....February 26, 11:45 AM
 
 
 
Asian Sensation
Born in Shanghai and raised in Flushing, Xing Xu hasn’t suffered the usual assimilation problems many immigrants face.

“I came when I was 4 so it wasn’t that hard for me,” she said.

Now Xu haunts the usual hot locales, like Astoria, Sunnyside and a broad swath of Manhattan. But for a true taste of home, she stays local.

“Flushing’s food is definitely better than Chinatown’s,” she said.

And don’t question her judgment.

Xu has visited her native country regularly since coming to the States, and even got a taste of the catwalk there for a local agency.

Modeling and fashion were always on her mind. She enlisted a few photographer friends to build up her portfolio and is currently working on a full-fledged modeling career. She’s interning at a production company, filming TV shows, including an episode or two about Fashion Week.

It could be a launching point for her career.


Xing Xu
Home: Flushing
Age: 23
Height: 5’9"
Weight: 120
Stats: 34-25-34

 
 
Shea Stands No More

Last week the final piece of Shea disappeared forever
The Mets announced Shea Stadium’s time of death as 11:22 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, after the section 5 ramp was yanked to the ground. YouTube is rife with video of the event, as are various blogs.

The fall of the ramp resulted in a cloud of dust and and cheers from the construction crew.

Bill Buckner did not release a statement, though it must have been one of the better days of his life.
A Donkey Farewell

Glory, the Queens Zoo's donkey, is mourned
“After all, what are birthdays? Here today and gone tomorrow.”
-Eeyore, the old gray donkey from Winnie The Pooh

Donkeys do not fit into the fast pace of Queens. Whether it is because of their solitary nature or their righteous stubbornness, they usually stand alone and chew, looking out at the horizon. Yet millions came to see Glory, Queens’ favorite donkey, at the Queens Zoo in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Glory passed away on Jan 26, having lived at least 36 years, the last decade and a half of which he spent in our borough. No one knows what exactly he was thinking most of that time, but according to his keeper, James Efthimiou, Glory liked solitude, he tolerated young lambs (but not adult sheep), and he brayed loudly at the end of the day so he could be taken into his barn.

Scott Silver, director of the Queens Zoo, expects the zoo will acquire a new donkey soon.
Still Rockin’

John Rocker
Ah, John Rocker, thank you for giving us a reminder of what a schmuck you are.

Last month the potty-mouthed ex-Atlanta Brave who derided Queens and its residents some nine years ago, talking about people who don’t speak English, “sitting next to a queer with AIDS” on the 7 train and making comments about teenage mothers, added another group he hates to his repertoire.

As he got into a verbal altercation with local sports reporter Steak Shapiro at the opening of the W Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta, he “pulled out the Jew card” according to Shapiro.

Ah, John. How fitting that this happened at a hotel that rhymes with the nickname that so many of us in Queens have for you.
Filipino Food Frenzy
In Queens, the golden arches have taken a temporary backseat to a less recognizable global icon: a cute, chubby bumblebee.

New York City’s first Jollibee, a popular Filipino fast food chain, opened in Woodside last week, driving flocks of “Filipinophiles” to form a line that stretched down Roosevelt Avenue. TheV.P. of operations for the successful chain, which operates more than 600 stores worldwide, clearly anticipated the buzz, telling the New York Times he was expecting a line outside at 7 a.m.

Once they finally got inside, diners had the chance to sample Jollibee’s American-style burgers as well as more authentic fare such as milkfish with rice, Bihon noodles with pork, tinapa flakes and a slice of egg and La Paz Batchoy Style Noodle Soup. Here’s hoping they left room for dessert: tropical fruits and sweet ube yam over creamy vanilla ice cream, anyone? Yes, please.

We Luv Madge

Madonna lived in Corona
A one times Queens resident beat out icons like Bob Marley, Beatles legend John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix in a survey by Music Chose as a pop icon fans would most like to meet.

Of course The King, Elvis Presley, took the top spot, but our own Material Girl, Madonna, despite the MadRod scandal, her divorce and the rumors she is keeping company with a much younger man, came in second.

Vogue, girl.
No Holds Barred

Queens Congressman Anthony Weiner showed off his film chops during a fund-raiser last week in his battle to take Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s title next fall.

Weiner invited supporters to a screening of the film “The Wrestler,” followed by a Q & A with its director and Brooklyn native Darren Aronofsky. The film, a character piece about the redemption of a washed-up pro-wrestler that earned actor Mickey Rourke a Best Actor nod in this year’s Academy Awards, provided a fitting stage for the avid-sportsman known for staging outlandish political events.

Confidentially New York . . .

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