Five Things (3)

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This set of five things is brought to you by “Finding” Nemo.

— Thing One —

Oh winter storms, you come with no respect for my plans! Nemo came, and the bright plans for brunch was slashed as I spent an hour and a half outside, shoveling snow. But, Nemo didn’t keep us down! Six of us met, later that day, for Dallas BBQ in Queens. It was great hanging with friends on a winter day 🙂 especially since the rest of the day was spent sleeping.

— Thing Two —

The week after Nemo was tinged with sadness, and I stopped the daily exercise and proper eating schedule that I had developed – sometimes you just need to comfort of potatoes, any style, doesn’t matter. However, since then I’ve been back on my running schedule and I was reminded of the fact of how much I disliked running until I met my friend Danny. We would go running for two miles in Flushing Meadow Park. He was very patient and took the time to teach me how to run properly and because of him I was able to do two miles, nonstop, which was pretty much a miracle for me. Due to this renewed burst of running and better eating habits, I’m happy to say that my winter weight is gone! Woohoo! All the weight I packed on from November to January (and a bit more) is now gone from my body, and I definitely feel more energize – though, that could also be due to the fact that I am sleeping longer hours. Sleep is really awesome and I find that uninterrupted sleep at nighttime really gives me a restful day. Yay for healthy habits! 

— Thing Three —

More Girly Time!  I had some great hang outs with girlfriends this past month. First, Tea and Sympathy with Alex, an old work-mate of mine. We had a great time enjoying T&S’s tea service and chatting about work and life. Then, I had some Ramen with C&C; it was definitely needed. Sometimes it’s easy to shut myself away during busy or difficult times, but I definitely needed to be around people on that particular Friday and I enjoyed the company of those two ladies a lot. 🙂

The following week I hung out with Eve and got some yummy Thai food (in Long Island!) and saw Identity Theft – which was hilarious! The rest of the week was a cousin-fest, from watching Amour to having dinner at The Olive Garden. I hadn’t been to Olive Garden in ages! The bread … so yum!

A few weeks after that it was Cambodian sandwiches – YUM! – and Argo Tea with E&C. Looking back at all the different food places, I feel incredibly blessed to be experiencing so many different cultures in New York.

— Thing Four —

Imagine this … You’re on the local train from Atlantic Terminal to Manhattan when you hear that it’s going on the express track, but that’s OK, the express train stops at your stop. You are listening to some music, and as the morning light peeks into the train as it slowly commences its trek over the bridge, The Violet Hour begins to play.

As the train descends, the last bell tolls, was there ever a better soundtrack moment?

— Thing Five —

Oscar Party! This is my third one, and it was great! Also, great app ABC – just make it a little less bloated and figure out what to do when there are ties and you’ll be perfect!

I had a lovely time with my friends, watching the red carpet parade and the entire show in general. I’m not really a big awards-show person, so attending an Oscar Party isn’t really something I’d have ever imagined myself doing, but, friends make everything better! Looking forward to next year!

~ * ~

Until we meet again

Until we meet again

Today your body was placed in a box and placed in the earth. I stood, watching as the earth accepted you to herself, and grieved that you have left us. You were too young.

Listening to stories from Danny’s past reminded me of the times we’d drive out to the edge of the island and he’d tell me stories of his childhood. The main theme that ran though all these stories – something I don’t think he even noticed – was his selflessness when it came to his friends and family. It’s not hard to say good things about him because he was inherently good.

I’m very glad to have known him and to have so many great memories of Danny. Even in his death he still inspires. It’s hard to imagine that someone could be so swiftly taken from this world, but it happens all the time. I want to make sure that no matter what, I always have time for my family and friends.

Danny, you are missed, but your stories live on and one day, I am so happy that I will see you again. Until then…

 

~*~

To my friend …

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I don’t believe it’s true. Even with the evidence in front of me and the pounding headache that tells me that I’m awake and not dreaming, I still don’t believe it’s real.

