Regina Po

Week 35: Tickled Chin, Personal Goals, & Perogies.

Published on January 17, 2015January 24, 2015 by Regina Po2 Comments

[January 12th – 18th]

I forgot to wear a hat… can’t have another frozen forehead.

01.12: Today my mind went spiraling into itself on the subway ride home. It’s rather normal for me to get into deep discussions with myself while on the subway (it’s my favorite place in the whole city to really think). Of course I keep these discussions to myself, not to worry. I was listening to Jay Z’s NEW YORK blaring from the headphones directly behind me while my chin was getting tickled by the faux fur hood just inches below me (the lady was shorter than me(!)) when something someone said the other day trickled into my mind…

‘People are so isolated in NY’.

I’ve definitely heard this remark about NYC numerous times. I’ve always thought it was quite an odd observation. Sure, everyone has their own thing going on (and boy do people LOVE telling you how busy they are), but at the end of the day (literally) we’re smack tab smushed right beside one another listening to each other’s music and getting tickled by the other’s coats. I’m not exactly sure how that’s supposed to be isolation.

11pm on a Saturday night on the Q. This guy had the word ‘cool’ written all over him.

01.17: Woke up today with complete intention to do all of my to-do list [gym, clean, groceries]. I’ve cleaned so far and half the day has come and gone. I normally really like going to the gym… actually this is only true when I’ve already started my gym routine. Being sick really through me off the whole gym routine and getting back into it is such a pain. Excuses excuses. I know. I honestly probably won’t go today. I will definitely go tomorrow (I feel like I’ve heard this before). My healthy habits have taken a back seat to my lazy-ness. UGH. It’s also hard to eat right when grocery shopping is the bane of my existence!!! I’ve written about this before so there’s nothing new to say other than I REALLY need to go buy food or I’ll be succumbed to use Seamless again and let’s be honest, I’m not going to order a salad to get delivered. Nobody makes a better salad than me anyway, why bother. I’ve also managed to surpass my eating out budget for the month already. I’m normally really good with money… This is a sure tell sign that grocery shopping is a PAIN.

Ok. I’m done blaming the world for my health-defying habits. It’s definitely a pain to go to TJs, but it’s not impossible. There’s also a KeyFood a couple blocks away… maybe I’ll try shopping there.

I’m also like the #1 cheerleader for homemade food. It’s not THAT hard, just takes a bit more effort here. I see people using blogs as accountability for something they’d like to achieve, well I’d like to get my shit together and stop wasting my money (and loosing my health).

Next week I’ll take a photo of all my meals. Taking accountability!! Woot. I’m also going to the gym if it freaking kills me.

In other news… this week has been generally great. Job is still A for Awesome.

– Unlimited Sangria & Meangirls trivia in the LES. It was so cold on my way home that I started jogging only to realize the wind felt worse that way, clearly I didn’t have enough Sangria.

– Continued My obsession with Red Bean Cakes… seriously, I want to buy these bad boys in bulk from China town (the lady at my corner store is making a killing off of me with these things).

– Started using the term ‘bad boys’ to refer to anything with a multiple… I should stop.

– Went to a ‘house’ party in Alphabet city. It really is remarkable how many people can fit into NY apartments when they really try.

– Discovered my immediate need (want) for a polaroid camera at said party. SO GOOD.

Side note… I brushed my teeth while wearing all outdoor gear. Not exactly ground breaking news. I know. I was already out the door when I decided I should brush my teeth… well getting allllll layered up again just wasn’t an option. Never done that before.

Another side note… remember my post Personal Wishlist? Of course not… nobody read it. Well, I found the list I made back in April in a purse pocket.

01.18. Rainnnnn so much rain! If it wasn’t for my new rain boots begging me to play in some puddles, I would say the weather today SUCKED. But, I have new rain boots and a badass umbrella so I was set.

I still needed a long coat (my thighs are following suit and beginning to hurt) so I headed to an epic thrift shop in the East Village called No Revelations. I always love walking through the East Village… even on rainy days.

After hunting and capturing my new coat (epic find btw), I went to my Sunday Russian Film Club (formal name to come :). We ordered from the local Ukrainian restaurant and stuffed our faces with Perogies. It’s been like 4 hours and I’m still feeling the effects of my food coma. We watched My Perestroika.

Not the healthiest of meals, but just on Sundays 🙂 That’s a piece of delicious Kelbasa a top the mountain of dumplings (perogies with ‘meat’, sauerkraut and mushroom, potatoes, and farmers cheese). I can now die happy.

My 3am ride home on the subway… SO glad I woke up at my stop.

So I’ll end on this note… The office building that I work in is called WeWork, which is it’s own organization. It’s pretty great. Our office is one of many on our floor and a few other folks bring their doggie best friends to work. The result? We get adorable pups strolling in and out of our office on a regular basis. This Friday we got a visit from TWO pups.

Happy Sunday, have a great week!

Week 34: White Winter, Jenga, & Jenny!

Published on January 11, 2015January 24, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

[January 5th – 11th]

01.08: I am cold. I thought I was cold several times before this, I was wrong. Now, I’m cold. The temp this morning reads 14F and the convenient ‘Feels Like’ is -2. WHOA. Walking home from the subway last night I discovered that my forehead could hurt from the cold. WHO KNEW!? I held my glove to my face the entire walk home. I’m definitely going to need a new hat. My giant scarves are not cutting it anymore.

