career blazers

After a week of dragging my feet, I finally went to a temp agency. Career Blazers is on 5th Avenue, close to Bryant Park.

I arrived a few minutes early for my interview and started filling out paperwork. Next was a series of tests, primarily basic computer skills and typing. . .turns out I can type at 80 WPM (84 with mistakes), guess that that typing class in high school really paid off, and overall I scored above the 90th percentile for all the tests.

Then it was time to meet with Gallo. Rather than an interview, she primarily asked me questions regarding what I was looking for work-wise, what my flexibility was, and what other skills I have. Perhaps it was her job to be, but she seemed fairly optimistic that I would be able to find something quickly and easily. I explained that I was in transition from school to work and was open towards working in different industries and jobs. She mentioned temp work for Toyota, note-taking for focus groups, and some publishing houses.

At this point, I just need to start making money and feel productive again.

more birthday celebrations

Last night I had a bigger birthday celebration. I met up with VK for drinks at Bua, a really chill bar, completely unpretentious and a great place to grab a drink or two. Then, we met up with the rest of the group at Hip Hop Chow for dinner. It’s a funky place that mixes Chinatown tackiness, a hip vibe, and good ol soul food.

http://www.hiphopchow.com/

Being unabashedly from the south, I was delighted to find a place in New York where I can get my fix of fried chicken, collard greens, mac n cheese, and cornbread. It was all quite delicious and I’m making plans to try some of the soul restaurants in Harlem too.

After dinner, four of us headed to bOb on Eldridge for a bit of dancing. . . it started off being pretty empty but after an hour or so the place livened up. The venue was pretty small and intimate and I had lots of fun dancing to decent hip hop music.

1st Birthday in New York

Today was a beautiful day. One of my dearest friends from LA came to visit me. She got to my place around 11 p.m. Monday night and is staying until Wednesday morning. It is nice to have some “girl time” and we did just that, staying up til the wee hours catching up on one another’s lives, clothing and earring shopping, etc.

Tuesday, we spent the majority of the afternoon at Century 21 and I scored on a piece for my “Madonna” Halloween costume and some cool jeans, cords, and turtleneck. The cashier double-charged me for an item which I didn’t discover until we had made it to the subway station. But in the end I was able to get my refund and conflict was avoided. Next we stopped at a cozy, café with a fireplace to have coffee with my friend’s younger sister. After chatting for an hour or two, we made our way to West 4th street and did some earring shopping. Happened across a great boutique called Jungle Planet where they have some beautiful and unique jewelry. The owner who is from South Africa was fabulous and made the shopping experience quite enjoyable.

Around 7pm, we met up with the roomie at Momofuku for some ramen which was followed by dessert at a nearby Italian restaurant. . .during dinner, my friend asked me what was my favorite birthday. And I honestly answered tonight. I was surrounded by friends, my day was peppered with emails, texts, and phone calls, and I simply felt loved. Really, what more can a girl ask for?? So thanks everyone for remembering and making me feel blessed!

long commute

I had my first job interview since moving to New York this afternoon. The position was for an entry level floral designer at a small, recently opened florist in Huntington, Long Island. I took the L to 8 ave, transferred to the A, C, E to Penn Station. There, I bought a ticket on the Long Island Railway and got a ticket to Huntington. From the train station it was a good 30 minute walk to the florist. Altogether, the commute was almost 2 hours.

Interestingly, the owner is a scientist by training and had previously held an academic job then later and an industry job. It was more like a conversation than an interview. We talked about my reasons for entering and leaving graduate school, my career plans, and what I hoped to get out of the job. Recently, the owner decided to open up a floral shop that was like none other. That is one that encourages its florists to create non-traditional, unique floral arrangements. The company is really laid back and after giving workers basic training, florists are given free reign with their creativity. It would be a great opportunity to learn about the floral industry and get hands on experience and training in floral design. So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

On the return train from Jamaica to Penn Station, I ended up making conversation with an older gentleman. I was looking at my subway map- trying to decide whether I should take the subway or the train back to Williamsburg- he thought I was lost and asked if I needed help. Turns out he’s a French native and a physics professor at Columbia. We talked about places we’ve traveled and would like to go in the future, compared lifestyles in the US vs. France, how we both ended up in New York, etc. . . it was a really nice discussion and made me think about how nice it is to randomly connect with a total stranger.

Weekend Recap

So the weekend with the folks was nice. The arrived around 5pm on Friday and I helped my dad unload the car and bring everything up the stairs. I forgot to warn them about the 4 flights of stairs and no elevator when they were deciding what to bring. After we finished unloading the van and they rested a bit, we all walked over to the Sea and had a nice dinner there. My parents loved the food and thought the prices were even better than Newport News!

