Smell of Rain

It’s finally warming up for good in New York and staying this way…but actually for real. Along with sunshine and warmth comes April showers and allergies. I’m no fan of rain, but I find when it drizzles, it’s intimate and gives me nostalgia. It reminds me of the time I was stuck in China with my mom and aunt, wearing only flip flops having to jump through puddles to get to the car. It reminds me of mornings in high school, when there would be a slight dew on my lawn and the smell was so good in an unexplainable way.

Yesterday’s rain didn’t harken back to a specific memory, but rather, just smelt like new beginnings. It was a sign that winter was finally retreating and coats can be put away for good. It told me that I’d be starting a new chapter in my life very soon. And it reminded me to enjoy the small moments in life and always laugh, be happy and be with friends and family.

First papaya of the season – did not disappoint.

Making little fury friends – his name is Cow and he is a sassy biatch.

New favorite midnight snack along + binge-watching The Fall, which is so creepy it’s made me question my attraction to Jamie Dornan. Except I’d still probably still say yes, even with him as Paul Spector. I’m a sick sick (lovesick) woman.

My favorite bubble bar from Lush – lavender is my second favorite scent of all time next to BF’s Old Spice.

Watching coffee + milk mix is always gloriously beautiful to me.

My favorite Diptyque candles. Ignore my dirty looking bathtub – it’s really not THAT gross.

My little moments this week may not have made significant advancements in my career or been regarded as personal life accomplishments. However, all of the little moments combined have kept me moving and looking forward of what’s to come. The little things do add up.

Happy Passover/Easter/Wonderful Weekend Friends,

Angel

Hello April

How the hell is it already April?! It feels like I went to bed in January and woke up in April. But hey, I’m not complaining. After a long and arduous winter, I’m ready for some flowers, showers, and maybe allergies won’t feel as horrible this year. I’m so excited for the new beginnings coming my way. Let’s revisit some of my goals from last month.

March Goals Revisited:

1. GET THAT JOB. So self explanatory and yet, so needed. I have a good feeling that this month will treat me well. Positive vibes all around.

So I didn’t get THAT job but I did get A job that feels like it will fit so much better!!! I’m so excited to move on and expand my boundaries from just working in music to fashion as well. Very excited to start next week and see where my journey takes me.

2.Take time to relax on the weekend away from my computer screen. Go out on adventures.

Definitely have been spending more time away from my computer….though I think that might have transferred over to my television set. After watching The Jinx, starting Broad City with the intention of starting The Fall (because I still have a big fat crush on Jamie Dornan) soon afterwards and we’re NOT counting the shows I already watch, I have a big problem with TV. But whatever, at least it’s getting warmer and I am starting a new job soon which means I will do more DVRing, being more social and getting more drinks.

3.Read five books.

Biggest accomplishment! I’ve read the following:

-Robert Galbraith – The Silkworm

-Robert Galbraith – Cuckoo’s Calling

-Brett Easton Ellis – The Rules of Attraction

-Roxane Gay – Bad Feminist

-Lisa Genova – Still Alice

-Michel Houellebecq – Platform

-Rolf Dobelli – The Art of Thinking Clearly

4. Blog every day (ok or every other day if we’re being honest, but hey, at least I’m being honest!)

Almost accomplished? I’ve blogged a whole lot more in March than I have previously and hoping to keep it up. I love having a place online where I can just let out my feelings and thoughts. It feels like a natural catharsis, even though it’s quite digital and not private in the slightest. I guess that’s how I as a millennial feel comfortable…

5. Start planning summer trip + weekend rendezvous for April! Perhaps a weekend in upstate to go hiking and prance around a small cute town pretending I have a farm, a cow named Hattie and a British butler named Andrew who helps me pick daises all day.

Haven’t started planning yet due to my bearings being all over the place, accepting a new job. But I have started looking into flights and need to plan something soon for this month or May. This month there’s a lot happening just here in NYC so I don’t mind staying in one place and just falling in love with Brooklyn again.

