Went back to NY over the weekend to attend my roommate’s wedding and just in time for Irene. So what do I do on my first day back in the city? I eat and drink my way around with my closest friend. I finally got to eat at Fatty Crab’s where Mon and I indulged in duck and the spicy crab that came in this amazing sauce that I would’ve drunk alone. We then dropped by Chelsea Market for coffee, chocolates and Magnolia cupcakes before treating ourselves to Cool Haus, where I had the Guinness ice cream sandwiched in between maple cookies.
So good and yet so bad for you.
I unsuccessfully tried to close my Citibank account since Citibank is non-existent in Atlanta. I had to wait until charges were cleared on my debit card. I successfully got a temporary debit card at Wells Fargo however, since I mysteriously lost the one I had in Atlanta.
We sauntered off to this wine bar in my old neighborhood that I always wanted to visit. We were the only ones there during happy hour. My guess is people were preparing for hurricane Irene which was supposed to hit the next day.
Luckily the movies were not closed early and we went to Kips Bay to watch The Help. I found it insightful, tender, and humorous; the acting was great too. Afterward we were able to snatch a table at Babbo‘s only because it was 11:00 p.m. by this time. Neither of us have eaten there before so I was really looking forward to it. We ordered the quail, lamb brain ravioli, and oxtail gnocchi. I enjoyed my gnocchi the best but I couldn’t enjoy the ravioli knowing what was inside. But it was a great meal; I was impressed with how quickly everything came out and the service was really great.
The Wedding:
My boyfriend couldn’t make the trip to NY due to a business trip in North Carolina, so I brought Mon as my date to the wedding. The ceremony was short and sweet, and the pastor’s sermon was touching and funny. The cocktail hour was amazing. I stuffed myself on ceviche, crab, oxtail, shrimp cocktail, scallops, hanger steak and oysters. I missed the foi gras and a lot of other food but I was so stuffed; I couldn’t touch my dinner.
We got heavy rain toward 9:00 p.m. but no one really noticed since we were all inside having a good time. The toasts were sweet, the dancing was fun, and I befriended a couple at my table who also lives in Atlanta which was nice.
(See the groom moonwalk here)
Irene in the Jersey burbs:
After the wedding, I slept over my friend’s who lived in the next town over. The next morning we found the branches and twigs all over the streets and a downed power line. She also found her crawl space flooded but other than that, the damage was minimal. It was nice to catch up with her before leaving for Laguardia the next day.
Last Day in NY:
The city air was unbelieveably fresh. The air was just amazingly clean. I guess Irene just swept out all the smog and brought in nice, cool air in. Before I caught my flight, I was able to drop by Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s grand opening on 39th and Broadway, where I chilled out for a bit, catching up on the Bible and drinking a cup of coffee that came free with a purchase of a bag of coffee.
I headed downtown to see my friend and grab a pork belly sandwich at Num Pang to eat at the airport.
I was pretty excited to to see my friend’s new Thai restaurant, Ngam on 13th and 3rd Ave. It was awesome to see her restaurant come into fruition since a year ago through all the ups and downs, frustration and stress. I’m sure there will be more bumps along the way but I feel God has been protecting and providing for the restaurant in such unmistakable ways. Do visit her restaurant; I can attest that she is a great cook who can cook authentic Thai.
Home
So I’m back in Atlanta. It is September. I’m bit stressed about not having a job yet but I’m also at peace with it. I can’t help but to feel God brought me here for one reason or another.
My boyfriend has been baffled why I don’t ask him more for help in networking and looking for a job. I guess I just see it as my own responsibility and I don’t want to bother anyone else about it. I have landed numerous jobs on my own and I only got one of them because of networking.
He sent me a link which really made an impression on me. I never heard of Eric Saperston or his movie, “The Journey”, where he meets with celebrities, politicians, CEOs and rock stars to find what is the secret of their success. If you let the video play, he recounts meeting with the CEO of Coca-Cola and learning the one secret of his success that changed his life.
You should listen to it.
I think most people, including myself, don’t like to ask for help, but would rather be in the position to give help. When my friend was getting her restaurant started and asked for support, I wanted to help her so badly. Yet, I guess I do have a problem of asking for help because I don’t want to be burdensome or I just take pride in accomplishing my goals on my own.
Even with God I sometimes find it hard that He would help me, even though He’s completely provided for me in crazy ways before. So I’m not sure why I keep having trouble believing in him; each and every time it’s always a huge leap of faith to believe that He’ll come through.
But I do believe in Him; I have to. There is just no other way. I don’t understand why He would let us down and why my doubts should limit Him.
