Jessica

There were dozens of young girls at McD's who were wearing orange and red athletic jackets with the logo: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Jessica was one of those girls and even though she was in a rush to gobble down her burger, she was gracious to spare a few minutes. She will be performing at the 9AM opening ceremony in Herald Square.

Jessica is a high school senior from Buffalo, NY and had to audition her way through several competitions in order to make the cut and join the Varsity Spirit, a group of talented cheerleaders from across the nation. She's been in NY City before but this is the first time that she will be performing at the parade. She may be a little nervous but ecstatic about her upcoming debut on the national stage! She'll be in the far right side of that stage. For the next two days, she'll be hard at work rehearsing the stunts and flips and shaking her pom poms to the beat of the music. It will be a once in a life time opportunity to entertain thousands of spectators and viewers of one the most celebrated Thanksgiving day traditions.

If the weather cooperates, my family and I are planning to crawl our way through the crowds and watch the parade live from Seventh Avenue in NY City. This will be a first for us too. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Chris

was having lunch and listening to Pink Floyd. I try not to disturb people who have their earphones on but today I did and to my fortune, he didn't mind the disruption. Chris is an aspiring actor who is back in NY in order to purse his dreams. Before moving to NY, he spent a few weeks in California and after debating between Hollywood and New York, he went for the lights and merriment of Times Square. A wise choice, I thought, because if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere ~ New York ~ New York!

Chris lived in NY a few years ago while attending an acting conservatory in downtown Manhattan. On one occasion, Chris and his friend were invited to a party in an unfamiliar section of the Bronx. By the time the party was over, Chris was drunk and his friend was pretty much "gone." It was 3 in the morning but after a night of debauchery, they were both hungry so they went to get some chicken. At the chicken place they encountered a gang who instigated the hungry fellows. Chris' friend was beyond drunk and entertained the instigators. A fight ensued and predictably, the gangsters beat the crap out of his friend. Luckily, his friend came out with some bruises but nothing that a few packs of ice couldn't alleviate. Now he knows better and to stay away from some neighborhoods, at 3AM, when you're drunk. After graduating from school and finding himself financially broke, he moved back to Arizona in order to work and save up some money. Now, a little more mature and with some savings, Chris is back in full throttle to the city that never sleeps and he's "going for the gold." He's young, ambitious, personable and he's definitely got the looks! He has a lot going for him but he is not taking anything for granted. The three things that he's most grateful for are: (1) moving back to NYC; (2) having a wonderful job at Planet Hollywood and (3) having a place to live.

May be the next time I see Chris, it'll be in the big screen or at home, in an episode of Gossip Girl or Smallville ... these shows are not in our DVR queue but I suspect it is only a matter of time for the kids to switch from nick jr to the WB.

Julie and Jeanine

Julie is from Huntington Woods, Michigan, and is visiting her sister Jeanine. Jeanine holds dual residences; one in Pearl River NY and one in Royal Oak, Michigan. Jeanine's husband relocated to NY following a job opportunity in Montvale, NJ. Since the family, including two grown daughters are in Michigan, Jeanine spends most of her time in Michigan and visits her husband every other week or twice per month. Her husband, in turn, visits Michigan once per month. The ladies are having a good time in NY City and while they have been enjoying all the landmarks and entertainment that the city has to offer, at the top of Jeanine's Christmas wish list is the hope for her husband to secure a job in Michigan so their family can be reunited. The best would be a job in Michigan which pays NY/NJ rates - wouldn't that be sweet!

For now, Jeanine is making the most out of the situation and hosting her sister and her 2 1/2 year old niece and showing them a good time in Manhattan. The two sisters are also grateful that as they get ready for the holiday season, they will not have to cut back on their holiday preparations (i.e. gifts) in comparison to previous years because, fortunately, work has been good. In fact, their husbands' jobs have done better than last year.

A traditional Thanksgiving day at Julie's: in the morning, her husband goes down to the harbor to watch the balloons and floats at a local parade, while Julie prepares the turkey with all the fixings. This year, she will also serve spaghetti with meatballs. The family of about 12-15 members will then gather for the big meal. By the way, in addition to her 2 and 1/2 year-old daughter, Julie has two sons who are 18 and 16 years-old respectively. Per Julie, their little daughter was an unexpected but most welcomed surprise. And yes, they're all from the same father and the same mother :) After the big Thanksgiving feast, they kick back and watch the football game. This year, the Lions are hosting the Green Bay Packers and hopefully, the Lions will take advantage of playing in their home turf and deliver a win. The Lions may not have the greatest winning track record but win or loose, Julie and her clan have and will continue to watch them play.