The end of the holiday season has always signified the end of winter for me… the beginning of January was always just the weird limbo season where folks kept their christmas lights up, but ‘winter’ had said its’ goodbye while I said hello to the beach. Things have changed. January has officially marked the beginning of winter for me. Snow and temperatures have fallen. The numerous christmas trees hanging out on the edge of the sidewalks is the only sign that the holiday season has come and gone. The poor trees look so sad.

On another note, my new job is amazing. I get to play with a site that has the most epic greeting cards around. What more could I possibly ask for? If you haven’t already checked out the site, do it now: Postable.com. Send me a card, while you’re at it… let me know you care that I’m freezing my ass off.

Today was Jess’s (my roomie) birthday so me and Mary Alice (other roomie) made dinner. A green pasta dish (linguini, avocado sauce, duck/chicken/pork sausage, browned onions, and garlic, garnished with crispy roasted cayenne chick peas) with homemade cheesy garlic bread. Needless to say my belly is FULL. We also had peanut butter brownies with Tahitian vanilla ice cream for desert. I’m ready to pop. I’m also beginning to understand why nobody leaves their house during the winter. BRRRR.

1.10: Jenny is visiting me again! After some coffee this morning we ventured out to Prospect Park with Miss Chelsea to look at all the pretty snow-ey scenery. There wasn’t nearly as much snow as I had hoped would have piled up by now, but it’s getting there. Definitely still a winter wonderland… minus a few inches of snow. The weather temp read 21F (feels like 10F), but at first it didn’t really feel that cold… until about 45 minutes into our walk. By the time we walked through the park my thighs were painfully numb, my nose had long lost feeling, and my forehead hurt again (I keep forgetting to cover the damn thing).

I’m super stoked for the day that we get like 3 feet of snow so that I can go sledding!!! I remember getting to sled in Russia (just a very faint memory) and must do it again. There were a few kids with sleds, but without their dad’s pulling them along the 2 inches on the ground, they would get nowhere.

Jess’s birthday celebrations continued tonight at Royal Palms (a shuffle board venue). Saturday night means the shuffle board court was packed so playing giant Jenga had to be the next best thing (we did eventually make it to the shuffle boarding at the end of the night).

A night of red wine and Jenga left us hungry. To the diner we went…

Nothing like some greasy food to finish off the night. Those Mozz sticks went great with the bowl of Ranch I requested… I promise my eating habits are normally exponentially healthier.

1.11: Food. SO much food. After a short stroll through the East Village Jenny and I met up with Jess and Jenny’s sister for some lunch. I’ve had this place on my go to list for some time… Oda House (Georgian cuisine). I haven’t really ever had or even thought about having Georgian food until my brother strongly urged me to try some. This placed Oda House on my radar. Anyway, he wasn’t joking… the food was AMAZING. I kind of wish I had taken some photos of the dishes, but if you’re in the NYC area and want to try something unique… this is your spot.

I finished my week off with a Russian flick with a pair of great friends in their East village home. Sometimes I catch myself wondering if I’m dreaming and take extra care not to startle myself just in case.

The temp read 27F today. It was actually pretty nice out after all the layers came on. My forehead was warm too. Happy Sunday, have a great week!

Week 33: Theraflu, 2014, & A New Job.

Published on January 4, 2015January 4, 2015 by Regina Po1 Comment

[December 29nd – January 4th]

12.31: Oh Hey! I’m back. For good, I promise. Week 31 was mostly me laying in bed near a pool of tissues. Nothing to write home about except my uber exciting Ally Mcbeal marathons. Week 32 got me so excited at the prospect of breathing, I completely forgot I had a blog… By the time this week rolled around whatever hell my body didn’t introduce me with during the 31st week came rolling full force. Needless to say I’m all battled out in the realm of illnesses. I’ve been patiently building a moat of tissues around my bed for the past 4 days, chugging honey water, and thanking my lucky stars this only happens once in a blue moon. I should be feeling better in a couple of days [fingers crossed].

Being sick is not the end of the world, things could be much worse. Too bad it’s my favorite day of the year. Normally, I like to spend December 31st full of flashbacks – the good and the bad – from the year past. I’ll normally go through my photos and read through my journals to see how my inner thoughts have transitioned and hopefully grown. I like to say goodbye and welcome room for the prospect of the new.

Around this time last year (December 2013) I was devastated. For the first time in my college career I had failed to pass a course and unfortunately, it happened to be the last course I needed to get my degree. I got a C minus. The course was evolutionary biology and by far the most difficult I’ve ever taken. I had made plans to move to NYC in February, which were put on hold. I couldn’t believe it. I retook this class (with a different professor) in the Spring semester which pushed my move to May which made for a much smoother move. There was no slushy snow or bitter winds to aide my move. Instead the city welcomed me with sunshine.

It worked out for the best. I didn’t know it last December. I know it now. Things worked out for the better. This seems to be a repeating theme in my life. I can’t speak for anyone else, because we all know life is [no] fairy tale. But I’m one lucky lady.

