I gotta feeling...

My sister's keeper



Today i went and saw My Sister's Keeper, and sarah and i were bawling our eyes out the entire time. i don't care if critics don't like it or if it's different from the book (i never read it), because i liked this movie. a lot.
i think this was the first time i cried so much during a movie since... Titanic (yes, Titanic made me weep. all 3 times.) haha.
It just seemed so unfair, you know? How can a little girl be allowed to go through so much pain and suffering and then finally die of leukemia? what good is there in that?
And then having another little girl genetically modified and created just for her organs and blood and tissue to give to her sister... it's just... a lot to think about.
I mean, she's a person, too. how can someone create a whole other human being to manipulate and use for the benefit of a sick kid? I don't know how i feel about forcibly holding down and poking giant needles into fragile 5-year-olds just to save another kid.

Abigail Breslin is just about the cutest not-so-little 13-year-old ever. and the most talented too.

Things happen for a reason

THANK GOD i didn't accept BlackBook's internship. i met this girl who did, and she totally hates it. turns out, they hired 13 interns, and since there's so many of them, each one only comes into work about 2 days a week, and they do absolutely nothing.
they just sit around and stare into space, and accomplish nothing productive. at least that's the gist of what i heard.
Wow. so glad i'm at julib, even if it's smaller and lesser known. at least i get to write tons of stuff.

Poor Farrah Fawcett. she just had to die on the same day as Michael Jackson, and now the whole world is grieving over him and no one remembers her :(

Bouts of homesickness always strike me randomly, usually when i see families together, having dinner, walking down the street, shopping together...

When i saw Transformers two nights ago, these two little boys were waiting outside the theater after the movie, and their parents swooped in with their car to pick them up moments later.
and i was like, awww... reminds me of when i'd bring my little bro and adorable little cousins to the movies, and they'd be bouncing off the walls and demanding popcorn and hot dogs.. and of course i'd give in to their requests 'cause they're just so cute (even though my mom's voice would inevitably ring in my ear: 'no hot dogs! it causes cancer!') :)

Thanks MJ, for all the good times.

Friday was karaoke (American: 'care-ree-oh-kee'. Singaporean: 'kah-rah-oh-kay'. hahaha.) night in Brooklyn to commemorate Michael Jackson's awesome contribution to the world of music.
Great songs + crazy friends + fun dancing = amazing night :)
Karaoke was so fun!! instead of little private rooms to yourself like in sgp, here it's like the ENTIRE bar listening to you screech your head off to your favorite song.
we screamed and danced along to every song (whether we knew it or not). i'm pretty sure everyone knew who we were by the end of the night. and then when we finally got the mic, we shrieked along to 'Summer nights' from Grease. And by we, i meant the girls.
The crowd was a good mix of soulful singers and horrible wannabes. some people just didn't know they were off beat/off tune/didn't even know the lyrics (even though they were flashed on the screen.) it was some highly entertaining stuff.

You know you love me, XOXO

Gossip Girl tour bright and early on saturday morning. way. too. early.



The Met, where Blair and her friends gather on the steps for Pinkberry :)

Yes, I was on the very steps that Leighton Meester once sat. haha. apparently she can sing, too. Check out Cobra Starship's 'Good girls go bad.'



At this quaint little neighborhood on the Upper East Side... visiting the 'school' where Serena and gang attend. It's actually a church! what irony. and it's teeny tiny and dirty.


The huge New York Palace, the hotel where Serena lives.

I don't care what anyone else says, I love gossip girl.

P.S. (for hannah) The singer, whose music video i was in, is Killa Kela, some dude from the UK.

Almost famous

I got to be in a music video yesterday!!! my friend here works for a small film production company, and they were producing a music video for this british pop band/singer. so since it was super low budget, they got all the interns (and their friends) to be extras in scenes. and of course i said yes when my friend asked. who wouldn't wanna be in a freakin music video??? even if it's some relatively new and unknown band?? who knows??
he might get crazy famous one day, and i'll get to be like, yup.. i totally knew him way back in the day. haha.

So we got to meet the singer himself, who was a really cool and chill dude. kinda cute but a little older. got to meet the other interns/extras, who were cool too. and they gave us free food, always a plus. so they finally told us what we were supposed to do, and they were actually recreating a club scene in their office! with strobe lights and music and all. and we were to dance (his song was pretty good) and pretend like we were actually in a club full of hundreds of people, when there was only like 10 of us. it was hilarious.

and the attention was focused on, ahem, a transvestite. and a really pretty one at that. she/he made all the other girls feel ashamed. so i guess the concept of the video was about the lead singer who falls for this tranny in a club, and then later finds out she's a guy. haha.

the director was hilarious too (he looked like cranky doctor House).
he was like, 'i want you guys to just have fun and dance, and there should be no penguin sh** or anything like that.' (meaning no moving awkwardly in one position) the way he said it made me crack up. it was funny cuz i was there with this one guy who always comes out with us but never dances. i don't know why he comes and pays the ridiculous cover charge if he's just gonna STAND THERE like a block of wood and watch other people dance. it's a little awkward. but even he managed to move (reminded me of the awkward guy in Hitch), so it was cool :)

so yeah! that was my 5 seconds of fame. haha.

I love movies

I don't know why but i let my friend convince me to watch Night at the Museum, which, as expected, was a huge flop. even the trailer looked lame. it was just too much stereotyping and cliched, over-used jokes. and the historical figures in the movie just looked dumb in their attempt to be funny.

And i saw Transformers: Revenge of the fallen, which was only a tiny bit better than Night at the museum (only 'cause shia labeouf was in it. and foxy megan fox. haha).

Seminar

Yesterday there was a seminar where this woman who won some awards in scriptwriting came and gave an inspirational talk. we learned about the six degrees of separation.

so i guess i'm only six people away from celebrities like shia labeouf! haha.
so the moral of the story... (once again) network, network, network. you never know, someone might know someone, who knows someone, who can be the one to help you fulfill your dreams.
Blah blah blah.

Tiring monday

Freebies



I just love free stuff. can't get enough of it. and today was the ultimate.
We got a box full of free products from Benefit, the awesome makeup brand i've always wanted to try but didn't wanna waste $$ on. isn't the packaging soooo adorable?? Love. It.
So i grabbed it all (after my manager took her share). can't wait to use it! :)
(And random flip flops)

This is definitely better than getting paid! haha.

Today at work

My manager was instant messaging me, and there was something wrong with my computer, and so she told me to ask Jesus for help.

