Friday, July 30, 2010

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

key covers

After my wrong key fiasco last weekend I vowed to get organized and label my keys. How cute are these penguin and unicorn key covers I found on sale at Urban Outfitters?

Sunday, July 25, 2010

kittybot

There can never be too many Gus pictures. Especially when he turns on his laser beam eyes.

weekend

I finally went to see Despicable Me on Thursday and it was ADORABLE!



Miss Brit had told me before I saw the movie that one of the characters, Agnes, reminded her of me because she has black hair, is a ballerina, and loves unicorns. I could not stop laughing throughout the entire movie. I loved her so much. "IT'S SO FLUFFY!" Gah! (And now I can't stop talking like her).



Before the movie, we stopped by Rio Grande for birthday crackaritas. Ah, almost just like old times. We got to the movie early so we stopped by Studio Square nearby for some sangria. I was definitely a bit drunk during the movie.



The birthday celebrations continued on Friday at the Volstead in midtown and then Ajna in Meatpacking.



Miss Brit was looking super hot slinging drinks. I miss the days when we ruined people's lives nights together behind the bar.



My old roommate came out of nowhere. (Well I called him but then forgot). I got separated from the birthday party that moved on to Greenhouse. This is expected of me.



I was so hungover on Saturday and all I wanted to do was stay in and order sushi and paint my nails. I was finished with my nails and was just settling in to watch Jerry Maguire (I am aware of how lame this sounds) on the couch when I got invited out for drinks only 3 blocks away. Twist my arm!

It was so hot today that I just didn't have the energy to leave the apartment. I decided to clean the apartment from top to bottom and organize. I was covered in dust by the end of the day but it feels great to see the apartment so clean. Let's see how long it lasts...

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

stalky spidey

Last week when I was sitting out on my roof deck, I saw this guy in the window of the building next door:



I feel safer knowing Spidey lives so close to me. But should he be staring at me out his window like this?

gus and dino

Gus has totally ditched Hello Kitty for Dino.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

my hero

My big brother is leaving for his second tour in Afghanistan. I am such a protective little sister and I want more than anything to follow him, holding his hand. I love him more than any measurable amount and am counting the days until he returns.





I should not have put on mascara today.

new toy!



My best friend, Romy, brought me back this awe-some dinosaur toy from Melrose. I love him so much I could sit here in front of Photo Booth and take pictures of myself while opening and closing his mouth all day long!

What should I name him? Oh I love him! Thank you, Romy!

god hates you, so does New Jersey

After years of living in the city I am finally a Zipcar member and rented my first vehicle this past Friday. It was super easy to reserve the car online, I picked it up 10 blocks from my apartment, and was out of the lot within minutes. An hour later, I was still sitting in traffic in Manhattan. Another hour after that and I was stopping for Starbucks at a rest stop on the NJ Turnpike. I got out of the car and walked over to my windshield to swipe my zipcard. A lady who was parked next to me stopped me to ask, "Excuse me, I don't mean to be nosy, but what were you just doing?" "Oh," I answered, "I was just locking the car. It's a Zipcar." I have to admit I felt extremely cool, like, look at me, I live in the city and we have to rent cars and they don't lock the way your suburban cars lock.

This was the highlight of my day on Friday. It only went downhill from there.

I was driving to Jersey to do a favor for my mom. She wanted to get organized and wanted me to move her boxes from her friend's storage shed into my storage space that I still keep in Jersey. I could think of plenty of other things I wanted to be doing on a 94 degree day but it's a small favor to ask of me, considering she was willing to cut a hole in her abdomen for me. I am skeptical though, that she would do this again. I got to the shed and began lifting, moving, and sorting through boxes to see whose was whose. My clothes were soaked through with sweat as I spread out the boxes in the backyard, sorting through years of worthless shit. As I was standing in the shed, debating which box to tackle next, I heard a buzzing in my ear and swatted at away what I assumed to be a pesky fly. I swatted in the direction of another buzz when I noticed that these were no flies. A huge swarm of (killer) wasps were circling the shed (I come to find out, also it's home).

While I was visiting my brother in North Carolina we were quite lazy and watched a lot of television. One of the programs we watched was an hour long show on the Discovery Channel about killer bees. Killer bees are what happens when bumble bees get mixed up with some bad bees from Africa. They are extremely hostile and will follow you for as far as 2 miles with the intent of a mass murder suicide. I didn't know what the wasps' MO was but I didn't want to find out if they had the same misguided goals as killer bees. I ran out of there with my head ducked low, my arms flailing, in hopes of scaring off the wasps, as if to say, "I'm bigger than you, I shouldn't be this scared." Isn't this what you're supposed to do when you encounter a bear?

