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| I was going to double post xanga and myspace...but since not too many pple commented, it's all going on myspace...New York Fashion Week...I am a Fashion Groupie...officially, unofficially...5 shows, 2 days...compared to foreign editors who have seen 7 shows in 2 days...I feel good...read more... http://www.myspace.com/newyorkstories
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| I thought I should make another blog to document my experiences...but I didn't really think of the fact that most people already have Xanga, so they can't write to me on MySpace. I guess myspace is a really American thing, seems like everyone here has it, especially bands and such. Anyways, I guess for now I'll double post here because I want to hear what people say, although I wanted this blog to be more in depth with my thoughts while keeping myspace more general for everyone (ie. work colleagues etc).
so here is my latest blurb:
Caught a Cold in a New York Inferno & Fragility of the City
Current mood:  sleepy
Category: Life
My
freelance stint that was short-lived with ultra-long hours is over and
I am now trying to fight off a cold. People wonder, how do you get
sick in the midst of the blazing heat? But I think it's the extremes
between frigid a/c and the grill of the Pavement. New York in summer
is not for the faint of heart, it's been around 100 degrees the past 3
days, I guess that's about 38 in Canadian, and I feel like I've been
melting. Anytime I attempt to leave my room and even if I turn off the
air for 10 minutes, I can feel the heat start creeping around me,
making me feel drowsy and unproductive.
The
quality of life in this city is surprisingly fragile. In the midst of
what people like to deem "the greatest city in the world", power is
everything. But the power grids seem overwhelmed and ill-prepared for
the 10 million people here. Most of Queens had a black out a couple
weeks ago that lasted for 10 days, resulting in major businesses to
close doors, while others operated using calculators, scales and
generators. Fortunately I was lucky, because in spite of my area being
blacked out, my street was untouched and I didn't even notice the black
out for a few days. After three days of extreme heat the mayor is
urging the city to try and cut back on energy consumption to prevent
mass blackouts, some boroughs like brooklyn, queens and washington
heights already are losing clusters of power. I was supposed to have
dinner out tonight, but fear of getting trapped in the subway
surrounded by sweaty strangers put an end to that thought. I heard
that the a/c stopped working in some subway cars and grown people were
in tears. I could only imagine based on the power out 3 years ago,
what living in the stone age could mean for a city like New York.
I
did have a couple bright spots this week, I interviewed for a high end
sportwear company that is looking to expand into the contemporary
market as well...the reason I'm feeling excited? The beautiful words
"I don't micro manage anyone" and we almost identical aesthetic taste
in designers looks. Also, I contacted someone I worked with in the
past and they touched me more than words can say with the simplicity of
"I will personally vouch for you and pass your information to every
designer I know". How beautiful and full of hope those words are for
me, I am so glad now I contacted them. I'm not sure if something will
work out, but I'll keep applying for now.
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| I have arrived…I am in New York City
and I am safe. I cannot believe that I
am here. It feels so out of the ordinary
that I feel like I am living in a dream.
I guess that is what I can say about the past 2 ½ years of my life. I lived in the ordinary, the routine, the
regular. For a time I even ate the same
food at the same time, slept and woke up at the same time and there was nothing
to really distinguish each day from the next.
Days passed, weeks passed, seasons passed. But now, every day will feel different, every
day will be alive.
I am so thankful for the people who have been a part of my
life. I don’t think that I could be here in this city without your love,
support and words of wisdom. I cannot
believe that I won’t be bugging you everyday…not that you are out of my life,
but it feels different. I really think that I have been soo blessed. Maybe because of
the unknown factor, because every other time that I have left Toronto, I knew when I would be coming back.
As I left Canada
I really felt like maybe this is my time to go on a journey with God, when I
have nothing else to rely on except for Him.
Counting every blessing as they pass. Yesterday was a long trip but even as I prayed on the plane
for the simplest things, I realized so much how God is with me for every step
of the way. The weather conditions were
causing turbulence and visibility became very difficult as I saw the plane
engulfed in thick white mist. As I was
praying the words in my head and looking out the window, instantly I saw the
mist start to dissipate. As I prayed for
the sun to shine through, I began to see it.