I was like, huh??? is she asking me to pray?? is she being sarcastic?? what the --

And then i realized she meant jesus (as in heh-soos) rodriguez, our IT guy who is hispanic and happens to have the same name as my God. hahahaha. and then i just felt really dumb. good thing i didn't voice my thoughts out loud. that would've been pretty embarrassing.
i don't know why people name their children after a god-figure. it's just weird.

I got to write two more stories today. i'm beginning to get a little sick of writing. after a while, it just feels monotonous. and staring at the computer for hours and hours cannot be good for my eyesight. i think next time i wanna work at a print magazine, and do cool stuff like direct photo shoots and design pages instead of just writing, writing, writing.

Shocking news

So i got home from work, hopped innocently into the elevator, got out at my floor, and received the shock of my life. there were all these posters (i never paid attention to them before) warning us of a burglary and a sexual offense that occurred IN THE DORM. and a HOMICIDE that occurred right outside. some guy got STABBED!!! my eyes were bulging out of their sockets. especially when i saw the homicide part. then i realized that one happened at another NYU dorm, not mine. and breathed a sigh of relief. but still... the other two happened here. i think. so... gotta be more careful. need to find my pepper spray. although.. i don't know how to use it. haha.

Road tripping to Washington DC

On the road

After 3 hours of sleep, my suitemate haley and i got up on friday at 7.43am, when we were supposed to meet at the lobby at 7.45am to get on the bus to washington, DC.
needless to say, we freaked out. she hadn't even packed, and she was still... feeling the effects from last night. so, 20 hilarious minutes later, we made it to the bus. i was pretty proud of us.

The drive there went by fast.. 4 hours and one pit-stop at union train station (for a free lunch) later, we were in DC!! my first time ever.

Touring like a tourist

First stop: all the touristy spots, i.e. monuments and memorials.

Went to see the outside of the White House, the Washington Monument, the Korean war memorial, the Vietnam war memorial (which i learned about in class this year!), the Lincoln Memorial...
We had the world's funniest tour guide. and by funny i mean weird. and eccentric. at first we thought she was drunk, but then we figured out she was just... being herself.
so she was hilarious at first, and then she became plain annoying by the end of the tour. well at least we didn't get the mean old man the other bus got. although i didn't understand half the things she said... i think she was talking to herself most of the time.


Vietnam war memorial. i learned about the controversy behind it in my arts and ideas class. (i'm amazed that class was actually useful) all this disagreement because of an asian female designer.


Stella and me resting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. it was an exhausting 2-storey climb up :)


The Lincoln Memorial. I don't know why, but it reminded me of that scene in 'Hercules' where he goes to see the statue of Zeus, his dad, and it comes alive. haha.


they had all the names of the states at the WWII memorial, so i took one where i was born!


The reflecting pool and the Washington Monument.

Me (clueless): Hey what's that? (pointing to that tall thing)
My friends mumble some sort of 'i don't know' response.
Me (jokingly): You all are americans! how can you not know what this is!

They all claimed they learned about it in 4th grade and forgot. And then after that everyone proceeds to tell me all the other random stuff about their country that they do know. like the capitals of each state. haha.



Me: Hey that looks cool, what's that?
Someone (incredulous): uhh.. The Capitol.
Me (feigning understanding): Ohhh... (I had no idea what that is, so i went back and googled it, to avoid more embarrassing ignorant statements spilling out of my mouth. It's not my fault i don't know anything about this country! haha)


The Korean war memorial.

Me (confused): Hey... how come all those soldiers are hunchbacks?
Sarah: ....
Me (lightbulb goes off): Ohhh... it's their backpacks under their coats!

I really need to stop saying stupid things.


The view of the Lincoln memorial from the WWII memorial.


Haley and me outside the White House. before the strict guard chased us away 'cause apparently Obama wanted some to go out in the sun and so we had to clear off.


the White House.


The Newseum - a museum solely dedicated to everything news.

We stayed at the George Washington Inn, and it was way nicer than i expected! haley and i roomed together in this huge room, with a tv and a full length mirror and a nice bathroom.
i know, all hotels are supposed to have that, but after living in a tiny little dorm room for so long, this was like decadent luxury.



Night out

We headed to the waterfront for dinner and saw the beautiful sunset at the harbor.
And if you know me, you'd know i detest seafood (except fish), but for some unknown reason, i decided the lobster ravioli sounded good. so i got it.
And then i regretted my insane decision when the bill came and it was 30bucks after tax+gratuity. never again.


Rachel and i found our favorite drink in the entire world.


The girls i met on the trip.

We didn't get to go to any museums, because of scheduling and stuff. oh well. it was fun :)

Week 4 :)

.And i'm proud to be an asiannnnn... where at least i know i'm freeeee....

So one day in the NYU elevator i heard this caucasian girl exclaim loudly, 'my roommate's fresh off the boat, and she's hilarious!'
and then she proceeded to talk about her weird/funny her mannerisms and actions were. and i was like, wow. i've heard about the term so many times, but i've never actually heard anyone use it. maybe they did behind my back (especially freshman year), but whatever. it was weird, but i wasn't offended or anything.
it takes a lot to offend me. i've learned to be more open-minded...especially around people here. even when they say chinatown is exactly like koreatown. haha.

But then again, it always annoys me how americans are practically worshipped and adored in asia, while asians are sometimes mocked when they arrive in the US of A. one-way relationship.

Although, everyone i've met here has reacted with shock when i told them i'm from singapore. they're like, 'omg, i would never have expected that! you don't have an accent at all!'
I guess i'm becoming... one of them. haha.

.Gaming.

Yesterday a bunch of people went to Dave & Busters, this game arcade/bar.. and it was totally fun!! the last time i went to an arcade was like years ago. i was obsessed with DDR :)
We got hit on by tons of creepy guys. one guy offered to give us his coupons so we could exchange them for gifts, and he ended up getting my friend's number and asking her out to lunch. he was a total weirdo. kept rapping to us like he was some cool dude, but he was just a white wannabe rapper.
but anyway we happily took his coupons and got teddy bears and shot glasses. haha. and then he made off with our card, which still had a lot of money in it! jerk.

Some of my friends flirted with this gross old man who claimed to be from the mafia, and he bought them like 3 free drinks each. i refused. i'm not that desperate for a free drink to flirt with some sweaty elderly man, old enough to be my grandpa. eww.

.Good work day.

