I Spy NY

2011-07-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

"To communicate through silence is a link between the thoughts of man.”
~Marcel Marceau (French Mime Artist)~

I spy Blossoms

2011-07-09T15:04:00.000-07:00

"In the cherry blossom's shade there's no such thing as a stranger."

— Kobayashi Issa

A dead OBL

2011-05-02T01:21:00.000-07:00

Amidst the crazy celebrations surrounding me post 2am at Ground Zero,
all i could think of was the last few lines of Brock's famous poem;

"...Simpler, direct, and much more neat is to see
that he is living somewhere in the middle
of the twentieth century, and leave him there."

~5 ways to kill a man~

Stay safe people.

wishing

2011-04-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

“Sitting still and wishing made no person great; The good Lord sends the fishing, but you must dig the bait”

~Anon~

In New York, We care.

2011-04-11T23:54:00.000-07:00

Make a call...heck have some bread too. Who says people in New York don't care?

Ode To The Red

2011-04-07T22:42:00.000-07:00

First cars will always hold that special in your heart.
Any red car i see reminds me of Red. My Red.
Holey, rusty, entirely unreliable and absolutely amazing.

Wherever you are, you will always be my first.

Ode to LES

2011-04-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

Everybody ought to have a Lower East Side in their life.

~Irving Berlin~

Watching...

2011-04-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

Fun?

Watching people watch me back.

T sq park pondering

2011-02-24T10:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
-- Dr. Seuss

shadowing nyc

2011-01-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

This is New York

2010-12-12T21:45:00.000-08:00

"No Stopping Any time"

This one sentence encompasses the New York life like no other.

:)

The Walk

2010-12-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

I have an obsession with photographing people's feet while they walk or stand.
I have been criticized for it. Some think it is creepy. But i just can't help myself.

We all, i suppose, have our kinks.

Looking Down

2010-12-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

In New York, you are forced to look up.
Magnanimous buildings.
Larger than life.

But sometimes,
try reversing the act.
And behold!

:)

winter is back!

2010-11-08T13:04:00.000-08:00

the cold might sting but the fun makes up for it.

:)

Not normal.

2010-10-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

“How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being.”

~Oscar Wilde~

ha!

New york and dogs

2010-10-20T01:22:00.000-07:00

"The better I get to know men, the more I find myself loving dogs."

~Charles De Gaulle~

Anything is possible in New York.

2010-10-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

I think one day this photograph will be historical.
Because this kid might grow up to be a professional bubble making performer.
He will make enormous bubbles on a stage for thousands of people.
They will pay hunderds of dollars to watch him.
And then i will produce this image and say i was the first to have ever seen him do it.

I have a feeling.
And plus, its New York.
Anything is possible in New York.

No where

2010-10-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

“When you leave New York, you ain't goin' nowhere”

~anon~

Identity

2010-10-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Yellow.
One of the many ways the identity of a place is symbolized.

Howl for NYC

2010-09-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Cityscapes just do it for me.

:)

Belonging.

2010-09-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

"One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years."

~Thomas Wolfe~

Howl fest 2010

2010-09-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

If you had a split second to think about who you were while a street artist sketched you,
what would YOU say?

9/11

2010-09-12T00:59:00.000-07:00

9 years ago today,
i was sitting in history class.
i was discussing how our lives would change after this event.
9 years ago,
i never thought that 9 years later i would be at Ground Zero,
praying for the NYPD and the firefighters who lost their lives at a memorial service.

9 long years, and how the world changed.

Eli-Hattan

2010-09-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

How wonderful it is to see New York reflected in someones eyes.

Lego Life

2010-09-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

Ground Zero construction.

A fake looking reality.

Fountain Boy

2010-07-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

This is the New York minute.
Of pure bliss.

Abida Parveen rocks New York

2010-07-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

He is a letter to everyone. You open it. It says, 'Live!'

~Jalal-uddin Rumi~

note: please dont steal pictures. if you want to use them for something or somewhere just ask, i'd be more than happy to let you.
:)

New Room!

2010-07-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”

~Dr.Suess~

One year is up.
One year to go.
From one brick wall to another.

How did it get so late?

2010-07-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

I have been living under a rock.. changed apartments...didnt realise its been over two months since i blogged last.

:(

dedicated to M.P (congratulations babe)

2010-05-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.”

~Dr.Suess~

Clean Lovers

2010-05-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

Whoever made this thought long and hard about it.
I love wit in unusual places.

Because you're mine

2010-04-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

I walk the line?

Differences.

2010-04-16T01:20:00.000-07:00

Crits

2010-04-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.”

~Jack Handey~

Daily dose of Motivation

2010-04-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.

~Zig Ziglar~

I love the everyday confidence boost art on Union Square gives me. Adds a little bounce in my walk on the way to school.

