Lazy Days of Summer

I am enjoying life post grad tremendously. It is great to just go to work, go home and not have anything pressing to do. Like, I can just leave all my work worries at work and spend time for myself on the weekends. Granted, I realize this is an easy rut to get stuck in. I suppose I will eventually join some organizations or extracurriculars. Or start studying for the GMAT. But for now, I will enjoy my hazy, lazy days of summer and adjust to life after school.

There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day to fully do everything you want. For example, I still need to buy furniture for my room because it still just a mattress on the floor...and boxes that are half-open and haphazardly strewn all over my room. And I just unpacked my stand mixer which means I'm itching to start baking. And I still need to sign up for a gym. And start reading books again instead of reading magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens and Whole Living.

This being said. I did none of the above this weekend. SURPRISE!

Friday night was spent cooking, eating, painting my nails and watching the final episodes of Mad Men season 1. I. am. so. wild.

Saturday we were supposed to go to the beach. L and I were suppose to meet some friends and coworkers at Penn Station and go to Long Beach (about an hour train ride). There is a LIRR deal that gets you a round-trip and beach admission for $19. We were supposed to be at Penn around 11:30am. It was 11:25 and we were still on the subway, halfway there, ticketless, and our couch was scheduled for delivery from 6pm-10pm. We promptly decided to got to Central Park instead and hopped off at the next stop. HAHAHA

It was a beautiful day. I actually laid out in the sun instead of the shade this time. And I was not burning/sweating to death.

Views from walking through the park.

Sheep's Meadow, I think. A lovely lawn and where we parked ourselves.

Good thing we came home early. Our couch arrived at 5pm. It came like this:

"Can we pay you to put it together?" "I don't even know what you guys ordered..."

 Stupidly we asked if they (the delivery men) were going to put it together for us...of course not because it's from Ikrazy so it's all DIY. We opened all the boxes, in order to find instructions. We found it in the LAST box we opened and even then we couldn't find the instructions. Our place then looked like this:

We left it like this all night

We were hungry and frustrated so instead of putting the couch together, we decided to go out for dinner...and chose the farthest choice, Thai Son in Chinatown, to eat at. We also got bubble tea. Of course, instead of cleaning up our mess and assembling the couch we decided to go out. I ended the late night...or should I say early morning with a delicious taco al pastor that was just pork, very authentic. Best (and only) two dollars spent that night.

The new Best Wurst ya'll

The next morning we tackled the furniture. It took us 2 hours.

POWER TOOLS

Look at that sun kissed skin, courtesy of Central Park.

"Let's just arrange the cushions and make that our couch."

CLEAN ALL THINGS!

So close but we were crashing...

And in the after it was all done we took a 3 hour nap on our new couch.

So big, we fit perfectly.

By the way...I put a sorta-sneaky link to my new favorite blog. Everyone should at least read the post I linked to. It is me, to a T.

HOORAY FOR BIRTHDAYS

Despite my initial feelings of gloom and homesickness about celebrating my birthday away from loved ones, I woke up on August 3rd...okay, I left work on August 2nd with a spring in my step. Lauren and I celebrated early with Coldstone (it's only 1 block down...the end of my semi-flat stomach) in my favorite combo--cake batter with a brownie mixed in. We walked...off our ice cream...and found a liquor store. Liquor is sooo cheap here ya'll. And they sold flasks! My first second gift!

My actual birthday in pictures:

My birthday OOTD. My shoes got lots of compliments.

My favorite flowers from my team. My 5lbs of strawberries from my favorite nerd. Oh! And that is Larry. We both have the same crappy desks. We bond over that.

So I planned to bring a sandwich for lunch. But lo and behold, I left my lunch meat out the night before. I made a big fuss to Lauren about it. When it was lunch time, my usual lunch crew came over. We always discuss where we're going to go, get food from there and meet at a outdoor, roof-top lounge down the street. For some reason, I couldn't find my cards (needed to access my office and the building) and kind of held up everyone. Andy, a supervisor on my multicultural team, was like, let's just go Sandy. So I just stopped fumbling and followed him. There is an entrance through the conference room so we walked in there and...

SURPRISE!

Baked by Melissa, two-bite cupcakes. L-R:Sundae, Cinnemon, Cookie Dough, Mint Chocolate, Red Velvet NOMNOMNOM

Yesenia had planned a birthday lunch for me with the rest of the multicultural team filled with sushi and cupcakes! It was a total surprise, because I hadn't made a big deal about my birthday. I mean, come on, at this point in the day I had not even picked a restaurant to eat at even though I invited some friends to dinner. It was truly touching and I had a great time at lunch.