Talking to the two sisters from Southeastern Michigan was like talking to my sisters in law - they exude a friendliness and warmth that is unique to the ladies from "the mitten."

Winston

Now that Halloween is behind us, it is time to gear up for the next major holiday. Hats off to all the veterans but I am talking about Thanksgiving. I like Thanksgiving because it consists of four days of eating, drinking, playing and more eating. It is all about family, friends and food - a lovely trifecta. Guys will probably substitute one of the "f"s for football. And the best part is that unlike many other celebrations, there's no need to worry about shopping for and wrapping gifts.

Winston is from one of the most beautiful places in the world, Cape Town, South Africa. When visiting his town, Winston recommends taking a hike or cable ride to Table Mountain, because it provides some of the most spectacular views of his town. He told me that there may not be a Thanksgiving or similar holiday in South Africa but Sundays are generally designated "family day" and that is when people gather around the table to count their blessings. Winston is most grateful "just to be alive and breathing." Could it be that he overcame some major life adversities which have given him a greater appreciation for the ability to be alive? We didn't get into those details but he did tell me about one of his most recent extra-ordinary accomplishments. Last Sunday, Winston ran the NY Marathon and finished at 5:23 in spite of the fact that he pulled his two tendons. He has run half marathons in the past but this was the first time that he completed a full marathon. Winston came to NY with two friends with whom he had trained for several months. His friends finished at 4:40! A word of advice from Winston to people who entertain the idea of running the marathon: stay focused and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it.

Winston is only the second person I've ever met who's run the NY marathon. The other person participated in the 1999 marathon and finished at 4:27:11. Why not, I'll brag. I am proud to say that the other runner is my husband. Whenever it is time for the annual NY marathon, I unequivocally remember a Seinfeld episode where Seinfeld is supposed to wake up Jean Paul, a marathon runner who had overslept at the previous Olympics. Seinfeld's alarm stops working during the night and they both oversleep but JP still manages to make the race. JP is eventually in the lead and passes people on the sidelines who are offering cups of water. Kramer and the gang are in the crowd too. Out of all the cups, JP grabs Kramer's cup, which is full of hot tea instead of water. At the sound of JP's scream, they all shriek and look at each other with their classic grimaces.

Now that the marathon is behind them, Winston and his friends are spending a few days sight-seeing and exploring the city. Winston's favorite part of town is Brooklyn. He hasn't had the opportunity to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge yet but alas, he has already run across the Queensboro! Winston may have injured his ankle during the marathon but that will not dissuade him from hitting the running track 4-5 months after his recovery. And he hopes to be back in NY next year in order to take another bite at the NYC marathon.

Kari

Kari is his nickname and it means "white" in Nepali. Most Nepalese have an olive/tan complexion so his friends attributed the nickname to Kari's lighter skin. Some of Kari's childhood friends moved to London and he decided to move there too after completing his studies in Buddhism. He is currently on a three-week leisure trip in NY City. He has been captivated by the Brooklyn Bridge and already made two treks across the bridge during this trip. Since he still has another 10 days or so before heading home to London, I see plenty of time for a third hike.

I went back to his comment about studying Buddhism in Nepal and asked him what is the primary goal/mission of his religion. He said that Buddhists veer away from causing harm to others; achieve a state of happiness by promoting cooperation and respect for one another and by seeing others achieve success. The "other" also includes people who cause harm or provoke spiritual upheaval upon the Buddhist believer. I can see why Buddhism is not the opium of the masses in the Western World. In the US, only a very small percentage of people are Buddhists.

My exposure to Buddhism is limited to (1) a college course I took about the Beat Generation and how Eastern religions like Buddhism influenced the writers of that generation, (2) visiting the ornate temples and golden Buddhas in Bangkok, and (3) watching older Korean ladies chanting/praying to Kwanseum Bosal in almost every Korean melodrama of the 80's and 90's. Kwanseum Bosal is known as the Goddess of Compassion & Healing in Korea, like the equivalent of the Virgin Mary to Catholics. The ladies in the melodramas would chant prayers to Kwanseum Bosal over and over again in hopes that the Goddess would take away all their heartaches and headaches. I could never make out what they would chant after calling out to KB but it didn't matter, you could hear the passion in their prayers. Surely, someone had to feel compassion for these devoted ladies. I don't understand most of Buddhism's principles but I do respect the Buddhist's eagerness to please, help, understand and respect others.

