Author Yako and Krystal

Yako: Recently I had to make a weekend trip to the Netherlands and on my way back at Schiphol airport, I browsed the duty free shops and came across a book with an interesting title: “The Subtle Art of Not...

A mashup discussion on chocolate preferences, bullet holes and a boozy sandwich shop known as Summerhill Hi, folks! In this issue, Yako is away on vacation enjoying some lovely family time, so I’ll be...

Yako: I heard something interesting the other day. Of course we have all seen the expansion of biking in Brooklyn and across all of New York. Not just blue bikes, but it seems like more and more people are...

Krystal: It’s summer, which means one of two things for each and every one of us: We’ve either worked on our beach body, or drowned ourselves in excuses for not working on our beach body in time. If...

Yako: With summer approaching and a couple of very nice and warm spring days thus far, people around the neighborhood cease to hide their latest outfits under bulky winter coats and coverings. That means we...

This month's Porcelain Ashes column is a sole contribution by Krystal, inspired by a conversation both columnist recently had. Krystal: Let's talk about love. But let me start out by saying that I've...

Yako: I love memes! Two years ago, I did not even know what a meme was. According to Wikipedia, memes have been around since 1976! And the word “meme” is short for “mimeme,” which is from Ancient...

Krystal: Let’s face it. There is no shortage of things to be upset about these days. Whether it’s grief from the loss of a loved one, a breakup, losing your job, not finding a job, losing a friendship, or...

Yako: Black History Month is coming up. When I first arrived in New York from The Netherlands some 10 years ago, I was of course not very familiar with Black History Month. Soon after my arrival, I started to...

Krystal: It’s that time again. The holiday music in almost every public space, the good-natured laughter among friends, family and co-workers, the heightened utility bills from decorations, and ridiculous...