Cat's Adventures

My new home

2006-04-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

As beautiful as Seattle is, it is not New York.

It is quiet - so quiet that I can't sleep at night because the leaky faucet in the kitchen keeps me up with itsintermittentt tap tap...tap.

It is law-abiding - there is a strange group coercion here that prevents me from acting on my impulse to jaywalk on reds. All the other pedestrians are patiently waiting and staring me down.

It is lush - with all this accursed rain, we have brimming lakes, flowering trees, and spring bulbs everywhere...and all the creepy crawlies that go along with them. I used to be able to open my window without fear of mosquito attacks at night.

It is down to earth - you look dressed up if you don't have a huge fleece pullover and cargo pants on. Also, it appears that the activity of choice is hiking moutains. Blah.

It is lonely - aside from the extremely high weirdos I meet on the bus (they truly put New York creeps to shame), the heart of downtown is dead at 8pm at night...I miss the humanity and buzz of life.

The romance of a good brew

2005-12-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. Between quitting my old job, getting engaged(!), trying to tell everyone that we're engaged, visiting my parents a couple of times, packing up everything from the beloved midtown apartment, and starting my new job...there has been little time for reflection.

I am now in Seattle, staying at a fabulously comfortable Marriott (who knew? I'd always been a Starwood loyalist), and finally able to think a bit. And if I have time to think, I surely must have time to blog. I have a feeling that I'll have a lot of time for blogging here. People are so laid back! My colleagues don't work at night or on weekends and leave by about 6pm every night!!! Plus they are super nice, genuine, smart... all round great.

Ah, but what I wanted to share with you most is my experiences with coffee. A core part of our day and half of training for new hires was learning about coffee. Origins, selection, roasting. Everyone gets a pound of coffee a week, so that we can stay connected with our core product. We all have 'passports' with detailed descriptions of our different coffees and space to take notes during tastings. We treat coffee like wine! There are good food pairings for different coffees. We use words like "yummy", "blackberries", "earthy" and "exotic" to describe the smell and taste. We use shot glass size cups for tastings and are expected to loudly slurp up a mouthful of coffee so that it splashes all over our mouth, and then we taste for where it hits (bitterness, sweetness, sourness) and its weight. Amazing stuff! And I've discovered that Latin American coffees taste very different than those from Asia Pacific or Africa. It really helps to compare 2 coffees side by side, to figure out the difference.

I have fallen in love with the Arabian Mocha Sanani - mmm, so delicious and here is the description:

"Here’s our most exotic and unpredictable coffee, laden with flavors of deep port wine, berry fruit, warm earthen spices and cocoa. Yemen rests on the Indian Ocean. Sanani refers to the coffee-growing region around Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

Key term: Exotic

Geography is a flavor - You can tell a lot about a coffee if you know where it’s from. Coffees from Arabia are legendary for their berrylike flavors and wine like qualities. Those from Africa are remarkable for their floral aromas and citrusy tastes."

You must try this the next time you go to your favorite Starbucks. Most coffee beans are stripped of the surrounding fruit (called cherries) and then dried and roasted, but this one is dried with the cherries intact, which contributes to its fruity taste.

Patience

2005-10-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today I customized my Google homepage. One of the features that you can add is a "Quotations of the Day" section.

My quote today was:

I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." - Margaret Thatcher

It was from a website with lots of other quotes about Patience, including:

"Patience is the greatest of all virtues." - Cato the Elder (234 BC - 149 BC)

"A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains." - Dutch Proverb

"Our patience will achieve more than our force." - Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

"It is very strange that the years teach us patience - that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting." - Elizabeth Taylor (1932 - )

I have my own quote about patience: "Those who preach patience have never known instant gratification."

Stealing, cheating & begging my way to work….

2005-08-09T11:23:00.000-07:00

This morning was not a very good morning. I had a good taste of what it must be like to not have any money or friends to help you, and only your wits to get you through.

I left for work very late today – I was hustling just to make the last reasonable train out of Penn station and rushed out without my wallet. This, I did not discover, until I got to the subway station. Frantically, I riffled through my oversized workbag and realized with a sinking feeling that I had left my Metrocard and wallet in another purse I had used the night before. Damn Howard and Kumar! My sister and I would not have made the 14 block trek through the rain, and I would not have needed to bring my wallet in another purse, had they not built up so much mystique around White Castle. Just then, I heard the subway train pulling into the station and realized that not catching it would mean that I would miss my NJ transit train and get into work after 10am. I decided to steal a ride (technically, I’d paid for my ride with my monthly Metrocard already…), and slipped under the turnstile and onto the subway.

I’d just made it on the NJ transit train as it was pulling away from Penn station. Luckily, I kept my stack of NJ transit tickets in my work bag so I would be able to get to work without any cash. With a sign of relief I reached for my cellphone to call a cab, to take me from the train station to work. My plan was to get the cabbie to wait for me outside work, while I ran in and borrowed some money to pay him with from a colleague. To my surprise & horror, there was no phone in my bag. I would be stranded at the train station! I only had NJ transit tickets to a station without a taxi stand – I would always have to call ahead for a cab. Without my phone, I wouldn’t be able to get work. One station down, there was a taxi stand from which I could get a ride, but I didn’t have any money to pay for the difference in the fare.

The forty minutes on the train stretched out as I contemplated what to do. Somebody came to sit beside me, and I was hypnotized by the crisp twenty he pulled out to pay for a ticket. I was nearly salivating. I felt like one of those wretched scavenger jackals in The Lion King, hungrily coveting something that I had no right to have. As we came up to the station where I was supposed to get off, a train ticket guy asked me, “So you’re getting off next, right?” I managed a feeble, “Yes.” What could I do?

