1. I was born and raised in El Barrio and lived there till I was 20. I spent the next 5 years trying to leave NYC only to be back here for the last 10.
2. My mother would send my brother and I to Ecuador every summer, from when I was born till I was about 16. We'd go right after the last day of school till the day before school started.
3. On one of my summer trips to Ecuador, my grandfather, who to me, is the very definition of what I consider to be the best man/ person I have ever met, deemed it necessary I learn what life is like in rural Ecuador. He woke me up one morning at 4:30am, we walked over to my cousin home around the corner under the light of a gas lantern, where my cousin's dad was waiting with a machete in hand. I was given the machete and was instructed on the proper way to slaughter a calf/cow and then walk over to a sleeping cow (yes, they do sleep standing up!) and my grandfather told me to deliver the fatal slice... welcome to manhood!
4. I’ve lived in Atlanta, Georgia during the 1996 Summer Olympics and in Sydney, Australia a year before the 2000 Summer Olympics.
5. My favorite food is Malaysian, Indian Pancakes and Spicy Thai Chicken to be exact.
6. I worked as a delivery boy for a pharmacy on East 77th and Madison Avenue and have met and delivered to Art Garfunkel, Woody Allen, Claus Von Bulow, Steve Martin, etc…
7. Sydney, Australia is my favorite city in the world (well, as far as my travels have taken me!)
8. I survived being run over by a 18 wheeler, I managed to throw myself between the rear axels and only fractured my elbow. Don’t ask what I was doing under a 18 wheeler.
9. I think my generation grew up in the best and Golden Era of Hip Hop, sorry, but that’s my option and I am sticking with it.
10. My favorite color is red, though I never wear it.
11. I only drive manual transmission autos, and because of this, every time I rent an auto that is an automatic, I always slam on the brake thinking it’s the clutch. Every time!
12. Once was dragged across a soccer pitch in Ecuador by hanging onto the back of a pick-up truck trying to get away from kids who kept bothering me to speak in English.
13. I had a pet cat once, named Pelusa (lint/fuzzy in Spanish.) She jumped out of our apartment window, survived and ran away. I was heartbroken and vowed never to own another pet again.
14. Drank a coffee everyday, from when I was 3 years old till last summer and haven’t had a cup since.
15. I watch the movie “Heat” at least 3-4 times a year and try and quote a line at least once a day.
16. I hate running, but run at least 2-3 times a week and even more in the summer.
17. I learned to cook out of boredom in Atlanta...
18. I have been to Ecuador, Australia, Japan, Dominican Republic and Fiji.
19. Though I love Sydney, in terms of a city, Fiji is more than likely where we would live if we had our choice.
20. I surf everyday the waves are good, even in the winter.
21. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
22. Consider Joseph Campbell as one of the great teachers.
23. I once downed a 40oz of Old English in one gulp in high school.
24. I hate Reality TV, it’s a oxymoron.
25. My kids are the best part of me.
