eye of the storm

the past few nights have been rough as i've been preparing last minute decorations. ran into some difficulties.

wednesday my goal was to finish the reception decorations- place cards and framed photos of the bride and groom. thursday was to finish the church decorations and print out the wedding handbooks.

problem 1. i had purchased a printer and proceeded to set it up only to find that the cable connecting it to my laptop was not included with the printer. so i had to come into work early yesterday morning to print out the placecards for the bride and groom to take to the botanical gardens. luckily, kev was able to lend me a spare which the boy so kindly went to pick up, so i was able to do last night's printing at my apartment.

problem 2. i ordered the photos through kodak to have it delivered to a nearby cvs by wed. went to the store on wed (after receiving an email confirmation saying it was there). somehow they managed to mess up the delivery so my photos are nowhere to be found. plan b was to print them out on my laptop but b/c of technical difficulty Q2 was not able to send them to me. (plus problem 1, my printer wasn't working yet). in the end, Q2 printed them out and i'll work up these table displays tonight.

. .to top it off, i managed to catch a cold which has left me with a (not yet red) runny nose and headache.

i don't know what happened, but somehow this morning a strong sense of calm came over me- just a sense that it's all coming together and while i'll stress over the little details today, come tomorrow, i'll have a big smile on my face ready for showtime!

eagle has landed

being the superstitious cat that i am, i held off mentioning my own interviews of late. . . i had 4 rounds of interviews for a position as bridal manager. i'll be in charge of the bridal registry, manage two sales associates, be responsible for driving/increasing sales volume, planning monthly events, familiarizing myself with high-end home furnishing products & other registry items, work with brides, etc. . . essentially, the job is a great transition into the work i want to get in and is with a large corporation with the potential for upward mobility and relocating to other branches if desired.

i got an informal offer on monday night and the formal offer yesterday, which i readily accepted.

the new job starts mid-october which gives me time to go home and visit the family in badnews.

i have been blessed with great timing and "coincidences" this past month. firstly, i learned of this job through a formal co-worker at the florist i used to work at. she was offered two positions and was not interested in the bridal manager position so recommended me. that happened right as my desire to leave my current job was peaking. three weeks and four interviews later, i have a job that i'm ecstatic about and is heading me in the direction i want.

also recently, my lease went up and my current roommate and i decided not to live together going forward. i've been debating what to do- feeling as though i'm throwing money away with rentals. so after consideration, i've decided to look for an apartment to buy. i spoke with one of my old friends and it turns out his ex-girlfriend is a real-estate agent!! looks like i'll also be devoting my two weeks "off" apartment hunting!!

final round?

final round of interviews today.

now i understand why interviewers start of by saying- so tell me about yourself. basically, the interviewer does not want to take the effort (in my case, really doesn't have the time to re-read) to read the resume that you spend hours laboring over and wants you to summarize in concise but interesting sound bites.

today's interviews were fine. both arrived just a couple minutes early. good. on time but not so early i feel obliged to interview them early.

met with the woman for a good half hour. seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, take action type of person, firm, capable, etc.

now the man. . .oh jeez. . .granted, i didn't get a lot of sleep last night, but i really had to supress my yawns!!! i asked him to tell me a "little about himself".. this turned into a20 minute speech about his previoius experience.. i suppose i should give him some credit for being thorough, but pul-ease, don't bore me!!! every answer he gave was so long winded i almost forgotwhat the question was!!!

after that interview, i narrowed it down to my top three. hopefully bigB will do callbacks tue and wed and we'll have someone hired by wed. ideally, i can have someone in to train on friday, though it's looking more like monday or tues of next week... .