Then we walked around Bedford Avenue for a bit and I showed them a little bit of Williamsburg. . but it was getting cold and they were tired so we made our way back to the apartment. My mom helped me sort through my boxes, put everything away, and do some light cleaning.

The sleeping quarters were a tight fit. My parents and I all in my bedroom! My dad was out cold by 8:30 p.m. and my mom by 9:30. . . I decided to go out to the living room and finish reading “Running with Scissors” before trying to go to bed around 1a.m. But between my dad’s snoring and their trips to the bathroom (I shouldn’t have served them so much tea!!) during which I would cringe because I worried they would wake up the roomie, I just couldn’t sleep. I told my dad to sleep on the bed and I grabbed the blanket and went to sleep on the sofas. . unfortunately, around 5 a.m. the heat started coming on. .and if you are not from New York, you cannot imagine the noises being emitted from the radiator and heating poles were making. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep.

The next morning was a slow start. I made breakfast and coffee for my parents and once the roomie was awake, my parents started chatting him up. I think he handled himself well. Eventually, we headed out to Chinatown and found Nha Trang Restaurant on Baxter. . .the appetizers were so so but the main courses: sour soup, beef stirfry with pickled vegetables, and a whole gingery fish hit the spot. The weather was miserable but we managed to go to Pearl River Mart and a few random clothing and furniture stores. By 3pm I was crashing, so my folks and I headed back to Williamsburg for a little R&R.

The roomie, George, Q2, my folks and I met up for dinner at ICI restaurant in Fort Greene. I finally decided on the restaurant after reading rave reviews on New York Metro, citysearch, and hearing good things about the place from a CT friend. The restaurant has a little bit of notoriety because the owner was the former general manager on the show the Restaurant.

http://www.icirestaurant.com/

You walk downstairs and enter a cozy restaurant lit with candles and instantly feel as though you could be in Europe. The food was delicious, simply but excellently prepared with fresh, quality ingredients. The waitress made a very good wine recommendation and was quite attentive throughout the meal. Between the six of us, we ordered almost everything off the menu and from the looks of enjoyment on everyone’s faces, there was not a bad dish on the menu! We ordered steamed clams with lime and cilantro and the grilled squid with smoked paprika and lemon to share. I ordered the skate with greens and a side of pureed butternut squash, my mom had the monkfish special, my dad and George both got the shortribs, Q2 ordered the flying pig, and roomie got the chicken. Of course, we all made just enough room for dessert and we split the chocolate cake, pomegranate panna cotta, and plum crème brulee. What I liked about the dining experience is you get wonderful food without the pretentiousness of a Manhattan restaurant, and at a fraction of the price to boot!

My parents left early in the morning and it was a nice visit. I’ll spend the rest of the day tidying up the apartment, getting a haircut, and looking for a Halloween costume. Maybe go to the grocery store, make some curry for dinner, and go watch Entourage at George's if I'm not too tired tonight.

Parents in town

The folks are descending on Brooklyn this late afternoon/evening. . . so my afternoon will consist of making my apartment look as presentable and clean as possible and figuring out where I will take them in the city.

Depending on what time they arrive and how tired they are, we’ll either go to a restaurant in Williamsburg or maybe Korean in mid-town. For lunch tomorrow I thought we’d try a Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. I decided to give the Vietnamese restaurants here a second shot. I think since living in LA and having an overabundance of cheap and delicious Vietnamese restaurants, I have become a snob about Vietnamese food. (It probably doesn’t help that my mom is a very good cook) The problem is compounded by the fact that Thai and Vietnamese restaurants in New York are “hot” so there is much more emphasis on being trendy and cool rather than actually authenticity and taste of the food.

Most likely Sunday brunch will be dim sum. My birthday dinner I haven’t decided on a yet. All I know is that I will be dined out by the weekend. . .In the daytime we’ll probably walk around Chinatown and Soho and do some window shopping. Hopefully it’ll just be a low-key weekend with lots of quality time with my folks.

Belated birthday dinner

Yesterday was Q2’s birthday so tonight I treated her to dinner. We went to Momofuku on the LES for some tasty fusion Japanese food.

There are two owners- a Korean guy and a man from Texas. You can see their influences on the menu. We split two entrees: cheesy grits, shrimp, and pork sausage dish and pork neck noodles. The grits were delicious, a refined Southern dish. The noodle soup hit the spot with bold flavors that remind me of my mothers cooking.

