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Wednesday, 07 December 2011

Sharing Blankets

I started a webcomic, sharingblankets.com. Personally I think my doodles are adorable. =P

Thursday, 17 November 2011

My long overdue BBQ wedding update

I’m probably biased when I say that me and jigg’s BBQ reception was the most fun wedding reception I’ve ever attended. We didn’t have a dress code, assigned seats, or do any of the traditional wedding stuff. As a result, our guests were free to do whatever they wanted.

One of my bridesmaids started a game of flip cup and before you know it, it was an all-out war. Guys vs. girls.



Instead of tossing a garter, jigg tossed a bad motherfucker wallet (from Pulp Fiction) with a $50 bill inside. I have NEVER seen guys voluntarily dive for something tossed at a wedding like they dived for that wallet.



jigg's fraternity brothers actually did a stroll…I guess you can call it a flash mob?

The park where the reception was held only allows beer and wine, but no hard liquor.



Unbeknown to me, the groomsmen had a plan to take care of that little setback. The night before, Addy, one of jigg’s groomsman actually poured the liquor into empty wine bottles and added food coloring to make it look like wine.

So during the BBQ, they were responsible for making sure that everyone had a good time.

Addy: Here, have a glass of wine.

Me: (after taking a sip) Umm…this tastes kind of funny. Are you sure?

Addy: Don’t worry about it!

Before you know it, I had a couple shots of Jack and pretty much don't have any recollection of what happened the second half of the party (I'm super lightweight). However, I am told that I handled myself quite gracefully -- I sat there holding a sign telling everyone to chill out. Good times! Thank you to everyone who came.

Thursday, 27 October 2011

Occupy Wall Street

Director of Communications: We’re sending Peter (CEO of my firm) to Occupy Wall Street with a camera crew. I need you to make a big sign...

[An hour later, I'm at the Staple's printing center.]

Staff #1: How can I help you?

Me: I need to print a sign for outdoor use…like say for the Occupy Wall Street protest. Can you help?

Staff #1: That’s awesome! Of course we can help. Hey, she’s going to the Occupy Wall Street protest!

Staff #2: Go you!

Staff #3: Yeah!

Me (nervously): Well, I’m not personally going. The sign really isn’t for me.

Staff #1: What does it say? [He opens the PDF file for the sign, which reads "I AM THE 1%".]

Sunday, 13 February 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

I drew a card for Ray. The first time I told him "elephant shoe," he didn't know what it meant!

That was two years ago...but we're still as lovey dovey. =P

Saturday, 22 January 2011

Does anyone pick up after their pets in Brooklyn?

I see at least three to four piles of fresh dog poo on the sidewalk every morning when I walk to the train station for work. To put it into perspective of how much dog poo that is, I live only several blocks from the train station - so that's at least a pile of crap per block. As a result, I always look down when I walk on full alert. jigg says my eyes dart around and I'm like a dog poo mine detector. Whenever I see a pile, I would point and warn "POO!" This is a necessary precaution because the doo doo is sometimes located smack in the middle of the sidewalk. The punishment for the non-vigilant is...well...stepping on crap. So far, my efforts have paid off as I haven't stepped on a poo mine yet. But I'm always fearful, especially at night when I cannot see well.

The worst is after snowstorms, like the slushy one NYC got hit with on Wednesday. Snow sometimes covers up the existing crap on the ground so you have no way of knowing what you're stepping on or the slush melts in with the poo and creates a terrible mess. As jigg and I walked to the train station that morning, I counted a total of NINE piles of crap. I have been avoiding sidewalks and walking on the streets ever since.

As a fairly new resident of New York City, I'm surprised that there are no fines in place for this irresponsible behavior of dog owners! jigg joked that I just need to get used to it because the crap apparently doesn't bother anyone else in the neighborhood. "Get used to it?" I cannot seem to fathom how this could be a norm for a city anywhere. I never encountered this problem before in Boston. Where I lived in Boston, almost everyone has a dog and I NEVER see dog crap on the streets.

This is a -1 for NYC and +1 for Boston.

Friday, 31 December 2010

2010 Recap

The Catalyst
March 27, 2010 was the day that set everything in motion for all the changes that occurred in 2010: it was the day jigg and I got engaged. I went on an interview with a brokerage firm in NYC for a marketing position the following Monday and received a job offer one week later. I quit my job in April and put my condo in Boston up for sale. I relocated from Boston to New York City on my birthday and moved in with jigg into our current apartment in Brooklyn and started my new job the next day.

Relocating to NYC
Adjusting to life in New York City was pretty difficult - I couldn't stand the rush, crowds, noise, tourists, traffic, apathy, rats in the subway, etc. Essentially I hated almost everything that makes New York City, New York City. I felt like I could drop dead in the middle of a crowded street and no one would care or notice. I didn't move to this place to experience the work-hard-play-hard lifestyle; I never wanted to climb the corporate or social ladder! But after living here for a couple of months, the city grew on me. I learned to walk faster, avoid tourists, and grab empty seats on the subway ASAP!

Marriage
jigg and I got married in September. Life with him is quite blissful: he cooks for me, takes me out to different restaurants, surprises me with little presents here and there, and acts pretty silly to make me laugh. For example, he wakes me up every morning by tapping my nose!

Self-Improvement
I also picked up new hobbies. For the first time in my life, I started cooking...at first because I had to, but I eventually came to enjoy it. As some of you may have read through jigg's blog, we eat chicken almost every night because I don't like pork and can't pack seafood or beef leftovers for next day's lunch (seafood stinks up the microwave and beef doesn't taste good as leftovers). Every week, jigg and I buy so much chicken that the owner of the grocery store we shop at recognizes us. I have learned to cook stir fried chicken, baked chicken, braised chicken, breaded chicken, roasted chicken, steamed chicken, chicken salad, chicken noodle soup, chicken congee, Jamaican jerk chicken...okay, I think that's it for chicken recipes. I get ecstatic when jigg compliments my cooking. So much so that I think I understand why some people overfeed their kids - I just want to keep feeding him when he wants more!

Health
But the year wasn't all fun and games. I got quite a scare when I went to a doctor for a regular check-up and she told me she found cysts in my breasts. Having hypochondriac tendencies, I freaked out! I went to a radiologist to get a sonogram which confirmed the existence of the said cysts. A week later, my doctor told me that they were most likely benign but advised to quit intaking any caffeinated products (caffeine apparently causes the cysts to grow) and follow-up with a breast specialist. I went to the specialist who confirmed that the cysts are benign, filled with liquid, not cancerous cells. However, he also suggested I drain the cyst, which wasn't something I expected in that session. Out of nowhere, the specialist pulled out a needle, poked it in my boob, extracted something out, and put a band-aid over it. I celebrated the next morning by having coffee.

Overall, my year ended with me happily married and healthy! I couldn't ask for more.