When we got to the stop, I had to get out of my seat as the person next to me had overhead the exchange I’d had with the ticket guy, and I actually stepped off the train in resigned shame. I had no money, no phone, I didn’t see any cab-like cars waiting around for other passengers, and so I panicked and got back onboard. I sat down quickly in another car, far away from my previous seatmate, and got off at the next stop without anyone being the wiser.

I expect to be able to quickly find a taxi at the stand outside the station, and I was planning to use the same run-into-work-and-borrow-money-from colleague-for-cabfare scheme. Unfortunately, there were no taxis available and a line of people waiting – I think they were trying to get to the PGA tournament. Who knew Tiger was meeting me at work?!

My last resort was to take the bus. With nothing of value on me but my watch, laptop and a couple of NJ transit tickets, I pleaded at the ticket booth for a refund of a couple of my tickets. I even told the ticket agent that I didn’t have a dime and was stuck at the station, but the hard-hearted man would not give in. In considered trying to resell my tickets to other people in the station, but couldn’t get images of shady men with Rolexes in their trenchcoats out of my head. I went outside and waited by the bus stop. I was hoping that I could beg the bus driver to give me a free lift but considered how horrible it would be turned down. I eventually went up to an elderly woman who was fumbling around in her wallet, and begged her for $1 for the bus. She informed me that it actually would cost $1.25 and asked me if I had a quarter. I told her that I didn’t….ohhhhh, it was pathetic. She looked pityingly at me, gave me $1.25 and inquired how I would get home. She was a very sweet lady. I told her I would borrow some money from someone once I got to work and thanked her profusely.

We both got off at the same stop and I found out that she worked at Saks. I promised I’d come over at lunch and find her to pay her back, but she shook her head and told me to just do the same next time for someone else. I walked quickly into work and was very thankful that one can still rely on the kindness of strangers.

Clinton Community Garden grape arbor

2005-05-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

I'm so exciting about my new neighborhood's community garden!

Some pretty cool, and useful, discoveries

2005-05-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

Did you know...

You can sell your not-too-old magazines to the newsstand guy for $0.25, so they can resell them for $1 (at least the one on the corner of 86th and Broadway)? This is an especially good deal when you get your magazine subscriptions for 'free' by using your airline points.
iPod Agent can help you easily transfer music from your iPod to your (ahem) second computer? Try it for free for 15 days, $15 thereafter. It used to be free.
People who move-in with their boyfriends aren't suddenly different, or unfun, or unvisitable?
American Airlines publishes $97 last minute round-trip sale fares from New York to Toronto every weekend I can't go?
The W hotels are hosting cool summer events for free in their cities across the US?
You can recoup ~50% of your furniture's original cost when selling in a liquid marketplace like NYC's Craigslist?
You can post links to pages directly to your blogspot if you get the Google toolbar?
Bryant Park's Monday night film festival starts June 20 with The Way We Were?
You can get cheap haircuts and highlights from the best salons at their training nights (usually an amazing person supervises the session so it actually pays to be paired with the worst student)?
About an interesting twist on microfinancing where consumer products companies like Unilever are providing microloans to poor rural women to sell their products in remote SE Asia villages (distribution channel + brand building + development! soooo cool)?

Hey mom, look what I did...

2005-05-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

Actually, hopefully she doesn't see this til Sunday, but here is what I've been up to tonight:

Mother's Day Jigsaw

I finally made use of my blank jigsaw 'canvas' =D

I am a virtuous cat

2005-04-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

It has been MONTHS since I've posted, but that is because I've been a virtuous cat in my absence.

I started my new job and I LOVE IT! But I HATE the commute. I need to buy a car - if anyone is selling a reliable car, please let me know!
I've been apartment hunting and I found an apartment. This is very hard work. I never knew, because I've had virtuous roommates in the past that did this leg work for me. It is a great place in midtown west. If you are moving, consider moving nearby - it would be fab to have neighbors!
I've been buying new furniture and have started selling old furniture. I have a cool cream colored leather sectional sofa with pull-0ut bed thing on the way and have had some adventures via Craigslist (including robbery...initiated by this virtuous Cat, practicing Chinese with some movers, successfully steaming out wax stains on an upholstered chair, and so far making over $100 on sale of stuff).
I've been sooooooooooo incredibly good about not buying things in my traditional categories (e.g. clothing, grooming, accessories), so that I can spend more time and money on home furnishings.
I've learned to be very disciplined about taking public transportation. I take it everywhere, and have learned a lot about navigation while looking for apartments and furniture. I will soon be a New York expert...haha..no I won't, who am I kidding?
I've been very handy - I've discovered Home Depot and painted a side table a deep glossy red, and potted some Gerber Daisies for my window sill. I love arts and crafts!

That's about it...hopefully I'll start writing regularly again soon.

What I will do with my free time

2005-03-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

I will have 1.5 weeks between my old job and my new job, and I have been fantasizing about fabulous things that I can do with my time off. Here is my working list of possibilities. Let me know if you would like to join for any of these activities!