I stood, 30 feet away from the shed, staring at the cloud of wasps, trying to figure out a plan of attack. What would make them stop crowding my area of interest like women at a sample sale? Is there some sort of spray I could buy from Home Depot? This, I thought, could backfire if they didn't drop dead immediately. Wasps, I imagine, can be quite vengeful. Could I lure them away with a large jar of honey? Again, I was not dealing with a snuggly, yellow bear that wears ill-fitting t-shirts.

I paced around the shed, mentally mapping out its floorplan. Yup, only way in is the one doorway, the gates of wasp sting hell. I wanted to cry. I was sweating to death and my Zipcar minutes were ticking away. "Why," I asked God, "must you make every step of my life such a fucking challenge?" I imagined my mom calling to ask if I finished moving her stuff and me answering matter of factly, "No, there were bees." My mom views my intense allergy to bug bites and stings as me not being tough enough. I knew she would not be understanding. I had to get in that damn shed. My new game plan was this; I would crouch low in the grass and inch my way in, like a cat sneaking up on a bird, with less of the advantage. "I come in peace," I whispered, "I am one of you." This did not work. I would just have to channel the track star of my teen years, or the nights of running from cops at a broken up house party, which would be fitting to channel a little bit of both since I was running towards something and then quickly away. I would run into the shed, grab a box, and sprint 30 feet away from the shed, all the while screaming obscenities, "SHIT, MUTHERFUCKER, COCKBALLS!" I may not have a long sharp point coming out of my ass but surely my words could sting. Right? This was like a bad gym class drill except I was trying to impress no one. This process of moving took well over an hour because I had to wait 10 minutes between each sprint for the wasps to calm down and get over my insults.

Finally, after 2 hours of cursing the wasps (and silently my mom), the car was packed to the point where I could only see out the front window. "Sayonara, death trap shed!" I drove 5 miles to my Public Storage space, relieved that my soft Asian skin was not covered in painful red welts, only to find out that I had brought the wrong keys for my storage lock.

"Dear God, I am no longer speaking to you."

I looked at my watch and considered my options. There was no way I could drive 2 hours back to NY to get the keys, 2 hours back to NJ to unload, and then 2 hours back to NY in time to return the car by the 7 PM deadline. There, also, was no way I was going back to that shed. I went to the front desk and begged the girl to find a way to get me into my storage. "I would give you this drenched shirt off my back." Anything, for the love of the God that does not love you back.

She cut the lock and asked for nothing in return, except for the $12.99, the price of a new lock. God bless her soul.

This past Sunday I had to return to NJ for yet another favor for my mom. I'm starting to think she's now getting back at me for making her cut a hole in her abdomen and leaving a scar that looks like a smile above her bikini line. It went a little smoother this time. I was able to join my best friend, Romy, for a delicious sushi dinner and cocktails later in the evening. The following morning, I woke up at 6 AM to assist Romy on a photo shoot for Tori Spelling's children's clothing line (Little Mavens) on the beach. Aside from listening to toddlers cry all day and heavy lifting in the hot sun, there could be harder work days. We were done by noon, got lunch, and spent the rest of the day sitting with our chairs in the water, on the beach.

At 5:20, she drove me to the train station. At 5:30, when the train was supposed to arrive, I was told there were 30-60 minute delays. At 5:50, I was told all trains from the station I was at to the station I needed to get to were suspended, temporarily. "Sorry for the inconvenience," the computer generated voice on the telecom told me. Insincerely, I might add. At 6:30, my train arrived. At 9:00, 4.5 hours later, I arrived at my doorstep in Queens.

On the train home, I cursed everyone and everything I could think of; NJ Transit, train conductors, crying toddlers, drunk passengers, hot sun, my mom, wasps, and God. But as I sat on the train, ignored because everyone thought I had Tourette's, I thought to myself, once again, I needed to take responsibility for my life and stop blaming everyone else. It is not my mom's fault that she birthed me and thinks she can ask favors of me. It is not the toddlers' fault that their cries do not sound like Sarah Mclachlan to your ears. Or maybe it does. Lastly, it is not God's fault. I mean, have you read The Shack?

God does not hate you. New Jersey does.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

the rules...