Today was definitely a good day. slacked around in the office (even my manager didn't have much to do 'cause it was thursday), and read stuff on wikipedia. haha.

it was really interesting! read up on Scientology, which was full of nonsense. i mean, it had some crap that was supposedly confidential but got leaked out to the public by a former scientology member, about this guy named xenu who came to earth from another planet and put people near volcanoes and blew them up. so now their souls are floating around earth, terrorizing humans. i was like... this totally makes for some awful science fiction story. but sure, you can believe in whatever you want to!

Also read about mormonism and jehovah's witnesses. funny how i 'supposedly' learned about them in my Historic christian belief class (where i got an A), but i still have no idea who they are/what they believe in. well now i know. and they have some weird beliefs too.

And then i had a nice long chat with my manager about office politics. apparently the higher-ups like the people to think the office environment is laidback and all, but it's really not. and this one guy who seems chill actually watches everyone to make sure they're not skiiving off.
i was like, ooohhh... better make sure i look more hardworking and diligent!
No more stupid websites like cracked.com or collegehumor. haha.

But yeah, i really like my manager. she's awesome. and we talked about starting a career in NYC, and how hard it is because there's tons of cutthroat competition. and she said i was in luck, because having an internship in NYC on my resume would look much better than someone else who had an internship in like, indiana or something. cuz companies in new york like to see that you've had experience here before. so yay! now i have connections here! :)

.Resume.

I seriously can't believe i wrote so many articles between this week and last week.
Here's all the links if you're interested... after a while, they kinda all sound similar.

-Organic clove salon opens in Atlanta, Georgia
http://www.julib.com/atlanta/luckycharms061609AT_email.html

-DVF boutique opens in Miami, Florida
http://www.julib.com/miami/birdwithoutwings061109MI_email.html

-Caviar Kaspia opens in Miami, Florida
http://www.julib.com/miami/kaspiasea061609MI_email.html

-Rugosa opens in the Hamptons
http://www.julib.com/hamptons/pulltherugosa061009HA_email.html

-Cadot opens in Dallas, Texas
http://www.julib.com/dallas/spacecadot061109DA_email.html

-New online design store called Functionals, from the Netherlands
http://www.julib.com/sandiego/hollandssauce060909SD_email.html

-Side bar opens in San Diego, California
http://www.julib.com/sandiego/Bsides061109SD_email.html

.Thumbs up.

Went to see the movie 'Up'...

... in 3D! and it was everything they said, and more.
everyone should TOTALLY go see it, please. it's such a great movie. pixar never fails to deliver. although, it costed as much as three movies in sgp. ridiculous. but worth it :)

Also saw 'The proposal,' which was quite possibly the lamest romantic comedy ever.


its attempts to get laughs out of the audience just fell flat. and there was zero chemistry between the two leads. sad.

ROAD TRIP TO WASHINGTON, DC THIS WEEKEND!!!!
I'm so excited. i've never been there!!! and we're gonna stay in hotels for free and see all the free museums! did i mention it's free?? :)

Lounging around

I caved. and watched 'the taking of pelham 123' for a ridiculous $12.50
but it was worth it.
john travolta + denzel washington = awesome duo :)
and it was just fun seeing all these places in NYC and going, 'i've been there!!'
and the train that was hijacked.. i take it every morning to work! it was weird. made me think of what would happen if someone actually hijacked a train. i wouldn't want to be on it. unless maybe john travolta was on it too. and robert pattison (who, by the way, is allegedly filming somewhere in NYC! i have to go stalk him.)

this guy named Ted Archer came and spoke to us at our weekly seminar today. apparently he's famous because he wrote a book entitled 'carved by god, cursed by the devil,' which i've never heard of. but he ran a marathon across the sahara desert. twice. so props to him for that.
i would never be able to do something like that. i can't even make it 5 miles without wheezing and coughing and feeling like i'm about to pass out. i guess some people have it, some people don't.

Peeks.

Friday night at st. mark's :)


The girls i met this weekend... rachel, katie, sarah and stella. they're pretty much awesome.


we randomly found this hello kitty fountain (with water spraying out of its eyes) near 5th avenue, and decided to do.... what else? an asian pose.


liz after she got her ears pierced for the first time :)


at Little Italy with gelato in hand. yummmm.


liz tried to make the 'O' in 'benito' an 'A', but failed miserably.


weird folded paper in the museum that anyone, even a baby, could've done. maybe it's all in the way you fold it.


some guy came up to me in the museum and asked me what the painting was about. i was clueless, and cheated by peeking at the explanation on the side.
it's actually a policeman screaming. he's on the right.


BEP in concert! they look tiny, but they were actually pretty close to us. it's just those darned people with their cameras held high, blocking my shot.


Me, ingrid (my roomie), and her friend ashley at whole foods market for lunch.


More free stuff happily taken from the office. it's organic, too. mom would be so proud :)

I'm-too-lazy-to-think-of-a-creative-title

.We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

Went to the Bronx.. where J. Lo grew up! haha.
it looked kinda sketchy, even in daylight. saw a tranny and various other shady people, but didn't dare to comment on them, in case they whip out a gun and start randomly shooting us. haha.

the Bronx zoo was soooo huge.. we only got to see like half of it in the 4 hours we were there. saw the tiger feeding, gorillas hugging, disgusting bugs, creepy worms, huge camels, cute sea lions, monkeys, etc. it was cool... but now i'm so tired from going out everyday.

Now that i've met all these awesome people... i don't wanna go to work anymore. i just wanna go out everyday... haha. no time to waste. only 5 weeks left in NYC!

I love saturdays

.Consequences.

Don't really remember much of what happened last night.
But somehow i made it out the dorm and met liz to go to Little Italy. It was such a quaint little area. we found it by the red, white and green decorations everywhere and italian signs down the street. tons of cute restaurants, souvenir shops, gelato places... that's about all. haha. the pizza was fabulous.

Then we just walked around spring street.. passed by tons of quaint, vintage shops that had SALES signs everywhere. but their stuff, even on sale, cost a few hundred. i hate it when shops mislead you like that. a few hundred bucks is NOT a sale.
but then we found street vendors, and this cute little flea market in some random building, so that was cool. tons of unique jewelry, hats, clothes, bags...

And i went with liz to get her ears pierced! can you believe she's never gotten her ears pierced!!! we've had a lot of 'firsts' together :)
so she was kinda nervous. but it totally didn't hurt. and now she's obsessed with her new earrings :)
Stopped by at Koreatown, which was just a street of korean restaurants and tiny shops, all in korean signs. thought of sung ah.

.Laugh it out.