I’m looking forward to September. I finally caught up on my Bible reading after being a month behind, (no small accomplishment when you’re trying to rush through 1 or 2 Chronicles) and my boyfriend and I are starting a juice cleanse. He just got the nifty Breville juicer today. Hopefully this month will be a time of cleansing and rejuvenating in more ways than one.
Not really. I just wanted to use some alliteration and some sarcasm. Considering my age and location I’m not sure how wild my weekends can get here.
It was a nice weekend though. H’s friend whom I will call Weaver invited us over for dinner of steaks and veggies which were so good; I think I could’ve just ate the dip and pita chips alone all night. I enjoyed hanging out with Weaver, his gf, Son, Neil and his wife.
Weaver’s house is sick and he has sick toys to fill up it up with. I’ve probably been to just a quarter of his home and I was completely floored. It’s not your ordinary McMansion. It’s also in a gated campus community that has a nice golf course. We got lost trying to find our way out and Son and H have been there a few times already.
Actually the funny thing was Weaver had too much to drink and for a group photo, we all had our arms around each other. He was in between his gf and I but after the photo was taken, he started petting my waist and back or something. All I could think was, “He’s friendly.” Then he said, “And…that’s not my girlfriend.”
On Sunday H and I visited Passion church. It’s a circus just to get there since we had to park in a garage and take a shuttle there. I have to say it was well-organized but it’s just too big for me. I’ve been to churches in Korea where it feels like you’re leaving a baseball game but Passion seemed even bigger. It was cool to see Chris Tomlin, even if we were staring at him on a projection in the overflow room.
Friend from my birthstate is coming tomorrow on biz. My first visitor; should be fun.
Enjoyed a glass of good Riesling with H at the bar before we had to meet his friend Neil and Neil’s wife for dinner.
H had talked so much about Neil, one of his close friends from grad school, that I really looked forward to meeting him and his wife. The four of us enjoyed dinner to say the least. Good food and hearty conversations that lasted 3 hours. I was literally dying of laughter at some points, completely wowed at other moments. It was just a good mix of fun stories about their kids or conversations about the Dow dropping 500 points, the global economy or how the heck to keep off the weight.
I just appreciate being with good people; people I can have intellectual conversations with, people I can respect on so many different levels. H’s friends are a few years older than me and in a more established stage in life. It’s a nice change to hang out with an older crowd when I’ve been hanging out with people who are younger than me for the last few years. Everyone in their 20s are still trying to find themselves or have fun but you can only do that for so long (except if you live in NYC).
Neil and his wife paid for us which was nice. I’ve met H’s other friends Jonathon and Son before; they’re two guys whom I really respect as well. We’ll all be hanging out this Saturday and I’m looking forward to it again.
I feel like I should be more sad about leaving NY and moving here. My roommate in NY is moving to San Francisco and a close friend of mine is moving from NJ to Toronto. Both of them feel a lot more sad about moving than I did. I think a large part of the reason is that they’re moving away from immediate family whereas I’m moving to be with my dad.
Yes I”m sad to leave Jersey and NY because it’s where I spent most of my life and yes, I’m sad to leave friends but I feel like I’m not so sad because I’m not so faraway. Atlanta is only a 2 hour flight from NY and makes for an easy weekend trip. Secondly, I’ve always been bouncing around in different cities, whether it meant 5 months in Seoul or a year in Maryland so maybe I’m used to moving around; it’s not hard for me to adjust. Third, there is this element of fate about Atlanta that probably made me more excited than sad to move here. After finding out H was from Atlanta on OKCupid while I was in the middle of helping my dad move here was a little too coincidental.
Finally, I feel like no matter where I’ve lived, my life has always been online. It’s lame but the Internet is sadly where I spend a lot of time. When you’re online all the time to pay your bills, connect with friends, shop, read the news, work, etc. it’s almost as if your geographic location becomes less important. Almost.
So there’s no Potbelly or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf here. Certainly no Coolhaus ice cream sandwiches or Pocha 32 but there are other restaurants to explore and enjoy.
And although I have no friends here, I’m just happy to be with my boo. It’s nice to cook dinner with him, work out with him and hang out with his friends instead of hearing about it. It’s precious to me; I’m just content to study his face all day. I’m learning some of his anal quirks of cleaning up and his overanalytical thinking but we just laugh at each other all the time for being idiots.
He completely hates that I socialize and share a lot online. OH WELL.
In the beginning of this year, ATL meant nothing to me. Nothing. Now I’m freakin living here. But I have to believe I’m here for a reason, beyond the fact that the love of my life is here and my dad just moved here. I just don’t know what that reason is yet; makes life interesting.
