, I’ve got a lot to look forward to.

Cheers.

1) Girls are looking older while I’m getting older.

The other day, I had a very civil, nice conversation with a very civil, nice woman. We shared a coffee table at my new favorite study spot⁽¹⁾ and had a little bit of small talk about South Africa and surfing. When she got up to leave, she said she had a nice time studying and we should do it again and I informed her I was engaged and not really comfortable tossing my phone number around to random people I meet. She just giggled and said maybe we’d see each other on campus so I asked if she went to one of the local colleges and she said no… actually, she went to Bronx Science. Yes, that’s right–I almost exchanged numbers with a girl that could have been a full decade younger than me. Yes, I do still feel dirty.

2) The “Plus/Minus One” Rule

Just don’t break the rule.

3) Sometimes, your genes can be too good.

Just be thankful you’re not a 6′ 6” MD/PhD.

4) Self-perception.

It’s just definition. If all of you were awesome, then by definition, you’d all be normal.

5) Something here is the same…

If you have a string of bad relationships, well… the only thing in common with them would be you.

1. Favorite only because it’s the closest one I can get to without hopping on a subway.

1. Khayelitsha. Being my third trip to Africa, I was hardly shocked at the poverty that can be found in particular areas; however, something you will absolutely never get used to is the astounding optimism of the people who live there. The resilience. The will to continue on in the face of overwhelming odds. It’s amazing. Don’t let the shantytowns fool you–the people living inside are as colorful and bright as the tin panel walls that shield them.

2. Nature. A baby (jackass) penguin. What else can I say? Oh, I know–elephants.

3. The kids. From a safe distance, these girls smiled and (cautiously and curiously) watched me. The second I pulled out my camera, they stopped walking and immediately struck a pose. As I kept getting closer, they kept getting more nervous. In the next shot, the two girls on the side are hiding behind the girl in red. Adorable.

4. The food. I’m pretty spoiled as far as food goes. As much as I love other cities in the US, there’s just no place that can hold its own against New York. New York City is an endless landscape of amazing food from every country, available at any time of day–given you can afford it. That said, the food in South Africa is pretty good. I even got a chance to eat authentic South Africa township street meat.⁽¹⁾

5. The diversity. From townships to coastal mansions, South Africa has a hugely diverse distribution–everything from health care (free primary care to anybody who can make their way to a clinic, first-class health research centers, and yet an inability to get everybody ARTs) to economics (from townships to beach front mansions). Two photos ago, I showed you 3 smiling girls in the middle of a slum. Here’s one of the happiest kids I’ve ever seen in the middle of a tourist hotspot.

6. Night sky. One time, after leaving a bar with some friends somewhere in the Lower East Side, we looked up and saw a (yes, just one) star. In New York, that kind of thing makes your night. In South Africa, this is what you get all the time.

7. Schools. Reminds me of Uganda. It’s weird to think your visit to their school meant just as much to them as it did to you. Playing with them, talking with them, and giving them toys made my week and I can only hope it made theirs.

8. Sunrises. So awesome they don’t even look real.

9. The reminders. In the end, I’m getting myself into nearly six-figure debt for a degree that (if I’m lucky) will bring in $45,000 a year. I’ve never really thought of myself as money-hungry and I’m not particularly driven by financial incentives or material worth, but even I know that’s a stupid thing to do. However, walking through the pediatrics ward in a developing country’s hospital is a pretty good reminder of why international health is important and why I’m doing it. This was one of the underdeveloped, malnourished kids in the ward. If he doesn’t make you sad, the idea of him being one of the lucky ones should. There are hundreds of thousands more not in hospitals and not getting taken care of.

10. Giving. The kids in the first photo were the first ones I gave a gift to. (A blue and white, Nike soccer ball.) The oldest one in the back (holding the ball) wants to be a medical doctor. The one in the middle is his younger brother. The one up front is his cousin. Sweetest kids ever. The second photo is of a faculty member holding up a few of the toys I gave to the school. The last photo is of the toys. This school had next to nothing. The only toy I saw was a old, size 3 soccer ball that was falling apart. The principal and teachers were speechlessly grateful. Thanks to everybody who contributed.

