Sinanation

I get this one a lot. Lethologica, as I randomly found out, is a psychological disorder that disturbs one’s ability to articulate his/her thoughts by temporarily forgetting key words or names. The disorder was first identified by a Swiss psychiatrist. The word finds its root in the Greek word “letho”, which means forgetfulness. It also relates to the mythological river Lethe from which the shades of the dead were required to drink in order to forget their past.

Name: Luis Raul Cerna

Nickname: Kanka or Shampi

Notable Appearance: Green eyes with nicely combed dark hair

Can’t do without: Sunglasses, Salvatore Ferregamo shoes, dark coffee, U.S. Open, aged rum, Lacoste, Paul & Shark, ice cream, Burberry, Bruno Cucinelli

Notable Hobbies: Slumbering, singing out loud, singing random Spanish songs, clapping hands when drunk, getting massages at spas, throwing and squeezing everything into bags while packing, falling asleep in cars, texting people from the restroom, visiting the restroom shortly after a big meal

Notable Weakness: Bees, Hot weather

Favorite Quote: “Melaba nassin?”, “Ay Conmigo!”, “My invisible friend”

Last Seen: Le Bilboquet NYC, Anjelique Istanbul, Gocek, Turkey, Reina Istanbul, Nicaragua, Miami

Those who are addicted to the Bosphorus in Istanbul are going to be a little more sentimental to the Frying Pan and the South Seaport in New York. The Frying Pan (on 26th Street and 12th Ave.), just like the South Seaport is right next to water on the west side of the city. Only open during the summer until the end of September, it is a great place to grab drinks after work. The scenery is great with no buildings to block it on three sides of the port. The drinks are good, but as with any other bar in the city, do not expect miracles with the food. If you are really hungry, go for the lemon chicken wrap, fries or the mozzarella pizza.

At some point we all became the slaves of digital screens. Although most would say that point was television, for me it was the day I got my first Gameboy. The then tiny grey box of wonders traveled everywhere with me, grabbing my full attention until its batteries died. Just like everyone else, I have been hypnotized by rays, frequencies, and sound waves.

Super Mario must have eaten that large mushroom a million times. The building blocks of Tetris must have tried a million different positions to fit together. Who would have guessed that Gameboy was just the appetizer? The open buffet is endless. I am drowning in a digital pool and I am too scared to yell “HELP!”

The desks at the office are equipped with large computer screens, running at full speed weekdays from 9am to 8pm. Every single break from lunch to bathroom is occupied with the Nokias, iPhones, LGs, Blackberries. Homes are haunted with massive television sets and tiny laptops. From large to small, I can’t get my eyes and hands off digital screens. I am addicted. I am disgusted. I am helpless.

I need to type, watch, chat, post, play, call, text, e-mail, compile, stalk, mix, listen, formulate, make a note, erase, add, buy, sell, multiply, subtract, draw…I need to keep up. I can’t stay behind. Wish me luck. Wish us all luck.

How will we ever make it up for our poor eyes?

Name: Fuat Pamukcu

Nickname: Sirin Baba, Fu

Notable Appearance: Shaved crisp white face with long hair

Can’t do without: Blackberry, whiskey, dress shirts, leather necklace with the letter E

Notable Hobbies: Reading, brainstorming, traveling

Notable Weakness: Milk and milk products

Favorite Quote: “Canim kardesim nasilsin?”

Last Seen: London, Reina in Istanbul, Anjelique in Istanbul, Mykonos, Greece

I wouldn’t say I am a huge Turkish movie fan, but there are some movies I just love to watch. “Asik Oldum” with the famous Turkish actor Sener Sen is one of those. The movie is based on a successful, happily married advertising manager falling madly in love with one of the models hired for his shampoo commercial. His desperate attempts to meet the woman of his dreams are continually disrupted by another colleague from office and the love triangle turns into a hilarious hide & seek game. Shot in 1985 and adapted from the famous, presumably equally funny American movie “The Woman in Red”, Asik Oldum lacks many of the advancements we are used to seeing in movies today, but the brilliance of the plot and the talent of Sener Sen makes all of those disappear. Totally recommended for the Turks who are in need of laughing.

Thanks to my good friend Olivier, I finally have the DJ gear necessary to create my own sets. Altough the advanced computer programs make it so easy to put it all together, it still takes a lot of time and listening to create a good line up.

Name: Ekin Carmikli

Nickname: Eko, Ekoteko, Ekomeko, Zekoteko

Notable Appearance: Beauty mark on the left-side below the lips, big green eyes and an amazingly happy, sincere laugh

Can’t do without: Prada wallets, Prada and Louis Vuitton handbags, platform shoes, truffles, Italian food, Starbucks coffee, cosmetics, flowers, Pride & Prejudice (the movie and the TV series), Friends (the TV series), The Count of Monte Cristo (the movie), US Weekly Magazine, People Magazine, thick dinner table paper napkins with pictures, cardigans, earrings, chocolate souffle, hundreds of unique kitchen gadgets, Jamba Juice’s Banana Berry

Notable Hobbies: Home decoration, cooking, playing with her niece, event organization, grocery shopping, driving fast in traffic, taking shortcuts, traveling, staying at luxury boutique hotels around the world, playing backgammon, visiting spas

Notable Weakness: The darkness, the evil eye and touching a used bathtub barefoot

Favorite Quote: “Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinaaan” and “Awwww miiniikk”

Last Seen: The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, La Maison des Fleures Istanbul, Kanyon Istanbul, Harvey Nichols London, Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Papermoon Istanbul

Name: Simla Sefer

Nickname: Sim

Notable Appearance: Wavy long hair covering the chest from both sides and thin long fingers with polished nails

Can’t do without: Love knots, oversized sunglasses, thick belts just below the chest, flats, large handbags, heavy earrings, blackberry, diamonds, short summer dresses, large collectible books, black knee length raincoats with belts

Notable Hobbies: Cooking, jewelery design, traveling, grocery shopping, making sarcastic jokes, buying a lot of wine and waiting for them to go bad, covering feet fully with blanket before going to sleep, watching horror movies

Notable Weakness: Feet, visible veins, cheese, raw tomatoes and dogs

Favorite Quote: “Mammaaaacitaa”

Last Seen: Bar Pitti NYC, Le Bilboquet NYC, Gemma NYC, Bianca NYC, Cartier 5ht Ave. NYC, Whole Foods on 25th and 7th Ave. NYC, Ulus 29 Istanbul, Reina Istanbul

Don’t worry this is not the type of syringe you get at a doctor’s office. Rather than medicine this one is filled with warm Max Brenner chocolate. I guess it is just a creative way of doing a chocolate shot, but the taste is amazing and the idea is really cool. So if you are ever around Union Square (Broadway between 13th & 14th) or Lower East Side (the corner of 9th st. and 2nd ave.) you have to give the chocolate syringe a try. Trust me nothing other than the calories will hurt you.