It's my party...

Though I've been feeling sad about spending yet another birthday away from my loved ones, things are starting to look up. Today I came home to this:

Okay, so it didn't really look like that. It was actually in a USPS box with just my address on it. Gabby, don't think you can just not put your address on something and think that I would not recognize your handwriting.

Anyways, I decided I would be good and not open it until my actual birthday.

JUST KIDDING. I just wanted to pretend I had the patience. HAH!

I know you're dying to know what's inside, just as I was.

I'll add a lot of break so you have to scroll down all the way.

Keep scrolling...

Glitter gold TOMS!

Only a best friend would remember that one time you mentioned that you wanted these shoes when talking about her baby brother buying a pair for own best friend. I now declare TOMS shoes best friends shoes.

Now, if only I were going to work tomorrow. I want to wear them out!!!

iKrazy

Yesterday my roommates and I decided to take a trip to Ikea. To finally furnish or attempt to furnish or at least make decisions as to what to do to fill up our space. Because really, 2 weeks with nothing but cardboard and boxes to act as your furniture doesn't really make coming home very comforting. Actually, that is a lie. We love our place and have already declared that we will be living here for at least 2 years.

However, we do need furniture. I mean, I'm still sleeping in an airbed. If I'm going to call NY my home, it needs to be a place where I can lounge. And we are all tired of lounging in a full sized bed.

So we spent about 8 hours going to, eating in, shopping around and coming home from Ikea. Or should I say...Ikrazy because that is how we felt at the end. The thing about Ikea is that you go through the whole freaking store carefully handpicking the items that will make your home. You have a 15 meatball meal with ligonberry jam, mashed potatoes and elderberry drink with your roommates. You layout your place and discuss the allocation of costs. And then you get down to the warehouse...to realize that not only do you have to pick up your own pieces but EVERYTHING YOU WANT IS OUT OF STOCK.

Then begins the delirium. Waiting in line to ask if they have it in the back, debating on whether you really need it or if you should pay the one-time flat fee to deliver only half of what you picked out or if you should just go home and come back another time when ALL the things you picked out are in stock.

Of course we spend some time looking through the as-is section to see if we could score deals. In the end we just picked some alternatives. Maybe they weren't as cute as our original picks but they at least served the same function. Because we'd be damned if we had to pay the delivery fee more than once.

We got some coffee/side tables, a COUCH, a rug, a dining table, a table for the kitchen and then some. Of course, after standing in line we had to have a snack of non-fat vanilla frozen yogurt or, if you are Jackie, you get a Pepsi with NO ICE...BECAUSE THEY ARE OUT OF THAT TOO. Then we decided to go back and get more tables. Get ready to leave, make it past the receipt checker, down the stairs only to realize the $8 table you're carrying has a DENT in it. So one has to go back and exchange it. And then see your roommates like this:

So yesterday night our place transformed..a bit. From this:

Literally cardboard and boxes ya'll.

Hard at work. Carrying those pieces through the subway was AWFUL.

!!!

Basked in sunlight.

There will be more. Our couch was special delivery so please stay tuned for the next 10-14 business days.  GET EXCITED.

Working girl

I've decided to show ya'll my commute to work!

I would post pics of the apt but it is BARE and I do not know if I feel like sharing until my bed gets here. We shall see.

So I wake up in the morning feeling like P.Diddy...just kidding.

Every morning I leave this cute apt:


Turn the corner and walk down Broadway, a main and busy street in Astoria. I love it:


I walk to the subway and wait for my train, outside of Manhatten most of the trains run above ground:


I get off my first train and then transfer to a train that comes, literally, into my building. Hello Manhatten! View from the platform:


The above ground trains move rather slowly compared to underground ones. I always pass this awesome building I named the graffiti building:


I think the building is so cool and I enjoy seeing it everyday. One day I'll visit.

The train then wooshes into Grand Central and I exit like this:


Yes, the 7 train is about 6 stories underground. I walk up the stairs usually because the escalators are so slow. And for the morning commute, both go up only.

I pass a Starbucks and YAY work!