Bonus photos:

From Cape Town to Dubai to Rome to Cinque Terre to Paris. A few bonus photos. I’m still working on all of them, but they’ll be up soon.

1. Probably a mistake, but hey–I’ll try anything once.

We might be poor, but we’re proud.

Nothing can really give the full emotional spectrum like seeing extreme poverty. In terms of quality, the poverty in South Africa is not nearly as bad as the poverty in parts of Uganda; however, in terms of quantity, it’s unfathomable. Along the highway, there’s just layer after layer of tinroof, shanty-esque homes–rolling into the smoggy mountains, until it just starts to turn into a sea of rusty poverty

Still, nothing can give you hope like meeting and talking to the people inside and seeing human optimism at it’s finest, witnessing how a home is more than just a building, and seeing the resilience of people (as one described to us) who might be poor but still proud–proud of who they are an unwilling to give into overwhelming opposition.

As sad as it makes me, nothing can make me as happy as playing with those kids. I have more photos, but here’s a small taste for now:

And if you’re into that kind of thing, here’s the EXIF data for the top image:

When she’s near, the New Year’s here, and there is not a resolution that I can’t do.

Fiction Family⁽¹⁾

1. 1/3 Nickel Creek + 1/5 Switchfoot = 100% Awesome

I’ve mainly been using cabs to get around Cape Town. After paying the cab fares from Midtown to Park Slope, I’ve become jaded to overpriced cabs–as far as I’m concerned, they are just another overpriced, necessary, evil (and occasionally very convenient) method of public transportation. Over here, it’s 10 ZAR per km after the 2 ZAR initial fee.⁽¹⁾

During these trips, you get to meet really interesting people. Like New York, a lot of the cab drivers are foreign. Felicien is one of them. He’s a refugee from the DRC. He’s been in South Africa for about 8 years, but only spent the last 6 months in Cape Town. His cab is kinda crappy. There’s no sugarcoating it. It was an older foreign model–I’d guess early 90s or so. The inside was dingy and it smelt like cigarette smoke. Still, Felicien works 24/7. Literally. He’s always on call. In fact, during our ride, he put our lively conversation on hold so he could figure out where his next client was. He says its necessary to work that much in order to support his family.

Felicien and I got to talking and he described the problems refugees face in South Africa. They don’t get the same rights as South African citizens (though they are constitutionally given such rights), they never feel safe as South Africans can be highly xenophobic, and all figures of authorities–even police officers–seem to hate them. Social programs, public services and health clinics are a joke as far as he is concerned. It was all really sad. It’s great to see South Africa in this time of transition, but it’s a sobering reminder of how long it takes for a robust, vibrant, equitable democracy to come about. America’s come a long way and we still aren’t quite there–and we’ve been 200 years in the making.

It’s always nice to be reminded of how good you’ve got it.

(Anyways, as part of a happier ending, he gave me his mobile number and I’m going to try to see if we can provide him with some services. Either way, I’ll be sure to continue to take Felicien home and help him get some food on the table for those kids.)

1. Which comes out to about 2 USD per mile–very close to typical New York City rates.

More random photos from London.

So, apparently, the brand of condom you use here (in South Africa) carries with it a huge (no pun intended) status implications. Which is so weird to me… Especially coming from New York where you have to do your best to not see a NYC free condom every couple of feet. I was under the general assumption that a condom is a condom and that it doesn’t matter.

Here, busting out a free government condom is as good as saying you want to become a monk. Even highly educated, compassionate women in stable relationships feel that condoms reflect on the male in terms of affection or status or wealth or whatever. It’s not just something that happens around the slums.

It blows my mind. I was intrigued by this enough to add a “condom preference” component to my survey, but I have to ask you–are you particularly picky about condom brand? Would you actually turn down (or have you been turned down) because you didn’t have the “good” brand?

So strange to me.