Ash Wednesday

22-Feb-2007
01:22AM – New York City

My eyes and icebox are heavy and tired, but my mind and soul remain wide-awake. Encased between these four white walls, it’s beginning to feel like “home.” Conan is on the tube. My DVDs and CDs are scattered amongst my pocket stuffers on the dresser. The three alarms are set exactly 12 minutes apart on my cell phone so I can hit the snooze a few times before the new day starts. If home is where the heart is, why can’t mine reach a compromise?

Today was a beautiful day in the city. The sun was shining as its beams peeked through the multi-storied, skyscraper filled, concrete jungle that is New York. I intentionally walked an alternate route back from lunch, in hopes to soak as much of its energy before the inevitable nightfall takes the sun captive, and the city’s night-lights glow for the next 12 hours.

I don’t know which one is brighter from my window – the M&M store or Lehman Brothers. One thing is for sure; neither does Jenna justice.

I can’t sleep. It’s not that I don’t want to. I simply can’t. My body is accustomed to the 4-5 hours it receives on a regular basis during the week. Sundays are reserved for hibernation.

Hit the gym hard tonight. Thanks Diddy, for being my inspiration for perspiration. Found an awesome patio for parties once the sun and warm weather become a trend.

I have a routine before working out – besides procrastination. I cannot work out without music and for the longest time, I had lost the armband for my iPod. I’d given up on its search a while ago and wrote it off as something I left back in Connecticut (amongst other things, both intentional and unintentional).

That was it. Gone. Forever. Time to buy a new one.

To my surprise, as I tried to slip on my right gym shoe, there it was. Stuck in the place where I had last put it.

Ironic how sometimes, you find what you’ve been looking for all along – even when you weren’t searching for it.


Current Mood: Show Me, John Legend

“Maybe we’ll talk
Some other night
Right now I’ll take it easy
Won’t spend my time
Waiting to die
Enjoy the life I’m living
Show me that you love me
Show me that you walk with me
Hopefully, just above me
Heaven is watching over me”

Happy New Years!

19-Feb-2007
10:06PM – New York City

Happy Chinese New Year, to be exact. It’s been more than a year since my last post. Time flies when you’re living to figure out your life.

I’ve been all over the US since my pilot in Italy. DC, Fairfield, Ft. Myers, Miami, Key Largo, Norwalk, Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Diego, Tampa, Stamford, Boston, Minneapolis, Niagara Falls, Chicago, and finally the epicenter of the world, New York City.

I’ve got a sweet setup in Times Square while working at 30 Rock. Let me know if you ever want to visit.

This past weekend was the first of many I’ll spend terrorizing the city with my friends and colleagues. Starting with the ballet on Thursday, we capped Sunday afternoon off with Dim Sum in Chinatown. The streets were littered with people, parades, confetti, and celebration. Best $8 I’ve spent so far.

The group here is diverse; each with their own story and something to share professionally and personally. Looking forward to the adventures we’ll have over the next four months.

There’s something about this city that intrigues me. Like it, I don’t sleep much. Maybe it’s the glare from the constant neon glow reflecting on the buildings across the street. Or the temptation of walking around to find a nearby dive. Or the sounds of public transportation and tourism at the crack of dawn.

There’s a mystique of autonomy that I’ve never felt until I moved here. It hit me on Friday as I bought a monthly subway pass on my way to Bed, Bath and Beyond on the upper west side. I walked into the TS station to the rhythmic sounds of drums beating as passer-byes looked on, fully entertained. I stood behind a younger woman as I watched, bundled up nicely in a classy black overcoat with a white fedora hat to fight the cold ensuing above us. Her hands gripped tightly to the stroller where her young toddler lay soundly asleep, completely oblivious to sound combination of performance and applause.

My point is that sometimes, we need to stop and smell the roses. Life is too short to let the simple things that surround us go unnoticed, which we oftentimes take for granted.

I dropped my dollar and proceeded to the red line.

I’m excited to see The Crew! Book your frigging tickets already. Paz.

Amidst the hours I spend working, I’ve found pockets of time to continue my soul searching. I spoke with an AM today and started to reflect on the life lessons we’ve learned along the way. There were times when things couldn’t get more complex; where drama consumed most of my thoughts. I’ve worked hard to move on from that, and this time, I’m taking it in stride. Everything happens for a reason, although it may not be apparent, all it takes is time to fully understand. Until then, I’ll be waiting.

Current Mood: Sweetest Goodbye, Maroon 5

“How does it feel to know you never have to be alone
When you get home
There must be someplace here that only you and I could go
So I can show you how I
Dream away everyday
Try so hard to disregard
The rhythm of the rain that drops
And coincides with the beating of my heart”