Pasta is my everything.

What good is a fun night out if you can't remember it the next morning?

"I feel like you never want to marry someone that's too fun."

Said by the character Russ Bowman in the tv show Married. Season 2, episode 3.

Congratulations to my friends Ricky and Susy on the birth today of their beautiful baby girl, Amelia! It was just 9 days ago when Susy told me how happy she was being pregnant and spending so much bonding-time with Amelia. This was when I had gone to Astoria to visit the expecting couple on a quiet Sunday, catching up and thinking about all that was to come. And now Amelia has finally joined her parents and rest of the world, for this journey we're all in together.

As we get older, it's the babies and little ones who keep the group growing and learning.

My three subscriptions to food magazines all arrived in the mail today on the same day. That's a first!

"I'm going to crack like nobody's watching, and eat like I skipped lunch."

Said by a voiceover in a recent Red Lobster commercial.

This past weekend had me pretty busy with my best friend's birthday dinner and then a wedding the next night on Saturday.

Happy birthday to Junho! Judy and I took the birthday boy to Virginia's for dinner on Friday, and then went to nearby Mother of Pearl for drinks. After that we bar hopped for a bit, and ended up back at our apartment by 3am stuffing our faces with just-delivered takeout. There was also banana cream pie thanks to Judy. Basically, when I woke up the next morning my legs felt so heavy it was hard to lift them.

Being able to attend a wedding is always special, and I felt so fortunate to have gone to Esther and Mike's this past Saturday. It took place downtown in Battery Park, right by the beautiful water where you could see the Statue of Liberty. Their ceremony was lovely and perfectly matched the couple in every way. Witnessing their vows was so great, as their love for one another filled the room. Being there helped remind me of so many things that are easily forgotten as a single person. Another thing to note is Esther's the same age as me and also grew up in Queens. We had a lot of mutual friends in high school, and she did a joint sweet sixteen birthday party with a friend of mine at the time. The party took place at Flushing's Kum Gang San, and this memory of Esther at 16 standing behind the birthday cake has been burned into my mind since then.

Thinking of that memory at her and Mike's wedding really had me happy for them, I wish them all the best in their new chapter. Congratulations to the husband and bride!

"'Promise me that you'll never let anyone steal your joy': Sunday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Nicki Minaj was convening her faithful, guiding them through whatever storms they'd been weathering."

From the July 27, 2015, New York Times article Review: Nicki Minaj Raps Life Lessons at Barclays Center, by Jon Caramanica.

Dear friends,

Please check out my latest write-up for VICE's food channel MUNCHIES: I've Been Tipped in Gold Nuggets, 8-Balls and Three-Way Wedding Proposals.

Thank you.

There's so much going on in the country right now... some of it is really heartbreaking. 

Dear Mayonnaise,

I love you so much.

Sincerely,

thwany

"Tell our story, Christian. Promise me. Promise me."

Said by the character Satine in the movie Moulin Rouge.

Stay busy.

"It's slim pickings out there. You can't swing a Fendi purse without knocking over 5 losers. Where did all the great guys go?"

Said by the character Samantha in Sex In The City. Season 2, Episode 13.

"Miranda: Maybe you should think about running to a shrink.
Carrie: Why should I pay someone when we can talk for free and then go get a drink or whatever. I don't need professional help, I've got you guys."

From the show Sex In The City. Season 2, Episode 13.

"Guess it's true, I'm not good at a one night stand.
But I still need love 'cause I'm just a man.
These nights never seem to go to plan.
I don't want you to leave, will you hold my hand?"

From the song Stay With Me by Sam Smith.

Lately, I've been going through too many long periods where my life seems filled with distractions that might seem fun, but in the end they almost always result in nothing.

I've fallen into this routine of going to work, then either boozing it up afterwards or coming straight home to spend an unnecessary amount of time in front of the television.

When I go too long without reading, discovering new music, watching a good film, or wandering an unexplored street or neighborhood by foot, it becomes mindlessly easy to live in a mundane world where creativity and inspiration has no place. That's why reading a good book or listening to an album that moves me or experiencing a film that makes me feel something or walking down an unknown New York block that transports me to another place is so important to do.

Ultimately, each medium does the same thing in a different way. That instant where the imagination is sparked is what keeps me going, and the dots of life should be connected from moment-to-moment like those instead of trudging along each day without thinking twice about what's actually going on, and that this is life and it needs to be lived.

Day-to-day responsibilities are important. Socializing is important. Art is important. Without balance, it all means nothing.

"Finally,
it has happened to me.
Right in front of my face,
and I just can not hide it."

From the song Finally by CeCe Peniston.

Chase that feeling...

Scaffolding on a quiet street of New York can become really beautiful on a rainy night.

I just want to eat chicken over rice with extra white sauce everyday for lunch.

But that's not practical.

"Not even they can stop me now."

From the song Radio by Lana Del Rey.

Write. Write. Write. Write!
Right. Right. Right. Right?

"Always. 
Always. 
Always.
Always. 
Always, always."

From the song Always by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Happy 4th of July, America!

There are these moments that occasionally happen where things just have to be paused for a second to be taken in and really appreciated. It could be something so simple or something that's once in a lifetime, but to recognize what's going on really helps look at things with a new perspective. This moment of right here and right now will never happen again. But this exhilaration can be achieved again by perhaps reaching a goal in life or living happily and fulfilled everyday.