You were a good person. You were generous, you were kind, you cared deeply about the people in your life. You loved seeing your friends happy – even if it meant driving an hour and a half  out of your way to get the best ice cream in CT.

Thank you for being a part of my life. Thank you for the memories. I am sad that you’ve left us, but you’re in a place where there is no more pain, and for that I am thankful.

dannyandi

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

On Chivalry

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It is a rare breed of men who will treat all persons in a gentlemanly fashion. Whether it be holding a door, offering to help with bags or even being assertive about doing something for someone; more and more finding a person like this is a rarity.

I wonder, why is this so?

Five Things (2)

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Can you believe it’s already February? January was so busy for me it seemed to fly by; and there have been so many changes in 31 days that 2013 is turning into a mini whirlwind. But, with the wind there have been little quiet moments that I am grateful for, so, today’s five things feature on the quietness (and fun-ness) of friendships.  

— Thing One —

Mondays get a bad rep, they are the first day of the work week, the weekend is still fresh in our minds causing the next weekend to seem so far away. However, I’ve found that Mondays can be fun when you have something to look forward to, and having some plans (or spontaneous movie outings) on Mondays made them, well, fun days! =D

Also, any day is amazing with good and cheap food. The Hummus Place is wonderful!  I absolutely loved it and since having some hummus there  I find that I really want to go back … soon!

Tomorrow I’m looking forward to another fun day, where I’ll be having tea with an old workmate! Bring it Monday!

— Thing Two —

I went wedding dress shopping with J; and WOW, what an process! Going to appointments, trying on tons of dresses to find the right style, dealing with pushy sales people – or none existent ones – how do brides deal with this? Wedding dress shopping is anything but quiet, but when you see your friend picking out THE dress for her big day, well, it’s definitely something special. I’m so happy that I got the chance to share in this special moment.

— Thing Three —

Which leads me to thing three! Girly time!! I grew up among a lot of guys. It’s not that difficult being friends with guys. Like the same things, talk about those things and you’re pretty much golden. So it took me a while to develop decent female friendships because females like to talk about topics that guys don’t necessarily sit around chatting about for more than a minute. Females tend to dissect a topic, dig deeper into it, and all of this is done over appetizers.

The female friends that I have are all brilliant! I just loved the time I got to spend with so many of them in January. Hanging out, talking about life, sharing intimate details and desires, it’s really wonderful and refreshing 🙂

Also, I do love the way our conversation has evolved over the years, from school and assignments to more grown-up things. I also love the topics that haven’t really changed over the years – will we ever understand boys enough to stop discussing and dissecting them? “So every time I turned around he was standing next to me, regardless of where in the room I was, yet he didn’t introduce himself or talk to me? What’s up with that?”

— Thing Four —

I’ve always been a fan of board games. Growing up, I’d play them with aunts and uncles from time to time; one of the favourites was Pay Day. When you have the right set of people and a fun board game, time seems to fly by.

It was a busy week leading up to MLK day, and even busier weekend. Unexpectedly so, since I double booked the weekend then had to do the most uncomfortable task of canceling and rebooking. When Monday came around, I wanted to lay in bed all day and do nothing. But, I am so happy that I got myself up and out of my house to M&J’s place for some board games! I think my friends are the right group of people for playing games; Clue and Electronic Monopoly have never been so fantastic on a wintry day!

— Thing Five —

January ended with an old schoolmate, visiting from Guyana. We went to Tea & Sympathy, watched Warm Bodies – I have no idea what genre THAT movie falls into – and then hung out in Barnes and Noble.

One of the things we did in B&N was read children’s books. I pulled out all of the books that I found entertaining and made her read them; it was fun! There is something about children’s books – especially great ones – that make me smile. I love the quirky ones and the ones with really great art. The next time you’re in a B&N go to the shelves and read a few medalists, I promise you that you’ll leave with a smile on your face.

~ * ~