2014

* Said goodbye to my own oasis in college park. I really loved that little home.

* Graduated with a BS.

* Got to spend time with relatives I haven’t seen since I was 11. It was really nice to have an extended family for a week.

* Celebrated my 24th year by singing my theme song at Big Daddy’s surrounded by great friends.

* Started an Etsy shop.

* Started the first blog I kept up with.

* Packed my life into a suitcase, hugged my parents goodbye, and hopped on a plane to NYC.

* Lived in Washington Heights for 3 months.

* Spent my first month in NYC falling hopelessly in love with the city – dumpling by dumpling.

* Got a job in customer service with a startup called Handy.

* Discovered my dream neighborhood – thinking there is no way I’d ever be able to live here.

* After 2.5 painstaking months of a stubborn search, I found a home in my dream neighborhood.

* Moved into my dream apartment… this process was far more stressful than I could ever imagine.

* Got so incredibly lucky with 2 amazing roomies.

* Landed a new job with Postable.com (Yup! More on this below).

My goodness, this year was amazing.

I have been terrified, anxious, and stressed to such degrees I didn’t think were possible this year. I have also reached such intense highs that I thought for certain I was dreaming.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from 2014: If something scares me, it’s a sure tell sign I should be going for it.

I end the year on a slightly less awesome note. Alone and sick. Shitty, yes. I have been thinking about the perspective I wanted this entry to have (with me being sick and alone on nye and all) and I had it spun all positively until just about 10 minutes from midnight.

This sucks. There’s really no other way to put it, but nevertheless I just welcomed 2015 with the most optimism I could muster and a toast (my hot cup of Theraflu) to new year. Cheers to the future!

01.02.15: It’s the second day of the year and I’m feeling better. Not quite at 100%, better nonetheless. Well enough to leave the house for the first time since last Saturday and brave the new year weather! It ‘feels’ like 30F outside… not bad. I have no groceries left in the house and I’ve surpassed the helpless state of being to justify ordering seamless every day. I think I’ve finally had too much Pho.

I like to buy groceries at Trader Joe’s. There are a couple small produce stores in my neighborhood including a Union Market, but these are way out of my budget. Plus, I love shopping at TJs… something about it just tickles my fancy. In order for me to get there, I have to take a bus (transportation within Brooklyn is pretty much limited to buses or cabs). I planned out my timing just right with the help of Hop Stop (an app I’ve come to rely on) so that I get to the stop 3 minutes from when the bus should be getting there. Seeing as how my luck has run dry this week, it wasn’t that surprising when I saw my bus zooming by as I was half a block away. It was 4 minutes early! GRRRRRRRRRR. The next bus wouldn’t come for another 20 minutes. I spent about 6 minutes having an inner-thought discussion on whether or not I [really] needed to buy food. Judging from the looks I was getting, my inner-thoughts were audible. I decided the 3 cans of black beans sitting lonely in my cupboard were just not going to cut it.

The same thing happened to me on the way back from TJs… only this time the sweat building up under my coat and the inability to breathe through my nose got to me. I took a cab home.

These next 3 days are the last days of my epic 3 week vacay… which turned out to be one week of awesome sandwiched between 2 weeks of nose blowing and body aching. I’ll take it. I’m going to take it easy — read a book, continue on my Netflix binge, and MAYBE sneak out of the house for some Brunch on Sunday (we’ll see). Since I haven’t really taken any photos this week, I’ve included a bunch of photos from the previous week below (all iPhone photos for now).

New York Historical Society

View from Bryant Park in midtown

Park Avenue on the Upper East Side.

Carnegie Hill (Upper East Side).

Astoria, Queens.

1.03: It’s snowing. I’m still coughing. The good news? I only woke up once last night. I also discovered Friends on Netflix… by the time lunch time rolled around the snow turned into rain. Bummer. Today is gloomy.

1.04: I left the house today for Brunch with some lady friends in the West Village. A place called Yerba Buena. I decided to skip the brunch cocktails seeing as how I’m still getting better and don’t want to prohibit the getting well process. I really needed this outing… I’ve been stuck in bed for a week and the lack of social contact was getting really old. The meal was delicious (I got some sort of seafood soup) and the waiter was super cute, so all in all the outing was a success.

I’ve started to take more pictures of myself… mainly my outfits. This isn’t a fashion blog, and I don’t really intend on turning it into one, but I happen to adore fashion. One of my favorite parts of living in NYC is that I can finally wear whatever I want and nobody will give a shit. You can never be over dressed. SO, I’m going to catalog more of my outfits since it is such a big part of my living here.

I know I haven’t really kept up with the blog lately and I’m pretty sure I didn’t mention it previously, but I resigned from my previous job at Handy. WHAT?! I know. Hence my 3 week vacay! Come Monday I will be starting a new position as a Jill of All Trades (catchy, I know) with Postable.com. Check them out, you’ll see how perfect they are for me [and I for them]. I feel like I’m starting the first day of school on Monday and uber excited!!

Week 30: Uncompleted Sentences.

Published on December 9, 2014January 24, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

Yes, I know I’ve skipped week 29. I switched my work schedule and went to visit my parents down south. It was time well spent, and seemed entirely too short. This week started off with a 6am flight back to NYC where a lovely Nor’Easter (a new term for me) welcomed me home.

