happy halloween!

despite the rain, i have a feeling it's going to be a night to remember - my first halloween in nyc! after hand-sewing and slaving away for hours because i'm too lazy to go across town to buy a glue gun, my costume is ready and i'm just excited about the festivities :) i'll post photos from tonight later, but for now, i want to share the new indoor slippers i got from amazon:



















you know you want them too ;)

Look at my hole!

i thought i would share some photos of the tiny teeny hole that is my room. don't get me wrong, i love my hole, but it was quite a challenge to take these photos seeing as there is not much moving room to create enough distance from the camera to capture the entire room....

this is what you see from the door (no, the really cool friends did not come with the room):














from another angle:


















yes, there is a lot of exposed bricks:














angle from the bed:














all in all, small and cozy :)

thankful and grateful

this post is coming a month earlier than it should, but i figured it never hurts to count the blessings in my life and remind myself just how lucky i really am.

today was one of those really wet, stormy, gross new york days. the rain never stopped since 9am this morning, and only foreshadows a cold and long winter looming in the near future. and despite a tiring work week and another one creeping up just around the corner, i am thankful for having a job that i enjoy doing, a loving and healthy family, good friends that are practically family, and for living in a city that embraces endless possibilities.

tomorrow is the 3 year anniversary of a friend's passing. she pops into my mind every so often, and although we had fallen out of touch since hs, she was one of the few people that i know that just LOVED life. she was always that girl who laughed too loud, but her laughter was so infectious and everyone who knew her would agree with me that you couldn't help but want to be a part of that energy when you are around her. the strange thing is her name randomly showed up on my facebook homepage tonight - facebook had suggested that i should write something on her wall. the years have passed by so quickly that i had forgotten the date that she passed. as i read through her fb wall, memories and emotions from the day when i found out to her funeral all came rushing back to me. the funny thing is, i didn't feel sadness as i scrolled down the page, but rather, felt a desperate need to really live my life to the fullest and hold onto the things and the people that matter.

RIP A.N. you were truly an example of life, love and growth, and we are all very lucky to have known you.

californians in new york city

it has been a long and busy three weeks with moving, the job, and getting settled into my place. despite the sometimes long hours at work and the minor (sort of) mice problem we've been having in the apartment, i really have to say that i am liking the new job and adore our little cozy nyc apartment.

the people i work with, my immediate team, are lovely. we are an 8-men production team lead by a wonderfully patient producer (truly rare in this industry) and a decisive, sharp creative director (again, another rarity). sometimes the hours are long because i work a full day and then come home to have late-night conference calls with editors in taiwan, but in general, there is always a moment everyday when i just have to stop myself and think, "i can't believe people get paid to do this!" the department is within a bigger company, but i'm lucky in that our team is close and already, i really enjoy the people that i work with (takes me back to those better chinese days!)

so i was going to post some photos of my little room that i call home, but blogger is being quite difficult, so i'll get to that next time.

in those photos, you would have seen some good friends from california. two girls, floria and angie, i've been friends with since 6th grade and the guy, veyom, is one of my current roommates and friend since high school. it's funny how we all ended up here in nyc, but really, it's a blessing in my life. i've often said to my mom and friends in ca that without good friends and a support network, this can be a very lonely city. it is only knowing that i have great friends to tie me through the tough times that i can embrace the solitude that this city provides.

you'll see in those photos that we were hovering over my laptop. yes, we were watching youtube videos of 90s music videos for 4 hours last night and yes, we did that all night and loved it. we sure brought back all the goodies (janet, TLC, michael, mariah, n'sync, bbb, 98 degrees) and some not-so-good ones (again, n'sync, bbb, 98 degrees...), and although we never stepped out of the 450 sq-ft space that is the apt (mostly because it was 35 degrees outside) and we hardly even moved from my bed (because my bed is basically the entire room), i haven't laughed so hard and had so much fun in quite some time.

here's to good friends from the past, present and for many more years into the future :)