As I prayed for more faith, I believed more. As I prayed for a safe smooth landing, I
experienced one of the best landings in my flying history. Perhaps you may think these are little
things, perhaps you may think they are coincidence? But to me yesterday, they were huge. They showed me how much God is a God of
details and nothing is too big or too small to not matter. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Silly Girl, Lucky Girl... As soon as I got to the city I was lucky enough to split a cab with someone and to get to Brooklyn relatively quickly. My bags were heavy and many, after hearing many stories of never leaving your luggage unattended, I did manage to haul my 53lb suitcase (no joke), lap top, purse and knapsack (20 lbs?) up the outside steps and up the first flight of steps, while continously hitting myself in the shin with suitcase. But on the second floor, I decided to leave the 53lbs of clothes and full size products on the stairs while I put the valuables in the apartment where I was temporarily staying. So I ran up the stairs, unlocked the door, put my things on the ground, keys and purse on the table and ran out. Little did I know that the door locks behind itself. So I got the 53lb bag and hauled it up the stairs and I was sweating. I tried opening the door and realized I was locked out. What to do? Where to go? I ran down those stairs and tried to knock on the first floor cause I heard noise and I was praying it was the Landlord, because I didn't know what to do. I had no phone, no money, no phone number and only a 53lb bag of clothes and other useless things. That didn't work though because even though I heard noise, no one answered the door. So I ran back up the stairs and tried the neighbour because I heard someone there. To my relief, a super sweet girl openned the door and came to my rescue. We tried prying the door open, to no avail. Finally, she let me search her computer for a phone number while she tried calling the Landlord and left a message. I was terrified because I heard that the Landlord sometimes leaves the country for weeks at a time. But fortunately after a call I did find out that I didn't lock the only set of keys inside. The neighbour had to go to work, but was so kind that she let me sit in her appartment while she left to work. So I sat there and read Captivating for about 40 minutes, when to my great luck a man came up the stairs, unlocked the door and let me in before I even know what was going on. Fortunately that was the land lord just coming back to the city. Relief...Breathe... *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Summary: Eating Out (Sunnyside, China town, Times Square & Soho), Century 21 times 2, Checking out Cell Phone Plans, Times Square, The Beach, Much reapplications of sunscreen, Moving In, Settling In, Low Flow Toilet Issues (i HATE lowflow), Hardware Store, Exploring my area in Queens, Trying to get a cell phone on the internet (ISSUES =*( ) Exploring Little Italy/Chinatown, Stairs, Stairs, Calf and Hamstring New Yorkers Workout, Car Service Issues, MSNY Church, Grocery Shopping, Cleaning, Cooking for myself, eating cherries, talking to pple on MSN...
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"From one man he made every
nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he
determined the times set for them and the exact places where they
should live."
Acts 17:26
A verse that I heard in church today. God planned when and where people live. I really do believe that I am supposed to be in New York right now. I am not sure why, but I really do believe it. I guess it will all unfold eventually...
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| Stepping off the cloud that took me so far... and now coming back again... reality. Was it just a dream that gave me hope for a future...well reality is not as cruel as it could be. Sure there are bills to pay, work to be done, clocking in and out...but there is life to be lived, enjoyed, breathed...friends to meet, places to go...people are people...but people are amazing, they can pick you up and knock you down, they can teach you things and learn from you...they can tell you things you didn't know...and tell you things you always knew but just needed to hear again. Thank you dear friends...thank you
I feel like I may never be 100% what the next step for me is....but I know now that I won't ever regret trying...it's time to find that voice inside...the bravery that lives within. There are many things that I will never know and never do...but I should never be afraid to stand up and be me...because I have been crafted, uniquely and my heart and talents have been shaped to do only the things that I can...No one else can be me better than I can...so I can't try to be no one else. Time to arise...time to be comfortable and uncomfortable in the same breath. Time to focus. What is it that I need to or want to do? Pray, then proceed, one step at a time...and if there is peace, then I am on the right path...time to have faith, casting worry and fear aside to find clarity. | | |
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