1. Thou shalt not set their bags in an empty seat when people are standing.
I hope your bags are comfortable in that seat there...
2. Thou shalt not hold onto an overhead bar if thou is not wearing deodorant or have not shaved their armpits.
I mean, I was raised in Portland, go to college in Austin, I'm fine with women going au naturale, but I don't need it in my face while I'm riding the train.
3. Thou shalt ABSOLUTELY NOT try to surreptitiously lift up a cute girl's dress during crowded rush hour (or any hour for that matter).
No exceptions. It's pervy.
4. Thou shalt assist a young parent with (un)loading a stroller from/onto the train.
You can have the whole stone-cold, selfish NYC attitude, but you can be nice enough to help a lone parent with a baby.
5. Thou shalt not get on an un air-conditioned car in the summer.
It will feel literally like 1000 degrees. You'll thank me later.
6. Thou can reenact any movie subway scenes if the car is not packed and you have at least two witnesses with you.
RENT, Step Up 2, etc...
7. Thou shalt not wait for the express train if it will take more than three minutes to arrive.
Because by then you don't save any time.
8. Thou shalt squeeze as many people into the car during rush hour as possible.
It happens whether thou likes it or not.
9. Thou shalt not sing and ask for money if thou doesn't have a tolerable voice.
It's not fair to the rest of us.
10. Thou shalt not make-out with thou's significant other.
Unless you like death stares from Felicia.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
One Is The Loneliest Number
It's true, one can be the loneliest number.
20 can also be the loneliest number when your friends are all over 21 years-of-age.
The last time I was this aware of my age was in fifth grade when I had to lie and say I was born in 1986 (making me at the legal age of 13) to sign up for AIM.
There are so many things in the city that you have to be 21 years-old to do. Don't worry, I know it's New York City, and I realize how many great things I can do without being 21 years-old. I realize how many great things I have done without being 21-years-old. It just seems that for an optimal New York City experience, you have to be over 21. Concerts and dinners-- there's professional networking events I can't attend because I'm not 21 years-old. That hurts more than the scene in The Lion King when Mufasa dies. It's really frustrating. I think we can now all realize why Adele skipped a '20' album and went straight to '21'.
I know this may sound like a horribly whiny post, and really, I'm okay because I'm far from lonely. My friends have done a tremendous job in including me in their plans. I just haven't thought about my age like this in a long time. I guess at college I'm too busy going to class, procrastinating on homework, and re-eancting Broadway musicals to notice!
20 can also be the loneliest number when your friends are all over 21 years-of-age.
The last time I was this aware of my age was in fifth grade when I had to lie and say I was born in 1986 (making me at the legal age of 13) to sign up for AIM.
It's not even that I have this intense desire to drink alcohol, I just want to hang out with my friends! I'd be fine with a cherry coke, really! I just hate being the young one that can't go out because I'm five months from being 21. I mean, I'm so close to 21, I can smell the cosmopolitan I want to have as my first legal drink!
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| Me and my 21/22 year-old friends |
I know this may sound like a horribly whiny post, and really, I'm okay because I'm far from lonely. My friends have done a tremendous job in including me in their plans. I just haven't thought about my age like this in a long time. I guess at college I'm too busy going to class, procrastinating on homework, and re-eancting Broadway musicals to notice!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
I Want It All
It was some night during the spring semester of my freshman year at UT, watching an episode of Sex and the City with my friend Elizabeth that I decided that I wanted to be like Carrie Bradshaw. Not in the constant drinking and having sex sense, in the writing a blog/column on my MacBook Pro while eating Asian take-out after a fabulous city event sense. That same night I made a twitter, a tumblr, and started working on some pitches to send to Her Campus Texas (an online magazine for college women) to see if I could be accepted as a contributing writer.
I have officially achieved my goals from that night. I'm sitting here in my New York apartment, writing this blog, and about to dig into some delicious Pad Thai noodles that I had delivered. On top of that, Monday night I attended a fabulous city event hosted by none-other than Her Campus.
I was invited by Do Something's Biz Dev associate, Muneer, to sub for Calvin at an event hosted by Her Campus and Bing. It was to promote the launch of Bing's new social search. Judge me all you want, it was the exact kind of city event I always wanted to attend and I felt so cool. I snapped a picture with one of the Her Campus founders, rubbed elbows with some wonderful media/communications people, and won a smart phone through a tweeting competition. Not bad for the first day of the work week right?