Week 30 = anxiety. Ever heard of it? Well, I’ve been very VERY good at keeping my monster of [anxiety] at bay for quite some time. In fact pretty much my entire stay in NYC (let us not confuse stress with anxiety). This week, however, I failed miserably. Now, normally when I’m stressed or pissed off… or any other emotional state I have more than enough words to fill an entire post. Having my mind fluttering from one end to the other with anxiety has left me incapable of sitting down and composing much of anything. [This paragraph is a freaking miracle.]

With this said, I will post whatever pictures I have from week 29 (visit home) & this past week (December 8th – 14th).

P.S: My anxiety is not necessarily stemmed from bad news… mostly just from a combination of very unpleasant situations, stress, & crazy awesome news. I am taking the next week to calm my monster and will return with what I hope will be a much more interesting read. In the meantime, enjoy some photos.

Week 28: Potatoes for Everyone, Dumplings, & an Egyptian Smoke House.

Published on December 5, 2014January 24, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

[This post is coming a week-too-late. I’m still working on getting posts ready in time. I wrote everything on time, but for some reason posting the pictures got the best of my procrastination.]

It’s getting colder. My mood seems to be plummeting with along with the thermometer. Unhappy Regina means Pho for everyone! I have happily sipped on a giant bowl of Pho 3 times this week. In my ideal world, Pho would replace every meal, every day. Including the Turkey. I’m not a big fan. I’d much rather enjoy a bowl of warm bowl of beef broth than munch on dry meat. Just saying.

I decided I should be more visible online – so I joined the world of Twitter. I’ve only made a few posts while researching how to get the best out of it. Twitter is quite the tool.

This Thursday, as all of my US fellows know, was Thanksgiving. The day in America that precedes the greediest day of the year. It’s quite ironic that Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for everything in one’s life… Clearly, for many Americans, this is just a day full of lying to themselves and their families. If everyone was so thankful, we wouldn’t have masses of people lined up and trampling others to buy a toy. Or a TV. Seriously? We might as well call Thanksgiving the Day We Prepare Ourselves to Buy More Stuff. Not very succinct, but I’ve never been good with titles. Some people have actually started shopping ON Thanksgiving. Let’s be clear. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays (right next to my birthday & New Years). I try to remind myself to be grateful on a routine daily basis so the whole giving thanks is not the allure. Yes, giving thanks is important, but quite frankly if we had a culture where giving thanks didn’t get squished to ONE DAY of the year perhaps we wouldn’t have people trampling others for a freaking iPhone.

On this magical day, I’m able to eat as much food as I [really] want without anyone being the wiser. I’ve mentioned my disdain for turkey (I eat it anyway, thinking ‘this time I’ll actually love it!’), but the other dishes are worthy of seconds. This year, I wasn’t able to afford a ticket home [traveling around this time costs 3x more] so I joined one of my roommate’s family for the day. She is from Long Island. We took the LIRR (pronounced by saying out each letter L I R R – I naively thought it was pronounced leer) and met the most adorable older lady couple on the way. One had short light hair with green triangle earrings that reminded me of the 80’s and a very spunky outgoing nature. The other, wore a black visor over her short curls and a black long sleeve shirt that read ‘Unarmed Citizen’ with another black shirt underneath that read ‘Greed Kills’. Needless to say these ladies had my heart immediately.

Prior to leaving for Long Island, Mary Alice & I made truffle oil garlic mashed potatoes for a group of 30. It was a lot harder than I thought, but success was inevitable. They were pretty amazing.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

11.30: Today was the perfect example of what I had thought my life would consist of constantly. Of course this couldn’t be farther from the truth, but days like today do take place periodically.

Union Square Holiday Market

* Made a couple dumplings stops in the East Village followed by some bubble tea.

* Smoked hookah at an Egyptian Coffee House. This place screamed authentic with the dark and somewhat smokey interior and a handful of Egyptian men hanging out. A couple of men were playing Chinese checkers (?) while enjoying their hookah while another seemed to be dozing off. This was right off of Steinway in Astoria which is filled to the brim with hookah lounges. If you’ve ever walked this street, you’d know what I’m talking about. This hookah spot looked about as far from the other ‘lounges’ as possible. The other spots looked shiny and dark all at once. This spot didn’t have the fancy lighting or seating (the chairs had holes burnt into them), but it was adorned with a giant replica of an Egyptian Mummie at the entrance. We sat there for quite some time, engaging in conversation. I had failed my coffee consumption ritual that morning so I enjoyed my first Turkish coffee here… needless to say my yawns had said their last goodbyes.

* That evening was chilly so I thawed my fingers while sipping a Cosmo by a small fireplace in the back of a small cafe (Cafe Vivaldi) in the West Village. This place is adorbs… very quaint and lovely indoors with tiny tables assembled in just the right orientation to view the front of the room (they host musicians nightly). One of my brother’s friends performed tonight. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Week 27: Operation Survive My First Winter & 17 Things I Didn’t Know Before Moving to NYC.