Ode to Oddness.

2010-04-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

There is a beauty in oddness...
In odd rituals, odd customs, odd people (debatable).
There was something definitely odd and wonderful about watching pillows fly high on saturday.
Of being smacked by odd friendly people with dusty pillows.
Everyone just wanted to have a good time. Act silly. Be odd.

Politicians are blind idiots.

Big Big Manhattan, Small Small me

2010-04-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

“ . . . the chief proof of man's real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness.”

Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.

Do not ask why my photograph these days are about feeling like a shadow or small or insignificant.
Maybe when so many wonderful things happen in your life all in one go, you start wondering what you did to deserve it.
Sometimes, feeling this way is a good thing.

Shadows on the Ferry

2010-03-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

"A human being is only breath and shadow."
~Sophocles~

Sometimes, photographs like these can make you feel totally insignificant.
Like you are just a shadow amongst dozens of others.
Major reality check for those of us who have swollen heads.

Slush

2010-03-01T01:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, it's in the disgusting slushy times, you find the picture perfect moments.
Here is hoping i am never too disgusted to miss one.

new header!!

2010-02-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

So i finalllyy made a header for this blog-
it's been a long time coming but i was just not sure what i wanted the feel of this one to be...and now i found it :)

I love the third pic in the banner. It's so New York-y.
A dog getting in a cab.
Random wonderful NY, where nothing is ever odd and everything goes.

:)

Snow Glorious Snow

2010-02-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

Have you seen but a bright lily grow,
Before rude hands have touched it?
Have you marked but the fall o' the snow
Before the soil hath smutched it?...

Ben Johnson, Celebration of Charis, IV, `Her Triumph'

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Walking along Union Square I saw this on the side walk...
I do believe this was the perfect place to step into on Valentine's Day.

:)

Happy Lovin' everyone!

Tribute to A.B

2010-02-04T23:41:00.000-08:00

Transitions.

You loved this one New York photograph of mine A.B.
I was going to gift it to you if we met this time around.
The busy bees that we both were.

You left way too soon.
I shall miss all our arguments and conversations...
and how it never got ugly or bitter between us despite the differences.
How we always managed to enjoy what the other was saying.

May you rest in peace.

Standing Alone in NY

2009-12-31T00:31:00.000-08:00

I worked my butt of travelled half way across the world to find out if I really was who I had been since I became who I was or if I was just pretending to be someone I really was not...
So far, it's been a reassuring realization that I really was not lying to myself all those years and here is hoping I grow into a better person in the following years.

Happy new year people!
stay safe.

k

I spy tranquility

2009-12-05T11:02:00.002-08:00

I'm totally jealous of this peaceful gorilla. How dare he be so calm when I have so much work?
sigh.

I spy a graveyard a little outside of NY

2009-12-01T20:42:00.001-08:00

It was the first time in many many years i had been to a grave yard and it was definitely the first time i had ever been to one all alone...
I am still trying to process the feeling.

I Spy dedication

2009-11-19T20:27:00.000-08:00

and respect it.

I Spy a moment in Harlem

2009-11-16T23:43:00.000-08:00

"Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change."
-Malcom X-

Pakistan, I wonder, is it time to get angry yet?

I Spy an Important Lesson in Life

2009-11-07T18:38:00.001-08:00

and so all of us must...

I Spy Halloween in NY

2009-11-01T22:46:00.000-08:00

My fave three images of the night :)

I spy outside NY

2009-10-29T00:27:00.000-07:00

Train ride from Washington DC to New York.
Gorgeous Gorgeous sites.

I spy Joy

2009-10-12T22:05:00.000-07:00

no words. just feelings.

i Spy post-its

2009-10-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Found them stuck on benches and trees in Washington Square park.

I just love these kind of things.

:)

I spy Love in NY

2009-08-26T11:50:00.000-07:00

Now here is the funny thing.
When i see this PDA around the streets of NY, i don't mind it. In fact, I think it's kind of adorable.
I *know* if i saw such PDA happening on the streets of Pakistan i would be disgusted.

I wonder if that makes me some sort of a hypocrite...

THIS IS NEWYORK part3

2009-08-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

"I have always wanted to live in 'the centre of the universe' just for a few years- to know if I can "make it" there."

Floresne

What say you?
(personally this was also one of the reasons for me wanting to move to New York...)

THIS IS NEWYORK part2

2009-08-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

"But ofcourse, this is *the* city where people come to reinvent themselves."

Anon

What say you?

THIS IS NEWYORK part1

2009-07-30T12:20:00.001-07:00

"I hear in NYC the streets are paved with the broken dreams of lost souls, drug addicts, Stock brokers and tv producers. And the food is good."

AnotherFreud

What say you?