As I walked to the subway, I silently thanked myself for actually dressing nice that day and mentally high-fived myself for confirming that I was a good fit for the "social media intern" title.
Flash forward to the next day, when the DS interns volunteered at the Bing "Summer of Doing" event. Let's just get this out there on the table right now: I MET CORBIN BLEU. And NO, I didn't spend the whole time harping on High School Musical. I interviewed him, rapped "In The Heights" with other interns for him, and spent 15 minutes soaking in his musical theater advice. He was so down-to-earth and genuine. While some celebrities volunteered for only 10 minutes, he was there for three-and-a-half hours, tiling a mural, painting a wall, and taking pictures with literally anyone who asked. His generosity is why I was able to pluck up the courage to ask for some musical theater advice. The best piece of advice? "You have to really love the whole process. It may take a long time before you book your first show. That's why you have to love taking classes, auditioning, and perfecting your craft."
He is absolutely right. When people think of Broadway stars or any kind of performing, they think of just the finished product. The note that creates goosebumps, the leap that gets air rival to a slam dunk, the standing ovation. It's the whole "I want it all! The fame, the fortune, and more." Even I forget sometimes about all the preparation and hard-work that goes into creating those spine-shivering moments. There are days where I certainly don't want to go to a dance class, or feel too lazy to practice for my vocal class, but I know performing is something that can make me truly happy. On the subway, I automatically select my "musical theater" genre and subtly (or maybe not so subtly) dancing to the songs, attracting stares from strangers. It makes me feel happy and complete.
This is my dilemma: I want it all. The social media events and the Broadway performances. Both are exciting and challenging. I often find myself forcing myself to choose between the two, but I don't think I necessarily have to choose. Not right now, anyways. I'm in New York City! I'm going to enjoy it all.
I have officially achieved my goals from that night. I'm sitting here in my New York apartment, writing this blog, and about to dig into some delicious Pad Thai noodles that I had delivered. On top of that, Monday night I attended a fabulous city event hosted by none-other than Her Campus.
I was invited by Do Something's Biz Dev associate, Muneer, to sub for Calvin at an event hosted by Her Campus and Bing. It was to promote the launch of Bing's new social search. Judge me all you want, it was the exact kind of city event I always wanted to attend and I felt so cool. I snapped a picture with one of the Her Campus founders, rubbed elbows with some wonderful media/communications people, and won a smart phone through a tweeting competition. Not bad for the first day of the work week right?
 |
| Windsor Hanger, one of the Her Campus founders! |
 |
| Just feeling the celeb status as people took my pic with my new phone! |
Flash forward to the next day, when the DS interns volunteered at the Bing "Summer of Doing" event. Let's just get this out there on the table right now: I MET CORBIN BLEU. And NO, I didn't spend the whole time harping on High School Musical. I interviewed him, rapped "In The Heights" with other interns for him, and spent 15 minutes soaking in his musical theater advice. He was so down-to-earth and genuine. While some celebrities volunteered for only 10 minutes, he was there for three-and-a-half hours, tiling a mural, painting a wall, and taking pictures with literally anyone who asked. His generosity is why I was able to pluck up the courage to ask for some musical theater advice. The best piece of advice? "You have to really love the whole process. It may take a long time before you book your first show. That's why you have to love taking classes, auditioning, and perfecting your craft."
 |
| Corbin Bleu! |
This is my dilemma: I want it all. The social media events and the Broadway performances. Both are exciting and challenging. I often find myself forcing myself to choose between the two, but I don't think I necessarily have to choose. Not right now, anyways. I'm in New York City! I'm going to enjoy it all.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Take the A-Train
Take the A-Train to see Duke Ellington perform at The Cotton Club.
Don't take the A-Train to Washington Heights after the 1, 2, and 3 trains have been stopped running uptown. It will feel like the whole population of New York City is at the 42nd and 8th ave station.
When I grabbed the 2 train at Times Square, I was ready to kick back with my novel A Summer in Europe (literally a Nancy Meyers rom-com in a book), and when we stopped right before we reached the 50th street station, I didn't think anything of it. The train was stopped in the tunnel for an hour. That means I was standing in my adorable, painful wedges for an hour. Even though the last couple of chapters of A Summer in Europe were riveting, I couldn't help but wonder when we were going to get out of this mess. The conductor came over the speakers a couple times, but never gave us any real information.