Published on November 24, 2014January 24, 2015 by Regina Po1 Comment

11. 17: I’m going back to my roots and starting to write something here every day. Let’s see how that goes.

Today was hot. Yes, hot!!! You would never know it judging by all the coats and scarves folks are sporting outside, but boy oh boy did I enjoy my cold shower when I got home from work today. Everywhere BUT the outside is toasty, it’s making me feel like I have a fever. I don’t. The home gets super toasty at night time. So much so, that I’m having to not only keep the windows open, but turn on my fan. It’s 38F outside. Something is wrong with this picture. Then there’s the subway. Steamy subway. The minute I walk down the stairs I can feel that first droplet of sweat run down my back. I never thought I’d be complaining about the heat when its in the 30s.

11.18: Scratch what I said about yesterday. Today, I was cold. It’s been a long day filled with a Doctor’s appointment in the morning and a shift ending at 11pm. The 25F (‘feels like’ 12F) was not warmly welcomed. I walked to the subway this morning trying to eat a mochi bean pouch, but instead I looked like I was playing hot potato. I don’t have gloves so, in order to keep my hands warm (unsuccessfully) I passed my mochi breakfast between my hands every two seconds. As one hand grasped onto the chewy dough, the other quickly jumped into a pocket. This went on the whole way to the subway. I should have just waited to eat it there. I literally just shoved half of it in my mouth and decided it was best that I swallow it whole rather than try to hold it with my bare hands. Brr.

My walk to the subway -from- work tonight was pretty miserable, but at least my hands were snuggly placed in my pockets the whole time. When I got to the station, I discovered my train wasn’t running. By that point (after 11pm) I was kind of over all of NY’s shenanigans for the day… i was pissed. I cursed. Outloud. And everything. Until I heard a bagpiper waling some tunes at the other end of the station. When I walked by him, I felt the instrument’s vibration. The lady announcer voice came over the intercom to relay the latest delay. I’m not sure what it was, but suddenly the day’s aggravation and inconvenience just melted. In fact I thought it was funny. I even laughed. Outloud.

11.19: Before moving here (and after) I’ve read many ‘list’ articles associated with NYC. Most of them themed along the lines of… NYC is not what it appears OR Don’t Move Here Unless…. OR You get the point. Well exactly 6 months [today] after living in NYC I’ve decided to make a list of my own.

1. You will get a job. It will not be your dream job. But you’ll get an income.

2. You will not get paid more just because living expenses here are exponentially higher.

3. You will find your dream apartment. It is possible. It is also the hardest thing you will ever do. The process will likely cause you to loose some hair.

4. You will miss home.

5. You stop wanting to walk [everywhere] eventually. You don’t have time for that. It’s also cold.

6. You will spend half of your day going to buy something in specific. Need socks? Better plan the better half of Saturday.

7. You will find people who will help you. Don’t take those folks for granted; there’s not many.

8. You don’t know what rush hour is until you’ve been smushed between the man with poor mouth hygiene, the lady who enjoys dumping her cheap perfume all over her body, and the dumbass tourist who didn’t take off his backpack which keeps smashing into you every bumpy second.

9. You will no longer be the only foreign kid. Foreign kids are everywhere.

10. You will eventually find yourself getting super annoyed with people. Although at the end of day, you’ll still appreciate them.

11. You will not enjoy grocery shopping nearly as much when you have to push and shove to grab that last broccoli, stand in line for at LEAST 15 minutes, & carry the items several blocks from the bus stop while the wind plummets your face and slowly frostbites your fingers. [Having fresh groceries at home is kind of like having a trophy for the Grocery Olympics.]

12. You will not get used to the noise for a couple months. Sleep will come eventually.

13. You will fall so hopelessly in love with the city that you’ll wonder if you’re dreaming. Every. Single. Day.

14. You will gain some weight. No, walking everywhere does not help. The proportion of drool-worthy food to blocks-to-walk is 100:1.

15. You will find most of your friends have online dating profiles. Apparently, unless you jump onboard that train your love life is hopeless. Oh well.

16. You will loose track of time. The time is always running away from you. You have to run faster.

17. You will loose hope that you’ll make it. Just keep going.

_____

11.20: One thing I’m not loving about New York? How quickly the time flies. I’m desperately trying to fill my schedule with more awesome to-do’s but I’m finding it incredibly difficult.

11.21: Today I bought socks. And snow boots. I am officially [less] scared of the upcoming winter. I also bought a hat and some gloves. Perhaps my fingers will stop feeling like icicles every time I leave my home.

Everyone I’ve spoken to seems to have their own secrets to surviving winter. I think I’ll just have to wait and find out my own methods. Something tells me the sauna, ice-cream, & Sex & The City re-runs will be key (along with those snow boots).

11.22: No pictures this week. I keep intending to do it, but somehow time just slips by me. I have several personal projects that need my attention, and somehow photos have gotten pushed towards the end of the line. Which should not be the case. I’m working on this.

[Quick iPhone shot on my way to work.]

Aside from getting to see my parents for a short while (layover at JFK), my day was spent nursing and re-nursing a hangover. Thanking the internet gods for seamless.

Week 26: Fall Selfies & Nostalgia.

