ADC's White Tie DInner at the Waldorf Astoria

Tonite my friends and I had a great time celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Abyssinian Baptist Church Gala Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria and its community development arm. It was an amazing evening star-studded full of the creme de la creme of NY's political glitterati and celebrities. The evening began with a VIP reception in the East Room.



Fresh crabcakes and duck-filled egg rolls were served with four open bars. As people mingled, pictures were taken and the room became abuzz when the honoree of the evening, the Rev. Calvin Butts. While we hobnobbed with a whos who of NY, it became clear that the evening was going to be a memorable one. The women were dressed in beautiful designer dresses and then men decked out to the hilt in their finest.



Within the hour, the dinner chimes were going off and we walked to the Grand Ballroom. It was amazing. The centerpiece of out table was a bouquet of peach colored roses that added warmth to the evening. Actresss Lynn Whitfiled walked around the floor towards the good reverend to congratulate him. Dennis Walcott and Mayor Bloomberg schmoozed the crowd as people settled. Media mogul Mort Zuckerman pressed the flesh. The evening began with Cicely Tyson as mistress of ceremonies, accompanied by actor and dancer Avery Brooks emcee. The Abyssinian Choir sang the black national anthem. It was a beautiful rendition. That was followed by words from Charlie Rangel, Mike Bloomberg and Sheena Wright, President and CEO of the ADC. In the meantime, the first entree was served--it was minced beets with goat cheese served on a bed of arugula.


Cicely Tyson then introduced the Dance Theater of Harlem with a special choreography created by Arthur Miller created especially for Rev. Calvin Butts. It was amazing to watch and they were so graceful. Then the main course was served-- a filet mignon served with potato fingers and asparagus in a white sauce. During the meal, Jennifer Holiday belted out a song by Duke Ellington and then the evening really kicked up. You can feel the energy in the air as Jennifer hit her high notes.



Then Sen. Hillary Clinton arrived and received a resounding standing ovation. We whistled and hollered. She read a letter from Barack Obama congratulating all. She re-affirmed her support for the president-elect and again she received a standing ovation. No matter what is said about her, she is adored by the community and we stand by her! She was followed by former President Clinton who presented remarks about the state of the country, support for the new president elect and congratulating the good reverend. Dessert was a chocolate box with chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries on top and gold shavings gracing the lid. The event was a grand time had.

ELECTION 2008

So there is a tremendous amount of energy in the air today in New York City. I could not cast my vote this morning because there was so much disorganization and long lines... So I went to my office and as I walked through Election Plaza (aka Rockefeller Center) I was again inspired to try it again. So I am sharing with you the pictures I took around the area and you can appreciate the environment.

As you can see, Rockefeller Center put the electorate map under the ice and will color the states blue or red according to the returns. It is amazing what they will do with technology! Also in full view was a wave of American Flags blowing in the wind so graciously, making anyone watching them proud to be an American exercising this precious right.





Finally what election would not be complete with mascots. It was great seeing foreigners having their pic taken with the Democratic Donkey and Republican Elephant. Its like a worldwide celebration that end of the Bush era is finally here! For the record, I went to vote in the afternoon and i cast my vote. Afterwards I went to Rockefeller Center with my friend Ron Andujar after dinner with friends and we were part of an exciting, moving crowd that celebrated this great occasion as it happened. It was awesome to be part of this historic event. The best part of this all is that you knew you were sharing it with the world because there were people from so many nationalites all over there sharing this with us--truly awesome! Hope you enjoy the pics.

APIASF Dinner Fundraiser

Its that time of the year where the capital of not-for-profits hold their annual gala fundraisers. Last week it was the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund. My guest, William, who is Filipino born in Hawaii, appeared to enjoy himself. Among some of the surprises we found were Sanyaja Whats-his-name who could not be booted off of American Idol soon enough, an auction that included the Coca Cola Polar Bear and a guitar signed by Miley Cyrus and signed headshots by the man who could really use some basic hair products.



The reception was the auction along with delicious appetizers (tandoori chicken, mini quiches, and salmon and capers on melba toast, among others). There were two fully stocked open bars and a marine band played music. People were dressed in all sorts of ethnic clothings... Indian, Chinese, Thai etc. It was colorful and beautiful to look at.

The event was fun, the table beautifully laid out and the food excellent and very ethnic. The only drawback was the music, especially the two songs by Sanjaya, were off key and elicited a lukewarm applause. (I could have used a Bayer or two after his rendition of "keep your eyes open" or something to that effect. The woman who sang the National Anthem switched keys midway through the song. On a more ironic level, two ladies sitting at our table were from the same region that William's family is from in the Philippines.


Also on our table were three ladies and a gentleman that were part of the Asian advertising agency responsible for the bulletin published for the event. The highlight of the evening was when William asked and everyone (except me--the non-Asian) agreed how is it that an Asian event serves all this food without rice or noodles... go figure!