Wednesday March 16:

go to Fresh Espace for a facial, where the cost of the treatment is redeemable in Fresh product
make some more bead necklaces and bracelets, with the huge package of crystal beads I picked up from GreenFlea on Sunday (a great farmer's market and jewelry/flea market, held in the yard and cafeteria of a public school on the UWS every weekend)
read some serious and not so serious books (like Shopaholic Ties the Knot from Alli-O)
attempt to get $20 rush tickets for Wicked; see Robots if attempt fails

Thursday March 17:

do my taxes
see the Diane Arbus exhibit at the Met (was too crowded on the weekend)
wear my recently completed pastel green scarf to watch the New York St. Patrick's day parade on the steps of the Met
continue the St. Patrick's day festivities in my old neighborhood, the UES

Friday March 18:

practice commuting to Short Hills
read with my Power Lunch buddy
see cool Gregory Colbert nature/animal photography exhibit (called Ashes and Snow, thanks Christine) at the Nomadic Museum (building made of shipping containers) at Pier 54 (13th St. & Hudson River)
see the musical Avenue Q, with TKTS tickets
go dancing somewhere fun

Saturday March 19:

Brunch
spa at Dorit Baxter or Bliss 57
Shop

Sunday March 20:

go to GreenFlea again to buy some pretty potted plants and bulbs
go to Penn to watch my lil lil's dance performance - she is so talented!

Monday March 21:

watch all my Sex and the City DVDs that I bought last Nov. in Asia, that I haven't watched yet
ramble through Central Park
go to the MOMA
enjoy a prix fixe lunch

Tuesday March 22 - Thursday March 24:

hang out in Toronto and see family&friends
meet up with DD?

Friday March 25:

walking tour of Chelsea and Greenwich Village, to see if I would want to live there
...

Saturday March 26:

suggestions? I will surely reshuffle some of the earlier activities down here

Sunday March 27:

get ready for work

Moving on

2005-03-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

It was an emotional day - I spent my entire morning crafting my goodbye email to the office. I had about 10 old "moving on" emails from former colleagues to build from, but none really fit how I wanted to leave off...the reason I was leaving, where I was going, what I would miss...

I finally sent it out around 3pm and got responses ranging from:

"CAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo"

to

"We'll miss you"

to

"I'm excited for the road that lies ahead for you"

To clarify my cryptic posts, I am leaving consulting to join the corporate strategy group of a real company. I'm excited because I'll still be working with smart nice ex-consultants on similar work, but will get to interact more with business leaders, develop a different set of skills, see my strategy implemented, and have the option to jump into a business unit in a year or two.

On another note, there was a blizzard in NY today and it reminded me of how much I will miss the amazing views from my office. It was wild and swirling outside for most of the day, and then things calmed down and I saw the most beautiful hot pink sunset. Someone said it sort of matched what I was wearing (a pink cardigan and purplish tweed pants) and so must be in honor of me. =( I am cheered by the prospect of being able to pull out my giant white and pink Anime boots tomorrow though... sigh...

I did it

2005-03-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

Today, I officially gave in my 2-weeks notice via email and voice mail to my advisor.

He is now going to forward this communication to the firm. This is real. I can't believe I'm doing this...wish me luck!

Sully Jr. critique

2005-02-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

Some male co-workers stopped by yesterday to assert that Sully Jr. is not a plant.

Their arguments were:
1) It is made of plastic
2) It moves
3) Its shoots are pink

I'm not sure how to respond...
- Some plants, especially desert plants, have waxy leaves to help with water retention...weak...
- Carnivorous plants can move very quickly when they are catching their prey?
- Some plants have non-green petals, like pointsettas?

In other news, I am going to Toronto this weekend to hang with the fam. CB and I also figured out why "P-Y-Jammers", "P-Y-Jammies", "P-Y-Jam-Jams" and our other variations on how we refer to sleep attire don't make sense to Americans. You spell it "pajamas", we spell it "pyjamas".

The last hurrah?

2005-02-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

Related to CB's posting - what about all the single people out there who are also of this age? Has their outlook on relationships and what they're looking for changed as well?

Also, what does the entire ecosystem look like? If it's true that everyone in relationships is either getting married or getting single, some percentage of this world leaves for wedded bliss, but the rest rejoin singledom for one last hurrah before they too are off to the chapel. Let's assume divorce comes later and at varying times, so this really is the last chance to have greatest choice.

We are pondering away...

What could be cooler...?

2005-02-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

While I'm waiting on my TV entertainment case to move past a bottleneck, I've been assigned to a 2.5 week due diligence on pool tables.

Between my library of People, Us Weekly and trashy UK mags, and my new stack of materials on billiards rules and accessories, I've probably got someone's dream job. All the girls stop by to leaf through the gossip columns and all the guys are excited to share their pool shark stories... but somehow this is not enough.

Recently, there has been a lot of talk in the press (TIME did a cover story in mid Jan and some other publications ran similar articles) about mid-twenties people putting off growing up. I closely identify with this group of young adults, who apparently seek minimal responsibility and restrictions, but living a life of randomness is really starting to get old.

Sully Jr.

2005-02-14T06:32:00.000-08:00

For V-Day, I got a plant that will never die, named Sully Jr.

It is made of plastic and is solar powered, so its cute little pink shoots will keep on bopping so long as the sun will shine.

The old Sully has been through too much trauma, but nothing short of a sledge hammer can kill this plant.

My boyfriend is the sweetest, most thoughtful person ever!!

Happy Valentines Day everyone =D

Moments

2005-02-06T19:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I went up to AC. I was excited to go as I'd never been that into gambling, and I wasn't sure if that was because I hadn't been to many casinos before, or that I really am too risk adverse for the games. I also had visions of myself happily sitting at slot machines or being the high roller's good luck girl. I think these ideas were inspired by a Sex in the City episode.

It turns out that I'd rather hold onto my $20s for tangible things and that even the 5 cent slots can eat up $1 at a time (quite entertaining, but tricky). Thankfully Christine came with me - she rightly anticipated that I would have never found the Chinatown bus and that I would be bored out of my mind at AC without her company. After losing 2 hours amid the glittering, musical chinking, smoke-filled casino hall, we decided it was time to explore the boardwalk and beachfront.

