Some handy projects* to elevate the city living while adding a bit of DIY fun:
Non-conventional AC installation:
Imagining side panels generating little or zero drafts, we got customized, hand-crafted acrylic or poly-carbonate sheet glass panels, for all 3 air conditioners. Crisp clear view and double pane for winter-proofing! [Over 10 hours of labor though.]
It’s been quite a journey for us to finally secure a seat at one of New York City’s Citywide Gifted & Talented programs. It’s a success that has taken both hard work and luck. We are very proud for Evan Yoyo to join NEST+m and we cannot wait to see him further grow and learn while enjoying chess and other things the school has to offer.
Here below is just a cheat sheet to get an idea of some overall considerations while choosing which ones you like, or not. But there’s just so much more to what this table can present, even though it’s a good start. [Commute times below are calculated based on a Forest Hills area home location.]
Our best one-sentence advice would be: start the prep work and research as early as possible. If you can get your child into the Kindergarten of a G&T program, you have an astronomically better chance of getting in than trying first grade.
Last but not least, education is so much more than what a school can provide for children, although a good school means a lot in the equation. We know that this will be a learning journey for the whole family, and those who we will be having a role along the way. After all, it takes a village.
Yoyo has taken piano lessons for 2.5 years and here is a quick progress report. And he has matured so much. We still vividly remember the first recital, video below, when he wouldn’t step onto stage, probably out of stage fright. (We made a second attempt after more than an hour, and he made it and people were wowed.)
Now he can play something as complicated as Sonatina, although this time, I put my video fixing skills to good use to make the whole piece just slightly more perfect;)
With a baby too young to enjoy extended, multi-hour trips, we will sadly miss this year’s TD Celebrate America Fourth of July fireworks/concert show at Eisenhower Park in Long Island on June 30. But I can still vividly remember all the fun my boy had with his buddy Brian and family on the beautiful evening and Grucci’s spectacular presentation. This year it will feature live music by 45 RPM, starting 7:30pm. (TD customers and veterans get to enter starting 4:30pm for better seating, one hour before general ticket holders.)
Below is the finale of the fireworks show from last year.
My previous work significantly touched upon climate change and environment. It’s a painfully complicated subject and the harsh reality is, it’s even harder to get people to pay attention continuously and engage in constructive conversations.
Tip of my hat to amazing work by groups like Climate Central, whose Surging Seas has really stood out with criminally simple visualization of the consequences and nifty tools (such as Mapping Choices) for average Joes to look up whether their communities are safe from rising seas.
[Above: Two scenarios of how rising seas will engulf the lower Manhattan area around the Charging Bull. Credits go to Climate Central, and be sure to check out Google Earth videos of more global cities here.]
Now that Yoyo has become a real tennis fan, mostly of Roger Federer of course, the US Open Kids Day will be more about watching the game rather than just hanging out with family and picking up some goodies from sponsors. Here are some shots showing how serious he’s about the game:
Having worked with images for over ten years, I feel even stronger that telling a good story with imagery is no easy job, even though technology is getting cheaper and more readily available. The world is, indeed, noisier, and people’s attention is one of the most precious resources of our time. Capturing that attention takes hard work and craftsmanship.
