Jirani Take 2!

date Wed, Jul 9, 2008 at 4:20 PM
subject Jirani Take 2!
mailed-by gmail.com

Last night I attended a wonderful concert at IN2 Church, Jirani Choir Concert. It was a life-changing experience and I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to go.
To answer a commonly asked question, I know about this event because I've attended the church several times now. No one asked me to promote this concert but I did so earlier this week because I thought it would be fantastic. Having attended the concert yesterday, I am now even more compelled to share the event information with you.

Just over a year and a half ago, The Jirani Choir was created as a relief effort to bring hope to kids who came from one of the most deprived places in the world and the poorest district in Kenya, Korogocho-Dandora. The kids literally lived and breathed in a garbage dump and put into their mouths whatever garbage they could get their hands on.

Last night, these same children filled the room with their powerfully angelic voices such that I could hardly imagine the voices came from these little adults! For a split second I thought I was at the Met Opera watching La Traviata. The children sang with fervor and compassion and yet with such precision. Not only was I really moved, but I had a blast watching these children have so much fun on stage. Afterwards, I had the opportunity to go up on stage and take pictures with these kids and I just wanted to take them home (or live with them in Kenya or wherever they go)! I met this one boy, Geoffrey, who was so excited to point out his picture in the pamphlet. And I introduced myself to this 11 year old girl, Mary, who, without hesitation, gave me the biggest smile and warmest hug. Faced with dire adversity, these children came from places we couldn't even imagine and yet they are overwhelmed with tremendous joy and hope. It was truly inspiring.

The concert will be offered once more tomorrow, Thursday, July 10th at 8pm. I'm assuming it's approximately 1.5 hours as it was last night. Details are noted below. If you have the opportunity to go, please do. And feel free to bring family and friends. This goes beyond religion and race. At the core, it is humanitarian. This is not a charity event nor is it a favor to me. No pressure. I only share with you the information so that you may have the opportunity to experience something really uniquely awesome.

Men & Cooking. Is It Generational?

99% of the men I've met ages 34-38 do not cook. Frankly, I think it's 100%. They eat out for all their meals unless they decide to have ready made food stocked in the frig. And more often than not, men a few years younger cook. Maybe I've lucked out and I think my luck has actually shown me 100% in this age group as well. Take a poll and see what the results reveal to you.

Google Lunches

I will never tire of Google lunches. I tend to gravitate towards the seafood line. Today they had shrimp and noodles in a creamy peanut sauce. To my surprise, it wasn't too heavy. The shrimp was fresh and tasty.

I'm not big on noodles but it went well. I'm huge on greens. I swear if I were an animal I'd be a rabbit. All my sandwiches are "extra lettuce, please". Yes, I actually enjoy the clean taste and crunchiness of lettuce. And the lettuce really went well with the heavier peanut sauce.

I passed by the angel hair pasta and meatballs. I had to add that on my plate. But I later realized the meatballs were vegan and made of tofu. It wasn't quite my cup of tea but no big deal. I'm sure my pictures would've shown how tasty the shrimp & greens were. If you go to a restaurant, you'll see just that. If I took a picture of just that as it would be presented at a restaurant, perhaps you would be more impressed. But being that I could taste anything and everything, I had to make room for the other goodies and it just looks like a myriad of random things.

My friend got the bbq veal which I don't think he was the biggest fan of. He soon after went for the swordfish which was more than satisfying.

Soba-Ya

Soba-Ya never fails me. I was choosing between the chirashi soba or soba salad and opted for the soba salad. I needed something clean and simple on a hot day and it hit the spot. The noodles were perfectly cooked al dente. The texture of the soba is so critical as its thickness. Al dente to perfection!

The seaweed salad on top was sweetly flavored and the greens on the bottom provided a complementary texture and balance to the base of the meal - the soba, and the icing on the cake - the seaweed salad.

The two sauces provided the right vinegar/cream balance. And you can put as much of either to create the concoction to your liking.

It sounds like a simple dish but is arousing in its simple complexity. That is a challenge Soba-Ya has mastered.

Secrets to Relationships

The simple things are often overlooked. And they are often the hardest to manage:

1. Communication. The challenge to communication is pride.
2. Understanding. The challenge to understanding is ego. Ego is the self and it gets in the way of seeing the situation through another person's eyes.

It's easy to say and easy to preach but much harder to practice, especially when most of the time we fail to realize we are lacking in that area. More likely than not, we blame the other party for the situation rather than working on it from within and challenging and questioning ourselves first and foremost.

You Suck. Get Back to the Basics.

You lose when you take things for granted.

Job. Greed may result in taking higher risks. But then you take for granted what you have and you may lose it all.

Spouse. You may take for granted your significant other. You may fail to respect and appreciate your differences. Result? You've lost your lover and friend.

Health. It takes an injury to realize we take our health for granted. It's better to take care of ourselves and take preventative measures rather than respond to treat our problems.

Everyday we should be thankful for everything we have. When we take things for granted, we can really lose out. That's the truth.

Fluffy eggs looked better at the W than at 202 Market

Sitting at the W Hotel for brunch today, I thought to myself, this is my new favorite brunch spot! I've lived in Union Square for over three years now, in Manhattan for probably over a decade, and am only now discovering this "scene-y" place for brunch. But that's precisely why I probably never made it over here. It's scene-y at night. I enjoy the neighborhood classics such as Friend of a Farmer for its specialty bread and Sunburst for its blueberry pancakes. Last weekend, thanks to my friends who live in Chelsea, I finally made my way over to 202 Market. I thought that was my new favorite. Any dish with the eggs and mushrooms were divine there. And as a snob when it comes to Bloody Marys, I must say 202 did a fine job.

As of today, the W is a new local favorite. I ordered the chicken & beets salad. As soon as the waiter put my entree in front of me, the aroma of the pulled chicken overwhelmed my senses. I didn't even bother with the sherry dressing which I had asked for on the side. My friend frequents the place and ordered his usual corned beef hash which he swears by. I didn't try it but I was impressed by the fluffiness of the eggs. Yes, I did just say fluffiness. But that's what it is. The W is low-key and calm which is great on a Saturday afternoon. If you're looking for a crowd, come back at night or head over to Pastis. I can't believe it took me so long to discover this place only a few blocks away from home. Sometimes you can't overlook the obvious.