Went to Caroline's comedy club in Times Square (where comedians like chris rock performed before) with my roomies and some guys.
After waiting 2 hours for dinner, the opening acts came on stage. 3 guys - some of them from comedy central or whatever. don't remember their names. but they were RIDICULOUSLY hilarious. i was falling off laughing.

guy 3: so i love watching sports on tv, especially eating competitions. but i don't get how the skinny guys always win. like that japanese guy, who was way smaller than his fat competitor, you'd think the fat guy will win, right? but no, the skinny guy always wins. it's like, fat people aren't even good at what they're supposed to be good at -- eating!

hahaha.

guy 2: so you know those homeless people in new york? i envy them sometimes. they go to bed at such a decent hour! it's like, 9, and they're fast asleep. they get a good, solid 8 hours!
and they get a free wake up call in the morning, too. someone steps on them, they know it's time to get up. or they can 'snooze' for a while, let 8 more people step on them, then finally get up.

ok it's not so funny when i say it. but i can't remember exactly what they said.
although... they were extremely raunchy and inappropriate too. i cringed a lot.

Dave Attel, the feature comedian of the night, was... too dirty-minded for my liking. but he had some funny stuff.

Fun times.

Fabulous Friday

.The Today Show.

Waking up at 4am is a lot harder than it sounds. especially when it's raining outside and you only got 3 hours of sleep.
But after standing in line for 2 hours, getting a free bagel and free chips from random vendors, and waiting for 2 more hours in the drizzling rain, the Black Eyed Peas finally took the stage!!! it was craziness. i went with 10 other people, but we eventually got separated, and i stuck with sarah, this awesome girl i just met. and we pushed our way to the front! or as front as we could get, behind annoying people with their annoying fan passes. about 20 feet away from the band :)

BEP are awesome live. that's all i can say. don't know who the other guys are (except will.i.am), and don't really care. everyone was pretty much there to see fergie, who rocked her brunette locks and fab outfit. and she had crazy long silver nails like the mutant in Xmen 2 who fought wolverine. they also had weird dancers in the back, dressed from head to toe (literally) in blue and white striped skintight costumes.
The concert was over after 3 songs. seems a little much to wait hours just for 3 songs... but hey, it was free.

and i made friends with yet another grandma (my third one and counting). i guess i must have some grandma magnetism or something. this one was chatty as well, and she kept complaining about people holding signs in front of us (she was also shorter than me). haha. we stood on the railing to get a better view together with sarah.
so now my legs are sore.

.MoMa.

Got to know Sarah's group of friends today, they were all awesome people. went to MoMa with them -- the museum of modern art.
it was the weirdest museum ever. most of the stuff i saw there, i was like, i can totally do this. or better. this is what i did in like kindergarten.
One artist pasted a cut out of a magazine on a sheet of paper. Another made some random folds in a piece of paper. i guess that's modern art.
at least we got free entrance.

random: Virgin megastore 80% sales = $10 for 2 DVDs and CDs = a very happy me.

Let it be

Black eyed peas in concert tomorrow at the Today Show in Rockefeller Center!!!
at 4am.
well at least i don't have to work :)

.Slacking at work.

With each passing day, i leave later and later for work. But by some miracle, i still reach the office early. i have no idea what's going on. but hey, i like it.
My boss wasn't there today when i arrived... so i slacked for 3 hours :)
Today was a pretty slacker day anyway. Just did archives and organizing. I guess Mondays and Wednesdays are the more hectic, need-to-get-this-done-now days.

So... i read more news! About this crazy man who burst into the holocaust museum and killed a guard. And the best places to live in the US (most of which i've never heard of). And healthy foods to eat to boost your immunity. And this US family whose family portrait somehow ended up in a Czech ad. I even rated outfits in Us Weekly's 'Who wore it better?' and did random quizzes. and talked to a bunch of people on fb. and checked my e-mail. before i finally ran out of things to do.
And then i got off at 5. nice and early :)

I think my writing's improving to their liking. 'cause when i first started, they'd edit it a little, particularly the intro and the ending. but this week's features survived the editing and made it all the way through. yayy.

.Like mother, like daughter.

I realized my thinking is more like my mom's than i realize. While grocery shopping, i mostly buy stuff that's organic or all-natural, even if they're a teeny bit more expensive than normal stuff. healthier you = happier you (in the long run, at least. right now it just burns a hole through my pocket).

Random: go to coldplay.com and you can download their free CD! because they love their fans so much. isn't that awesome? free, virus-less music.
Also, i wish it'll STOP RAINING. it doesn't even feel like summer, because it just rains here every single day.
rain = cold = dreary = sad me

http://www.hulu.com/watch/20337/saturday-night-live-digital-short-the-japanese-office
The Japanese version of The Office. hahaha.

Drowning under piles of work

.Work is my new buddy.

I know, right? You'd think summer would be filled with blissful moments of relaxation and joy, but no, i have to do so much stuff!!
obviously i have my internship and all, and i've actually been receiving more work orders, which i don't mind, 'cause then i don't have to sit at the desk and stare into a blank computer screen (or go on facebook while pretending to be working hard).
although... i've been getting off work later too. the first few days i got off at 5, then the second week it gradually became 5.30ish, and this week it's always after 6. today it was 7!! i barely made it back in time to grab dinner before the NYU cafeteria closed.

Today was more hectic than usual though. I got assigned three stories! they didn't even tell me what to write. i had to go do all the research and run it past them and then write them one after another. But like i said, at least no wasting time doing nothing productive.

Although... sometimes i don't even remember what i wrote about. haha.
they send me the test emails near the end of each day so i can fact check and proof read, and i'd come across a feature, and i'd be like, whoaaa this sounds strangely familiar! have i seen this before? am i psychic or something?? and then the light bulb goes off in my head, and i realize i just wrote it an hour ago. haha.

So anyway, back to the drowning under piles of work part, i just realized today that to get credit for the internship, i need to fill out surveys bi-weekly, go to 3 seminars at least, and either keep a blog (yet another one!) or do some kind of informational interview! sigh.

.Bad News.

Today, the boss, juli b herself, called everyone in for a staff meeting.
then she uttered those 5 petrifying words: Who wants a pizza lunch?
I know, seems harmless, right? But you could tell by her tense voice and everyone's wary reactions that something was wrong.
So i was like, ooooh, juicy news! Do spill! (obviously since i'm an unpaid intern, what happens to the company doesn't really affect me).