After dinner we walked a couple blocks to ChikaLicious Desserts, a great little after dinner spot. The desserty specialized in a prix-fixe, three-course dessert, wine pairings for an additional fee, with three times a week menu changing..Q2 and I decided to share the more seasonal apple bread pudding/cake with granny smith ice-cream as the main dessert. It was preceded by the tiniest scoop of panna cotta and followed by petit fors.

Everything was superbly made and well presented. I would recommend it highly, especially if you are like me and feel that a meal is not complete without eating something sweet.

"Before" Pics

I've gotten a few emails about how I haven't posted apartment photos yet.

So here it is. . this was basically the state of my apartment for the first two weeks of living in Brooklyn. . . pretty bare. More photos to follow.




Before

runner's high

The weather has been beautiful this week. After two weeks of being unable to work out (the first week of moving was just too hectic and it was raining every day last week), I finally started running again yesterday. It’s also a good way for me to get to know the roads and neighborhood better. I start from my apartment and run northeast to McCarren Park where there is a track. I do a few laps depending on how my legs are feeling and then loop back around the town, weaving through different streets. It feels so good to be running again.

Once I’m feeling more settled, I may join a running club. There’s two that sound particularly interesting: the Resevoir Dogs and the NY Harriers. Both sound laid back and like a good group of people.

Spent the afternoon looking and applying for jobs online. Then met up with a high school friend for dinner in the West Village. We went to Bar Pitti where of course we ordered the Rigatoni Pitti which was a yummy combination of pasta, turkey sausage, peas, and cream. The dinner was simple but quite tasty. That was followed by tea and a crepe for dessert at Café le Henry. Nice to catch up and think we’ll be hanging out more often.

Weekend

Saturday afternoon, the roomie, George, and I headed back to Newtown, Pennsylvania. We organized the furniture and things that we wanted to bring back to Brooklyn. By 7 pm, we were all hungry so after much deliberation, we settled on Chick-fil-a. Its one of the few fast food restaurants that I really like and would get cravings for while I lived in Los Angeles (there was only one Chick-fil-a that I knew about and it was in some random mall quite a drive away). In any case, it was George’s first time going and unfortunately the Newtown Chick-fil-a did not live up to normal standards. . the chicken was not crunchy enough, they messed up our orders, and the fries did not have their typical crispiness.

After dinner, we got ready for a hip-hop party being thrown by a co-worker of the roomie’s sister. The scene was like a big frat party except we were in a bar and everyone was of legal age. We stayed for an hour or so and made our way to another party a short distance away. That party was being held in a very, dimly lit club. The music was better and I got to dance a bit. Around 2:30 a.m. the lights came on and the DJ started playing some really cheesy song to get everyone to leave. Somehow we decided to go get a slice of pizza.

I guess in Philly, there are only two late-hour pizza joints. We waited for nearly an hour before we got our slices and spent probably 2 minutes eating it. . Exhausted, we all went back to the roomie’s sister’s apartment and crashed.

Four hours later, we woke up and went to the U-Haul to pick up the moving truck. The truck only had two seats in the front so George and I had to share a seat the whole day. Next, we drove back to Newtown and loaded the car with furniture. After a three hour drive, we were back in Brooklyn. We went to George’s and picked up a chaise then to El Taco Loco II for a late lunch. By 3:45 p.m. we were unloading the truck and carrying furniture up four flights of stairs. The move didn’t take so long but we were all exhausted, in need of showers, and a warm meal.

But it's done. . . and all the effort was worth it to have a more homey apartment.

To Dine Alone or Not to?

Spent the afternoon working on cover letters and waiting for the cable guy to come. To my pleasant surprise, he showed up within the scheduled window! I can’t tell you how nice it is to be connected to the world again!

Went to Silver Spurs on Broadway with the roomie, George, and a couple of their friends. The burger I had was pretty tasty but of course did nothing to sate my longing for some good Asian grub. I would do anything for a bowl of hu tieu (thick rice noodles) with seafood, a sizzling pot of bibimbap or tofu soup, or a couple of heavenly rolls of sushi.

Sigh, but that would have meant dining alone. It’s strange since I have no qualms about going to a movie by myself. But restaurant dining, with the exception of fast food or airports, I just cannot bring myself to do alone. Maybe it’s the awkwardness of not having someone to talk to during the meal. Or perhaps the curious/pitying glances of other diners.

One of my best girl friends in LA would probably tell me that it’s ridiculous that I can’t just go to a restaurant by myself to enjoy the food that I would like to eat. But eating out, enjoying food is a communal experience that I feel should be shared with good friends and families. But then again, there will always be times when I won’t have a dining partner on hand. So perhaps I should follow the wisdom of Nike. . .

