CitiField is Amazing

My first baseball game, the Mets lost 3-0 against the St. Louis Cardinals. But the exciting part was getting to spend some time with my high school friends at a completely new stadium. The new CitiField looked new, but still had a relatively classic look on its facade. High arches with brick inlaid made it look spectacular at nighttime, with strategically placed lights. Inside, wide concourses and plenty of new amenities. The only bad features were a LACK OF SIGNAGE. I entered from center field, and right past the turnstiles was the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. 3 levels, with 2 escalators at the middle. Nowhere was signage that indicated that access to seats were by taking the escalator. At the top of the escalator, signage barely 6" tall on seating sections. And the men's urinals didn't even have urinal screens! ???

Published Post Number:134/140
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HAPPY 100!!!

HAPPY 100th PUBLISHED POST!!!!!

Yes, this is my 100th published post (more about the number at the end) and I just wanted to give a recap of my more than a year of posts while being a little self-congratulatory! My first post was published Wednesday, January 23, 2008 (Oops, forgot to celebrate that) on Mayor Bloomberg's new coalition with California Governor Schwarzenegger to build a better America (I misspelled the title when I first published it, hence the 'ayor' in the URL. :P)

Shortly after that, I started posting about the shortfalls and criticisms of the Bush Administration. Throughout the year, I published more of that but also included events in my personal life (such as my graduation), politics-especially about the 2008 Presidential Election, my position that the environment needs to get more attention and action, and better healthcare. I also moved my news reporting from my site to the blog.

As the year progressed, and I became a commuter, I began to be very passionate about the funding woes for New York City's (and the nation's) mass transit systems. I have watched the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's fiscal situation (MTA) go from somewhat hopeful (May) to desperate (today).

If I had to pick my most descriptive and passionate posts, I would have to go with Car #1224, and my series of posts about what an extraordinary mayor Mike Bloomberg is (he is one of my heroes.)

So, although I know that I don't have that much of a constant readership, and no one really does comment (maybe I should switch to Wordpress?), I will continue to blog about everything that happens in my life and in the world. I have always been lost before I started blogging; I've always wanted to share some info or thought with the rest of the world, but never truly had the means until this blog (I did experiment with posting my thoughts on a Geocities page, but haven't maintained it in a long while.) So thanks for reading through this celebratory post and for reliving my thoughts with me and I hope you will continue to come by every now and then. And of course, comments are always welcome. Just be nice. :)

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Last but not least, posts in the past week or two have included a "PostID." This is mainly for administrative purposes; a way to let me know the # of published posts / the # of unpublished posts (drafts). This has now given way to the "Published Post Number (PPN)," that is until I, in my rush to send a post hot from my keypad out inadvertently change it to something more easily remembered (PPID).

Published Post Number (PPN):100!/106

In Denial

A day after my high school graduation, I still cannot seem to accept the notion that I have officially graduated. When I went to congratulate my friends and take pictures yesterday evening, as well as in collecting yearbook signatures during the last few days of school, it felt as if I would see them again next fall. It's not like I will not miss them, I will; I just subconsciously persuade myself to think that nothing is changing, perhaps because it will be too much for me to bear if I acknowledge that I will be away from most of my friends later on.

On the other hand, graduation was kind of fun. Ira Glass, whom I had never heard of, put a nice spin on a momentous occasion. He poked fun at Stuyvesant, told stories, related some interesting stories that occurred in our four years* and, of course, congratulated us. Although, he left right after the salutatorian spoke, in the middle of the ceremony, which I took as rude. Oh, and Lincoln Center was under some heavy renovations, which ruined many of the nice photo ops.

* He said that the one thing most students he interviewed remember the fondest was "Happy Birthday Tanisha," a message on the digital message board facing our courtyard which had been there since the end of freshmen through senior year because "no one could figure out how to change it." The entire student body erupted in laughter at this joke.

Prom was Awesome

My school's prom at the Waldorf-Astoria last night was AWESOME!!! Alright, the food was not that great-some snacks at the reception, followed by a garden salad as an appetizer and then some mixed vegetables and a roasted chicken breast. We barely got any desserts for our table. But the best part was the dancing and the music. Over 475 people were present for the best party ever! Some highlights: impromptu break dancing and a repeat of some my friends' performance (NSync's (Bye Bye Bye") from an act in our school's Senior Talent Show. Lasted for four hours from 8 till 12 and lots of great moments!

My First Experience as a Corrupted Lawmaker (Sort of)

You know how lobbyists and corporations often pay congressmen and women, Democrats and Republicans, with either cold, hard cash or vacations or travels in order to get that lawmaker to shuttle taxpayer money to them. Those lawmakers often insert these payments into bills (ex: Defense appropriations bills) at the last minute, without review by other lawmakers. This is called pork-barrel spending or earmarking.

Just yesterday, I volunteered at an information session to help answer questions about my high school for accepted students and their families from my former middle
school. However, in order to attract families to come at 10 on a Saturday morning required some refreshments such as bagels, pastries, coffee, tea, etc. Oh, and it came with someone to help set-up the food and serve it. The total bill: $950.00. Guess who was paying for it: a private bus company that serves my high school. Let me get this straight: I have no problem with that bus company; I've been taking it for four years and I love it.

However, throughout the information session, I felt pressured to promote them and not the other company, since they were paying for the snacks and had a presence there. In addition, the families were subjected to constant praise and Q&A with only that bus company present. In addition, my role there was to answer questions primarily relating to the school, not about the price of the bus service or how many new buses they have. I felt like a bribed lawmaker, except I was not enjoying the benefits.

Tours for my school tomorrow!

Hooray! I'm finally doing tours for my school tomorrow night! Tours for accepted students are being held tomorrow evening. 5-6:30=Bronx & Manhattan, 7-8:30=Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. I have been waiting ever since my first tours in October (?) because they are just so much fun!