April Goals:

1. Run a 10K! In a previous post, I’ve mentioned how I’ve wanted to run a 5K by the end of the month…After running about 2.5 miles for the past two days, I want to up the ante and try to double that and run at least one 10k by the end of the month! I miss being able to run for what seemed like miles and miles without feeling like I would collapse and die.
2. Be one with nature. Go to the farmer’s market, Smorgasbourg and just do more wandering and spend more time outside. As much as I complain about New York in the wintertime, it is beyond glorious in the summertime and I’m so excited for BBQ season to hit!
3. Throw a very delayed housewarming BBQ. When A and I moved in together, I was adamant about keeping a clean home that didn’t involve throwing weekend parties like he did in his apartment every weekend. My home is my haven and I like to keep it that way. However, now that it’s almost been a year, I’m ready to have some friends over and have a good time on our roof to BBQ.
4. Decorate the apartment more with unique goodies. Last month, we bought a floor length mirror and it’s made our bedroom look drastically bigger. I’d like to buy some art and little trinkets to make this apartment feel more like a home and less like an unpersonalized hotel.
5. YOGA!!! I know this has been like a goal for the past 2/3 months, but really I should be ashamed of not doing enough yoga. I get tension in my upper back and shoulders and really need to start sticking to a regime and go at least 2-3 times a week, especially if I’m picking up running again. Perhaps today will be day 1 of yoga!

xo Angel.

Okay Winter, It’s Time to GTFO

If memory serves me correctly, it was not this cold this late into spring last year. I could have sworn I was wearing maxi dresses and denim jackets instead of these layered sweaters + thick socks that I can’t seem to put away.

My favorite way to combat the cold is a combination of roasted chickens, soup + loading up on good books and iPhone games. Today, I went on a late lunch date with a girl friend to Veselka, a Ukrainian restaurant in the East Village. I’ve only been here in the past for coffee and cookies, but after hearing about the pirogies and borscht, I knew it was time to try some. No pirogies this time, but I did get a side of vegetarian borscht with my chicken salad sandwich and it was awesome. Super tangy and the side of sour cream (at least that’s what I think it was) added a smooth and creamy element. I was sad when my cup was finished. Chicken salad wasn’t bad either, though I’m partial to cubed Waldorf chicken salads (which also include grapes, apples, walnuts and celery).

In my spare time, I’ve focused on a few things – looking for cool gigs to take on, starting up my running again, reading and playing my iPhone games.

I just started reading this Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith, who is actually JK Rowling under a false pseudonym. I finished the first book in a day and am already on the second – this is literally filling the huge Harry Potter void that I have inside my heart and her familiar writing style geared towards adults just makes me feel at home again without having to reread my childhood series over and over again.

Besides reading, eating and running to combat the eating, I also have succumbed to redownloading Kim Kardashian’s game because it’s hellishly addicting + a game called Two Dots. I played Two Dots when it was just Dots, and I remember it being extremely cute, but it got boring after a while. Two Dots is the opposite as the creator decided to put in several different levels and made it ten times better. Literally cannot put down my iPhone – I’m the worst but trust me and download them. I cannot stop.

xo Angel

Welcome Back Williamsburg

Home sweet home! After three flights + 12 hours in transit, it is so nice to be back in my city, even if it is 30 degrees colder. I believe we are FINALLY (but actually this time cause next week is April) nearing the end of winter and there’s nothing that I love more than spring/summer in the city except for the boyf.

In honor of being home, we Fresh-directed our groceries, which included a box of mangos because it’s our all-time favorite fruit (mine next to watermelon). What’s a better challenge than two people trying to finish nine ripe mangoes within a few days?

Today, I tried to get a hold on my jet lag and failed epically waking up at 10:30 AM feeling like a zombie. However, I was productive and  went to a couple of great meetings + had a great time just strolling around the city, window-shopping and people watching. As much as I joke about moving to LA or London or Seoul, I don’t think I could do it. Now or ever? I have too much love for New York and too much to accomplish here. Watch me be one of those people who never leave (ha). There could be worst problems of course…

A highlight of NYC and specifically Williamsburg are all the cute artisan shops. Depanneur is my personal favorite, and not because it’s just around the corner. They have the best almond croissants and sandwiches (a bit pricey but hey, you win some you lose some). They also have an array of spices, condiments, cookbooks, ice cream and more household goods + the CUTEST Easter display atm. Maybe if A is being good, I’ll get him some chocolate treats…which will most likely end up in my belly if we’re being real here.

