One Month

ago today, I arrived in New York City, perched upon the threshold of a new chapter in my life. I'm amazed at how quickly I've become acclimated, and yet how little I know about my new home.

One thing I do know. I miss these folks:


My wonderful family. ♥ I'm so blessed to have such self-sacrificial parents who support me through all my ambitions, including my education at Columbia, even though they would've preferred for me to stay in California. & I don't think I could've asked for better brothers. I can't wait to see how much Kevin & Raymond have grown when I come home for Christmas!


My Matty. What can I say? Of course a girl would miss her best friend. ♥


& my girls. Life would not be the same without these sisters that God has given me.

Love you all & miss you dearly. See you in a few short months!

Catching up

Things have been so busy as of late, updating the blog has been on the back burner.

On the windiest of days, Ana and I explored as "down" as Downtown goes, chancing upon this gigantic balloon-something, which, upon further research, we discovered was a flower.


We observed from Winter Garden


as hundreds of men toiled to construct the Freedom Tower, set to be completed in 2011, one decade after the tragic attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001.


Wednesday trips with the girls have introduced us to strange fruits,


odd tomatoes masquerading as watermelons,


and beautiful acrylic paintings, which, had I a home to display them in, I would have snatched up in a heartbeat.


'Twas such a shame to leave this wonderful find behind!


Olga and I took advantage of the weather two Sundays ago and headed down to Alice's Tea Cup for New York's best scones, and stumbled upon a lovely flea market where we spied vintage treasures galore -- albeit incomprehensibly overpriced -- and conversed with vendors from upstate about their artistry and specialties.


Fast forward one week: Shake Shack.
The edible novelty I miss most from California is In-N-Out, hands down. There is an abundance of venues vying for the claim to the coveted "Best Burger in New York" title, ranging in price from $4.95 to $120 apiece. Shake Shack in Madison Square Park is such a place, and although comparing it to In-N-Out would be comparing apples to oranges, I must say it was a darn good burger for $5.


Madison Square Park also features a myriad of artistry on its cobblestone paths, including these ladies I spied spinning yarn from wool, the old-fashioned way!


At the Festival of San Gennaro in Little Italy, we had a sausage sandwich (something I will never ever ever eat again),


and followed it up with amazing rice pudding

at Rice to Riches, something definitely worth trying at least once! (Or, in my case, many many times to come!)

In search of a rich dessert, Ana and I stopped in Times Square


where my attention was flagged by the fanciest Yoshinoya I've ever seen


and where our night concluded with cheesecake that simply melted in our mouths.


How delightful! Outings like these are always a breath of fresh air when one's nose has been buried in textbooks for a significant amount of time, leaving little time for play. But rest assured -- study breaks will be thoroughly documented!

Meet Zoë.

This Thursday past, Ana and I ventured to Jersey City


to catch a view of Manhattan from across the Hudson


and to pick up my new bicycle!



A lovely shade of bright red, Zoë comes to me from 1960s England, and rides like a charm.


I wasn't too fond of the vintage headlight that she came equipped with, so I had it removed. Ah, much better!


In the near future, she shall also be adorned with a basket and the sunflowery liner I fashioned whilst living at home,


fully reversible!


Dunelt was known in the UK at the time for its excellent racing bikes. Let's see how Zoë fares in the City!

Tricky Weather

The weather here is pretty tricky. I can never rely on what I see outside my window to decide how I'm getting dressed. Case in point:


This? In California, this would probably mean 60 degrees or below. In other words, a long-sleeved shirt with jeans, layered with a cardigan. But no, this day in New York was about 82 degrees Fahrenheit. I.E. in a T-shirt and shorts, you'd still break a sweat walking across town. Much to learn for this girl.

Canal Street Feat

Another Wednesday, another adventure!

'Twas a day of sketchy street lurkers offering us Louis bags, walls that opened up to wonderlands of knock-offs, and being trailed by an undercover policeman while on a hunt for Farwa's Fendi. Fun!

No products of the illegitimate sort were scored, but we topped off our adventure with Chinatown's best ice cream,


at which point an unfortuitous incident took place...


... but fret naught -- they gave her a new scoop... in a cup!

Apple o' My Eye

Apples seem to have been the theme since I've moved to the east coast, prevalent in everything from the trees on campus,


though still in their prepubescent stage,



to the grocery store that I frequent,


to the very walls of my bedroom.


Just as the squirrels on campus scavenge for fresh fruit,


Ana and I ventured upstate this Labor Day weekend to pick some apples of our own!



We plucked from treetop branches apples of the Ginger Gold variety


and of the McIntosh, as well.


I even found this cool bug to model for me for a while.


'Twas a most splendid time spent in the crisp country air!


Leave it to us to venture two hours via bus to the middle of nowhere to find "something to do" when we're living in the heart of the City.

SoHo Sojourn

On Wednesdays, we have a five-hour break between our morning and evening classes. After our first class, Farwa and I embarked on our inaugural adventure as New Yorkers.

Destination: south of Houston (pronouced how-stin) Street -- a.k.a. SoHo!


Aside from pricey boutiques and a bustling crowd, our eyes and minds were bombarded with street vendors galore,


trinkets and knockoffs for the picking,


and the perpetual row of Halal carts that were dirt cheap and deliciously satisfying. Yum yum. I think it's about to become a weekly ritual.

Good Morning, Morningside!

Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day!


My breakfast this morning reminded me of Helen. Miss you, love!


Today will be fully engaged in orientation hullabaloo, dawn 'til dusk. I'm excited. :)