It was fun and the goody bag even more so! The next event will be the Emery Awards at Cipriani's with Chayenne Jackson performing, Mary Louise Parker receiving the honoree award and Tim Gunn hosting. We should look forward to a posting here or at William Adriance's blog about that one--stay tuned!

Changes...

One thing that is inevitable is change. This past Monday, Sept. 29th I woke up and there were radical changes everywhere. Summer was gone and the cool fall weather has swept in. My best friend called me and told me he eloped with his girlfriend. A distant relative informed me that he was fired from his job just short of his sixth month anniversary because he did not make the cut. But the biggest change was what I experienced. I work in banking and Monday I woke up to find out that my company was being taken over by Citibank. If you havent figured it out yet, well now you know that I work for Wachovia. And as an employee in NYC, I was most assured of being displaced because of "synergies" (meaning duplicate job functions in the same market. Me and my colleagues were crushed. Our pensions were wiped out and Citi was buying the crown jewels of this bank for $1 a share... what the f**K???. The remainder of the bank, Wachovia Securities and Evergreen Investments would remain under the old holding company. The total cost is $2.1 billion and they would get boku assistance from the Fed. Taxpayers would be on the hook for any losses beyond the $42 billion Citi had projected to write off immediately. We were essentially being forced into a shot gun wedding and there was nothing we could do about it.

So for four days we went through the motions of doing our jobs. I now knew what it feels like when you are condemned to a fate that no one can can alter... be it death by disease or death row. I was resigned to my fate and just hoped that perhaps I could land another position prior to being excised. And then it happened. My alarm went off at 5:45am and 1010 WINS announces that Wells Fargo was buying Wachovia Bank. My eyes popped open fast and for a sec I thought, they must be buying what was left of it. While the coffee was brewing, I went online and the news was slow to filter in but in the end, it was what the radio was announcing--Wells Fargo was buy the WHOLE thing! I dont remember ever in my life screaming YESSSS!! so loudly so early! Suddenly, I felt an urge to smile. I had renewed energy. When I walked into my office every one was SMILING! It was like a heavy cloud had been lifted and now it seems that there is hope for the legacy of this great franchise and its people to survive.

Now, we will probably see some court action in the next few days. But thats ok. There was NO definitive agreement signed--it was still in the stages of being negotiated. With Wells Fargo there is a deal and I am personally confident that there is a good chance that this transaction will prevail. Its a win-win for everyone. Wells becomes a national bank that can compete with the likes of Chase and BofA. The shareholders of Wachovia become part of a storied franchise and and continue in its growth story. There is NO cost to the taxpayer! And we will at least have a chance to continue working. More to come as this saga plays out but my prediction is that if a bidding war breaks out, the winner will be the sharesholders although i cant say the same for the employees of the bank!

My Friend's Inauguration!

I am so proud of my dear friend Annette. Annette Quijano was sworn in this afternoon as the newest assemblywoman in the New Jersey State Assembly. It is the first time in my life that I have ever attended the swearing in of an elected official and it proved to be very exciting for me. My friend Armando and I drove to Trenton from NYC. Getting across Manhattan was insane with this UN nonsense happening. But the drive down there was pretty neat. Especially since she is such a dear friend. We are all so proud of her. I met Annette in PRIMER, a professional organization that is geared toward networking within the Puerto Rican/Latino network. From PRIMER were Steven, Conrad, Armando and myself.



From the moment she joined, Annette was never about having the spotlight on her. She has always been about helping behind the scenes--my kind of woman! Annette is a lawyer by trade and she has helped break barriers in NJ as a Latina, a lawyer and a civil servant.



She is a beautiful individual and she has worked very hard in state government for the last few years, under Governor Corzine. Her hard work has finally paid off. Union County is so lucky to have someone as dedicated and energetic as Annette on their side. She has proven to be a loyal and caring individual that is passionate about her work and her constituents.




The ceremony was very warm. We sat in the upper chambers and gave her numerous standing ovations. She was sworn in, with her mother and her father holding the bible as she took the oath. After the swearing in, she make a few remarks that were well received in the audience.




She received congratulations from the party leaders and fellow Latino and women legislators. With that done the guests were escorted to a lounge for a reception where we laughed and took pictures.




Then back to NYC with Armando... I know she will wow them and she will be successful. Please join me in congratulation Annette!!!

Stolen IDs

It happens to us at one point or another in our lives. Something that is personal like your ID is stolen and fraudulent accounts are opened in your name. Or perhaps you have pictures on the internet and someone has copied and pasted them on to their profiles and steal your identity. Well the former has happened to me and the latter has happened to my friend recently.