So much for getting in shape for summer huh?

bisous bisous (learned some cute French today!),

xo Angel

Vacation Visuals [03.19.15]

Happy Hump Day! It’s sad to think we’re closer to the end of this vacation, but all good things must come to an end. We started the day in usual fashion, with eggs, buttered toast + bacon followed by a morning walk along the beach. This time, we ran into a man who was playing frisbee with his adorable nine-year-old golden retriever, who was more like a seal than land animal. He was an Ohio native who took a vacation to Honolulu in the sixties and never went home, besides the occasional trip to California and various Hawaiian islands. I don’t know why, but this struck a major chord in me and put a smile on my face. It’s nice to know that even in this crazy world, where we are pushed to make money and a name for ourselves, there is an escape and people take it, for one reason or another. Sometimes I want to move to an island + just blog and eat fruit all day. But now is not my time yet…

Lunch was at Coconut’s Fish Cafe, which apparently has the best fish tacos in the world. However, I was still craving tuna and for the first time in my life, I skipped fish tacos and decided to get another poke bowl. V satisfied, v satisfied indeed.

Side note: If you know me, you know that I NEVER EVER pass up fish tacos. Like, EVER. A big anomaly indeed. If you want to make me happy, order me a fish taco + veggie taco and load it with verde hot sauce. Mmmmm perhaps a trip to Tacombi in Nolita is in order when I get home….

Another cute little quality of Maui and perhaps all of Hawaii is the overabundance of Birkenstock stores. I’ve been meaning to get a pair of black Birks, but they’ve been sold out for like a year in NYC because ~fashion so I was uber ecstatic to get a pair here!

The late afternoon consisted of face masks and dessert. I mean, C’MON what else do I need??? Time will tell whether I like this boscia green tea hydrogel mask – immediate reaction was super light and fresh sensation on my poor sunburnt skin.

Post face mask was a trip to the local shaved ice spot, a popular dessert option for both tourists and locals. There are so many shaved ice spots around and even ice trucks all over town. It’s not too hard to satisfy that sweet tooth around here – A and I shared a shark’s blood (coconut/strawberry) and guava shaved ice over vanilla ice cream. 10/10 would def eat again aka tomorrow.

When we got back, we watched the gorgeous sunset again and made dinner. Because we grilled so much this week, we had leftover chicken and steak along with some more coconut rice + some sautéed bok choy with mushrooms.

Stuffed full after dinner + asian pears for dessert, it’s time to end the night with some Archer before we head out for our last full day of bliss here in Maui.

xo Angel

Vacation Visuals [03.17.15]

Today, we woke up at the leisurely hour of half past seven to prepare for a day of boating, whale-watching and wake-boarding. The weather was absolutely perfect and we spent four hours on the water. We were also quite fortunate that it’s currently whale season and we spotted SO many whales breaching, momma whales with their calves and big bad male whales competing with one another. I couldn’t really quite capture the beauty of it, but I’m kind of glad that I wasn’t able to –  it forced me to not be glued to my iPhone and made me really appreciate the moment and just relax and look at the world.

We also were able to spot a few turtles just floating about peacefully floating. Turtles are adorable, maybe it’s because they look wide with their shells and I have an affinity for the wide, large, cinnamon roll/loaf of bread-like animals.  Whenever I imagine turtles speaking, I imagine they are mad chill and speak like surfer bros. “What’s up brahhhs?”

Eats today were super on-theme – Hawaiian mixed plate + banana smoothie for lunch, and ono, a Hawaiian local fish for dinner with coconut rice + all the fixings.

Coconut rice is super easy to make – Combine 1 c. coconut cream, 2 c. jasmine rice, a sprinkle of salt + 2 spoonfuls of sugar in a saucepan. Bring to boil, cover and cook about 20-30 minutes and let sit. Then fluff with fork, give yourself a coconut steam facial (just kidding) and stuff your face.

Tomorrow is probably going to be a day of rest + taking it easy – I was too cocky and didn’t think I’d get burned….of course I did because I was stupid and only put on one layer of SPF 30 spray in a five hour span. Ladies – please put on sunscreen or else your upper boobs will feel like they’re on fire. And it’s not the sexy kind of fire. At least this time.

xo Angel

Finally Here: Kahului

Two flights equating to more than 11 hours in transit along with over $50 worth of overpriced airport water bottles and shitty snacks consumed – A and I are finally in Hawaii!

