sur la table

i used to frequent the one in pasadena which was only a 15-minute walk from where i lived. the very first time i stepped foot in the store, i was almost ran out - there's so much stuff there that it was a little overwhelming. but i grew to love it and would walk in whenever i was going anywhere in that vicinity, even if i had no intention of buying anything. they have all sorts of kitchen gadgets and the best classic kitchenware. they also have a large selection of cookbooks - not that i ever bought any at the store, but it's a sign that they're a good place for serious cooks or those who are learning to cook. and even though they have very pricey cookware, you can find something really inventive and cheap if you look hard enough.

new york only has one sur la table, and i finally made a special trip down to soho for it. i walked in and felt intoxicated and then comforted that this was a store that i have known and loved for the past 2 years. with thanksgiving coming up, i'm going to have another excuse to visit it again.

also, my sister pulled out a cookbook tonight that's put together by her stage manager for broadway cares, an organization that helps to support the fight against aids and other chronic diseases. then, i remembered he complimented the food that i made for betty which she brings into work. what an honor. sur la table, here i come.

work

life had been consumed with work for the past few weeks. even though film production in new york is basically the same as in los angeles, there are enough differences that has made my first ny production job difficult. i've never had to deal with parking in the city before, and there were new vendors to familiarize myself with. also, working with people you've never worked with previously always makes the job tough - you have to figure out each other's strengths and weaknesses and deal with them - a matter of trust in each other's abilities. it also didn't help that we were so rushed for time while i needed to figure out how to do a lot of things. but fortunately, everyone is nice and great at their job so it's been a valuable learning experience. and even though it was difficult, it'll be short job - my last day is tuesday.

now that things have calmed, let me catch up on this blog. i visited f in brooklyn for the panamanian parade. it was really long, and we didn't stay to see all of it. but the traditional dresses were gorgeous, and the food was amazing, as f had promised. and it was really nice to meet f's mom and some of her relatives that she had grown up knowing. f and i have been friends for 10 years now (amazing to think that i'm old enough to have been friends with people for a decade!), and getting to see this side of her life for the first time was precious.

this weekend, p and d, whom i've also known for 10 years now (yikes!), were in town. it was so good to see patty who has grown up so much. she's using make-up, has a sophisticated wardrobe, and wears a chic haircut - so different from the days when she was always in jeans and sweatshirts with her ponytail. i, on the other hand, am still wearing clothes from my college days. d has grown up too, but he's still a goof-ball. we hung out with a group of d's friends, his brother, and p's cousin. almost everyone is a suit. i had been so used to hanging out with hipsters in la. when i mentioned to one of d's friends that my sister is working on her mfa, he asked, "oh, what is that? master of financial arts or something?" ironically, he recently moved here from la as well. the people i know in la pretty much all work in film or the arts in one way or another. but that's the thing about new york - everyone does something different. an la friend who had lived in nyc for a while once told me that it's very special to work in film in nyc whereas it's almost the norm in la. well, i definitely felt special, loved but special.

parallel synchronized randomness

saw the science of sleep yesterday with my friend a and my sister. i loved it - the stop-motion animation made me feel like a 6-yr-old again, looking at the world with wonder, and gael garcia bernal made me feel like a 16-yr-old with a high school crush on a boy. the blurring of dreams and reality was a little exhausting, trying to figure out whether things were really happening or just in stephane's mind. but i think the appeal was this very obscure division between reality and dreams - my life seems to resemble this dubious state. i'm not quite sure what i'm doing. everything feels kind of surreal. maybe my days would feel more solid if i gave myself more structure - a schedule of things to do everyday. but right now, being unemployed, i daydream a lot. i'm alone for most days. sometimes, the tv is on - it's been a long time since i've watched this much tv. even when i'm doing chores, they're pretty mindless work that i would imagine all sorts of things. i took the curtains to the laundromat today. as i was standing on the windowsill, taking off the curtains, i wondered if i lost my balance, threw my weight on the window, and the window popped out of the rectangles in the walls, would the glass panes and frame hold together and simply fall over the narrow space between our apartment building and the next, with the ends catching the outer walls of both buildings and keep me suspended in that narrow corridor like a bridge? or i'll fall the other way and would my reflexes be quick enough as i tip over the ledge to let me leap onto the futon for a softer landing? or would i miss and hit my head on the edge of the frame? my imagination runs a little too wild sometimes - it's probably just a sign that i'm bored. need new project.

last box

yay! unpacked my last box yesterday. i'm quite proud of myself that it's the box with my work stuff. here's the order i unpacked everything - kitchen, living room (books, cds, dvds, etc.), bedroom, and work - the order i consciously and subsconsciously prioritize my life. i have a problem of letting work take over my life. it's much easier to keep it under control right now, being unemployed, and it feels really nice to focus on taking care of myself for my wellbeing instead of other people for money. for the past couple of weeks of settling in nyc, i've been spending my days working on straightening up the apartment and doing all the chores. my sister is currently the employed member of the household so i see it as a fair deal. i think i've pretty much settled in.

last week, b and i saw the history boys. it's my first broadway play. i've seen musicals but not plays in the city. really enjoyed it even though we only got standing tickets - we stood at numbered spots at the back of the theatre for the entire show. but the play was worth it - thought-provoking story, and a cast full of cute british guys didn't hurt. looking forward to seeing more good plays - motivation to get a job soon.