-Then the day came with the news that shook me to my core.

“You are a good candidate for a heart transplant."

My mind went blank.

-Here I am, in the middle of hundreds of people, and all I feel is incredible anxiety that I have to find this man before he kills someone.

-Now what do I do?

I gave up my dream, I gave up my voice.

I chose this path.

But this path didn't choose me back.

-The next day, I showed up to what I thought was fútbol.

(audience laughs, applauds) Right?

Those were the days of Pelé and Maradona and all the stars I grew up idolizing.

But that wasn't it, it was American football.

And the coach approached me, said, "Son, if you want to learn, I'll teach you."

-So when my best friend asked me to be his plus-one at a lavish wedding in India, I jumped at the opportunity.

Truth is, I've been to India many times, but it was always with my parents.

I was so excited.

I was finally going to be an independent woman, in my motherland, without my mother.

(audience laughs) -And so I pick up the card and inside it reads: “Will you marry me?” And I think, “Not bad.” (audience laughs) -And they started watching, you know, this little 10-year old kid at 1:00 in the morning and Im stretching pizzas in the window and, and the more people that came the more excited I got.

I spun it this way, and I spun it that way, and I just remember saying to myself, “I love this.” -So I grew up on the Lower East Side of New York City where culture, flavors, and chaos threw a party.

(audience chuckles) You would walk one block and you would smell bagels and bialys from the Jewish deli.

Next block, espresso and marinara from Little Italy.

And in the middle of it all was my Chinatown.