What a difference! We stepped out near sunset on a beautiful Spring-like night. The sky was orange and fuchsia, seagulls were roosting along the beach, scattered sea shells dotted the sand, and we stumbled upon a group of surfers try to catch big waves crashing into shore. It was a perfect moment. Everything else - from life angst to Trump's gaudy taste - faded away.

I feel so lame...

2005-02-01T19:36:00.000-08:00

I just bought myself People's 2005 Yearbook and a bunch of entertainment magazines to learn about celebrities and shows.

Did you know that Mary-Kate Olsen spent her 18th birthday in rehab for an eating disorder, or that Barbie and Ken broke up 2 days before V-day last year after being bf and gf for 43 years?

This is fascinating stuff...but it makes me feel really lame that I need to "research" what most people know cold.

Seperately, I still have made no headway with my shows - I'll start tomorrow night I guess.

Montreal and Quebec City

2005-01-31T20:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend in Montreal and Quebec was cooooooooold but so much fun!

Checkout my pictures here:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2131336910

My new homework

2005-01-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

Monday:
7th Heaven
Everybody Loves Raymond

Tuesday:
Scrubs
Gilmore Girls

Wednesday:
West Wing
Law & Order

Thursday:
Joey
Will & Grace
Apprentice

Friday:
Amish in the City
Medical Investigation

Saturday:
Rest

Sunday:
Law & Order
Desperate Housewives
Simpsons

Am I missing anything?

Another snow story

2005-01-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

This weekend, New York received a foot and a half of powdery fresh snow. It was beautiful! With each passing, cold, slushy day, I become more and more attached to this time of the year. I used to take winter for granted, but I've rediscovered the joys of the season this year by engaging, rather than avoiding, the bitterness.

On Sunday afternoon, we went for a walk in Central Park. There were lots of people out and about - tots on plastic discs being pulled along by their parents, people with cross country skies or snowshoe gear trudging through the woods, little girls making snow angels in fresh powder. We tried to assemble a snowman, but the snow wasn't good for packing or rolling into big balls. Instead, we created a giant octopus with cute round eyes.

I am in love with New York!

In other news, not having an American driver's license was a deal breaker for my dream case, and somehow I avoided the Atlanta case too. I may end up on a local project for an entertainment magazine. While unqualified for the subject matter, I'm excited that I may learn more about pop culture. On my last media case, I learned what 'CSI' stands for.

Today was also an exciting day because my Red Sena iPod mini case finally came in the mail. It fits perfectly and while I still think the blue would have matched better, this lipstick red is growing on me. I love my iPod so much, I want to buy Etymotic Research ER-6i Earbuds for it. I also enjoy revisiting songs that I haven't heard for years, that bring back lots of emotions and memories. For example, I stumbled upon "One" by U2 tonight, and the other day I found "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

2005-01-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

This is killing me!!!!!!!!!

I have a perpetual scream ringing in my ears now. It is my brain shrieking with frustration. I just got back from the DMV, after an unsuccessful attempt to get an American photo ID. Apparently, people here on visas can't apply for a driver's license when they have less than 6 months left on their visa, and I have only a month before my visa expires.

This means that I won't be able to get my driver's license til, at best, the middle of February. It is very unclear as to whether this awesome case will still want me, given above. I think I'll end up being shipped to some stupid place where I'll have to do boring work and fire people (which also super sucks).

I am really starting to question the value of my Canadian identify. Where does national pride end and utility begin? I also hate being an alien and being less cool and have less rights and more difficulty than everyone else. I've been counciled to find an American boy who works for a 501C(3), whatever that means, and marry him for instant citizenship. Ugh. Any takers? I'm free this weekend.

Sometimes, being Canadian isn't best

2005-01-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Today, I was excited to hear from the case manager that I want to work with for my next project. The project would be right up my alley, because it's non-profit (albeit government), it's related to health/science (which I find really interesting), and it doesn't require travel Monday through Thursday. The alternative is a fairly boring travel-intensive case to Atlanta.

But then my heart sank when she asked me, "do you have an American driver's license?" Apparently the client has really buckled down on admitting foreigners to their offices, and would require a lengthy background check of all visitors without US issued identification. I was screaming "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" in my head. I've been meaning to do this for many years, and reminds me of how I felt when I realized I had no American credit history while applying for my first Manhattan apartment, because I had been using my Canadian cards over the years.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I'm going to the DMV tomorrow morning.

adventures and passions

2005-01-18T19:34:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, I was really good! I made my project team very happy with good work on a module I'm responsible for, I met with my Mandarin Chinese tutor to start off a New Year's initiative, and I also came away from Sunday's ski trip unbruised, uncut, and unbroken.

The rest of the week was not so great...

Monday night, I was excited to find the vacuum cleaner that I had ordered on Amazon.com waiting for me at the front desk. I had done a lot of Internet research the weekend before, after being very frustrated with the poor performance of my stick vacuum on carpet. This Bissell vacuum is amazing - it has a HEPA filter, an indicator light to tell you when each spot it runs over is clean, and many brush attachments for nooks and crannies. I opened the box and started to assemble my vacuum. I read the instruction and thought, 'how clever, I only need a screwdriver to put the whole thing together!' Half an hour later, with band-aids around both my thumbs and a bump on my head, I finally was able to plug it in and try it out. Luckily it was all I had hoped it would be, or I would have been very unhappy.

