No Manila for Me

WELL, I guess it's final. I'm not going home to Manila this summer. The dates are just too crazy, the time too short and the money too precious. I guess it'll have to be another year or two before I go home.

Instead, I bought myself a ticket to New York with my airmiles. Not going to Manila to see my friends would have to be replaced by an equally exciting trip. So I am finally going to see my most favorite painting of all, Van Gogh's "Starry Night" at the New York MoMA. I'm also going to make the pilgrimmage (finally!) to the New York Library. I'm going to revisit China Town in New York, see the Cloisters, see the Guggenheim and watch "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee". Meet up with Lorina and Dong and crash at Lara's place. And hey, there's an Edward Munch exhibit at the MoMA too. "This is the first retrospective devoted to the work of the internationally renowned Norwegian painter, printmaker, and draftsman to be held in an American museum in almost three decades," the brochure says. "The Scream" is out there somewhere, living the exciting life of a stolen painting. An unhurried one week adventure in the city that never sleeps is the best alternative to a cancelled trip home.