Finally, they said they were turning the train around to go back to Times Square, and there were no longer any 1, 2, or 3 trains running uptown. They directed us to take the A or C train uptown. After walking a block over, the A and C train station was PACKED. It didn't help that some old guido dude was trying to rub up against my backside. We waited 10 minutes, and when the A train finally did come, it was PACKED. No one could get on it. I knew I wouldn't want to be on a train that full with this weirdo pressing up on me.
Two minutes later, I found myself up on the street, trying to remember every movie set in New York City that I've seen, and how the characters flagged down a cab. Was there a technique? Did they pull over for someone who had one finger extended or all five fingers waving? If there is a technique, I clearly don't know it. While many of the cabs were full, I was unable to hail any of the empty ones. I walked around the north end o f Times Square for half an hour while I hunted one down, and finally found one stopped at a stoplight.
20 minutes and $23.50 later, I arrived at my corner, and was so frustrated yet relieved to be home. I was hungry, I was hot, and my feet hurt. Want to know the bright side? I left the cab with my wallet in hand.
Don't take the A-Train to Washington Heights after the 1, 2, and 3 trains have been stopped running uptown. It will feel like the whole population of New York City is at the 42nd and 8th ave station.
When I grabbed the 2 train at Times Square, I was ready to kick back with my novel A Summer in Europe (literally a Nancy Meyers rom-com in a book), and when we stopped right before we reached the 50th street station, I didn't think anything of it. The train was stopped in the tunnel for an hour. That means I was standing in my adorable, painful wedges for an hour. Even though the last couple of chapters of A Summer in Europe were riveting, I couldn't help but wonder when we were going to get out of this mess. The conductor came over the speakers a couple times, but never gave us any real information.
Finally, they said they were turning the train around to go back to Times Square, and there were no longer any 1, 2, or 3 trains running uptown. They directed us to take the A or C train uptown. After walking a block over, the A and C train station was PACKED. It didn't help that some old guido dude was trying to rub up against my backside. We waited 10 minutes, and when the A train finally did come, it was PACKED. No one could get on it. I knew I wouldn't want to be on a train that full with this weirdo pressing up on me.
Two minutes later, I found myself up on the street, trying to remember every movie set in New York City that I've seen, and how the characters flagged down a cab. Was there a technique? Did they pull over for someone who had one finger extended or all five fingers waving? If there is a technique, I clearly don't know it. While many of the cabs were full, I was unable to hail any of the empty ones. I walked around the north end o f Times Square for half an hour while I hunted one down, and finally found one stopped at a stoplight.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Bug-A-Boo
**Bug-lovers, Aisha, Wendi, no need to read further. Bugs were killed in the making of this blog.**
Today has been a day for unexpected and unwelcome visitors.
First, the GINORMOUS fly in my room. I swatted him with my shoe and he stopped moving. Then when I went to pick it up with a tissue, it moved. Turns out I only gave him a slight headache, so I swatted again and then promptly removed him from my room.
THEN, tonight happened. I am peacefully walking back to my room from the kitchen and I see a large insect scurrying across the floor. Flashbacks to my first mouse encounter entered my head as I silently screamed and ran into my room, automatically going through the steps I had done before to secure my room from the opponent if it tried to enter my room.
I was content with being posted up in my room for the night, but as my roommate (the one who saved me from the mouse) walked in the door and screamed, I remembered the pact I made with her when she relieved us of the mouse. I told her since she got rid of the mouse and was terrified of roaches, I would kill the roach if we were ever in the presence of one. Okay, so I may have thought we would never see a roach, but when I opened my door and saw her panicked face, I realized I would have to put on my big girl pants and take care of this roach.
I donned some clothes to make sure all of my skin was covered (with the logic that if any skin was visible to the roach it would somehow be able to attack me), and we strategized in our living room. I grabbed our broom (hey-- it helped with the mouse!) and entered the war zone. It was sticking half-way out of our metal shelves. I then decided to try and cover it with our toilet plunger so I could grab some roach spray under the sink. As I tried to cover it, it ran into the middle of the floor. I surreptitiously walked over to the sink, grabbed the spray, and sprayed the holy heck out of our kitchen floor. After completely covering the floor with roach spray, I got him. Then, I covered him with a plastic bowl thing, and let him have his last few moments alone. He is still currently there as far as I know, and I will say my last good-byes in the morning as I flush him down the toilet.