Afterwork, I was craving a taste of Texas. So Yesenia, Yolanda and I went to El Rio Grande...a Tex-Mex restaurant where we munched on chips and watery queso while sipping the strongest margarita EVAR.

Dinner was at Fig & Olive, a lovely, modern restaurant suggested to me by my seasoned New Yorker friend Henry. It's concept is built around olive oil. They only cook with olive oil and serve contemporary Mediterrenean food. It was quite lovely.

PENNE FUNGHI TARTUFO-cremini mushroom, parmesan, black truffle paste, fresh parsley & scallion - Truffle Olive Oil

Fun

Laughs

Birthday wishes

It was a wonderful night. And it didn't stop there, I'm still getting presents in the mail. I am deeply grateful for the love I have from my friends and family. This birthday has been one of the most enjoyable and fun, which is not what I expected at all. In fact, I half expected to just get drunk and cry about not being with loved ones. Haha. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my post with it's hipster-filtered photos (I used an app on my iPhone to change the appearance of the photos). Here's a little more just to end my post.

Thanks for the lemon Tommy and Thu. My favorite brand of candle. In my favorite color.

I don't think anything can express how much I love my mother.

War Zone

A lot has happened in the past 2 days. Or at least that how I fell. I took a summer Friday yesterday (I get 2 because I started work in the middle of summer, but I love that we get summer Fridays!) to wait for my worldly possessions to arrive. My nine (avg 30lbs) boxes.

So of course I slept all morning and spent the afternoon cooking and giving myself a manicure. As soon as I'm about to apply the top coat on my last nail the UPS man rings the doorbell.

I then proceed to carry the boxes up 2 flights of stairs. I MADE IT!

I went to spin class at a gym, (I am still searching for all the trials I can get), and decided I would get snack so I stopped by Whole Foods in Union Square to see what it was like. Oh my word...I will probably never have time to just 'get a snack' from WF like I used to. The line was ridiculous! They had all 31 cash registers open and a long, long, winding line that wrapped to the end of the store. There was an automated voice that told you which register to go to next. Here in NYC, lines in the busy store end with a line ender who holds a sign for either '10 items or less' or 'end of line.' I browsed a bit and then walked out the door.

I went to a Cold War Kids concert sponsored by Heineken. It was really cool. Too bad I don't like to drink beer. They had food, silk screened t-shirts (you got to pick a design and color you wanted it in), interactive TVs that you could text messages to via your phone or the iPads they had available, Wii games and a ton of free Heineken. It was nice and the DJ played good music. I got a little tired by the end though. But it was like one of those parties that you hear about, that happen all of the time in NYC so it was cool to finally go to one. I also went to a Tito El Bambino event the next night. It was really interesting to see the different crowds for each performance.

Self-serve Heineken

And today my bed arrived!

Okay...so you may be wondering why I only have a mattress...and why my room looks like war zone.

The box frame does not fit up the stairs! They even put it up to the balcony on the second floor and it couldn't make it up the stairs. It is literally to big to fit up the space between the ceiling and the stairs. So I have to get a split box spring. Now, I know all the new bed styles are platform and don't require box springs but I prefer a high bed. However, my new mattress is extremely comfy and top of the line. I definitely sleep so much better.

Yesterday, I also went to Omonia Cafe with Lauren. It's a few blocks from my place and serves the greatest desserts and pastries. Definitely a neighborhood place, great for people watching, good for dates or chats with friends. I watched the World Cup final match there and it was fun. They have this great brunch special where you get to choose one item each from 4 seperate categories for only $12.95! I got herbal tea with honey, a bloody mary, homemade spinach pie and flan. YUM. Lauren got herbal tea, a screwdriver, burger and fries and strawberry shortcake. I'm taking everyone who visits me to this place because I think it's that much fun.

So now that all my stuff is here, I feel a bit more 'permanent' about living in NY. Before it was felt so temporary, like my internship last year, that I'm going to go home soon. But that's not the case and I have to wait until THANKSGIVING. There is definitely a lot of things to do and places to see. So that keeps me busy. In fact, I've only unpacked two boxes...

The weather here has been wonderful. Yesterday, Lauren and I went to Central Park to lay out (well, me in the shade, and L in the sun). Jackie went to the UK for vacation so it's just us two for now. Today we went to the new Target that has just been built in East Harlem. It was JUST like shopping at a real Target at home complete with one huge sales floor. But there is just sooooo many people here that there is always a traffic jam of carts. There's a complimentary Target shuttle that will take you from the subway station to the store. It's nice!

I took a picture of a Target shuttle while in a Target shuttle

Inside the shuttle was a running reel of Harlem life and neighborhood.

Of course we have to limit ourselves to only buy what we can carry home. But on the way back we saw the 6 train wrapped in Target advertising. It was really cool to see and we totally lit up when it arrived.

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.