Getting here was a long adventure. I stayed up until 5 a.m. Friday morning packing in New York, only to wake up 2 hours later to quickly load the car before the meter maid came around at 10:00. Even in the morning, you sweated profusely doing nothing so you can imagine how much I was sweating.
After packing, I parked near my friend’s restaurant and she directed me to the Cooper Union post office where I shipped a few boxes that I couldn’t pack in my car. She babysat my car to make sure I didn’t get a ticket, and then babysat it again while I went to go get lunch for us when we back to my apt. When alternate side parking ended at 11:30, we went inside my apartment and blasted the AC. I finished packing and cleaning the apartment and we headed to Rockville, Maryland to our mutual friend’s place to sleep over.
It took us about 6 hours to get down there with so much traffic and a couple of stops. I took a shower and my friend’s husband who was on a business trip in DC brought us some delicious Captain White crabs; they were so good. I only managed to eat 3 but we were also eating noodles and drinking a lot.
I slept well that night and the next morning we all had breakfast and then picked up my boyfriend at Dulles. I thought we would all meet each other and hang out a bit so I randomly picked a Starbucks in Chantilly Shopping Center since I saw that it was close to the airport. Luckily my friends missed the road to Starbucks and saw Thai Basil further down 50 West. The meal at Thai Basil was magical. Apparently the chef has made many media appearances including a pad thai throw down with Bobby Flay. It was nice that my friends paid for me and my boyfriend.I don’t get to see these friends all that much but when we do spend time together, I’m really thankful for them; I appreciate their kindness, hospitality and generosity.
So H and I had a 10 hour drive down from Chantilly. He drove for about 6 hours with two stops in between; once to get our dinner from Arby’s and another time to get gas. The only mishap we had was right at the North and South Carolina border. My car wasn’t accelerating and I thought I had smelled gas. We exited and pulled up on a random corporate drive way. By this time the car was smoking up. It freaked me out since this was the first time that has ever happened to my car. After discussing various options, we decided to go across the street to some homes to inquire where the nearest gas station is.
It was kind of daunting to knock on the doors of these trailer homes, but on the second home we went to, this sweet grandma told us that the closest gas station was just a mile away. We went back to my car, prayed, and my car could start but only accelerated a little. I decided to drive slowly and eventually we made it to the gas station. We bought $3 coolant and I asked this random guy to help us troubleshoot the problem. We determined that that coolant was low and poured it all in. I got back on the highway and didn’t go over 60 and my car seemed to run smoothly. Toward the end of the trip I was pushing 80 mph and we made it home by 12:30 a.m. Thankfully my car seems back to normal.
Someone is going to take the mattress tomorrow and I’m giving away the bed frame to a random girl who lives close by.
I did a lot of packing but it seems like there is so much more to go. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day of giving away furniture and meeting up with 3 more friends.
The more I packed today, the more I got sad. It started to hit me more that I was leaving and I was going to miss NY. I went out to random places just to walk the streets and savor each minute. I dropped by Food Parc for the first time, hit my favorite Korean spot, Woori jip, and later on in the evening I walked to 17th and Broadway to try Big Gay Ice Cream. It was okay; the guy is really nice. But overall, Coolhaus is better.
On the way back I stopped in Madison Square Park to finish it off. The Empire State Building was lit in red, white, and blue. I’m going to miss looking at the building while walking north on 5th Ave…
On top of all this, there has been a bit of drama with H. I told him it was the hardest it’s been ever since I’ve known him. We cleared our misunderstanding up but only now do I understand why relationships are so hard even when you’re with the most perfect person. There are so many different expectations, misunderstandings, and communication problems. But these kinds of differences are not that important in the long run, even though they were enough to make me slam, punch and kick things the other day. These are the kind of differences that get sorted out. But once you question commitment, trust, fidelity and love and all the other pillars of a strong relationship, then things can downhill rather quickly. My misunderstanding was related to his commitment to me; I felt like he was balking at things all of a sudden which was hurtful to me right when I’m ready to move down there.
He assure me it wasn’t and I know that’s true. I just misconstrued his actions. We clarified our misunderstandings and I feel better but I still feel like I need some space from him.
Sometimes he writes these chapters about the day we spent together and I enjoy reading them because I understand what he is thinking. He can be funny or touching, but he’s always engaging.
But it’s good. You get rid of the clutter and all the junk that has been accumulating in your life.
I threw out a bunch of photos from high school and college; it’s easier to throw them out now, now that it’s been 10+ years. You know who’s in your life now and you know who you can forget.