I spy a war veteran

2009-07-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

He was 87 years old and crippled. A beggar now, living off the pennies people gave him, talking to people like me passing by, or anyone really who would lend an ear, talking about his glory days...when he mattered...when he was needed.

What a wonderful thank you from the country he served in the World War...

I spy a band at the subway

2009-07-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

Every corner I turn these days there is something or the other going on.
I love how the uncommon is so utterly common in Newyork....
and he common uncommon. More on that later,
enjoy these for now.
:)

I spy fashion shoot in NY

2009-07-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

So i was walking to school and i saw a fashion shoot happening. I started taking pictures too :P
The model caught me taking pictures and started to laugh.

I actually love what she's wearing and herr confidence is applaudable. She had no issues being in the middle of a hundred people striking poses every three seconds.

On a side note, the poster in the back is hilarious dont you think? ;)

cheers!

I spy a good campaign

2009-07-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

and I donated.

I spy performance art at Union Square

2009-07-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

So Union Square is famous for people gathering and putting up free shows or gathering around tot hold demonstrations/protests for causes etc. It can be called a little bit of a touristy place since there are a lot of little stalls and people are selling all kinds of knick knacks. So yesterday was a beautiful day and i decided to walk around before taking the subway home. Jered, a performing artist, was doing a couple of acts. Above, he asked a volunteer to put him in a straight jacket and then wiggled out of it. You can see it was not an easy thing to do. Below, he kind of interlocked his legs behind his neck and walked around giving high fives to people :P it was comical but applaudable at the same time.

Down below, he shoved himself inside a tennis racquet head first and then squeezed himself out of it.

Eventually after the show he came up to me and told me t please email him the pictures i was taking since he noticed i was all over the place. :)

Yet another reason to love Newyork.

cheers!

I spy rain in NY

2009-07-06T13:25:00.001-07:00

It rained ALL day long on Thursday. People were running and slipping and running some more for shelter. There was the sound of thunder too which i LOVE...it terrifies me.

more soon.

i spy little people in NY

2009-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

The little people in NY!
I would have gone for a more frontal photograph but i really did not want to seem rude.
They looked like tourists so i reallly did not want to impose.

cheers :)

I Spy Fourth of July

2009-07-05T12:08:00.001-07:00

So my first fourth of July in NY city was amazing (to say the least).
I started off with waking up at 2:00 pm (due to the previous nights shenanigans) and went to CENTURY 21 to shop and avail the summer sales :D Happen to stop at NINE WEST and PAYLESS too...the pressure of being in Newyork with sisters and a nephew back home and finding the right stuff for them is intense! ;)

So by 9pm I was at a rooftop bbq party in Brooklyn which had this (above) amazing view. Saw awesome fireworks from up there and the party itself had arranged some. All in all, a very successful firework watching fourth of july was managed by this new newyorker! It started to get really cold so we went to another party which was meant to be indoors in this gorgeous six bedroom loft. I'm putting a picture of the loft where i have hung out before just to show you how it looks. Last night, the place was packed!

more soon.. i have to have 10 posts up for class by Wednesday so you WILL be hearing from me a lot in the next few days!

cheers all!

I spy men posing for me with pride

2009-06-30T10:52:00.001-07:00

So i guess you guys can tell i'm pretty excited about these Pride Parade pictures. I have to admit i did get some pretty great shots i want to share. But let this be the last post for the parade and i shall move on to other things i spy.

This is a collage of some of the people who specifically stopped to pose for me after i made eye contact and pointed to my camera and willed them to pose with my eyes and a bright smile. Needless to say they were all very happy to stop and do their thing ( and much more) especially for me- it was after all, a day for them to be proud of who they are... and so i dedicate this to them.

cheers,
k

I spy desi men dancing to Kajra Re

2009-06-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

so here is the promised image. Its a small world so let me know if any of you know these guys.:P
Also if the Indian readers of this blog can tell me what the hindi text on that van reads...and all you Pakistani bloggers, check that Pakistani flag out? Your thoughts?

cheers,
k

I spy Gay Pride on 5th Avenue

2009-06-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

So i was walking to school today when i got caught in a GAY PRIDE PARADE walking through 5th Avenue on 12th Street. I will put up more pics but this is one of my favorites of the series. The other fave were of Gay Indians dancing like crazy to Kajra Re. For a second, hearing Kajra re booming on 5th Ave NY made me forget this was Gay Pride Parade and I clapped and hooted along while the happy gay men (no pun intended) did the bhangra all the way down 12th street! :)

I spy the subway at Union Square

2009-06-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

The first post of many i hope. This Spying project is for class. True to my kind of photography, here you guys will get to see NewYork as i see it. Let us celebrate diversity, let us celebrate individuality and let us celebrate me being in NY ;)

cheers,
kAy