Published on November 15, 2014November 16, 2014 by Regina PoLeave a comment

It’s weird. Fall has been here for a couple of months now, but I’m just now starting to notice just how beautiful it is. Both our living room and kitchen windows face trees that were once lush with greenery… now, they’re even more vibrant! Up until now fall colors have been just an extension of summer. Sure some leaves in Orlando changed colors, but not to this extent.

I haven’t really noticed that many changes in the energy since fall has crept in… I still see a bajillion people every day going about their crazy busy lives. I’ve heard that winter time silences the city a little. We’ll see.

11.14. I was on the train this morning and for once I wasn’t smushed against the doors. I had enough room to actually pull out my book and do some reading. It was also the first morning in weeks that I was able to actually see out the windows as we passed over the Manhattan bridge. The view, as always, was breathtaking. I did notice, though, how normal it all felt. Just a month or so ago, every day I passed over the bridge, a deep sense of disbelief filled me. So much so that I questioned if any of it were real. Today, the questioning ceased to take hold. It felt very real.

It’s also finally getting cold. Not chilly. [Cold.] The sunnier side of the street is not that bad, but the second you turn a corner where the sun can’t sneak through the tall buildings, the chill hits your bones immediately. Winter is going to be rough.

____

Friday night I attended a dance party DJ’d by Questlove at the Natural History Museum with Jess. It all felt very ‘New York-ish’… not exactly something that I’m used to attending back in Otown. The event was sold out and Jess was on the guest list. It was all very exciting. I was a bit bummed that the event took place nowhere near the actual exhibits (I would LOVE to boogie with my main Dino, T), but I’m fairly certain this was for the best.

Before going to the museum we had dinner at Kefi, a Greek restaurant on the UWS. I spent about an hour drinking through their wine list and people watching from the bar downstairs before Jess met up with me. The crowd there wasn’t quite as entertaining as I had hoped. Although at about the 3rd glass I had come up with the most epic storyline for the couple sitting on the other side of the bar. I couldn’t hear what they were chatting about, but both of them were incredibly animated and appeared to really continuously compliment each other’s scarves. I imagined they were foreign scarf designers from Iceland visiting for a scarf convention. Perhaps they met on the air plane and decided to trade scarf notes over a glass of wine.

Now that it’s finally coat season, I’m having to discover a whole new layer of inconvenience. It’s cold as hell (my version of hell is much like antarctica) outside, but indoors it might as well be summertime. Dealing with your coat once indoors becomes incredibly annoying. For now, at the very least most of my coats are not too chunky. Come winter, it’s going to get even more challenging. Luckily, there’s coat checks. [I know, my inner struggle is real.] #Firstworldproblem.

Anyway, last night was fun. I’m always going to choose a live band over a DJ, but Questlove was pretty groovy. Getting to boogie under the planetarium was also pretty sweet.

11.15: Took a stroll this morning around my hood with my neighbor & friend, Chelsea. I’ve had a lot of people ask me if I miss nature living in the city. Honestly, no. I live a short stroll away from a huge park in Brooklyn… I get more ‘nature’ walking around the park than I did on most days in Orlando. Also, colorful fall colors are WAY better than palm trees. No contest. (Let’s not pretend I didn’t LOVE going to the springs and walking through the Econ forest, but the parks here are pretty awesome.)

The colors are stunning. It was a bit chilly out (37F when we left), but that didn’t keep us from enjoying the BEAUTIFUL day. Today I also discovered that I need gloves. And a hat. Winter is coming……….

I decided to google myself today. I stumbled on this flick from maybe… 2007 at an open mic/cabaret?

___

I feel like this entry has been over self-involved. Kind of ironic for a personal blog about myself. I know. Either way, I decided it was time for some self-portraits. I think everyone should have portraits done of themselves periodically throughout their life. My life is my future’s history, it’s nice to be able to document it.

Here is a self-portrait from November 2012 (2 years ago). I was living in a small duplex in Orlando. This picture was taken on my compact couch that I loved more than anything at the time. I was in my 3rd year at UCF. That semester I fell in love with organic chemistry and spent all of my time studying on that couch. I lived alone with the exception of the roaches that came to visit at 3am, like clockwork. They stayed on their end of the house (near the kitchen) and let me be while I studied on my end (living room with the couch). They were more like foes than friends, but I recall those long nights with fondness nevertheless. That living room was my sanctuary.

Fast forward 2 years. These photos were taken in our developing reading nook. It’s coming along and will surely be one of my favorite spots in the new home. I didn’t even imagine living in NYC 2 years ago yet here I am. I don’t spend time studying anymore. I thought this was a gift, but I’m beginning to feel like my brain needs feeding again.

Today I strolled around the West village and stopped in at the Chess Forum (one of my favorite spots in the area). You can’t go wrong with a game of chess surrounded by a bunch of handmade chess pieces and Bach playing somewhere in the background.

This about sums up my week. I hope next week will have more pictures of NY. Ciao!

This Stoop Photo Cred to Miss Chelsea.

Unless my WordPress stats are WAY off I’ve noticed several international folks coming through here… if you happen to stumble on this blog and don’t know me. Drop me a line, I’d love to know how you found this!

Week 25: Clueless Regina & Megan Amram.