Tea Haven

Sitting in “Splendor in a Kettle” on St. Marks place, enjoying a teapot of roasted matte and their wireless internet, and eavesdropping on the pair at the table next to me.

It’s a first meeting for a trainer and a potential client. In the hour that they’ve been meeting, I’ve learned the following:

-Her family is from Eastern Europe and the parents are currently living in California

-She’s been living in New York for a year attending Parson's

-The trainer was not athletic growing up but uses this to relate to his clients

-He’s from an Irish family, loves carbs, and loves to cook

-His motto is moderation is key

Turns out his hourly rate of $40 (preferably $50/hr) is kind of steep so she has to okay it with her parents. Although he’s pretty charming and says all the right things, I can’t tell if he’s sold her on it. They leave and he insists on picking up the tab. Smart move- I may have underestimated the guy.

dinner with fabulous P

Today was another dreary fall day. You know the type of day. You take one look out the window and it’s so cold and rainy that all you want to do is curl up under the warm covers and take refuge.

I spent the better part of the morning researching various temp agencies in New York. I found four that seemed particularly appealing. By the afternoon, I was feeling a bit stir crazy. So I went to Union Square to mail a package and find a coffee shop to work in. I spruced up my resume and finished a report that is long overdue.

I met up with P for dinner at the Republic. She’s as stylish, cool, and beautiful as ever. Always down to earth with a great attitude about life. Had some yummy calamari and the noodle soup hit the spot and warmed me up. P seems to be in a really good place in a happy relationship and nice job. It’s always to see good things happening to nice people.

rained out

I am waiting to meet up with a friend that I’ve known since middle school. After what seems like forever, we are actually living in the same state again. In college, I was in Virginia or China and he was in New York or Israel. After college, I moved to Los Angeles and he was still in New York.

We were supposed to go to Central Park and walk around and catch up. It’s raining though so we’re going to meet up in Williamsburg and find a coffee shop. It’s nice having a history with someone. Don’t need to explain so much and you can just pick up where you left off.

Rather Uneventful Day

Waited for the beds to be delivered. They arrived at 2:45 p.m. (past the window that was agreed upon originally). Went to Chinatown to exchange some blinds for my windows and was able to get a wok with the store credit.

Came home and made a quick trip to the grocery store. Made some chicken orzo soup with a little too much orzo. The roomie put up blinds for me and we watched “Fight Club”.
Maekre had been suggesting I watch that movie for some time. It was pretty thought provoking. Think I’ll get more of the subtleties the second time around.

Weekend in Newtown

Friday was a good day. Went with VK to Aquagrill in SoHo and had a fabulous salmon sandwich. The East Village is such a cool area and I will definitely explore it more.

After that, met up with the roomie and George to go to Newtown, the roomie’s hometown. Before going to Penn Station, we stopped at 1-800-Matress to check out some beds. We tested out different beds for about half an hour before making our purchases. I ended up going with the Nation’s Pride Legacy Plush. It is an incredibly comfortable bed, with just enough firmness and softness. Probably the best bed I’ve ever owned and it better damn well last me 10 years cuz it wasn’t cheap!

Then we hopped onto an hour and a half train-ride to Trenton. The roomie and George amused themselves with monkey talk and taking photos. The evening was nice and relaxing; home cooked meal (stir-fried noodles and stir fried rice), drink at Isaac Newtons, then renting a movie. We stayed up until 3 a.m. watching Harold and Kumar go to White Castle and various dating shows.




The next day was comprised of an IKEA and Target run. We managed to go to Pat’s for the best Philly cheesesteak and cheesefries I’ve had to date. George and I were invited to stay for an extra night and dinner out since it was the roomie’s dad’s birthday. It was a nice dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. After dinner, we went through the roomie’s old furniture and things and decided what to bring back to Brooklyn.

This morning we filled the car up to capacity with various items and I’ve spent the better part of the afternoon cleaning and putting them away. Now I’m waiting to meet up with Q2. We are probably going to the Sea for dinner and maybe stop somewhere for drinks after that. Should be fun.

Pleasant sleep

In the middle of the night, I heard the sound of a heavy rainfall. I got up to close the windows. I fell back asleep to the steady beating of raindrops. This is something I've missed dearly while living in Los Angeles.

Ahhh, blissful sleep.

Crappy Cable Companies

Not having regular internet access has been a huge pain. Every morning I turn on my laptop hoping *please please please* that I can tap into someone’s wireless. Most mornings that wish is unfulfilled. When I get desperate enough, I make my way to the roomie’s lab to use the internet.

