Tag: friends

unexpected gifts

These past few years I feel like I’ve been hating the holidays less and less. I think I’ve finally learned to stop worrying about the things I don’t have and to focus on all the wonderful people and things I do have in my life. All I wanted this year was to spend time with the people I care about the most but some of my awesome friends managed to surprise me with such thoughtful gifts. Unexpected gifts really are the best to give and receive.

I had mentioned to Bionics that my mom usually gets me the summer sausage from Hickory Farms every Christmas but that she obviously wasn’t getting it for me this year. It started out as a joke, this bad gift that my mom got me, but now I actually crave it around Christmastime. Next thing I know, I received a box of Hickory Farms summer sausage and cheeses in the mail from Bionics. It was so sweet and thoughtful and truly made my Christmas.

Gus also really loved the gift, although I think he loved the box more.

Another dear friend of mine got me these adorable (and cozy!) penguin slippers. I love wearing them and making the penguins dance. (The other night I came into my bedroom to find Gus attacking these slippers. I’m not sure where his hatred for penguins stemmed from but we’re gonna keep him away from my slippers!)

She also got me this funny penguin wine key. She must know how much I love penguins and wine!

…and this handmade vegetable soap that smells like fresh laundry washed in heaven. It’s wrapped so beautifully with a little jewel on the top that I can’t bring myself to use it.

I met Miss Brit for dinner last night and she surprised me with one of my favorite movies. Gah! I’m gonna watch it over and over and over and then hug the box after.

And of course…can I ever have enough Hello Kitty dolls? NOPE!

I hope the holidays were wonderful for all of you!

Author name:

so grateful

‎”Let us be grateful to people who make us happy: They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” -Marcel Proust

This year will be the first year without any of my family members around for Thanksgiving. Without them, I intended to spend Thanksgiving on the couch, in my sweats, eating a rotisserie chicken. (This depressed my friends more than it did me). None of my friends would stand for this (with their crumpled up faces as if they saw a truck run over a litter of kittens) and I am so very touched (as I am every year) by their many invites for dinner. With my family so far away, all of my friends have opened up their homes and been my second family.

So on this day of giving thanks I would like to thank my friends for always being so wonderful. And, of course, most of all I am thankful for my family whom I simply can’t live without.

Hope you are all having a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Author name:

no sleep till…

I’ve had so many friends in town lately, it feels like my apartment is just a revolving door of a motel. This weekend I had a friend from high school call me last minute to tell me he was in town for work. I was pretty booked up for the weekend but I managed to squeeze him in between 4 and 6PM on Friday. (I knew how awfully self important this sounded but it really was all I had free!) We went and got hot chocolate from Max Brenner and sat in Union Square and caught up. It felt like a scene from a movie; he in a suit and me in ill fitting urban hunter attire, catching up on our very different lives.

After that I rushed off to midtown west to watch a Thai kickboxing match with a friend from college. How random on both the company and the event. I had pictured the fight being held in a seated arena and was more than thrilled to find out it was in a basement below a church. It just had such an underground, illegal feeling to it and I loved it. It was standing room only and the ventilation wasn’t so great so it got pretty hot in there, especially with all we were drinking. My friend and I were betting on the fights, loser buys the next round. I kept winning. It was so funny because my method of choosing fighters was usually based on what the fighter’s face looked like or what they were wearing. Hey, whatever gets me free drinks right? I felt so homesick and some points, hearing the traditional Thai music during the fight and watching the fight ceremony. The DJ was playing hip hop in between rounds and it kinda felt surreal, like I was in between my two worlds, NYC and Bangkok.

On Saturday, my friend from Sweden was in town with her family. I was trying to coordinate so many different groups of friends to meet in one place which always results in too many taxis and a night spent text messaging. But somehow we made it work and all met in the East Village for a night of drinks and silly dancing.

I met the Swedes again on Monday for some jazz and drunken ping pong tournaments at Fat Cat. It was such a funny night and somehow I came home with pockets full of ping pong balls.

I haven’t had any sleep in days and tonight I’m catching a flight to New Orleans. I’m certain I won’t be getting any sleep in the next 5 days.

Be back soon with New Orleans updates!

Author name:

maturity is overrated

I feel like I’ve been out everyday last week. Oh wait, I was. Most of the time I never really plan on doing anything. I was working on Monday until 8PM… and then some friends came by…and then…Well…

I asked my girlfriends this weekend if it’s possible that I’m an alcoholic. I mean, I drink an awful lot. They asked me, “Do you keep a handle of vodka in your car?” Well no, I answered, I don’t have a car. “Do you feel like you need a drink?” They asked. No, I answered. It’s just that I can never turn down an invite. “Oh, well,” they said, “that’s OK then. You’re just popular.” Haha. I like that assessment much better.

So we sat around drinking and drinking on Monday. Then we decided to have a dougie contest. (Such a hot dance). Loser had to pay the entire tab. After the contest we decided to wander the streets looking for a more happening bar in the East Village. It was a Monday so most places were quiet that night. We decided to stop into Continental Bar for their 5 shots for $10 deal. (Are we in college here?) After walking around some more we decided we weren’t going to find a dance party and settled on a bar in Union Square that serves a free pizza for every drink you buy. (Again, are we in college?) The pizzas were totally unnecessary and I felt like a cow the next morning but at the time being, I imagined this is probably what heaven is like.

During the course of the night I was tricked into joining the Pen 15 club. (Going with our immaturity theme).

And decided to put the free NYC condoms to good use…

And passed by this bar on our search for a party but didn’t go in because I had non-Asians with me.

We’re too old to be ordering Woo Woo shots anyway…

Author name:

photobooth fun

This is how we spent an hour of our Sunday… : )

Author name:
Older entries