Earlier that day, unbeknownst to me because I had my cellphone off all day, I'd accidentally locked Christine's friend Yuki in our apartment. She was on her way out to an audition, when she found herself unable to get out our front door. I felt horrible!!! I think part of it was my sleepiness when I left Monday morning, part of it must have been because I'd become used to living alone all month...in any case, the smart girl had her boyfriend look up our building's phone number on the Internet and then called the front desk to have them come up and let her out.

I am currently passionate about brussel sprouts - the little green ping pong balls are yummy and fun to harvest off their stalk. I am also falling back into some of my habitual passions, like knitting.

1 Hit Wonders

2005-01-13T14:32:00.000-08:00

I've started listening to AIM's free radio service (a poorer quality version of the radio that comes with AOL subscription).

My favorite station so far is "1 Hit Wonders" - I just heard "I love you, always, forever" by Donna Lewis. What a great song!

But I was thinking that it would be really sad to be a 1 Hit Wonder artist, and hearing your song on this station =(

You too can get free radio at:
http://ns-radio.netscape.com/radio/radioclient/radioweb/html/download.html

More iPod news

2005-01-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

They've just announced a beautiul $99 iPod. The iPod snowball is unavoidable! It plugs right into your USB like a thumb drive. Maybe I need another one?

So my PayPal payment for my iPod case finally cleared, but the eBay vendor emailed me today to tell me the blue color is no longer available! Soooo frustrating. I am debating whether I should get the cranberry/apple red or mustard yellow case for my blue mini. I am leaning towards red. Or I could wait another month for him to restock his blue cases.

Speaking of snowballs, I can't wait to learn how to snowboard on Sunday. I have vivid visions of myself rolling down the hill and accumulating snow until I become a giant snowball.

Related to DD's what if

2005-01-11T22:28:00.000-08:00

Reading DD's what if has inspired me to think about my own what ifs. These are my top aspirational what ifs, off the top of my head.

I have some 'what if I were meant to be's (things that you can't control yourself, things that you would just happen to have the fortune of being born as) and 'what if I chose to be's (things you can control, but which are pretty unlikely given your current life).

What if I were meant to be:
- a deciduous forest, always changing but mostly a long-time observer
- a musical note, in the c major scale, who got to appear wherever the note is summoned
- a clown fish, unconscious bringer of joy to millions of Disney fans
- a stapler, a red cherished Swingline stapler
- born a jungle dweller, with grass skirts and long hair

What if I chose to be:
- an Antarctica underwater science researcher - per an IMAX film
- a home furnishings tester/critique - specializing in beds, maybe for the WSJ
- a full-time traveler/collector - anywhere and everywhere
- a microfinancier - in SE Asia
- uncaffeinated and untired - though neither National Geographic nor Time could find anything really wrong with caffeine
- Canadian again, i.e. go home and relish in my homeland
- single, in Chicago, with CB
- really really settled

What are your top what ifs?

Serendipity, but better

2005-01-10T22:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday night, I went skating in Central Park, just like they do in the movie Serendipity.

It was WONDERFUL!

The air was crisp, but not too cold. They played fun dance songs that brought me back to high school, or other skating rinks. The rink was surrounded by pretty willow trees lit up for the holidays, and the bright city skyline was set a bit further back in the distance. I was with friends and had a great time catching up. I didn't fall once. There were so many cute things to notice. I think I spent half my time along the boards people watching.

My favourites include:
- Fearless kids: They are too little to be scared of falling. They skate as fast as they can, wipe out, and do it all again and again.
- A couple salsa dancing on ice: They were really good at salsa and skating... I thought it was awesome that you could bring activities from such different backgrounds together
- A little boy with the biggest head, eyes, and smile you ever saw: He was being dragged around and around the perimeter by his parents and didn't look that excited to be towed along...but every time he would pass me, I'd smile at him and he would break out into the sweetest smile in the world, oblivious to everything else around him
- These tough looking guys: Teenage thug wannabes who were trying to twirl like figure skaters, as they were watching this really good guy doing jumps in the middle
- Skate patrol: They are the same here as they are in canada. Speedy skaters who think they're police officers because they have a whistle to "toot toot" at you when you break the rules. Hilarious!
- Cute couples holding hands: Sigh! Also good protection against falling down and having your hands slices by a wayward skater.

We capped off the evening with a delicious Vietnamese dinner and more movie fun with desserts at Cafe Lalo of You've Got Mail fame.

Things like this really make me LOVE living in New York. I was so happy!!

My beautiful iPod is getting....OLD!

2005-01-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

I think my beautiful iPod is started to show signs of wear and tear! The previously pristine white click wheel looks like it's got some darker scruff marks. And some of the metallic blue paint on the back (where the white clip usually makes contact) looks a bit duller than it should.

This is like the rude shock of finding a stray white hair or a fine wrinkle.

I am so mad the protective case is taking so long to come! Why does PayPal require a week to clear a transfer from my pre-approved bank account, when I can pay a credit card bill instantly from the same account??

And yet I can't resist the temptation of listening to it everyday....it makes me so happy! Have you ever seen the rather depressing short animation about the 'bliss goggles'? My iPod is like a pair of bliss goggles - when you have them on, all the noisy yucky stuff around you (people talking on the bus, traffic, other distractions) melt away, and you are surrounded by a rhythmic happy hypnotic drug.

All by myself...

2005-01-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

Wow - I think I'm starting to feel like how Christine felt in November.

After the whirlwind of activity before Christmas and up til New Years, I'm finding that living alone is very, ...well, lonely. Also, it allows you to do whatever you want to do, unchecked by fellow human beings, which means that you get to revert to your craziest.

So what have I been doing this past week, that is out of regular roommate character?