But then she sent me to go get her some sparkling water from the creepy grocery store! sigh. i guess she didn't want me hearing about private and confidential company news. but i still got the gist of it when i came back, and apparently everyone's getting a pay cut and fridays off (i would've rejoiced, but i already get fridays off).
so.... i guess the economy affects everyone. after that, the mood in the office just splattered and went plop.
oh well. at least they still get to keep their jobs, which is more than i can say for other people.

And then after the meeting, everyone was like, um... is the pizza offer still up? need to save money. next thing you know, we'll all be using food stamps. haha.

Anyway, before all that sad stuff, juli was telling us all about how she went home last night and found a homeless woman asleep on her STAIRS with her clothing all spread out and hung on the railing! weirdness. so she called 911 and the woman was gone by this morning.
Apparently, the old woman knocked on her window and asked her maid, "do you mind if i sleep here?"
And the maid was like, 'NO. what do you think i am, running a homeless shelter? should i just invite you up and offer you a glass of champagne, and while i'm at it, draw a bath for you?'

at least that's what everyone in the office thinks she should've said. hahahaha. in reality, she just said no.

.More random observations.

I guess everyone who works gets off at 5pm, since when i got off at 7pm, NO ONE was in the bus. it was SO weird. it was just me and like 5 other people, and normally it's like completely packed.
So this cute little grandma sat next to me and started chatting animatedly with me.
i guess i just naturally attract cute little grandmas. so we became fast friends, and she kept telling me about all the cool, free events that was going on nearby, and encouraged me to go. i was like, wow! what an adorable and hip grandma! she was incredibly sweet, too, and i thought she was a Christian or something, but then she gave me her card with her Sanskrit name on it -- she was a yoga instructor.

It's kinda fun talking to random strangers. even though supposedly people in NYU aren't very friendly, i've talked to a couple of people in the elevator and here and there, and they're really nice. met one girl who goes to indiana university, and she was the first person here who actually heard of Taylor! yayyy. haha.

.News Guru.

Again, since there's nothing much to do at work sometimes, i read the news. A lot. Like, really, a lot. Until now i have nothing more to read.

Now i know about...
-the 2 Korean journalists who are being detained by North Korea for supposedly intruding into their territory to report on the situation there. North Korea is probably using them to hold the upper hand in diplomatic negotiations with the US.

-Chrysler going bankrupt and taken over/merging with Fiat.

-Swine flu possibly going to level 6 in WHO's pandemic measurement. but that's only measured by quantity and rapidness of spread, not severity.

-The murder of this doctor, George Tiller, who owned an abortion clinic in Kansas and performed all kinds of abortions, even at late stages in pregnancy. Some crazed anti-abortion guy burst into Tiller's church, where he was serving as an usher, and shot him. Now pro-life people wanna buy his clinic and turn it into a baby care center, to rid the world of the atrocities they think he committed.

-They're beginning to find the remains of the planes and the bodies in the Air France crash days ago.

-Some Israeli woman bought a new mattress and accidentally threw out her old one with a $1 million in it, and is now going through landfills to get her $$ back.

-Miss california was fired. but who really cares.

-News and pictures of the Twilight cast are EVERYWHERE. it's getting a little annoying.

-In Texas, a police officer told this 72-year-old grandma to get out of the car. she did, and cursed at him. he threatened to taser her, she said, 'you're gonna taser a 72-year-old woman??!' repeatedly.
And he did. hahahaha. i'm sorry, it was just so funny. she was a feisty little old lady, but she sure did not deserve it! i mean, what did the officer think she was gonna do? beat him with her walking cane? run away? (and by 'run' i mean 'hobble')

Watch the video here:
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/national_world&id=6857531

And much more. i can't believe i read so much. i've never been so knowledgable about the news in my entire life. i guess this is a good thing. now i can carry intellectual conversations with other people :)

Lazing around

.Off Day = Day of Documentaries.

So i've been watching documentaries by National Geographic on Hulu... it's been really fascinating!
since i can't be bothered to read, i guess i'll gain knowledge and expand my worldwide by watching (more) TV! :)

I watched this interesting documentary called 'Inside Mecca,' which chronicles Muslims' pilgrimage to Mecca. And i was completely riveted for an hour. Just listening to all these devout Muslims speak highly of their faith and their 'god,' and seeing how thousands of them came together to worship their 'one god'... just made me feel so in awe. and also rather disheartened that so many people are being deceived.
it made me wonder... do we as Christians even have such strong faith as they do? they hold on to their faith like it's the air they breathe, and sometimes i look around me and see Christians who claim to love God, but don't really live out their faith in their actions and words.
And there was this scene where the people all gathered in tents the day before the big day, and there were tents for people all over the world! (even one for singapore, which... i was totally shocked. didn't think Muslims in singapore were that devout)

I also watched 'Cracking the Da Vinci Code,' but got bored after half an hour. I don't see what the point is. Why bother to get into such heated debates over works by artists like Leonardo da vinci? Was he there when Jesus walked the earth? No. Was he there when Jesus died? No. Was he even a Christian? I don't think so.
So why are we analyzing his works and using them to find out about history??? I DON'T KNOW. makes no sense. just read the Bible, people. or maybe, just have faith.

And then i watched 'Haze' --- it was about this poor freshman guy who died in 2004 of college fraternity hazing activities. omg. what made it so sad was that it was totally preventable. so the freshmen were made to drink tons till they got ridiculously drunk. but his stupid frat 'brothers' just left him on the floor for hours, thinking he'd be ok the next morning. wrong move. but i guess they lived to regret it.

Also spent goodness knows how long trying to edit mom and dad's new online matchmaking stuff... and watched 'Anastasia'!!! my second fav cartoon movie after beauty and the beast. i got curious and wikipedia-ed it, and found out it's based on a true story! on the last royal family of imperial Russia, before the Bolshevik secret police came and murdered them all in 1918. And there was tons of speculation whether the grand duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna survived or not. There was even an impostor, Anna Anderson, who claimed to be the duchess until she died and a DNA test confirmed she wasn't. now why didn't they think of that earlier? I just thought that was really interesting. haha.

then hurried over to Times Square to get a passport photo and find the notary service to certify my passport. so i guess we really are applying for Australian PR after all. it's kinda exciting. i wouldn't mind living in Aust :)

But yeah. i'm feeling better now. thanks for your prayers/concern!

A little under the weather

Feeling a bit sick-ish. Headaches the past few days, a little feverish yesterday, and nauseated the past few days. just looking at food makes me turn green.
So if you have a sec, keep me in your prayers. what with the swine flu rampage and all... i need to buy more hand sanitizer.