Today has been a day for unexpected and unwelcome visitors.
First, the GINORMOUS fly in my room. I swatted him with my shoe and he stopped moving. Then when I went to pick it up with a tissue, it moved. Turns out I only gave him a slight headache, so I swatted again and then promptly removed him from my room.
THEN, tonight happened. I am peacefully walking back to my room from the kitchen and I see a large insect scurrying across the floor. Flashbacks to my first mouse encounter entered my head as I silently screamed and ran into my room, automatically going through the steps I had done before to secure my room from the opponent if it tried to enter my room.
I was content with being posted up in my room for the night, but as my roommate (the one who saved me from the mouse) walked in the door and screamed, I remembered the pact I made with her when she relieved us of the mouse. I told her since she got rid of the mouse and was terrified of roaches, I would kill the roach if we were ever in the presence of one. Okay, so I may have thought we would never see a roach, but when I opened my door and saw her panicked face, I realized I would have to put on my big girl pants and take care of this roach.
I donned some clothes to make sure all of my skin was covered (with the logic that if any skin was visible to the roach it would somehow be able to attack me), and we strategized in our living room. I grabbed our broom (hey-- it helped with the mouse!) and entered the war zone. It was sticking half-way out of our metal shelves. I then decided to try and cover it with our toilet plunger so I could grab some roach spray under the sink. As I tried to cover it, it ran into the middle of the floor. I surreptitiously walked over to the sink, grabbed the spray, and sprayed the holy heck out of our kitchen floor. After completely covering the floor with roach spray, I got him. Then, I covered him with a plastic bowl thing, and let him have his last few moments alone. He is still currently there as far as I know, and I will say my last good-byes in the morning as I flush him down the toilet.
To all the bugs I've encountered today, I have to quote Destiny's Child:
"You're bugging me and don't you see that ain't cool?"
Update: (literally not even an hour later) I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth to find one crawling up the wall....but I sprang into action with my spray and killed it. Roach apocalypse is apparently on its way everyone.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Where Is The Love
I'm thinking about sending a letter to the Black Eyed Peas and notifying them that I have found the love, it's right here in the city.
On July 2nd, exactly one month after I got here, almost to the hour, I received a phone call from a very sweet lady named Des that FOUND. MY. WALLET.
She had found it in the cab, tried sending it to Vancouver, but it returned to her (okay, so I guess I should have updated my address since my mom and I moved my junior year of high school), and so she called me to find out where to send it!!!
I almost started crying I was so excited. It didn't matter that I already had received new debit cards, I had my license, my student ID, and my faith in humanity back. I couldn't help but think back to my night I spent crying miserably, thinking someone stole everything and that there was no way I was getting it back. She had called my mother before me and told her "I have a daughter and I know I would want someone to return it to her." Well put, Ms. Des, well put.
Now, I'm deciding what I want to send back to her. I'm so grateful for her selfless act, I want to reward her!
"People got me questioning, "where is the love?"
Des got me answering, "where is the love?"
Right here in the city.
On July 2nd, exactly one month after I got here, almost to the hour, I received a phone call from a very sweet lady named Des that FOUND. MY. WALLET.
She had found it in the cab, tried sending it to Vancouver, but it returned to her (okay, so I guess I should have updated my address since my mom and I moved my junior year of high school), and so she called me to find out where to send it!!!
I almost started crying I was so excited. It didn't matter that I already had received new debit cards, I had my license, my student ID, and my faith in humanity back. I couldn't help but think back to my night I spent crying miserably, thinking someone stole everything and that there was no way I was getting it back. She had called my mother before me and told her "I have a daughter and I know I would want someone to return it to her." Well put, Ms. Des, well put.
Now, I'm deciding what I want to send back to her. I'm so grateful for her selfless act, I want to reward her!
Des got me answering, "where is the love?"
Right here in the city.
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| My wallet and I reunited! |
Sunday, July 1, 2012
That's Life
It was somewhere while I was walking from Union Square in search of food before I caught the train to a dance class, that I walked into a bad mood. It wasn't anything specific, just a seed of irritation that continued to grow inside of me. I decided to grab Jamba Juice because it was right across from the train I was going to take. Five sips in and I realized I couldn't drink the rest and I felt like I wasted $6.50 and kept my eyes peeled for a homeless person that might value it more than me. No such luck.