1. Coming home very late from work: I have a lot of work to do, but that is no different than how life was before the holidays. Since there's nobody at home to look forward to seeing and chatting with at the end of the day, why not just get everything done at work instead of lugging the laptop back and "work" with dinner/in front of the TV/in bed.

2. Sleeping in: I can't get out of bed anymore. There's nobody to worry about disturbing with your blasting Chinese radio alarm, so instead of turning off the alarm and hopping out of bed, I snooze til infinity.

3. Staying up late: Elvin got me the coolest cutest blue mini iPod for Christmas! It came late and I just got it Tuesday night. Since then, I've successfully wiped out the iPod's operating system, scratched up the iTunes installation CD, fixed the operating system, installed iTunes at work and at home, downloaded all my online MP3s to my iPod, purchased a beautiful blue leather protective case, and equalized the volume of all my songs. This has required a lot of dedication, given point #1 and #2 above. I think a good roommate would have told me to stop.

4. Gone tidying crazy: With all the extra time I have, I've been constantly puttering around the apartment cleaning, tidying and putting things in their place. I feel very domestic. What is going on?!

Christine, come home soon!

the most difficult travel ever

2004-12-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

that christmas favorite "i'll be home for christmas" suddenly takes on a whole lot more meaning when:

a) your flight home gets cancelled on dec. 23rd
b) there are no flights available until dec. 25th in the late afternoon
c) you get home really late from the airport only to get up at 4:30 am to try standby on dec. 24th
d) you can't get standby because more flights are being cancelled and the standby list explodes from ~15 to >150
e) you hike over to grayhound to take a 12 hour busride home
f) the 12 hours turns into 14 hours because of a scary snowstorm

this past weekend felt like a pilgrimage!

on the bright side, my family was sooooo happy to see me and that made it worth it. also, boxing day in canada is super amazing, and i got a bunch of cool new clothes (including a mexx suit and cute work shoes).

our way back to new york was relatively better - the only bad thing was having to wait forever because newark's baggage belt was broken (our checked bags had to be driven/carried? inside the terminal).

Ass-piration pants

2004-12-11T22:48:00.001-08:00

So, I've started to wear this pair of skin tight work out black pants around a lot.

They were originally purchases as "ass-piration" pants because it was my aspiration to get my ass in good enough shape to wear them out in public.

But I've recently discovered that they are sooooo comfortable that I can't live without them. I've worn them underneath work pants, a la darlene, to keep myself warm and also so it's reallllly easy to slip out of work pants and back into bed. I've worn them out under big sweaters, almost like tights. I will be wearing them around the home a lot as well.

It's so exciting to rediscover old clothes and find that your taste is pretty awesome that several months or years later, you still like the same thing.

Checkout my trip pictures =D

2004-12-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

Cambodia and beyond

2004-11-10T23:25:00.000-08:00

My mom and I just returned from Cambodia....

It was an amazing three days, where we got to visit the temples near Siam Reap, including the very famous Angkor Wat. It was incredible to see so many ruined sites, and to imagine what it must have been like 1,000 years ago. It is also striking how poor Cambodia - we were able to hire a very good guide and a car and driver for under $50 per day. There were many children at every site peddling souveniers when they should have been in school, but their families need the extra income from every member of the household. It's very sad and a bit of a dilemma. Do you support the kids and encourage this kind of begging/selling, or do you refrain from buying so their families can't live?

It is HOT here - I am a bit sunburnt and am increasingly mistaken as being from Thailand or the Philippines, rather than Japan or Singapore as I was when I first arrived.

We are going to brave the stifling heat and smog of Bangkok in a couple of minutes to checkout Chinatown, a 5 ton golden Buddha, and the infamous red light district. My mother has insisted that we get in there at 5pm (when the knock off night market first opens) and out before nightfall.

There is so much to see and do, I can't believe 1/3 of my vacation is already over! While I've missed all my friends, it has been a good experience to be away from everything that is familiar.

I too am thinking about other things to do with myself. My long-time dream of being a National Geographic photographer has been revived, alongside some romanticized visions of being micro-financier/educator/archeologist in the Cambodian country-side.

Ok, have a fabulous weekend Chicago friends, Christine, and David. I wish I could be there!

Love,
Cat

On the go...

2004-11-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

Travel has been a lot of fun and I feel as though I've accomplished a lot already.

1) I am much more relaxed and well rested!

2) I have completed my theory and pool dives for my scuba diving certification...all I need now is a couple of open waters with an instructor. Yay!

3) I got to see Elvin, and though he was very busy this past week, we went on a couple of dates.

4) I don't miss email/Internet (that much)...amazing.

5) My mother and I are still on speaking terms...there were a couple of tense moments, but for the most part we are doing well. We are bonding, taking lots of pictures (ugh), and we are seeing the sights/enjoying ourselves despite me navigating everything.

6) We are off to Cambodia tomorrow, after 2 days in Thailand. We're coming back to Bangkok after for 2 days, but have decided not to go to Chiang Mai...will be in KL then Phuket instead.

7) I am still having awful dreams. Help!

I am out of batteries! Eek.

Cramped quarters

2004-11-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

I always forget how terrible it is to fly economy long-distance.

20+ hours in a window seat, where even my knees (I am a relatively short 5'4.5" person) touch the seat in front of me, is definitely not to be endured too often.

Every time, I feel like a chicken cooped up in a cage. These are the chickens they raise en masse for eventual consumption. I have a vivid image of such chickens from a primary school unit on animal farming abuses... chickens given so little room to move around that their legs grew into and around the metal cages that surrounded them. Similar to tree trunks/roots growing through fences. Totally gross.