Still, it’s bittersweet going through the process. Again. I already did this in a rush back in January when my dad sold our childhood home in Jersey. I can’t throw anything in storage anymore since I’m moving to an entirely different part of the country, but this time around I have more time to think about what I really need to keep since I have until next weekend to move, when my bf can meet me in DC to help me drive the rest of the way down.
I can’t believe I’ll be in a completely different part of the country by then. I can’t believe I’m starting this whole new chapter in my life. The change is so distinct and sudden; I feel like there should have been at least a couple of chapters in between.
Although I’m really happy, I’m stressed as well. I need to find a new job… surprise, surprise.
I don’t know what God has in store for me next. I don’t know what it’s going to be like but I want to believe that it’s good. But sometimes I feel like the worst is going to happen. I feel like I don’t deserve a good ending or something. I see other people, good people, where God has taken their spouse away…so dramatically or suddenly. I feel guilty to be blissfully happy while they are suffering.
We all have different trials and different joys at different times. I’m not sure why. All I do know is that God is good and I know others who have suffered more than me will say the same. It humbles you to a whole new level.
One of the spouses I knew as an acquaintance died on my birthday so in a way it will also be a sad time of reflection. I spent my birthday with H in Orlando where I visited my friends. It was a good trip; I got to see my friends whom I haven’t seen for 2 years, I got to relax a bit and learned a whole lot about H. He also gave me a Tiffany necklace and charm which was really sweet.
I felt like Orlando is kind of weird…it’s just an influx of tourists, both domestic and international, and everything caters to those tourists including all the buffets and shops. Then you continually have this influx of new and different immigrant groups pouring in. Florida is definitely an interesting state but Orlando is so different altogether…even from Florida.
When I got back to NY, I went to my roommate’s bridal shower and my NY farewell party. It was nice to see everyone in one place having a good time. I also went to a brunch at Pastis with my cousin’s cousin and one of my cousin’s bridesmaid, Connie. I hung out with Connie on the new part of the Highline which was really nice.
Afterward it was just packing non-stop. I will try to slow down a bit though and enjoy NY some more while I’m here. I accomplished a lot on my bucket list…tourist traps like Grand Central Oyster Bar, Governor’s Island and the extended part of the High Line. But there are others I’m afraid I won’t be able to get to…like Babbo and Luger’s. I’ll have to come back next time.
I went to Hawaii to see my cousin get married and had so much fun. It was great to see family, spend time in Hawaii and meet all her friends. The place where the reception was held had a breathtaking view of the ocean. After the reception, we all went down to the beach and had a bonfire. With my bikini underneath my clothes I took a nice dip in the ocean.
I’m really happy for my cousin and I’m glad everything went well for her.
After I came back to the city, I had dinner with Di at Fig and Olive. It was the first of many farewell dinners. I’m glad we saw each other since it’s been about once a year. I’m really happy for her. She’s designing clothes now and has a serious Swiss boyfriend with whom she’s probably with in Iceland right now. I’m happy that things are going well with her beau and her new career.
H came the next day. I picked him up from La Guardia; it was so frikin hot. I think I was up late working on a research assignment with my former company. I don’t know why I agreed to do it. The next day we had lunch at Bhojan. I enjoyed the thali more than he did. We wandered into The Old Print Shop afterward, where I bought this old print of Savannah that was colored in. For dinner we had Vezzo’s and then watched The Road. We both wanted to kill ourselves after watching it since it was depressing but we encouraged each other to live.
Friday we went to look at rings in the diamond district. eek. Afterward we went to this new cheese shop in the Flatiron district and then had dinner at Laut, a Malaysian place. We visited a bar called The Other Room but it was too loud and dark so we went to this little rooftop bar on 32nd. I can’t recollect what happened after…
Saturday we had the farewell party in NJ. It was nice that my friend hosted it at her new home. I also got to see her kid who is so cute and I was glad everyone got along so well even though not everyone knew each other. After about 5 hours, H wanted to go home so we went back to the city and went to a random bar to watch the USA lose to Mexico. We rented a movie from the stupid Blockbuster kiosk but couldn’t watch it since the disc was all scratched up.
Sunday we went to CT to pick up my stuff that was stored in my cousin’s basement. My cousin’s mom ordered some sushi for us for lunch which was really nice of her. My cousin and her husband enjoyed meeting H and he liked them as well. We drove back to the city where we were lucky enough to find a parking spot in my front of my apartment. We were able to unload quickly and then we had dinner at Brother Jimmy’s since I always wanted to go there but never had a chance to. It was okay; the strawberry margarita was probably the highlight.
H left on Monday evening.