DIY bride

saturday went with jpan and theng to find a makeup artist for the wedding day. first stop was bloomies where we were helped by the very fabulous, energetic, and friendly S from CT. after the makeover, the three of us decided to walk around and see how the makeup looked in natural light and evolved as the day wore on.

the next stop was blow in the west village, unsurprisingly known for their blow outs. the trip was fruitless as their store was not open early on saturdays and the best they could do is call their roster of freelance make up artists to see if anyone was willing to take the job. there were no photos of their work to review and the receptionist would not get back to us until sometime during the week.

unimpressed with her choices and eager to move forward, jpan decided that it would be better to buy high quality make up from sephora and have Q2 or myself do her makeup.

sunday morning, the three of us reconvened at the sephora on e.67th and 3rd ave. i spoke with a sales associate and we found ourselves in the very skilled, patient, and friendly make-up artist red. with her assistance, we pulled together a fresh, natural, and polished look.

after 2.5 hours at sephora, we were all famished and finally found our way to le steak cafe. over lunch, we dished about wedding classes and various wedding details. while jpan rushed back to brooklyn to get her car to head back to northern virginia, theng and i hopped back and forth between kate's paperie and papyrus. nearly an hour later, i had purchased the seating placecards and materials for decorating the church pews.

now just relaxing a bit at the boy's place before i start at it again.

must be something about the month of september

nearing my one year anniversary with new york, i find myself once again in the midst of a lot of change.

so, i decided to pull out my risk seeker card and give my notice a couple fridays ago. it's been a long time coming, i just needed a kick in my derriere to get the ball rolling. managed to leave on good terms with the company and promised to stay til the month's end, find a replacement, and train the new hire to ease the transition.

altogether, i've interviewed six candidates and have a few lined up for monday morning. i must say it's strange being on the other side of the table and asking probing questions rather than being the one with sweaty palms, fumbling around trying to think of smart witty answers that attest to my hire-ability. i never realized how difficult it is to conduct a successful interview- that is asking questions that actually give you insight into a person's character, work ethic, etc.

top grievances at an interview:

1. scary makeup. please ladies, polished make up is great, but leave the stage make up at home!

2. not knowing what the company you are interviewing with does

3. pretending to be something you are not. it's one thing to be creatively boost up your past experiences, etc. but if you are outright lying about something, chances are that the interviewer can see through it.

4. being late or too early.

5. postponing the interview. look, i know emergencies arise, but it indicates that the job is not important to you. so why should i hire you?

paper flowers

this weekend i made 72 paper flowers. got about 78 left to go.

friday night i made 12. (1) cut the paper. (2) fold. (3) cut the wire. (4) wrap the wire around the middle of the fold. (5) pull the tissue paper layer by layer to shape into a flower. repeat . i was pretty discouraged after friday night thinking that at that rate, the flowers would be done after jpan's wedding was over!!

saturday i figured out a faster system. (1) cut all the paper. (2) fold. (3) cut the wire. (4) wrap wire around the middle of the fold. (5) pull the tissue paper layer by layer and shape into a flower. repeat (2)-(5). 20 flowers.

sunday morning i figured out the most efficient system of all. (1) precut all the stacks of paper, grouping it into stacks of four sheets. (2) precut all the needed wire. (3) fold the paper. (4) wrap the wire around it. repeat (3)-(4). (5) pull the tissue paper layer by layer and shape into a flower. 40 flowers

the other convenient thing about the third method is it makes transport easy. the boy and i went to union square and listened to some music. i was able to bring my work and prep at least 20 flowers.

ok, i just realized how incredibly boring this post was for someone that is not into crafts. but am nervous and trying to distract myself. . . more later!!!

in search of the right restaurant

thursday night, went to grand sichan with the girls- vk, q2, jpan, and theng. a potential restaurant for jpan's wedding rehearsal dinner. we ordered ma po dofu or "house tofu", a typically spicy dish, double cooked pork, garlic stir fried dou miao a green vegetable, and chicken with chili peppers. while the food was good, jpan was worried about the space and ambience. jpan and i decided to meet up friday after work to continue our quest.

after dinner, i did some research to find the city's best chinese restaurants. . . sadly, i have only been to a handful of chinese restaurants in nyc. . . something i hope to do more of this fall. instead, i had to rely on my standbys, citysearch and nymetro, which i did with some wariness as the goal was to find an authentic chinese restaurant (since half of the guests would be flying in from taiwan) and most reviewers are non-chinese.