I found out that my ID had been stolen when I actually received a letter from the collection agency demanding payment for having an account with MCI and not having paying it. I challenged it and the Agency was so asinine that they put the onus on me to provide proof it wasn't mine. I decided that it was worth it. What they wanted was proof that I was not living at the billing address at the time of the charges. They also wanted my copies of my IDs. So I sent them bank statements from 2003-2005 as well as copies of my passport and drivers license with my reference numbers blacked out. Within two days they announced that I was right and withdrew the charges as well as informed the credit agencies that the derogatory had to be removed.

Many people are unaware that in New York State they are by law entitled to free copies of their credit reports once a year. And many people do not take advantage of this privilege. There are three credit agencies affected by this ruling:

-Experian
-Trans Union
-Equifax

Contact the agencies and ask for a copy of your reports! In the current environment, given the tight credit requirements, you have to keep as good a credit history as possible. And this means making sure the information is accurate and that everything listed in the report is yours.

Unfortunately, there is little recourse for the latter situation. My friend William has pictures online and he recently discovered that some jerk is using them on a hook-up website as his own. When william found out about this, he contacted the administrator of the website and they said he must register as a user (HUH???) and then submit a copy of the photo as well as a pic of himself with his own website. That is plain asinine. Apparently, we need to have some kind of legislation in place that will protect innocent folks from having their pics stolen and used by other for less than noble causes. Sad... As for those pathetic losers who have nothing else to do with their times except to steal others pics because they are so small and sadly lacking, well get a damn life. How pathetic is it that you have to lie about your attributes especially if in the end when the person meets you they will discover that the pic on the profile is not you, dimwit! Sheesh...

A day in the country

Its Saturday, Sept. 20th 2008 and I have invited three friends to come with me as guests to a tent party in an estate in Accord, NY (pronounced ACK-cord).



The fundraiser was to benefit the Hetrick Martin Institute and the many programs they administer to support the Harvey Milk School (the first public high school geared towards the LGBT teen community) and programs open to the general community.



As part of my job within New York State, I had the privilege to support this worthwhile event. The executive director of the agency, Thomas Krever, is a close friend of mine and it was only because of him that I have learned about this wonderful group and the work they do.  

It should have taken us two hours--it took three.  When you have one steering wheel and four drivers deciding which route to take because Accord does not deem street signs a necessity, it becomes a challenge to get to your destination. If we were all in drag, it would have been akin to "To Wong Fu With Love, Julie Newmar". 



(I have to wonder if Garmin would have received a satellite signal there--my cell phone came and went so i don't know...) At the end of the day I had logged in 250 miles on my car! That's alot of driving.  Accord, is a quaint upstate New York village and the people seem quite friendly. (Note that we were the only Latinos visible as far as the eyes can see both in the town and the event! That took me by surprise!) 

The even was tastefully done. Carol Schuster donated her estate to be used as a venue.  As you can see by the pics, it was a beautiful day with many lush colors and wonderfully laid out. The food was catered and good. Open bar so that everyone can get drunk and spend money on the auction (I know this is their goal hahahahaha). My friends Allen, William and Herbert enjoyed themselves.



Allen is a wonderful being with lots of insight about life. He is soft spoken and extremely sensitive to the issues that affect our communities in NYC. He and I come from the same cultural and professional background so its easy to understand why we have so much in common. While he is in transition right now, what ever company he chooses to work for will benefit greatly from his philanthropic and public relations expertise. 

William and Herbert are in the ad industry--they playfully (or maybe not???) acted more like Naomi and Tyra. Both are constantly making sure their hair is perfectly coiffed (as you can tell, I don't have this problem and if it arises, I will take care of it with a fade haircut). Both have admitted that they spend an inordinate amount of time using hair products (huh?? LOL) They are very conscientious about their appearance making sure they are perfect for the world to see and they DO look great. These two are fun to watch but sometimes, I don't know what can make them tick...



The one thing I ams sure off is that when I am with them, they remind me of a puppy and a kitten playing together--its just fun and cute at the same time and this is what Herb and Will are like... The dynamics between these both is electric and full of drama, color and laughter. William especially brings out the child in me--refreshing and always smiling. There seems to be a subtle innocence about him (in reality there is no innocence at all since he has lived life fully!).




Herbert is more of the brooding type. Reminds me more of James Dean meets Hamlet--so many things in his mind and yet he will let out a quip that will floor you when you least expect it.  We strolled throughout the estate, by the rolling hills, and around the pond.



Even caught a glimpse of a garden snake (he was one of the bigger ones i have ever seen). And lots of fresh air. In any case, these three and myself mixed it up and we had a great time up there supporting a very worthy cause.  

After we were done, we stopped by Allen's sister's house (poor soul--she actually lives up there) and visited for about 45 mins.  The sunset pics were taken from her home.  



Of course, once again, I am sure her neighbors were peering through their windows just dying to know who was making all that ruckus on the lawn and laughing and screaming about apples. When we headed back to NY we yakked all the way back and by 11PM we were finally home.  It was one of the best times I have had in recent memory and hope to have many more with these crzylatins from NYC!!!