Ironically, Easter is Kari's favorite holiday - it is not the religious aspect of this holiday but the food and good times with his friends that make it the perfect celebration. Easter is definitely one of my favorite holidays too, both for heavenly and earthly reasons.

Jeff

After I ordered my coffee, I gave the clerk $1.51 but she returned the coins and told me that McDonald's reduced the price of their small coffee to $1. "Even better!" I said with a big smile. It was a good start to my mcrbreak.

The beauty of talking to strangers is that I get to learn random things about people and their interests. For example, Jeff introduced me to his favorite band, Polyphonic Spree, which performs upbeat orchestra type of music; his favorite foreign film, City of Men; eateries like Pasta Lovers in midtown and Le Zie in Chelsea. I just checked Le Zie's menu to see what kind of ravioli they offer since Jeff is a ravioli devotee. I see that they have a fresh tuna ravioli. Sounds like an interesting ravioli twist but I don't doubt that the Italians can turn any (or most) raw ingredients into a palatable meal.

Jeff moved to New York City three years ago after graduating from college and finding his accounting job in this town. He lives in Queens and is particularly fond of a local coffee shop that he stops by 2-3 times per week. He loves living in this city but remains most loyal to the Buffalo Sabres, his hometown hockey team. It was nice talking to a stranger who was congenial and polite. He seemed pretty receptive to my inquiries so I asked some personal questions too. I asked him whether he would share the most traumatic time/event in his life. Jeff broke up with his girlfriend one year ago, after she cheated on him, not once but twice during their 3-year courtship. They maintained a long distance relationship during the last two of those three years. According to his ex-girlfriend, the long distance relationship was tougher on her .... The heartbreak, however, was probably greater for the unsuspecting. After the break up, Jeff surrounded himself with friends and slowly moved on. Perhaps, it was the fact that a year had gone by but Jeff seemed to be enjoying his singledom. Is a year enough time to heal the betrayal? It is enough time to forgive and forget? I don't think people can completely get over such wounds but I think that time helps relieve the anger, the disappointment, the confusion and re-opens the mind and the heart to new possibilities.

On a lighter note, I asked him if he could share one of the happiest moments in his life. This was during his first trip abroad when he visited Panama. He stayed in the Embera Village in Darien Province and spent his time in the jungle, staying and sleeping in the natives' humble huts. It was a fairly short trip but it was there that he was able to appreciate the beauty of a completely different and unhindered world. He will be going on a three week vacation to Peru in May. I wish him safe travels and the happiest of times.

Nadine

Nadine is visiting from Hamburg, Germany. Since she's staying in Staten Island for the week, she gets to greet Lady Liberty every day on her free ferry ride to and from Manhattan. This is her first time in NY City and she finds the NY subway system to be convenient and cheap in comparison to the cost of public transportation in Germany. $2.25 may not seem all that expensive but I remember paying just a little over a dollar per token when I rode the subway for the first time. There's no doubt that the subway fare was only one of many factors that have driven the cost of living in this city insanely high. That high cost of living, in turn, has driven 1.5 million New Yorkers or 8 percent of its population out of the state between 2002 to 2008. This, according the Empire State Exodus report, is the nation's largest loss of population to other states. Yeap, my family and I were part of the exodus too but the cost of living across the Hudson seems to be just as high ...

Speaking of the Empire State, yesterday, Nadine made it all the way to the top of Empire State Building, where she stayed long enough to view the splendid sunset. I remember heading home at around 6PM and noticing the beautiful hues of purple and red in the skies and wavy clouds. I can only imagine how much more beautiful the view was from atop the tallest building in the city. Today, unfortunately, the skies were not as radiant so Nadine was going to spend the afternoon shopping at Macy's, H&M and Abercrombie. In cold and rainy days like this Nadine may be craving some of her ultimate comfort food, Linsen & Spaetzle (noodles with lentil sauce). Just the thought of this dish brought comfort and glee to this cordial stranger.