Other than that, i got to write another feature today! on a new restaurant opening up in the Hamptons. The Hamptons just sounds so cool.. where all the rich and famous hang out. It's just a few hours away from Manhattan i think. so near, yet so far.
Today was my boss' birthday... cupcakes and pink champagne to celebrate! We also got another box full of wondrous free samples from generous PR companies. So i grabbed some lip gloss, lipstick, hand moisturizer and makeup bag :)
Some of that stuff was weird. a facial cleanser made out of carrot juice and other natural stuff?? uhhh... sounds more like something to eat than put on your face.

Lazy Sundays

.Sleeping In.

My favorite activity in the world :)

Sooooo... annoying guy has been texting and calling me... and i've been saying maybe, maybe, maybe. and then i said yes, and then i changed my mind cuz my roomie convinced me he'd get more persistent if i give him a chance...
so i shut him down. and then... he tells me he went and rented me a guitar 'cause i told him once before i missed playing my guitar! i was like, ughhhhhhhh... now u make me feel bad for turning you down. but oh well. don't like means don't like.... right?

.Times Square Church.

Made my way to Times Square, entered into the church about 10 mins late. Not my fault, the subway took a lifetime to arrive! So the church was packed full with people, both in the auditorium downstairs and upstairs.
And WOW, the interior was beautifuuulll. It was decorated in deep rich red curtains on the sides, with gold threads separating them. The ceiling was painted beautifully, with angels and clouds that reminded me a little of the Sistine Chapel. And there were gothic-like structures and statues that kinda felt more like a museum than a church.

But as i was led to a seat in the middle of the auditorium, and as the worship band sang their song, it felt like home. The stage was huge, with a full-sized gospel choir and everything. Worship was pretty much awesome and contemporary, gospel style. Although... most of the congregation consisted of people with greying hair. But they were nice. The lady beside me shared her Bible with me (can't believe i even forgot to bring my Bible to church).

And i really liked what the pastor said about God letting all our bad stuff come out in the early stages so they don't destroy us at critical moments in our lives. And that kinda goes along with everything else i've been hearing lately... maybe that's what happening to me now... God is raking away all the weeds in me now. Better to let the rebellious streak out now than next time when life gets tougher.

A collection of random thoughts

.Interesting Conversations.

Shopping again in Soho. I think the shopkeepers recognize us by now. Listened in on an interesting conversation between my roomie and her friend -- about their experience losing their virginity. awkwardness. actually, most conversations my roomie has are pretty fascinating. in a weird way. talks alot about boys and wearing skin tight clothes and enticing them and hooking up for one-night stands.
Hello, welcome to the real world.

.Rich and Famous.
I just realized my boss is super duper rich. has an architect tycoon husband and a house in the glamorous Hamptons. kinda jealous. just a little. (she's gorgeous too)
Why do some people have it all and others have nothing at all?

.The Not-so-Big Apple.

you know what? I'm not being arrogant or anything, but I kinda am really proud of myself for making it this far. Looking back, i really CANNOT believe i actually left home at the tender age of 19 to live on my own in some foreign land. (What were my parents thinking?!?! Probably that this would be an experience of a lifetime. And they were right. As usual.)
So i'm kinda amazed i survived. and i'm actually independent. and learning not to take things for granted, since i have to buy my own groceries, do my own laundry, clean my own room/bathroom, take care of my own health, pay my own credit card bills, etc.

I know it's small stuff, but still... i'm actually living on my own in a big city.

Gonna check out Times Square Church tomorrow.

Across the earth: Hillsong united in concert

.Prelude.

It was time. Fighting against the relentless torrent of rain and wind threatening to soak us, we splashed across puddles and headed toward Rosemont Ballroom, the scene of an emotional experience to come. We walked and walked... for what seemed like 15 minutes, and finally reached the end of the line, behind hundreds of people. Nervousness welled in the pit of my stomach, and i wondered if we'd be able to even catch a glimpse of the band, being so far behind the crowd.

The clock slowly ticked on. An hour passed; it was 8 and we were still waiting in line. Impatience and restlessness surged through my veins. Finally the line moved. We made it through security and went up to the balcony, where we snagged places at the railing, ensuring ourselves a completely unobstructed view of the concert.
I marveled at the throngs of people below us, realizing this was the first time I was attending a Christian concert. Being used to rowdy, boisterous crowds at rock pop concerts, these people seemed relatively tame and.... actually friendly in comparison. No 'F' words were uttered, no uncontrollable mosh pits, just people patiently waiting around, chanting the word 'Jesus.' Shocking.

.A Whirlwind of Mixed Emotions.

(this is for andrew and hannah) The lights dimmed, and the crowd gave out a roar of excitement. (haha)
A tingle went down my spine as I waited in anticipation for the band to appear and kick off the concert. At the same time, a sliver of apprehension abruptly seized me.

What on earth was I doing at a Christian concert when I wasn't doing so well in my walk with God? I guess 'not doing well' is an understatement. My relationship with Jesus was more of a.. non-existent one.

I had pushed Jesus to the back of my mind, right between algebra and the periodic table, where dust and cobwebs had set up shop. So it made no sense that i'd want to attend this concert/huge worship session with other Christians. As the first note struck the air, I suddenly felt a tinge of discomfort, like I didn't deserve to be there, praising the same God as all these other Jesus-loving, righteous people.
But I brushed the feeling away, determined not to waste my 47bucks. i guess everything happens for a reason.

.#1 Fan.

I had always loved the songs Hillsong United produced, not only for their catchy tunes, but mostly for their meaningful lyrics, most of which have been tremendously encouraging during low points of my spiritual walk. And they definitely did not disappoint.
I was particularly enamored with Brooke Fraser, singer of songs like 'Hosanna,' 'Lord of Lords,' 'None but Jesus' and 'Desert Song,' all my absolute favorites. Countless times I listened to those songs and found myself tearing up as I remembered God's faithfulness and love in my life.

.The Word came to Life.

After several songs, a guy took over the stage and delivered a short sermon. At first I was like, I didn't sign up to be preached at. What on earth is this guy doing?
But then every word he spoke was like a dagger piercing deep into my heart.

"There are some of you in the crowd today.. you don't know why you're here. Maybe you've been a Christian your entire life, but now you're just so far away from God, and you're hardened to Him. You might be here in New York, running away from something... You might think God doesn't and couldn't love you, for all the things you've done..."

Warm tears welled up in my eyes. I rapidly blinked them away, hoping no one noticed. But after a quick glance around, I realized no one was paying attention to anyone else. They were all caught up in their own conversation with God. I decided to do the same.

