the hands gave it away

i am officially halfway done with my training with one more month to go. . .this has been a source of confusion for many of my friends- since officially i started my new job on feb 4th. technically however, i have to complete the training program which includes computer based training, shadowing in our assigned departments, learning about different aspects of working as a merchant (advertising, brand strategy, etc). during the 6th week of training, interviewing begins for our final placements. there are several rounds of interviews, during which two trainees are sent in to meet with buyers with open assistant positions, until each trainee is finally placed.

in preparation, we are all required to participate in a mock interview which i had today.

i began obsessing over it on monday, visiting a couple stores to competitive shop and familiarizing myself with the business. i prepared a cheat sheet summarizing the department's business trends and got tips from my shadow. i went to bed extra early last night and woke up at 6AM to review my notes. i got to the interview half an hour before schedule and waited in the reception area during which my stomach twisted with nerves.

somehow i managed to get through and got a lot of feedback from my interviewer. we discussed my verbal and nonverbal interview skills and strategies for improving.

what i learned:

(1) that the only indication of nervousness in my body language was when i repeated touched my neck, jawline, and hair.
(2) my interviewer did not like my russian navy nail polish.
(3) i come across as mature, comfortable in my own skin, creative, and highly analytical.

as is commonly the case, while there were equal parts if not more, good rather than bad comments, i mainly remember the criticism. . .

overheard on the bus

riding on the bus back uptown after an exhausting day at work (more on that in a later post), i noticed a middle-aged couple sitting across from me. an asian woman with shoulder length straight hair, serious air, and wrapped up in a fur lined coat and a caucasian man with rimmed glasses and a grey mustache adorned in suit and overcoat. occasionally the man would look up from his paper and mutter something to the woman. she seemed to mostly ignore him, transfixed by her phone. . . that didn't seem to stop him.

man: y'know what's worse than a male chauvinist?

woman: silently gazing at her hands

man: (triumphantly) a woman who doesn't do what she says!

what was the woman thinking?

a. dear God why did i marry this man?

b. i wonder if anyone else heard him? maybe if i pretend that he didn't say anything, everyone else will do teh same. . .

c. dear God, will this stranger stop talking to me?

it's so cute!!!

every few months, i feel the need to change my hair in some fashion. for the past couple years- t was all about growing it out superlong and playing with layers and color. . .but somehow, i had come to the point of being bored and tired with my hair. i needed a drastic change.

so last sunday, with several clippings of various hairstyles and colors, i went to my little hair shoppe. as we discussed styles, my stylist was getting more and more geared up. after agreeing on the look- he grabbed my hair in his left hand and with his right hand took a dramatic snip and the next thing i know he is swirling my formerly long locks in the air triumphantly.

over an hour of cutting then another hour of coloring and styling, i walked out feeling chic and enjoying the feeling of having a bare neck.

over the course of the week- i heard a barrage of comments- it's so cute! . . you look more corporate. . .sophisticated. . . you look more mature. . . urm. . . i really like it. . .you still look like V.

i still can't tell what's worse- being told that i am "cute" or "mature"?

high fidelity take 2

groggy from my afternoon nap on president's day- i hear my phone beep indicating a text. glancing down i see a text from rex-mex. . . curious. . .

rex-mex: hey- i'm doing the whole john cusack hi fidelity thing- are u open to talking? feel free to say no.


v: yea sure


rex-mex: does now work?


v: before 8pm is fine.


ring ring.


textmex: i really appreciate you talking to me. i am deconstructing past relationships to gain insight on why i keep repeating the same mistakes.

v: ok, what's the problem?

rex-mex: i keep seeking out emotionally unavailable women. they string me along, flirt with me, and i keep going back to them. but they don't want to commit so i eel as though i have to convince them to be with me. it makes me feel terrible and insecure. then the women that i meet who are truly interested in me and are interested in a relationship, i don't want.

v: hmm. . . maybe it's the thrill of the chase and the challenge that you like?

rex-mex: i don't think that's it. i feel miserable.

v: are you truly ready for a serious relationship? maybe you are subconsciously choosing women who reject you because you really are not ready to settle down. maybe you are scared of having another unsuccessful marriage?

rex-mex: no, i am ready.

v: then that doesn't make sense.

back and forth- me suggesting possible explanations and him ruling it out.

v: well, i dont' know what's going on but you are too old to be making the same mistake and wasting your energy on women that don't value you. you aren't getting any younger and if you do want to remarry and have children, you need to break out of these bad cycles. it'll just leave you feeling depressed and go no where.

rex-mex: i know, you are right. i don't know why i keep doing this. well, thanks for talking. . .i am just grasping for straws and trying to get as many viewpoints as possible, maybe something will make sense and strike a chord.

after our conversation ended, i was troubled. not that rex-mex was unhappy per se- but just how his situation signifies the reality that there are no guarantees in life. we all are responsible for the decisions that we make- which means that while one may make the right choices and find happiness, one may make bad choices and fuck up their life. scary thought.

wonderfully productive day

there are those days (most of the time) that i only finish half of my to-do list. today i actually got an early start and was able to knock of everything on my list.

bank
gym
sweep & mop
clean the bathroom
organize my piles of paper
grocery store
k-mart
pharmacy
chinatown for feng shui improving pieces

AND i even got a nap and some catching up phone calls in!

i love having full weekends to catch up on errands and rest. . . monday off is just gravy.

department for mortified vagrants

it's been on my to-do list for an embarassing amount of time now. . .

exchanging my CA drivers license for a NY drivers license.

