Upper West Side

I haven't been writing as much online as I used to, partially because I write a lot in a journal now. Sometimes the best presents are those we didn't expect, and didn't think we would need. My best friend and I rarely exchange Christmas gifts, but this year she was buying herself a yearly notebook and saw one with the Little Prince on the Cover. Since I love the Little Prince, she bought it for me. She explained that she has a good friend who writes in her journal every day, so she can go back and read over what she did any day of the year. That sounded like too much of a commitment for me, but I really loved the journal. I feel like journals, and most other objects, are made to be used. And because this one is dated, I can't just let is sit there, promising to write in another year or so. Perhaps this is what distinguishes type A people from type B people--I think a type B person might not care if they used a page labeled "January 5, 2016" on January 9, 2016, or some other day. I used to say that it is all relative--in high school and college I thought I was type A, but then I arrived in law school and realized I was type B. Well I might be type A after all, because since the journal is numbered based on days, I ended up feeling compelled to write in it every day. I've enjoyed it a lot, and now it's part of my daily ritual (perhaps having a daily schedule or routine itself indicates one is type A). Before I go to sleep, I write down the major things that I did that day. Almost like an assignment. Since I have a page of space, I make sure to fill that page.

I'm planning to move from the Upper West Side this summer, so I plan to enjoy the neighborhood as much as I can before I leave it. Upper West Side is kind of like San Francisco. Most of the people who live there are very health conscious, and there are probably as many yoga studios per block as there are small coffee shops. It seems like at least 50% of the people have dogs. Yesterday, as I was walking home from yoga, I heard an old man say, as if talking to a person, "all of the other dogs are sleeping. Your friends aren't going to be here today." I looked up and saw that he was speaking to his dog, who was sniffing hopefully at the doggy daycare, which was closed. So cute! People have told me that having a dog is like having a child. While I understand a dog is a big commitment, I don't think you can really compare it to a child at all. I love dogs (I have two), but fortunately, I never have to worry about my dog doing drugs, or failing out of school, getting in with the wrong crowd, or ending up without a job. Winter in New York is brutal, so most dogs need to wear clothes in the cold temperatures. On the street, a little chihuahua, dressed in what looked like a puffy Burberry jacket, started barking viciously at this enormous Saint Bernard. The Saint Bernard looked at this tiny aggressor, in his designer jacket, and did nothing. Large dogs are so patient! He could probably knock the chihuahua over just by sneezing. I think people should be more like dogs. New Yorkers can be so angry sometimes. You accidentally bump someone on the street and they yell at you.

My life in the Upper West Side has pretty much been a rotation of dogs, yoga, and Trader Joe's. I've recently added Aroma Espresso Bar, which is where I like to do my reading. I've become obsessed with the library lately, and have rented a lot of books, especially in foreign languages. I was pleased to find that I am able to read in Spanish! It was my first time reading a novel that I hadn't read before in Spanish, and I was surprised at how easy it was. Of course there are many words that I don't understand, but often they are not significant words--for example, when the author describes a scene, there may be some adjectives that I do not get, but for the most part I can understand everything that is going on. 

2015

The year that just passed was a very important one for me. I try to think back to whether I feel this way after every year. Especially since graduating college, I do feel like I change a lot with each year, but the past year seemed to be chocked full of changes that affect my life for long term. For one, I passed the United Nations YPP Exam. I also discovered Bikram Yoga, which led to other types of Yoga, which is now a pretty large part of my life. I started seriously painting people, and have developed a different technique for painting faces. I got diagnosed with Hashimoto's hypothyroiditis, which prompted me to make a lot of changes in my diet. And, I became an organizer for a food group (that might be 2014 actually)

As a kid, I remember I hated certain foods, and my parents would always warn me that I would like them later. Like tofu, which has become one of my favorite foods. I still hate scallion and ginger though. At dinner today, I ordered congee. One of my new favorite restaurants, which I discovered this past year, is a dirty Chinese restaurant by the subway station. It's rating says "grade pending," which usually means they failed their inspection, or at least my friend says that. Not sure if that's true or not, but I wouldn't be surprised. Most of the clientele go for the five dollar lunch special, which seems to be standard greasy fare. However, they have a rather large menu, which includes some really awesome dishes. For one, they have shrimp stuffed eggplant, peppers and tofu, which is now one of my favorite Chinese dishes in the city. Today I ordered congee, and found this restaurant to be the only one that I have found that serves preserved egg and fish congee. When the congee arrived, I saw they had heaped a huge spoonful of scallions on top, with a bunch of ginger. The owner is a middle aged, thin and tanned Chinese man, who often spends his time giving unsolicited advice. Even though there were plenty of tables, he suggested I share with a latina lady. It didn't really bother me, so I did. She said, "I've been praying for you. You don't even know it, but I've been praying for you." She ordered a wonton noodle soup, but before it arrived, she got up and said, "I'm so happy I got to sit with you. But I need to catch my bus now, things to do." With that, she hoisted up her tote and left.