It’s currently 10 PM Maui time aka 4 AM NYC time and I’m a walking zombie. I’ll blame it on:

a. sickness

b. lack of sleep

c. airplane food

d. all of the above.

I’m not sure if it was the back-to-back Gone Girl, The Imitation Game, and Dallas Buyers Club movies (If you have to choose one, please watch DBC – Jared Leto kills it and made me openly weep) or the starbursts, but I am twitching while overanalyzing my romantic past, for fear of sexually transmitted diseases and/or insanity. I kid, I kid. But truly, I think it’s time for bed before I start combining the three movies and creating conspiracy theories in my head.

I have never been more happy to touchdown, especially while still freshly recovering from a bout of food poisoning less than 24 hours ago (or at least that’s what I self-diagnosed myself to having). I am so happy to have a week to spend with the bae (is this term still cool?) and to just lay around the pool and OD on shaved ice and take way too many Instagram pictures as per usual. More coherent thoughts will follow tomorrow.

Goodnight loves,

xo Angel

Spontaneous Tidbits

In celebration of yesterday’s glorious weather, Greta and I went on an impromptu walk through Washington Square Park, our old stomping grounds when we went to NYU. One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is just walk everywhere – there’s always something interesting to look at, delicious smells coming out of some food cart (except halal, just not my thing!) and beautiful people walking their gorgeous dogs.

In typical New York fashion, there was a television shoot in progress and we decided to get a little silly and use the unnatural lights to take some cute pictures. And get laughed at by some NYU students but whatever, we got no shame!

Now onto some qualityScandal + mochi snacking time before I crawl into bed for the night.

Side-note: Please read this amazing article from the Business Insider about how Millennials should not be blamed and labeled as the entitled ones (which is the public viewpoint of much of the population); rather, it is the baby-boomers, the generation before us who have set us up for a much harder life from the get-go.

xo, Angel

Wednesday Walk-Through [03.11.15]

Today was already a much better day than the last – waking up to 50 degree weather was brilliant. After weeks of trudging through snow and almost breaking my back on ice, it is a great change . Due to my internet being down all day, I decided to take that as my cue to spend my time out in the sunshine and remove myself from behind my laptop screen. I started my day with  a PureBarre class + a short run. After not running all winter, I can barely wheeze past a mile without dying. Super sad – perhaps my goal next month would be to work up to a 5K, and eventually a 10K again.

This afternoon was too gorgeous to pass up a walk on the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan to see my friends and hangout.

(Wearing: Rag+Bone Fedora, Uniqlo Sweater on sale, Marc by Marc Jacobs Watch, Madewell Jeans no longer available, Catbird assorted rings and TOMS slip-ons similar)

After I spent some time doing some music business freelancing, I met up with G to have dinner at B Bar & Grill, an indoor-outdoor restaurant that I’ve wanted to try sometime. It has a great low-key sexy tousled vibe. It was great to have girl time over oysters (obviously) and spring drinks! First gin and juice of the season!

Caught G in the act!

 

xo, Angel

Tuesday Night Thoughts [03.10.15]

A finally came home from working at Pax East in Boston from Thursday-Sunday so we decided to spend the night together. We went around to our local German beerhall and had some comforting sausages, fries (my guilty pleasure) and sauerkraut and picked up some chocolates to take home with us to watch Whiplash. I liked the movie but didn’t love it – I just wasn’t game for all the childish drama and some of the characters’ behaviors were appalling to me. However, I will admit that the acting was amazing and the story was incredible to follow.

This morning, I went to Dudley’s, my favorite spot for breakfast-lunch-dinner with R, had some avocado toast + celeb sittings and it was just great girl time. However, when I got home today I got some news that  I didn’t receive the position of a job that I really wanted. BUT, at the end of the day, I know it’s not personal and I’m not trying to keep it from my head up high and motivation strong.

This break in my life is a blessing. I get to hang out with my friends, write, read, take care of myself and take a moment to slow down. So for now, I’m going to keep searching for what I truly want to do – and if it turns out I should intern more to find out more about myself, so be it. I am proud of all the work I’ve put in and I’m excited to learn more and to keep pushing myself.

But for the moment, I’m going to keep eating strawberries + binge-watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Yolanda is my g.

xo Angel