I make my way to my tiny desk. Okay, so I don't have a cube yet...this is temporary, we're moving soon to the upper floor and this is what I got. But I also got the best computer. And see my Smuckers' jars? ACCOUNT REPRESENT:


And as a bonus, what I wore to work today:


Do I look like a seasoned New Yorker yet? The canvas tote I carry has my lunch in it. I prefer not to put food inside my baby aka my beautiful, yellow bag. Duh.

Resurrection

I think it's the right time for me to bring back my blog. Why? Because I am now back in NYC...permanently.

I was blessed enough to graduate college and land a job in my dream city. Which also happens to be the dream city of millions of others. I am excited to report my adventures, musings and missteps to my...ahem..DEDICATED readers.


I live in Astoria, Queens. I love it here. I get low rent but a large apartment. Cozy cafes, bustling bars and small grocers line the streets along with all the other necessities such as laundromats and discount stores.

It's cute and homey. Our land lady/owner is a nice, first generation Italian named Ninfa. She has the cutest Italian accent and knows all the neighbors who are Italian as well. Joe and Lucy, our neighbors even grow grapes in their back yard. It's quite lovely.

My nabe also feels very safe. I have no qualms, yet, about walking home at night from the subway alone. We live pretty much in the heart of Astoria close to the main streets of Broadway and Steinway so there is always something to do.

So, I hope ya'll are ready for more posts. I want to be more prompt and informational than last summer. I know my friends and family would also love updates about my oh-so-glamorous life as a New Yorker.

Autumn in NYC!

YAY! I'm taking a little trip to NYC this weekend. Why you may ask? To shop, eat, catch up with some friends and oh yeah...visit my boyfriend!

I have a list of things I need to do/redo once I land. Get excited!!!

The End of NYC

So the end of my summer in the Big Apple ended about a week ago. There was so much that happened that I'm behind on posting. Who knows when I'm going to get to it as I have to move in to my apt before classes start on Wednesday. I have lots to do and as always, a lot of anxiety about it.

On another note, my dad took me to Vegas for my 21st birthday. I can honestly say it one of the best vacations I've been on, ranking up there with my trip to Boston with Mattie and NYC freshman spring break. I'm coming home with money in my pocket, more than I started with, and a developed taste for delicious foods (I love Vegas buffets). It was nice, relaxing and exciting because I've never been carded so much in my life.

So here's to VEGAS! Thanks Dad, you are awesome.

BIRTHDAY WEEEEEEEK!

I had a great birthday. It was lovely and though I did wish for a second that I was in Austin to do my dirrrrrty 6th walk, I had a FABULOUS birthday! Recap was documented by the one and only Gabby. I'm so glad I could share it with my best friend. You can read and see pictures on her blog.

Highlights include all the interns (we have over 30) getting organized by Caitlyn (who sits in a cube next to me, loveherandHenry) to surprise me with a cake and candles and singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It was soooo nice and such a surprise. Unfortunately, this meant that I did not have a camera to take a picture of it. I feel so lucky to have such great interns to work with.

Speaking of interns, we had our internship project due today. Let me tell you, we worked all summer on this project, meeting at least 3 times a week. And I LOVE my team. When I say we had an AMAZING bond and fun times, I am not exaggerating. We had super funny moments and meetings yet all the while we worked diligently. So many jokes and good ideas and camaraderie. I can go on and on and on. Of course our group WON the intern project for our product so that just goes to show that we, kbdm\weitzen\nguyen\associate + partner worldwide group....& sons (yes, our agency name that rocked), are the bomb. I could seriously see myself working with my intern group for the rest of my advertising career.

Not ready, but we're so cute even though I look awkward:

Our internal group name was SANDY & Friends, yes, it speaks for itself (yes, the logo is an elephant spouting a rainbow, what what!):

And apparently I like to Hook'Em all the time...when I'm not in school thus have taught my group to bleed burnt orange:


I also received the best birthday gift today from Chris. It's perfect because I have only randomly, mentioned once that I wanted a white watch and he went and picked out one I would have for myself but would have never bought (if that makes sense). It is beautiful, was a TOTAL surprise and I love it.