The waitress came out and asked me where she went. "She had a bus to catch," I said.

The waitress laughed. "But she ordered food!" The waitress wasn't angry at all, she just kept laughing and said, "old people are so weird."

Anyhow, back to the actual point of this story. When my congee arrived, I started picking out the scallion. The owner was watching I guess, because he said. "You don't like scallion? Why didn't you tell us not to put scallion??"

I explained that as a kid, I wasn't allowed to pick out the scallions, and I wasn't allowed to order my food without scallion, so I'm used to just dealing with them when they arrive. I was never a picky eater, but I think scallions were the only exception. I hate scallions. So, I'm used to just accepting my food without making alterations, and now that I am an adult, I pick out all of the scallions as soon as my food arrives. I should remember to just tell them not to put it in though. "Food is not fragrant without scallions!" Said the owner; almost every Asian person says that when I say I don't like scallions.

So in 2015 I still hate scallions, but I picked up a lot of other things that I used to hate. For one, plants. I'm really into plants now. I still don't like insects, but I've come to realize the many benefits of household plants. They clean the air, and really do improve your mood. I read that you should have about 5-6 plants per person per household since plants add to the air quality. I bought a snake plant, a zebra plant, and a peace lily, all pretty easy to take care of.

At my office, I inherited a plant which I named Frank. Frank is not very attractive. He has tiny, waxy leaves, and a random brown stem that juts out and nothing ever grows from it. His pot is metal and rusty. The person who had my office before me left him, and I was expecting someone else to take him away, but when his leaves started turning brown I accepted that no one would take care of Frank but me. Sometimes I wonder if that's how nice people get trapped into bad marriages. Anyhow, I've been through a lot with Frank the plant, with the stress of short term contracts, and the eventful year and a half as a temporary employee at the UN. When I returned, I was assigned to a different office. I was surprised that I did this, but I went back to my old office to check on Frank. He was doing quite well actually, even better since I left because one of the admin people had started taking care of him. He is a rather large plant, so I had to get someone to help me carry him to my new office. He now resides there (probably doing a little less well since the admin person was better with plants than I am), and has new friends. I am planning to buy him a nicer pot, after all since I got an upgrade, I figured he should too.

I used to eat a lot of meat and pasta, but over the past year I've switched to a primarily pescatarian diet, and rice. It's been working very well for me, and I'm a lot healthier, due to the yoga too. I wasn't really heavy before, but I lost 15 pounds pretty easily. I discovered pomegranates, which is now one of my favorite fruits. I've also discovered that J Crew has a really great range of sizes for blazers and work wear.

There were certainly many good moments this year, but also difficult times. I will say that yoga has helped with that more than I imagined. I think specifically about people that I come across during the practice. In class, there is this lady who has some sort of physical limitation. I'm not sure what it is, but she cannot walk very well. She always takes the spot in the corner so she can lean against a wall when doing the standing series. She's probably in her 40s. The first time I had class with her, I was startled to hear a BOOM! I looked in the mirror and saw that she had fallen down. She falls down, hard, at least a few times each class. There are large bruises on her thighs from where she falls down. Apparently she's been making a lot of progress, and has gotten stronger. She still can't walk very well, but I really admire her persistence. Even I think yoga is tough, and I am fairly young and in good physical condition. She reminds me that even in times when I think my life is difficult, there are always people in a more difficult situation, and who are making an even greater effort than I am to improve that situation.

Most of all, I've come to really love New York. I spent my first holiday season in the city, and discovered the holiday market at Union Square, and went to a New Year's Eve party at a French Restaurant. The winter hasn't been so harsh so far, and tickets for Governor's Ball are going on sale tomorrow, so I'm already looking forward to summer. I hope that I'll get to travel more in 2016, and continue building on the things that I've worked on over the past year.