I am left applying for jobs and trying to sort through all my possessions to see what I should bring to Atlanta. It’s a pretty stressful time but I’m happy.
I met up with a friend from high school today for farewell dinner #2. We went to Vandaag where I had the bitterballen (nothing spectacular) and we shared the hen for two (the dark meat part of it was especially excellent.) it was nice to catch up with her since Halloween was the last time I saw her. It was also nice that she offered to pay for dinner.
of work. Was there for 6 months. Boy that seems to be the average time I can stay in one place.
I’ve learned that working at these online sites is really about getting traffic, traffic, traffic. Link baits, sensationalism, slideshows, and celebrity news make up the bulk of content on the site. It’s kind of sad or often dull, actually.
But I’m grateful for the job in this economy…I’m definitely too old to be doing an internship but starting a new career often requires you to start at the bottom.
It was nice that they celebrated my last day with beer. I turned so red and said my goodbyes.
I was lucky to work in all parts of the city: in the WFC, midtown, Penn Plaza and Soho. I’d have to say working in midtown at 520 Madison was the best. It was just less crowded with people. WFC was okay only because the WTC was still intact while I worked there. It was a nice area, but so isolated.
Soho and Penn Plaza is just crowded. I like Soho more of course because there’s a lot more to eat and more places to shop. When I was at Penn Plaza, I often got food in K-town.
Oh NYC, I will miss you.
I walked from Soho to my apartment on 31st for the last time. It was such a nice day. I’m still thinking of getting a milkshake at Shake Shack. But I just feel so relaxed right now and a bit sentimental…with leaving work, the city and coming home to a care package H sent me. He’s so sweet and thoughtful. I’m going to Hawaii and moving to ATL soon so this was what was included:
pack of tissues
gum
lint brush
sunblock
M&Ms
Snack Wells
Ritz crackers
toothpaste
gum
a CD mix
pomegranate pillows, a sleep dietary supplement
my sock I left at his apt
lip balm
stamps (he wants me to send him a postcard)
this green monkey toy
nail filer
Zagat for restaurants in Atlanta
“Inside of a Dog” book (we have an imaginary dog)
I was really touched by his thoughtfulness; he’s really sweet. I feel like I don’t deserve him. I know most of my friends are shocked that I met someone so quickly but when you know, you know. I’ve never been surer about someone in my life. It’s also hard to explain since no one can really understand the connection, compatibility and feelings we have for each other. Oh well.
I should go for my milkshake…but I’m so tired. I guess I should check out the shake shack cam. Maybe I’ll read my “Inside of a Dog” in line; I’d fit in with all those dog owners there.
NY I do love you; I realize it now since I’m leaving.
I will miss the little things, like being able to buy $3 bags of sliced mangoes sold on the street or the way the light hits the buildings as the sun is setting; I can stare at it for hours.
I will not miss waiting for the elevator, the traffic, the crowds, the dirtiness, the cockroaches, or mice.
I will miss good coffee, cupcakes, ramen, walking to 32nd St. to get some eats, particularly the budeh jiggae at Pocha 32 or the kamja tang at keun jip. I’ll miss Bon Chon. I’ll miss the energy of this city.
The city changes so much, even within the year I was here. Some of my favorite shops have closed down, like Subtle tea, and shoe shop on 5th ave near the Flat Iron Building.
I’ll miss the spontaneity of the city. Anything can happen; you can meet interesting people.
I’ll miss satisfying days, like today, where I can eat at a good restaurant like Balthazar and then look at diamond engagement rings with a girlfriend.
Balthazar was good; the steak frites was nothing to write home about but the pork belly with grits and the mango cheesecake were really good. All the food we ate was so rich but didn’t leave me feeling too heavy.
Bone marrow at Balthazar
Melissa suggested we go look at rings at Macy’s and Kay’s just to see what I liked. (They’re also the only stores open at 8:00.) It was so weird to try a ring on, it looked so foreign on my hand. I still can’t believe engagement is not far off in the future for me. I guess I was so used to being single.
Yesterday was also a nice day because I knocked out Mermaid Oyster Bar from my NYC bucket list. I also went to a pole dancing class with Monica. Not that that was on my bucket list, but it was still fun to go and see what it was all about. it seriously takes a lot of finesse and skill to do all those moves; I actually have a lot more respect for these pole dancers; many of whom were gymnasts or professional dancers.
I still have to do Grand Central Oyster Bar, Babbo, and Luger’s. Would be nice to hit Ai fiori and I’ll hit Fig and Olive with Diana later.
have a car in the city and I found a parking spot in 10 minutes today. It was pretty amazing; it always feels like Christmas when that happens.