I marched into Steps on Broadway, hoping that dancing would get me out of this funk. It usually does. Except when I told the front desk associate I was taking the 1:30pm Intermediate Ballet, she says there isn't a class at that time. Okay, so I read the Friday schedule instead of the Saturday. So I marched right out and went grocery shopping in the store underneath the studio. I also had three invitations to hang out with four extremely awesome people that I had declined because I was going to the dance class. Now I had to sort all of that out. After a quick call to my mom in the produce section, I left the store with two bell peppers, two cucumbers, granola bars, and a plan. However, as I waited 10 minutes for the subway, the heat seeped into my plan and created another bad mood.
After dropping off groceries, I headed out to buy a swimsuit top over on the Upper East Side and then I was going to meet up with a friend from work and two old friends that were in town at Central Park to tan.
As I was trying on swimsuit tops, I heard one of the associates talk on the phone to her daughter. They were arguing about the daughter going to a party in the city after being out all day with friends. I poked my head out after she hung up, "Was that your daughter?" It was. "How old is she?" "She'll be 15 soon." First of all, a 14-year-old partying in Manhattan on Saturday night? My mom was just letting me go to the mall by myself at that age.
That's when it hit me. I was homesick! I love all of these new things I've been doing, all the exploring, the adventure, but I just wanted something familiar. I wanted some Vancouver Pizza, Ice Cream Renaissance (the early years), Pluckers, or I'd even settle for some Chik-fil-A from UT's SAC. (Not sure why everything I listed was food-related...)
As I left the store, the first song that came on my iPod was Old Blue Eye's "That's Life". If there was ever a time to have a soundtrack to your life, this was a very appropriate time. Then I realized how excited to meet up with Nicole and Rachel, two girls that have been like my big sisters since the third grade. They've given me clothes, advice, and laughs, and that's exactly what I needed in this moment.
We met up and talked at New York Burger Co. and there were tons of laughs and stories! I'm so thankful I got to spend time with two of the most gorgeous, ambitious, and lovely ladies I know.
In a way, I'm thankful that I had this day. I find that the more new places I go, the more unique things I do, the more I appreciate the old and familiar places and faces.
"Each time I find myself laying flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race, that's life." -Frank Sinatra, That's Life
I marched into Steps on Broadway, hoping that dancing would get me out of this funk. It usually does. Except when I told the front desk associate I was taking the 1:30pm Intermediate Ballet, she says there isn't a class at that time. Okay, so I read the Friday schedule instead of the Saturday. So I marched right out and went grocery shopping in the store underneath the studio. I also had three invitations to hang out with four extremely awesome people that I had declined because I was going to the dance class. Now I had to sort all of that out. After a quick call to my mom in the produce section, I left the store with two bell peppers, two cucumbers, granola bars, and a plan. However, as I waited 10 minutes for the subway, the heat seeped into my plan and created another bad mood.
After dropping off groceries, I headed out to buy a swimsuit top over on the Upper East Side and then I was going to meet up with a friend from work and two old friends that were in town at Central Park to tan.
As I was trying on swimsuit tops, I heard one of the associates talk on the phone to her daughter. They were arguing about the daughter going to a party in the city after being out all day with friends. I poked my head out after she hung up, "Was that your daughter?" It was. "How old is she?" "She'll be 15 soon." First of all, a 14-year-old partying in Manhattan on Saturday night? My mom was just letting me go to the mall by myself at that age.
That's when it hit me. I was homesick! I love all of these new things I've been doing, all the exploring, the adventure, but I just wanted something familiar. I wanted some Vancouver Pizza, Ice Cream Renaissance (the early years), Pluckers, or I'd even settle for some Chik-fil-A from UT's SAC. (Not sure why everything I listed was food-related...)
As I left the store, the first song that came on my iPod was Old Blue Eye's "That's Life". If there was ever a time to have a soundtrack to your life, this was a very appropriate time. Then I realized how excited to meet up with Nicole and Rachel, two girls that have been like my big sisters since the third grade. They've given me clothes, advice, and laughs, and that's exactly what I needed in this moment.
We met up and talked at New York Burger Co. and there were tons of laughs and stories! I'm so thankful I got to spend time with two of the most gorgeous, ambitious, and lovely ladies I know.
 |
| Rachel, Nicole, and I catching up |
"Each time I find myself laying flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race, that's life." -Frank Sinatra, That's Life
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