Oh Lord... I don't know what to say to you. How can You want me back when I've fallen so far? How could you still love me after all the things I've done? I knew it was wrong, and yet I still did it. I put the things of the world above You. And now I'm in NYC, running away from You and hiding from everyone at home because I didn't want to go home and face the truth and be held accountable for anything. I just wanted to live my life the way I wanted to. I didn't even think I deserved Your grace... How could You love someone like me?

And then the opening lines of 'All i need is You' resounded in the concert hall.

... Got every reason to be here again, Father's love that draws me in, all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You...

I realized there was a reason I 'randomly' chanced upon the Hillsong concert in New York, and there was a reason I got tickets right before it got sold out. Jesus was behind it all. and He wanted me back.

.Jesus has *poked* you.

Brook Fraser gave an analogy about the silversmith, who heats up metal and then removes the impurities that rise to the surface. In the same way, God lets us go through trials and struggles and low points in life, so that all our negative elements come to the surface, and He can skim it off until He finally sees His reflection in our faces. Then she sang 'Desert Song,' and my heart just melted.

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me, Lord, through the flames

All of my life, in every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

I totally feel like I'm in the desert. But you know what? My God is a God who provides.
in every season, in every struggle and weakness, I know He's still God. And despite all my doubts and uncertainties, I know i will never give up my faith. It's just not a possibility.
It was a simple but powerful revelation. I guess He still loves me... despite all my yuckiness. It felt like a mini-breakthrough. Not completely out of the desert yet, but one step closer.

The worship leader (have no idea who any of them are. i loved how they put the total emphasis on God and not themselves. they never even introduced their names, the lights on stage were always from behind, so all we could see was their figures and not their faces. so we weren't worshipping them but God.) talked about how NYC would be nothing without its people. People are what make the character of the city.

and you know what? I would be nothing without my people. my family and spiritual family to be my support in times of need. and... I would be nothing without my God.

So I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the one who gave it all
I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

Making the commitment again.

.What a Night.

To end the night off, what more appropriate song than 'Your name high' (whoaaaa ohhh) and 'One Way?' It was immensely profound, watching everyone put aside their differences and worship one God. Seeing them jump and dance and clap and lift their hands in praise, I was struck by the fact that this was my first time feeling so comfortable and at peace worshipping God in the US.
Maybe it was the dim lights, maybe it was everyone doing their own thing and not looking at others, maybe it was the use of contemporary songs instead of hymns, or maybe it simply the fact that i was beginning to find my way back to the cross.
I was also struck by the fact that usually at secular concerts, everyone's having a good time idolizing the band and lapping up their songs and everything they say. But here, it was undoubtedly all about the Man upstairs.

So that was my experience. (I'm trying out a new thing called 'openness and honesty.')
Anyway, here's photo documentation.


The multitudes of people - young, old, white, asian, hispanic... all praising Jesus. What a glorious sight.


Me and Liz.


Brooke Fraser, my new favorite gorgeous singer.


After the concert, we just about lost our voices and our hearing.


Walking around Times Sqaure on a Friday night was so fascinating. I LOVE IT. although this picture doesn't do it justice.

Broadwayyyy

.West Side Story.

As we got off the subway, we were immediately greeted by stunning lights and a majestic theater, and there we were - at Broadway's West Side Story in all its glorious splendor. Granted, we had cheap balcony seats, but man... it was an amazing musical. the acting, singing and dancing was just magnificent. i was blown away. now i wanna go see every Broadway show available!
I HAVE to go see Wicked, Chicago, The Lion King, Little Mermaid, Billy Elliott (my friend went to see Billy Elliott tonight, and HAYDEN PANETTIERE from Heroes WALKED PAST HER. omggggg.) and the list goes on....
Although... the ending was kinda sad. it's based on Romeo and Juliet, so you can guess what happens at the end. No Cinderella happy-ever-after for these two kiddos.

NO WORK TOMORROW!! + HILLSONGS CONCERT!!!

(have to go memorize their new cd now so i can sing along)

Blogging everyday is tiring

.Work As Usual.

I stared at the blinking bright computer screen for an hour and a half, thinking i might either go blind or convulse into seizures, when finally my manager glanced at me, and upon realizing i was utterly bored and wasting my time, she gave me a task to do - more research on new and upcoming restaurants/bars/hotels/fashion designers, etc.

That about sums up my day. haha. and i forgot to bring lunch, so i only had two granola bars and was starving by 3pm. Then, at 4.30pm, my manager abruptly turned to me and delegated an assignment. i was to write a feature story about some new online furniture design store.

"Are you kidding?!?!?!" was my initial reaction. there i was, wasting the entire day away, and she gives me something major to do minutes before i'm supposed to punch out and leave for the day.
Nevertheless, determined to keep a positive attitude and let my star shine bright, i daydreamed for a while before starting on the story. and i still managed to leave at about 5.30pm, so that was alright.

and i found out today that i got published! both my feature stories! funny thing was, andrew found out before me. he's such a stalker. and he found my stories and gave me the link. haha.

So here they are:
The opening of Ahnvee restaurant --
http://www.julib.com/miami/toavee052809MI_email.html

The opening of Alila villas --
http://www.julib.com/travel/balioutplan053109TR_email.html

Yayyyyyy. it's kinda exciting. although i admit i don't even recognize my own writing. it just sounds so different from anything i've ever written. it's weird.

.Dude.

Annoying guy texted me again. and called me. twice at work, so obviously i didn't pick up. but yeah.. man, is he persistent. he kept asking me out, i said maybe, he said 'so many maybes, how about a yes?'
i was like... ok... fine... i guess we can be friends. haha.

Can't wait for tomorrow -- we're gonna go see a Broadway show!! :)

First Day off.

.Pics from the room.


unmade bed..messy shoes..


messy desk.. nothing new.


free samples from work yesterday!
(being the kiasu i-want-everything singaporean i am, i totally wanted to grab everything and bring it home with me, but i didn't want my manager and co-workers to think i was greedy.
so i'll slowly but gradually take items every week.... even though i don't really want/need most of them. haha)

.Pics from the Today Show.


Haylee, me, michelle, haley (my apartment mate), and carla waiting for the Today show concert to begin.


Adam (i didn't know he was gay!) smiling at goodness knows who (probably a guy) during his soundcheck.


Adam and Kris. yep, we were kinda far behind at first. until people started pushing and we moved up :)
(these pics were stolen from haylee's fb because i stupidly forgot to bring my cam)

.Freedom to live.