nonetheless, i came up with the following contendors: shun lee palace, wu liang ye, tse yang, our place shanghai tea garden, and oriental garden. except for the last, all of the restaurants are in midtown.

because of the steady downpour on friday, we decided to minimize our search radius and focus on shun lee palace, wu liang ye, and our place shanghai tea garden. after walking around for twenty minutes dodging pedestrians wielding umbrellas like they were weapons, we gave up looking for wu liang and trekked 11 blocks to e. 55th street. after peeking inside shun lee palace and our place shanghai tea garden, jpan decided that we should try the latter.

she ordered shanghai syled fried rice cake with chicken, broccoli and mushrooms, and beef in a spicy/sweet sauce. the ambience and decor were beautiful. unfortunately, the portions were tiny, the food was unremarkable, and the prices were too high. . .

after dinner, we parted ways and jpan decided she would check out chinatown restaurants. third times a charm, she went to jin fong and was pleased with the food, atmosphere, and got a great deal.

just another reason to move to spain

Spanish fashion show rejects too-skinny models: Women with very low body-mass index not allowed on runway

MADRID, Spain - Spain’s top fashion show has turned away a slew of models on grounds they are too skinny — an unprecedented swipe at body images blamed for encouraging eating disorders among young people.

Organizers of the pageant, known as the Pasarela Cibeles, used a mathematical formula to calculate the models’ body mass index — a measure of their weight in relation to their height — and 30 percent of the women flunked, said the Association of Fashion Designers of Spain.

The association said Friday it wanted models at the show running from Sept. 18-22 to project “an image of beauty and health” and shun a gaunt, emaciated look.

The decision was made as part of a voluntary agreement with the Madrid regional government, said Jesus del Pozo, a designer who is part of the association, said Thursday.

Last year’s show, also called Madrid Fashion Week, drew protests from medical associations and women’s advocacy groups because some of the models were positively bone-thin.

'Mirrors for many young women'This time the Madrid regional government decided to intervene and pressure organizers to hire fuller-figured women as role models for young girls obsessed with being thin and prone to starving themselves into sickness, said Concha Guerra, deputy finance minister of the regional administration.

Fashion shows, Guerra said, “are mirrors for many young women.”

Del Pozo said this was the first time skinny models have been snubbed at a major international fashion show.

Ryan Brown, director of marketing and public relations in North America for the Elite modeling agency in New York City, agreed. “It is very unprecedented,” said Brown, who has nothing to do with the Spanish show.

He welcomed the decision, saying “I think it is great to promote health.”

Madrid’s show, which features mainly Spanish designers, is not as prestigious as catwalks in Paris or Milan but “it is not at the bottom of the pile,” he said.

Hoping to change the industryThe impact of rejecting skinny women would have been greater at those other glitzier venues. Still, he said, “I am sure the industry is taking note.”

The body mass index is a tool for doctors who study obesity. It is calculated by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared, and multiplying that total by 703.

If the resulting number is between 18.5 and 24.9, the person’s weight is normal. Below 18.5 they are underweight. In the case of the Madrid show, organizers rejected women with indices under 18.

Brown of the Elite agency said fashion shows reflect the tastes of clothing designers, who for now prefer the Kate Moss look as opposed to the curvier dimensions of models such as Cindy Crawford in years past.