Published on November 9, 2014November 13, 2014 by Regina PoLeave a comment

I am the most uninteresting person right now. Also entirely too confused about my life to write anything comprehensive (this is like the 20th time I’ve deleted this entry and started over).

New York has treated me crazy well (considering the horror stories I’ve heard) since I’ve made my move. I was strolling through one of the endless Top Ten ‘lists’ the other day and came across one that had to do with NYC. Something along the lines of what people expect when moving here vs. what actually happens… I’ve gotta tell ya’ in my experience it was mainly wrong. Among the other numbered items, it mentioned paying over a thousand dollars for a cardboard box of an apartment vs. the brownstone apartment that ‘you thought you’d be living in’. I don’t pay a thousand dollars and I do live in a brownstone [granted its not in Manhattan, but a whole 20 min train ride]. Rent here IS ridiculous though… I saw some insanely tiny rooms for the cost of entire rental homes in Orlando. All in all, NYC hasn’t been quite as ruthless as I had expected [I’m knocking on every wood surface in my room right now].

Anyway.

I’ve finally come to a place where I’m stumped. Personally. I really wanted to document my experience making a life for myself in NYC, but I’m not sure the dilemma I’m dealing with currently has anything to do with the city itself. I’ve spent chunks of my life chasing after something I felt extremely passionate about. Where did that get me? A lot of spent time that I’ll never get back. I feel like a walking cliche. I’m a 24 year old with very little career direction. The idea of committing my life to one career literally makes my stomach turn. It has to happen. It will happen. And 4 years down the line I’ll probably change my mind. Again. I’d just like to get a clue where to go now. Literally right Now.

My entries are slowly getting less about the city and more about being a clueless millenial. That was not the intention. This has to be my least favorite topic of conversation at the moment. It’s also currently the major ongoing topic taking up space in my inner brainwaves. Bummer, I know.

With that said, this week was great. [As are my weeks normally]. Let’s be honest, I’m living my dream. Sort of (if you completely disregard my previous rant you’d believe me). I did have a pretty comical (or so I thought) experience at a book launch the other night. My roommate brought me along to a reading by Megan Amram for her new book Science for Her. For those of you (like me) who don’t know who Megan Amram is – she is a comedian and writer who currently writes for Parks & Rec.

I had no idea who she was and didn’t hear Jess (my roommate) tell me that her book was satire. This made my listening experience VERY different from everyone in the room. We got there after it already started. Megan was wearing a white lab coat and was accompanied by a very smart looking dapper older gentleman (John Hodgman). I didn’t know who he was either. When she started to read excerpts from her book my mind was blown. I can’t sufficiently describe the excerpts without actual pieces and I’m not sure I can do that so just take a look at the cover of the book: Here is the link to Amazon. My impression of John’s role in the event was to giggle at how funny it was for her to write a book about science… seriously I was speechless.

She basically created a ‘science’ book in the same format as many fashion and woman’s magazines (cosmo, seventeen, etc) and focused on the same bullshit topics these magazines focus on except with a ‘science’ twist? I’m not sure that really describes it… she pretty much nails it on her Tumblr Here.

This book is Satire. I was not in on the joke until after she had finished reading multiple excerpts. I thought my head was going to explode. I could not believe the room was jam packed with people gawking over this moron… needless to say after the reading of the book was over and they started chatting a bit about the concept and the process I figured it out. Brilliant. And really quite funny.

In other news… it’s getting chillier. Sort of. I’m getting to play with a whole new set of clothing pieces that made me look ridiculous in Orlando.

After the book launch we strolled over to the DUMBO light show… the crowds were unreal. There was a line around the block to get into the actual show so we decided to get out of there. I’m glad we did it early, otherwise I’m pretty sure the subway station closest was jam packed for hours. I did’t really get what the hype was all about, but we snapped a photo anyway.

Hope your week is more exciting than mine. Ciao!

I made egg salad.

Week 24: Halloween, Face Palms, & the Brooklyn Museum.

Published on November 2, 2014January 24, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

I missed another week (I believe that makes 2 since I started this blog) mainly because last week was uneventful. Anyway, this week I was sick some more… I think my body has initiated it’s revenge for transporting it to a bipolar climate.

Halloween has come and gone.

I was a Super Regina [yes, I dressed up as myself]. Or a burst of color… but mostly I just wore my normal attire with some face paint (lipstick which has yet to fully come off).

I found yet another foreign ritual here in NYC last night. Trick or treating. In Orlando (and most other cities where homes are houses or spread out apartment complexes) kids walk door to door contemplating their existence as they beg for candy. No? Maybe it was just me. Either way, the act of knocking on a front door isn’t logistically possible here. On my way home from work I saw masses of children with their candy bags in hand walking past businesses manned with candy hander-outers. I think thats weird. Some (very few) people sat on their stoops with buckets of candy, handing out the goods as kids walked up. I live in a very family friendly neighborhood and I still didn’t see too many people actually doing this. Kids don’t even say TRICK OR TREAT… they just walk up to the lady in front of the bakery with their candy bags wide open. Not cool.

Today (11.1) I woke up feeling refreshed. Last night I went to a warehouse party with the roomies which turned out to be kind of a bust and an early trip home (I was in bed by 3am). An alcohol free evening turned into a morning of awesomeness. There were other nights this week that involved a bit more alcohol (it is Halloween after all).