Didn't end up doing much today after all. Woke up at 11am, realized NYU does its fire alarm drill every tues at 1pm, so i got out of the dorm in a hurry, not wanting to be there for yet another stupid drill.
Visited the wondrous 3-storey Forever 21 down the street! and this store called Strawberry, which smelled musty and old.

Wasted the day away..... then grabbed dinner at the cafeteria with my roomie, and we headed to Starbucks, like 20 mins away, where we could use our 'dining dollars' to buy stuff. i had like 50+ dollars in my NYU card (cuz we get 30bucks each week, and they accumulate), so i bought 3 packets of organic apple juice, 2 packets of milk, 2 flasks to keep hot water, and 1 double chocolaty chip frap.

Guess how much all that cost.

50bucks.

Isn't that insane?? who, in their right mind, would normally go to Starbucks and buy such things?? i have never spent so much at Starbucks before. but i figured, i'm not gonna walk all the way there every morning just to get a drink and walk all the way back to take the subway! plus mom wanted a hot flask/tumbler thingy, so i got it for her.

And... i spent 4 bucks on stupid laundry. so ex. wasted $1 cuz the stupid dryer wouldn't work, so had to pay for another one.

Went to weekly seminar #2, which was pretty informative actually. it was a panel made up of working professionals, and they gave us plenty of helpful advice on how to make the best use of our internships.

#1 - i will not be discouraged by people who say my batch is entering into the workforce when the economy is in the worst possible state ever.
#2 - i will make the best out of my internship, even though at times it gets boring, i will think of productive things to do so my manager sees that i'm being useful.
#3 - i will be more outgoing and make lots of contacts, because, as they say, networking is truly EVERYTHING. you never know who can get you a job.

Day... Whatever.

.Busy as a bee.

Spent the day researching events and restaurant/club/hotel openings in the 13 cities we're published in. i never knew it was so hard to find the ACTUAL date of an opening. it's so annoying how they all put "opening late june." why can't they just say "opening june 5" or something?? is it THAT hard to pick a date and stick with it??

But work wasn't that bad today.

AND GUESS WHAT?????
Today we got a TON of free samples from PR firms!!!! All kinds of cosmetics, creams, accessories... and my manager said i could take whatever i wanted!!
I was like, heck YEAH! free stuff?? why not!
So i took a pink and white striped Old Navy scarf, some organic facial scrub and eye cream, sunscreen, and shaving cream. haha. there were some weird stuff we got too... funky-smelling natural perfume, weird transparent belts, disgusting detox shower gel.... bleh. but anyway. i can't wait for next week! when we get more free things!!
I love working at a magazine. getting free stuff at work is totally awesome.

Although... at 5pm when i was supposed to get off work, my manager suddenly dropped a pile of work on my lap, so i was fact-checking and editing stories till 7pm. oh well! at least i don't have to report to work tomorrow! YAY FOR DAYS OFF! not sure what i'm gonna do... probably wake up whenever, check out shops around here, and chill at Barnes and Nobles.

.One Door Closes, Another Opens.

The Virgin Megastore down the street is closing down and going out of business. that means... CRAZY SALES! 40%-50% OFF! yayyyy. so i got "The pursuit of happyness" and "Another cinderella story" DVDs (a lame movie. i love lame movies) for 8bucks each.
Now i'm so tired and i wanna go sleep even though it's only 10pm.


random: the New York public library! where they filmed SPIDERMAN!!! the scene where peter parker's uncle/grandpa got shot and died!!! coolness. (at least that's what someone told me. haha)
have no idea what those policemen are doing there though. maybe waiting for the president.

Sunday, Monday, Happy day

.Early Will I Rise and Worship You.

Ok, I guess 10am isn't THAT early, compared to 8am, the time I've been waking up everyday. Walked 2 minutes down 14 Street and got to the Fillmore Theater, where the Promise International Fellowship was having church service. I actually can't believe I had the courage to go check out a church all by myself in a foreign city. haha. but I mean.. Christians are some of the nicest people around.
People there were extremely welcoming, they greeted me at the door, offered me coffee and donuts, gave me a free devotional book, asked me to join them at their regular church. Turns out this church is new, just started today and will only be once a month. so I get the freedom to check out other churches the next few weeks.

Worship was really great. Made me realize how much I missed worshipping in a community. Their worship was contemporary and consisted of songs from Hillsongs, which was AWESOME! (BTW, Hillsongs United is coming to NYC this FRIDAY and I'm gonna go see them in concert with Liz!!! SO PSYCHED.)

And the pastor was this young, charismatic guy, and his message was really good. About how we all often appear normal and ok on the outside, but inside we're dealing with all kinds of junk in our lives. the message went straight to my heart. the pastor also said he believed we were all there for a reason, that we weren't there by coincidence, and i agree with that. it's funny how it took me going into the secular world to realize how much I need to depend on God.

So anyway, like I said, people were incredibly great. i talked to some of them (they were mostly asians, which made me feel kinda at home. haha), and they were all surprised and thought it was cool i came because someone handed me the brochure about the church. Yup. I was THAT PERSON, the answer to their prayers, the person who randomly turns up for church :)
Really glad I went. God really did want me there for a reason. (plus there was free food.)

.Shop Till You Drop.

Went back to Soho with my roomie in the afternoon for more shopping fun. (We realized there were RATS in the subway! the size of rabbits! DISGUSTING.)
Visited the very first, HUGE three-story Topshop in all its funky, sophisticated glory. the clothes were cool, like always, but the prices.... whoaaaa. totally daylight robbery. I thought SGP Topshop prices were bad enough; NYC prices are twice as bad. literally.



So we spent the whole afternoon browsing through cheap-ish shops, standing in ridiculously long lines, waiting to try on clothes. it was fun, but really tiring. got swamped several times by various shopmongers, eager to rip us off with their sky high prices for fake stuff. but i didn't really spend much, although we took a cab home ('cause my roomie's kinda paranoid about psycho New Yorkers kidnapping us), it only cost like 4bucks each.

.Celebrity Sighting.

We saw CLAIRE DANES yesterday in SoHo!! Or rather, my friends saw her. I was talking to someone else, and we both missed her!!! So we saw the back of her head. and her dog. and some random guy who was with her. haha. oh well. NEXT TIME!
My co-workers said they partied with Estelle (who sings 'American Boy' with Kanye West) last week. coolness! I hope they take me clubbing with them sometime.... maybe... hopefully...


random: policemen here are always on horses. it's weird.


random: a guitar at hard rock cafe that linkin park smashed!!! coolness. and yet, such a waste of $$