Our Role, Our Voice, Our Sacrifice
Today is June 7, 2020. On this day, twelve years ago, I remember when my New York City apartment burned down. It was a devastating day, and miraculously, I did…
My Father: The Hero of Hummus
I hope you are all well, and that you and your family are safe and sound! I, like many others, have been quarantining at home. At home, I love to…
Happy New Year!
Wow, it’s 2020! As a kid, I envisioned the year 2020 as marking the start of a new & futuristic world. In this future world, I was convinced that we would be visited…
Happy In”Dutch”pendence Day!
Today is July 4th, the Independence Day of the U.S. As an American and New Yorker, I would like to give thanks to our amazing country. And on a day…
Death of the Yellow Page Directories
Do you remember the yellow pages? Believe it or not, exactly 10 years ago today, on May 29, 2009, marked the death of the yellow page directories with the bankruptcy…
Israel is an Awesome Product, Packaged Awfully
What does the average person think of “Israel”? They may think something positive like its beautiful beaches, ancient history, and great food. But from my experience, the average person is more likely to think something negative like war, terrorism, and the Mideast conflict. Google the word “Israel” (the aggregate of everything being written and posted online), and we […]
The Colossal Crime Constantly Being Committed on Facebook
Today I will highlight a colossal crime being committed on Facebook. This is a crime that I have known about for many years, and unfortunately, it has become more rampant…
Why You Should HEART on, not HATE on Murray Hill
Today is my birthday! As I reflect on another year of my life, I recognize many changes, but I also recognize one big thing that has not changed: my love…
10 Years Ago Today, the Global Economy Crashed!
Today is the 10 year anniversary of Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy (the largest bankruptcy in the history of bankruptcies), which triggered the crash of the global economy! I remember thinking that…
The Doorman Said “No”, So I Said “Hello”!
I love parties. In high school, I created house parties in the basement of my house (since we were underage, there were only a limited amount of places high school kids can hang out).
The basement of my house with high school friends.
Then in college, I became a Brother in Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at Indiana University where I learned how to create parties on a much larger scale and even collaborate with other organizations and sorority houses. Also, since there were hundreds of house parties taking place on campus each week, there was a lot of inspiration to boost our creativity.
Our most creative party was called Arabian Nights (aka “Barbary”), which included a) turning our entire fraternity house into a Middle East palace filled with sand, camels, and running water fountains and b) getting the entire campus excited about the party by delivering exclusive invitations to the party by one of our pledges riding on a camel and wearing a sultan’s robe.
Facade of my fraternity house, Phi Kappa Psi at Indiana Universtiy, during the Arabian Nights Dance.
To me, the best parties consist of celebrating with people you know and welcoming those that are mutually connected. But when I moved to New York City, I noticed that parties were generally filled with people that did not know each other or were connected in any significant way, and everyone was not always welcome. In high school and in college, I had very little money, but I still knew how to make it a great time. But in New York City, I discovered nightlife is much more than just fun parties with friends, it is about the money.