It's been 2 months now since The Boy and I ended things. I had a hard time with it at first. We had spent so much time together, how is it that all of a sudden we cut off all communication? I felt like I had lost a great friend. To make it worse, everything reminded me of him. I would bike down to the park to be active and try to get my mind off him, except that the park was near his apartment and I would have mini panic attacks that I would see him. Even the subway ride made me think of him and I would have to consciously remember to get off at my stop and not his. But as time went on it became less of an effort to forget him and I found that I was actually enjoying myself again, not "trying to enjoy myself."

My friends had asked me why I took the breakup so hard, technically he wasn't even my boyfriend. I did genuinely care for him but I think the rejection, in itself, is hard to take. Why does yet another guy not want me? Is there something wrong with me? Like a child who's had her toy taken away before she was done playing with it, I wanted to snatch him back and say, "I'm not done with you yet." I read in this month's Women's Health that being rejected by someone can make you want them even more, for the sake of attaining the person, not actually wanting to be with the person. New research in Psychological Science read:

People who tried to win a prize and failed were willing to pay extra to get it. But when they tried again to win it and succeeded, 78 percent chose to trade it away. The findings ring true for love: If you're pining for a person who rejected you, you may not be as happy as you think you'd be if reconciliation were possible.

I found this to be true in my case as well. I wasn't necessarily the happiest I could be with him, but God dammit, I wanted him to want me. As more time went by I became angry, if not with him, then with myself. Why did I accept the bare minimum from him? Do I not deserve more? I decided that I do. I also decided that I'm wasting too much time on men, undeserving ones. So I made a pact that I wasn't going to date. No men in my life = no distractions, no mental anguish. Men do this all the time. They set a goal and they put their blinders on. If they say they're not going to date anyone until their acting career picks up, they mean it. Women on the other hand say this but we never like to stand in the way of fate. Like if we say, "I'm going to focus on school right now," but if someone sweet, and charming, and extremely handsome comes into our lives... I mean...we're not gonna say no...

But the trouble is that it wasn't someone sweet, charming, and extremely handsome that was coming into my life and distracting me from my goals. It's someone who's selfish, thoughtless, and unworthy (hiding behind a handsome face). I decided that I wanted more. So I instated a No Dating Rule, effective May 20th, 2010. I am only open for friendship and anyone who wants more can suck it. Not literally, of course.

This rule is effective until I finish writing my book. (It's so close! I really can't be taking sick days to mend a heartbreak).

But... there is a sub clause. Us women, we hate the "what if he was The One" question. I will only accept a date if the person asks me on a picnic, bike ride, or other fun activity, and, these plans are made in advance. Seems easy enough but, trust me, there are very few guys out there who put in the effort of thinking of something fun to do and call to ask ahead of time. This will be a very easy rule to follow.

My best friend called me to catch up last week and she asked how the men in my life are doing. I filled her in on my No Dating pact...but, "There is this one guy," I told her...

"Rules are meant to be broken," she replied.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

roosevelt island




This past Sunday I went on a bike ride over the East River and around Roosevelt Island. I pass this island via subway everyday but it was my first time biking over there. The views were absolutely wonderful, especially with the sunset, and the cool breeze made it an even lovelier evening. It's amazing how Roosevelt Island is only 15 minutes from my apartment and yet I had never been. I love that I can still be pleasantly surprised by NYC's beauty.

cheeky

isn't this picture of my little nephew the cutest?



i envy his right to go pantsless at all times...

Monday, July 12, 2010

Nick Thune

On my last night down south we went out for comedy night. I love comedy shows but I'm terrible at planning ahead so I never buy tickets. Anyway, Nick Thune was the headliner for the night and I fell in love the moment he stepped on stage. Not only was he hot but he was hilarious with his one liner jokes and songs to his first love.








Wears glasses, plays the guitar, and is funny as hell. What's not to love?

sibling love

I was in North Carolina last weekend visiting my brother. The weather was so hot that we didn't do much of anything, but just sitting around, shooting the shit with him is always a great time. We watched some World Cup, found excuses to drink in the middle of the day, went to the movies, and ate everything in sight.

I took tons of pictures to send to my mom... I asked him not to look so handsome because he always out shines me : )



I had a really hard time leaving. I love him so much it actually hurts, you know? I cried so much at the airport that this lady turned to me and said, "Child, you look like your husband beat you." I don't have a husband, I told her. "Well you ain't gonna get one looking like this. You going to the ugly cry." Is it ironic that this woman who called me ugly and said I wouldn'd find a husband actually cheered me up?