Two days ago I did some research to see what internet providers there are in Bklyn and what packages were offered. It seems that Time Warner Cable has a monopoly out here. So I called to find out more details. Of course they have one of those annoying automated systems.

The Machine: Say “1” if you speak English. Say “2” if you speak Spanish.

Me: One

The Machine: Do you have existing service or are you a new customer.

Me: New customer

The Machine: Say “cable” if you are interested in cable. Say “internet” if you are interested in internet. Say “digital phone” if you are interested in digital phone.

Me: Internet

The Machine: Please wait for a service representative to answer your call.

In the background is some recording extolling the great customer service that Time Warner Cable has.

So after a minute or two of waiting, a woman gets on the phone. She asks me what I’m interested in (wasn’t that the purpose of the automated system) and where I live. Then she proceeds to give me a range of options. It seems that I can get basic cable and internet on top of that for $29.99/month for the first six months. That sounds good but I have to double check with the roomie to make sure that’s okay.

After okaying things with him, I call Time Warner back and have to go through the same annoying routine. Finally a get a new sales rep on the phone. She again asks me what I’m interested in. I tell her I’m interested in internet and ask her what packages there are. She lists a variety of very expensive plans (lowest being $90+). I say that their website and a previous representative told me that I can get basic internet and internet for $29.99/month. She states that that is for returning customers only.

I am obviously confused by the conflicting information and ask her if that is the best she can do in terms of plans. Then she cops an attitude and tells me that she has already told me what plans they offer and how could I ask for more. So I said thank you and hung up.

Fed up with dealing with Time Warner sales reps, I asked my roomie to take care of it. He got a completely different story yesterday when he called. Apparently, we could get cable internet without getting ANY internet. So he placed an order and hopefully a week from now, I’ll be set with internet.

moving in

wireless internet in the apartment has been pretty spotty so i've been unable to blog regularly the past few days. i'm going to call time warner today to start internet and cable services- very exciting

moving into my new apartment has been a lot of fun, but it's going to take me at least a couple of weeks to get everything done. basically we are working from a clean slate as i sold/donated/gave away a lot of my things in los angeles. the sole piece of furniture i have in my bedroom is an airmatress that i've been sleeping on.

i have good friends. jpan came up for a couple days to help me clean the apartment and do some shopping. qq picked me up from the airport, brought take-out chinese, and lent me a comforter, sheets, and basic necessities.

the apartment is beautiful and has incredible potential. lots of space, high ceilings, great wood floors. my room has french doors and two large windows with great sized window sills. i found some blinds that are a natural, cream color at the pearl river mart. there will probably be an east-asian theme in my room.

actually, different rooms in the apartment will have different themes. the bathroom- african (which part, i'm not sure yet, ask my roomie, he's the expert) and kitchen- mediterranean/provencal. the kitchen is very spacious and has all new appliances. we'll put a high table/counter in the kitchen with tall stools/chairs for casual eating.

there is a common area that will be divided into a smaller dining area and a living room. the living room decor is going to be inspired by a tibetan wall hanging i bought in china 6 years ago. there's great colors in it including beautiful golds, oranges, reds. so i was planning on buying some gauzy material to hang on the walls and we'll buy some loungey stools, pillows, etc.

today i'm stuck at home waiting for deliveries. so i'll wash and put away the plates and glassware that we bought yesterday. surprisingly i found better prices for better quality at pottery barn than chinatown (who woulda guessed?)

tomorrow i'll try to upload some before pictures so you can see the progress.

waiting for "john"

i hate tardiness. i got up extra early this morning to finish my last errands, e.g. workout at the west LA YMCA for the last time (aww), go to the post office, pick up drycleaning, and clear out the remaining odds and ends in the apartment, before the car transport guys were scheduled to come at 11am.

at first i didn't mind, i ate breakfast, repacked my suitcase, and waited. and waited.

it's now 12:20 p.m. and there's no sign of john, the driver. no call no nothing. i called the office and got no answer. so here i am, still sitting around in my dried sweat, gross, i know, but with my luck they'd call as soon as i start soaping up my hair!

i still have to meet with my landlady this afternoon to give her the keys and so she can take a look at the apartment. i did a good job cleaning. vk would be proud. in any case, i promised a friend that i'd get him a UCLA shirt so i have to make my way over to campus too. . and then there will be a nice dinner with some friends and a farewell party and karaoke this evening. should be fun. chikster promised to sing a song for me:)

and tomorrow will be the start of a whole new chapter. . .