Plus, the stewardesses just keep feeding you and supplying you with fluids. You're wrapped up in a measly blanket and expected to sit still/sleep/watch movies until the tedium is over.

Ugh!

I'm alive!

2004-11-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

Landed in Singapore this morning.

Will write more later =)

linear movement

2004-10-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

why isn't the world flat, our paths straight and narrow, and truths absolute?

when i keep myself busy enough, i forget about all the shades and color around me...but every so often, my mind wanders and i'm floored by the complexity.

for example, i've been thinking a lot about job satisfaction. before i had a job, i aspired to have a career that would always challenge, excite, and be impactful. now, i am becoming more open to the idea of tradeoff to maintain my sanity, though this thought makes me feel a bit guilty/lazy.

recently, i was reminded of a song i liked a lot by erykah badu, "next lifetime." when i used to listen to this song, it made me really sad, because i believed in it and believed that people are a bit powerless in affecting life's course. now, and related to some conversations with the girls, i don't think it makes any sense at all. not then at 20, not now at 23, not even at 36, 59, or 87.

i guess life is a lot simpler to explain to a child when the world is just 0s and 1s. when you expect to grow up to be a lawyer, to have 2 kids and 2 cars, to live near your mom and dad, to pay taxes and have a picket fence, and to go on vacation twice a year. now, even my mother's taken off the candy-coating assurance, which is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of all of this to me. last night she said, "the future is uncertain, so you must live now."

Sheer numbers

2004-10-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

4 - wine glasses broken in the last week...all while sober

5 - friends between me and a free IPod

12 - different periodicals currently available in the living room, including Scientific American, Fortune, Modern Bride, Lucky, National Geographic, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, Time, MIT SLoane Business Review, Elle, The New Criterion

13 - bottles of Clinique shampoo that are being delivered to this apartment in a box a day (not our fault - it's Christine's crazy Canadian friend who found out her favourite shampoo is being discontinued in Canada)

24 - approaching ages

25 - black balloons adorning this apartment

46 - percentage drop in price of my company's stock in last week and a half, but we're coming back now

50 - pounds of pumpkin bought tonight

156 - dollars, the cost of all that Clinique shampoo from Nordstrom, before tax

318 - text messages received last month (I'm still not sure where they are in my phone, because I sure didn't read that many)

500 - ballpark number of pages Christine reads every week for school

Things that crack me up...

2004-10-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

My roommate Christine is such a nut. I find it hilarious and ridiculous that she gets really really excited by sweepstakes. You know, the one in a billion chances to win something.

The first time this surfaced, we were talking about an Air Canada Aeroplan (the frequent flier program) promotion. We had both separately received a letter about the chance to win like 100,000 miles. For those of you who aren't points junkies, that is enough to fly roundtrip in North America 4-6 times, or to fly to Asia once. You would be entered into a draw each time you flew on Air Canada. I had tossed the notice whereas she broadcast this news with bubbly excitement.

Today, she got a notice from Capital One that she could win the equivalent of the sum of all the things she charged in the 2004. Again, excessive enthusiasm. I made fun of her. She read the fine print and amusedly relayed that her chance of winning is estimated to be around 1 in 100 million.

Is it just me??

Another thing that gets me - she thinks it's sooooo cool that Home Depot has come to Manhattan.

Happy Cat

2004-10-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

I have been sooooo happy these last couple of days.

Things to be thankful for:

1) VACATION - a whole month of it

2) End of boring case - thanks to #1 above

3) Volunteering - painting dancing fruit (see Christine's post) and doing power lunch (reading Harry Potter to this wonderful 4th grader every other Friday makes me smiley all day long and every time I think about it!)

4) Pumpkin bash - I can't wait to dress up as a pirate

5) Seeing friends - so nice to stay in touch =D

6) Sleep - I am much much happier when I've had my 12-15 hours/weekend night. As I've told Christine recently, I think I've got being a 'grumpy pants' under control these days (making life much more pleasant for those around me), but instead have channeled my unhappiness into doubting interest in my job/etc...

7) Not having to pay for immunization shots. I love health insurance.

In other news - I've started freaking out about looking old. I've purchased a grab bag of anti-aging anti-wrinkle creams and am trialing them to see if they help. Scary!! I thought this stuff was for old people (e.g. women in their 40s??). Now I aspire to be that Oil of Olay Top Gun flight instructor.

I am also having vivid emotional dreams. Hopefully vacation takes care of that.

Not so fabulous fabulous day

2004-10-20T22:15:00.001-07:00

Today should have been a perfect day. My case team was having an offsite event at a golf resort in Virginia, where we were to do some work in the morning, golf in the afternoon, and have a fabulous dinner to cap off the day.

As we all know, and despite having my own set of golf clubs, I am no golfer. I approached the day with trepidation, though Katie's success story about her recent work golfing day with a bunch of non-golfers was inspiring. My plan was to hangout with some of the younger people on my team (most of whom do not golf either), and stay positive...

I think I must have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Per my last 2 month routine of getting up god awful early (~5-6am) to work (DD would be proud... where has the sleep monster gone?), I was planning to finish up my direct marketing review and get ready before my car pickup at 7. I had to switch on the light to avoid sleeping through another snooze at 6:15, and by the time I turned on my laptop, I only had enough time to download my email. Scrambling to at least have a strong tea before I rushed out the door, I found that we were out of milk. In these circumstances, I have found that vanilla ice cream can work very well. As this was also not available, I resorted to using a creme liquor, and felt like I was a closet AA. Thank goodness Christine was still sleeping!