Sunday, July 11, 2010

back in NYC...

Hello darlings, I got back in town late on Friday but I've been busy playing catch up from the week away. Sometimes you just need a vacation from a vacation. I should be back to my regular schedule tomorrow. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!! (I had the apartment all to myself last night and I spent it watching America's Most Wanted. I am aware of how sad that is.)

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

bright lights

This Fourth of July was one of the best I've had in years. Last summer I was in Thailand so July 4th came and went without me even knowing it. The weather was in the mid 90's again and I wasn't in the mood for beating the crowds to watch some fireworks so we decided to have a low key get together at our Astoria apartment. My roommate and I went on a hunt for a kiddie pool in the morning- with success! Isn't it sad what we consider luxuries in NYC? Being able to afford a $14 plastic pool filled with 2 inches of water. It took me about 30 minutes to blow up the pool (little girl with big lungs) and about 25 trips to and from the bathtub lugging tupperware filled with water. But oh was it worth it!




Some of my best friends stopped by... Good company is all you need, right?



The sky was absolutely breathtaking during sunset. We were worried we wouldn't see any fireworks because it was on the Hudson river this year but we got more than we expected from every direction on our rooftop.



Add the city lights, Christmas lights, and sparklers (I burnt my fingers within seconds) and the rooftop was just magical.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Happy July 4th!



Hope everyone's having a great July 4th! It's 95 degrees here in NYC so my roommate and I went on a hunt for a kiddie pool and ice pops. We're gonna be sunning and bbqing all day on the roof again. I'm flying out tomorrow to visit my brother in North Carolina and I'm aiming to stay up until my flight at 9 AM. Let's see what kind of trouble I can get into in 19 hours.

karate cat

We learned something new at our BBQ. Gus HATES paper towels with a passion. We were all sitting in a circle talking and enjoying our burgers when the roll of paper towels had fallen on the ground in the middle of us, the end paper flapping in the wind. Out of nowhere, Gus pounces and begins kicking, ripping, and biting the evil paper towels.

His face in this picture is just priceless. Only one contender was going to come out alive and Gus was determined. We watched him and cheered, encouraging him to keep beating the shit out of the paper towels and I couldn't help but feel like I was no better than Michael Vick.



He later realized what he had done, beating up on something that couldn't fight back, and put himself in timeout.

impromptu BBQue

I finally had a day off on Friday and was looking forward to watching World Cup, getting laundry done, laying out of the roof deck, writing, biking to the park, and going for a jog. I had only accomplished the first 3 things on my to do list when my roommates came home from a half day at work, as I was laying out. They said some coworkers were coming over for a lunch BBQ. I scrapped the rest of my to do list, called up some friends, and headed to the grocery store for some drink ingredients. I've been wanting to use up the rest of our dark rum and try out a recipe I saw in Women's Health. I made a pitcher of mango lassie (mango, tumeric, milk, non-fat Greek yogurt) mixed with dark rum. Mmm it was so delicious and refreshing but I don't think one person was meant to drink an entire pitcher.



Around 7 PM we loaded ourselves into the car and headed to Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City. I haven't been in two years! We got there just in time to see the sun setting between the buildings in Manhattan. I took the same picture of the Manhattan skyline over and over but I couldn't get over how the same view can look so different as the light changes. Sigh. I love this city.



What a great way to kick off the holiday weekend.

summer reading



Barnes & Noble was having a sale online and I couldn't help but order a bunch for $3.99 each. I got:

Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis

Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Have you guys read any of these?

Friday, July 2, 2010

dinosaur necklaces

How adorable are these dinosaur Candace Ang Vs. Margarita Saplala necklaces I came across on Daily Candy today?





My girlfriends and I have an inside joke about dinosaurs so  whenever we see anything with a dinosaur on it, we laugh out loud (to many quizzical looks), snap a picture, and send it to each other.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

library stamp

Speaking of bikes...

I had been in search of a library stamp for the books in my library for a while now. There were just so many choices out there that I couldn't decide and then put off buying one. But I came across this stamp by Asspocket Productions on Etsy and instantly fell in love!



Of course, it will say Ex Libris Nina Christensen on it. I can't wait till it arrives in the mail!!!

bike knuckle ring

How cute is this ring by Rachel Pfeffer? Oh I want it! Put an image of a bike on anything and I'll buy it.



If I wasn't broke...