“They don’t want voluptuous girls any more,” he said. “It would be nice if fashion got back to that.”

damn technology

went to the gym this morning. . as i got to the door i reached into my bag to look for my keys which has my membership card hanging from it only to realize they were no where to be found. it quickly dawned on me that i had left them on my bed.

damnit!

weighed my options. . as it was 6:30 and it was way too early to wake up my roommate, i did the practical thing and proceeded to go for a 45 minute cardio work out. . luckily, i'm a regular so they waved me through. unfortunately, i rely on my cell phone's address book and do not have any phone numbers memorized (except my parents).

i decide to go back to the apartment and ring the buzzer to see if it'll wake my roommate up. alas, it does not. i head back to the gym and explain what happened and ask if i can use the internet there. fortunately, there is an old email with my roommate's phone number. so i call a couple times and finally get through. i go back home and she lets me in.

thanks k-flo, you are the BEST!!!!

still made it to work on time.

lesson of the day: memorize roommate's, the boy's, and q2's phone numbers!

wading (i mean) rowing in central park

went with the boy to central park to relax with the paper, do some row-boating, and catch up on a bit of side work.

was very excited about rowing. we have been talking about if and had planned to go last month but it never happened. the weather was beautiful, sunny but on the cooler side. we made our way to the park around 11 and were one of the first people to get a boat.

since the boy was going to do most of the rowing (i just wanted to try my hand at it), i was supposed to go in first. i eagerly made my way toward the back seat and all of a sudden, WHOOMP, my feet go flying up in the air and i land on my butt. somewhere in the background i hear the attendant say "walk from the front end of the boat towards the back".

yea, thanks buddy. . a millisecond too soon. as i try getting up, the slippery algaefied ramp causes me to slip again. the water is soaking quickly up my right leg and starting up my left. suddenly i feel the boy's strong grasp pull me out of the water.

the boy: are you ok? ha ha ha.

v: um. sure.

ok. i just fell on my ass in front of everyone. hard.

the boy: do you still want to go?

v: yes of course.

i'm not a wimp. of course i'm goin to go.

the boy: don't worry, no one saw you fall.

v: silence.

can we stop dwelling on the fact that i just fell on my ass in front of all of central park?!! so much for a romantic afternoon of rowing and gazing into each others eyes. . .
























(see my soaked right leg?) 

only holly would

the boy is out of town until next weekend. . so i thought that it would be a great time to catch up with all my friends that i've been neglecting as of late (sorry peeps, promise to do a better job of balancing). . of course, that means i have a pretty jam packed weekend.

on the agenda- interview, dinner with rickitintin, brunch with george, return the rental car, fall preview for a designer, drinks with vk. . .

sunday morning woke up to go to the gym. get a call from jpan around 11 and plan to meet to discuss wedding dets.. . so had to cancel with george (which i hate cancelling on people) to prep. after meeting, we go return the car, and go to grand central terminal to grab a snack. walked around the greenmarket for a bit admiring the fresh produce before settling on some dried snacks. sit down and chat about her pending marriage and how she's handling everything. then we go our separate ways.

met up with ddt to go to the fall preview for hollywould line. stopped at epistology beforehand for a glass of wine and made our way to the event. great set up. in a little garden/park in soho on elizabeth street, lanterns hanging from trees, statuettes, a bar set up with beer and wine sorbet (yum!). . the deejay was a bit off- playing some random stuff. . but it was definately a cool experience. very thin tallish types wearing expensive shoes although most of the outfits were not so impressive. we took off after an hour with our swag bags (nothing too exciting except a $50 gift certificate for $700 shoes). stopped at a nearby restaurant and had dinner.

after dinner, ddt and i made our way back to union square. called up vk and decided to meet up for a nightcap. hung out for an hour with her and rosie before heading back home.

worked on the bridal shower plans for a bit then hit the hay. . all in all, a fruitful but exhausting day!

resurfacing

no no. . not talking about the sarah mac CD. . stalker no.1 decides to email me?!!!

didn't he get the hint???

here's what he has to say:

Hi, how's it going? Hope all is well with you…I'm just bored here at work. Have big plans this weekend? Hopefully the weather stays as nice as it did today. Anyways, looking forward to chatting with you! Take care and have a great weekend :)

mind you this is after threatening me then months of no word (thank the heavens above!).

don't know what this character is thinking.

have been swamped with work and life has been out of balance but am currently working on correcting that. . . details of the past week to follow!