So the direct marketing review wasn't done. I had to pull that together quickly in the morning after the flight, but seperately had met a nice lady from Victoria Secrets Beauty at Teeterborough (sp?) flying down to Columbus for Limited's quarterly analyst presentation, so that made my morning better.

The golfing part of the day, however, was less than wonderful. Christine had outfitted me perfectly (I don't even own a pair of khakis anymore) from head to ankle, but I wore my own running shoes. My running shoes are great for running and walking, because they are made from a lightweight mesh fabric - excellent for breathability. On a wet, cold day like today, my feet were completely soaked within 10 minutes of walking around on the green. Yuck! I had to make a phone call and work some things out with a client just before our tee off, so I didn't get a chance to warm up on their driving range. My plan to golf with the young'uns fell through because most of them were still stuck in a meeting, so I ended up golfing with three fairly good golfers - the main partner (who is intimidating though tries to be nice), my case manager (who was nice, but had to really babysit me and tell me how to hit, which club to use, how to drive the cart, how to get out of a sand trap, etc...), and a new associate (who is sarcastic and semi-ugh!!). I decided to call it a day after 9 holes. I was starting to hit better from about hole 3 to 7, but then stopped being able to even make contact. So embarrassing. My last conversation with my case manager went something like this..."so I hear the driving range at Chelsea Piers is really good...they have special events, discount nights,..."

I got back to my room, took a nap, and then headed back down to dinner. Instead of a nice steak dinner, we decided to watch the game (poor Yankees!) in the resort's sports bar. Again, like a fish out of water, I had to avidly pay attention to something I have between 10-20% interest in. When pressed for which team I was rooting for, I tossed a coin in my head and said NY. While I admired Boston's uniforms much more (the red stockings are adorable!), how could I justify being a Red Socks fan, knowing nothing about them besides that they're cursed.

All in all, it wasn't a terrible day. It's nice to be out of the office, and doing minimal work. However, it is also quite clear that there are some key skills that a business person (or aspiring business person) needs to develop.

1) Proficiency in key sports
2) Working knowledge of professional sports (gag me with a spoon)
3) Non-work work wardrobe (or have roommate with excellent selection)

These are all obvious points, and things that have been on my to-do list for quite some time. Today was just a big reminder of why they are so important.

Homecoming

2004-10-15T22:20:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Homecoming tomorrow morning. Since I graduated about a year and a half ago, I've been back to Penn a couple times for recruiting events or to visit friends in Philly, but I haven't had the chance to just walk around and soak it all in.

I'm excited but also a little nervous at what I'll find. Beloved cobbled stone steps, green lawns, and crisp Fall air await, but I know that it won't feel like 'home' anymore. This magical place will have passed onto a new generation of student. Friendships, papers, and foam parties will be reinvented with a new cast.

I'm feeling a little displaced right now. I'm not sure where home is anymore. When I moved to Philly, Penn truly felt like home, even after a couple of months. After over a year, New York still does not feel like home. However, there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be or that I think would feel more homey...

For now, I'll settle for getting to revisit a place where I have so many fond memories. Tomorrow, I'll be there, proudly donning a 'Puck Frincton' t-shirt, wistfully strolling along the walk.

My New Obsession

2004-10-14T13:54:00.000-07:00

It took me almost half an hour this morning to figure out what to wear to work. No, I didn't have an important client meeting or a special rendez-vous after work. It is because I have a new obsession, which I am furiously trying to keep under wraps.

I am addicted to wearing ribbons.

It only started about a month ago, when I was trying to put together the perfect outfit for my cousin Terry's wedding, but now I look for ribbons/bows on every shopping expedition and try to work them into my wardrobe EVERYDAY.

I've already made myself return a houndstouth jacket with a cute bow belt from BR. I've also vetoed wearing ribbons in the wrist loopholes on my denim jacket. But this morning, I really really wanted to wear another jacket that I have with a black ribbon waist belt (somebody asked me if I was wearing a bowtie around my waist on a previous occasion). I had just worn it to work the previous Friday and after much deliberation (hoping that wearing it with different pants and accessories would make the look completely different), I took it off.

I struggled with what else to wear, and finally settled on a chunky brown wrap sweater that I tied a burgundy ribbon around. I fought with myself on my way out the door, but it stayed on, and I am very happy!

I am already trying to figure out how to wear a pink ribbon hairband in the coming days...I can't wait for Halloween!

Community

2004-08-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Since graduating from college a year ago, I've found it very difficult to stay in touch with friends from high school and university. While I constantly wonder about how different people are doing, I rarely call, I'm terrible with mail or email, and I seldom visit my hometown for more than a weekend so it's hard to meet up with friends. Also, I'm really busy with work, as are many of my old classmates.

Living in an apartment in New York, I don't know even know my neighbors. I hang out with my roommates a lot (friends from college), a couple of friends who are also in the city, and talk to my long-distance boyfriend on the phone.

I think there are a lot of other people like me out there - families and friends spread out across the country/world, busy work schedules, and poor communication consistency. How do other people maintain a sense of community? David says that blogs are a 'fun way to stay in touch with friends.' I think IMs allow for quick, informal messages. I've recently become a member of AOL and can see how such a service can connect people too. I rely heavily on technology to replace face to face contact - can this be a good thing?

Dial Tone

2004-08-23T12:47:00.001-07:00

I think I'm going to discontinue my phone service when I move to a new apartment next week. I never use my phone at home, now that I work so much and have a cell.

It'll be weird to not have a land line though - I've never been without a "real" phone number...I feel like I'll become less permanent, that I'll lose something stable...not have a home base. I'm worried about becoming unreachable and disconnected.

I can't believe a plastic box with buttons and a constant tone could be so important and comforting to me.