there's so many reasons why i've procrastinated: (1) the DMV sucks, (2) i didn't want to waste my precious time off during the week at the DMV, (3) the DMV had short hours so i had to go on a weekday, (4) my old license is valid until 2010, (5) the DMV sucks. of course, many reasons why i should: (1) i don't even live at the address on my CA license and not sure if my former colleague still does, (2) i could be called for jury duty and not know it then be fined for dodging jury duty, (3) i've lived in NY for over two years, (4) it's irritating to explain why i have a CA license , NY address, and where i'm from, (5) i can't register to vote in NY.

i got out from work at 1pm today and decided to finally suck it up and go to the DMV. i tried to minimize any waiting time by making sure i had all the proper identification, all the forms were out, had my sister fill out the eye exam form for me and was all set to go. i arrived at the express DMV (mostly for renewals and exchanging out-of-state licenses) to pure mayhem.

usually, there are three lines. the first to get any forms you are missing and your ticket to wait in line, the second to take the eye exam, verify your forms, and take your photo, the third to input your info in the system, turn in your license, and pay the fee. unfortunately, the ticket machine/system was down so the lines were out of control and for a good thirty minutes none of the employees knew what to do. since the attendant couldn't give out tickets, she gave each person in the first line another piece of paper and directed them to the second line. the second line then stalled for quite some time. the line two attendant was walking back and forth around the office frantically trying to figure out what to do since the system was done. much discussion back and forth among the employees. finally, line two attendant decided to call whatever remaining ticket numbers out in order then start to help people in the order that they were in in line. . . BRILLIANT!

gradually, line two began to move. eventually i got through and headed back to line three which seemed to have merged into line 1 but actually line 1 no longer existed as it had merged into line 2.

as you can see it was chaotic and everyone's face exhibited the suffering and pain that they were enduring. . . and about an hour and a half later, i had relinquished my CA license and gotten my temporary card.

conversations at a hotel bar

i met angel a year ago at a work sponsored/organized training in the city. hailing from minneapolis, angel struck me as a vivacious, bright, warm, and good woman. despite our notaceable differences in age, backgrounds, and upbringing, i felt an immediate familiarity and kinship with her. despite bonding over the course of the training, it was difficult to keep in touch, not that that was surprising- with the distance, crazy work schedules, and otherwise full lives.

nonetheless, i was excited to find out that angel would be attending this year's training. since i had switched jobs, i couldn't attend the training myself, so instead we agreed to meet up for drinks monday night at the doubletree. the training group was running late so i got a seat at the bar, ordered a marker's mark, and an order of buffalo wings (yes, i sound like an old man).

i ended up making conversation with a nice middle-aged couple from vienna, VA who were in town visiting a sick relative. i also got to know the former model-bartender rhodie. by the time training group had all arrived at the hotel, i had heard her whole life story- modeling at the age of 12/13 walking the runways in paris, anorexic and taking coke to dull the hunger, stopped modeling in her late teens,worked as a hostess at a greek restaurant before getting her current gig as a bartender in a hotel. dating an older, divorcee with a psycho ex-wife (aren't they all) and two children. rhodie's fuller figure and the content look on her beautiful (if generic in a magazine shoot way) face conveyed her happiness.

it always amazes me how much individuals reveal about themselves.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

to celebrate lunar new year's eve, my friends and i went to szechuan gourmet on w.39th between 5th and 6th avenue...who knew you had to go to koreatown for the best sichuanese food in town?

upon entering the boisterous restaurant, the scent of peppercorns and spices greet you. the food is delicious, cheap, and authentic. for appetizers, we ordered poached chicken and crispy soy beans, dan dan noodles, spicy mung bean jello salad, and thin sliced beef tendons. the poached chicken cleverly juxtaposed cool chicken and crisp cucumber (not soy beans) against a fiery, tongue numbing chili sauce and was the clear winner for the apps. the dan dan mian were underwhelming (grand sichuan does a better job here). jello salad was nothing special and the sliced beef tendons were tasty but not compelling.

for main entrees, we shared a braised whole bass in a sichuan, chili miso sauce, stir fried fresh pork belly, stir fried greens (dou miao), and wok tossed crispy beef fillets. i loved every dish. the sauce adorning the fish was extremely flavorful with just enough spiciness, saltiness, and sweetness. the stir fried pork belly was decadent with complex textures. the beef fillets were essentially deep fried beef spiced with cumin and reminded me of meals of spicy kabobs and naan that i savoured in xinjiang.

theng bought up predictions for the year of the rat for those born in the year of the horse which sent me into a tizzy of concern- afterall, the boy and my brother are both horses (not to mention theng herself). . . to find out what 2008 entails for you.. . read this http://www.fengshuiweb.co.uk/advice/chineseanimalpredictions2008.htm

favorite meal of the day

whether it's dim sum in chinatown, a good ol new york bagel loaded with light lox cream cheese, or eggs benedict with a spicy bloody mary- brunch is a favorite for me. it is simply a wonderful way to start a weekend day- sharing an indulgent if not greasy (the best cure for a late night out) meal in the early afternoon with a group of friends.



the venue was stone park cafe in park slope- michelin referred and highly rated for their biscuits and gravy. . . actually, the reviews were so complimentary that i was getting nervous that i would be sorely disappointed. luckily, my concern was for naught. it was the best brunch i've had in a long time.

i ordered the hangfry- a frittata with oysters, bacon, vermont cheese, and the boy ordered biscuits and gravy, their signature dish, with a side of bacon*. my dish was pretty tasty though it would be improved by (1) better distribution of bacon and/or cheese or (2) more of both. the biscuits and gravy were quite delectable. the biscuits were perfectly light and buttery and the gravy was just rich enough.

all in all, a great brunch. . . and hopefully the beginning of many now that i have weekends off again!!!

*pics to follow in updated post