Naturally, I discovered a new level of drunken remorse. But what’s a night of alcohol without a few morning face palms?

We’ve also slowly been making updates to the home…

11.2 : Lazy Sundays are the best. It took me several hours to finally get myself out of the house… the noticeably chillier weather felt uber refreshing against my face right up until I lost feeling in it. It’s not even that cold yet, but the wind can be brutal. I took a stroll down to the Brooklyn Museum and spent the better part of my day browsing Brooklyn’s finest. As per usual, my favorite attraction: the folks browsing alongside me. A little girl with the bounciest blonde pig tails that stuck straight up adding about 3 inches to her height, walked around the Brooklyn Artist exhibit with a tiny green notebook in one hand and an oversized blue pen in the other. Her stride seemed very meticulous, as though she had previously mapped out the floor plan and had planned out the precise number of steps she needed to take from one piece to the next. Her movements became repetitive, as she came up to each new piece she would bring her giant pen up to her face, shift her head to the side, take a deep sigh, and utter a semi-silent “interesting.” I tried not to stare, but I couldn’t help admiring the little lady. She made my day.

A bowl of cookies and a glass of milk with a rerun marathon of Seinfeld = Sunday night.

When I came to the states at age 7 without a lick of english and started my first day at an American school I was terrified. I felt alienated and helpless. I was only seven, but I can still remember the deep sinking feeling in my stomach with the only thing stopping me from hurling that morning’s breakfast was the fear of having to explain myself.

After hesitantly getting off the bus (which was a horror in itself), the huge [or so it seemed] outdoor hallway filled with banners and images of big red apples was lined with small posters covered in foreign symbols. I stood there frozen while small and big kids roared around me squirming this and that way. I didn’t move.

I’ve been that scared three times my whole life. The night before flying to live in NYC was one of the other times. I’m starting my 6 months now. Half a year. The initial destabalizing fear has been replaced with an unreal amount of gratitutude and hope. I’m not where I want to be, but I can taste the sweet sweet future.

Hope you have a great week!

Week 22: Two Broads & a Renoir.

Published on October 19, 2014January 24, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

The only interesting thing that happened to me all week – besides the usual [ crammed subways, unpredictable weather, & beautiful fall foliage] – was a conversation that I happened to eaves drop on at the Met. I’m kind of broke (and by kind of I mean really)… brunch and fancy speakeasies are freaking expensive. Going out on the town (or brunching it) will run you more than a couple pretty pennies. With that said, I was a little frivolous with my budget in the first part of the month (something I’m usually really good with managing) and am now having to tone it down.

The most exciting thing that happened to me all week was when I sat on a bench in the middle of the Renoir room in the impressionist section of the Met for 20 minutes. When visiting the Met I like choosing one painting that tickles my fancy at that moment, finding a nearby seat, & soaking in the art while observing others [observing]. Normally, I experience a period of incredible fulfillment followed by a strange sense of hostility; watching others pass by some of my favorite pieces without so much as a heartbeat. Once I’ve gotten over my dumb ego I experience a period of boredom… this is usually where my inner monologue really picks up. Anyway, it’s not normally a note worthy outing. This time, however, I got extremely lucky. I sat right next to a couple of elderly ladies who chose the same bench to perform their gossip hour… the conversation was obnoxiously entertaining. The lady closest to me (maybe a foot and a half) was as prim and proper as they come with a lovely lilac silk bow wraped about her gray-ish golden hair. At age 75 (?) her posture was better than mine. The other not-so-prim-or-proper lady was very clear about the fact that she had the only right opinion in the most brilliant Brooklyn accent I’ve heard yet. I don’t think she intended on being quite as loud as she was, but I could hear her in the room over. I’m guessing her hearing aid wasn’t working. The two broads paid no mind about the curly haired lady sitting next to them and carried on with their focus on Gilbert and Mary’s newest grandbaby and Sue’s poor decision making skills – all as if they were sitting alone on the stoop of their Brooklyn brownstone. I especially enjoyed their remarks on gay marraige – I was preparing myself for a series of outdated and ugly statements, but was rather surprised when Marge (I named the red head) said ‘What the hell are they waiting for? Marty and Ben have been lovers since the day they met, even Ma didn’t try to argue those two.’ Marty & Ben must have sparked Marge’s memory because that took her on a rant I’m not sure I was able to follow. I waivered in and out of their conversation as I followed (visually) folks walking past one of history’s greatest gifts as though it was the latest movie poster.

All in all those 20 minutes fed me more than the rest of the week’s lunches and dinners combined. I’ve slowly found myself slumping into a funk [and not the groovy kind] lately… my trip to the Met was exactly what the groove master order (by ‘groove master’ I mean me). I did some other fun things this weekend… pickle day (3 blocks of ALL things pickled… I ate my weight in salt and loved every single second), Central Park, & a Halloween inspired ladies evening (Hocus Pocus was just as perfect as I remember).

I’ll try to make my next post a little more interesting. Here are some pictures from this week… all taken with my iPhone… I’m too lazy to caption, just use your imagination.