NYC: Milestones

Alright, it has been a really long time since I've last updated, but honestly, I have been super busy with work and my internship (yeah, forgot to write a post about that).

But yeah, here's some quick milestones that have happened while in NYC.

October 5 - I started my internship with the City Parks Foundation.  It reminds me of CPB but for parks.  It's all about building community through events and activities in the parks located in the five boroughs.  It's been good so far. I'm excited about working on the project to promote the "Three Bears Holiday Bash," which is a marionette puppet production for children.  

October 5 - This date also marks my first month in NYC. How time flies!

October 9 - First time in New Jersey. I got lost, and can someone please tell me why this state doesn't believe in sidewalks? Now Shel Silverstein's book "Where the Sidewalk Ends" makes sense...

October 17 - This date marks my first month working at Macy's. I can't believe it's already been a month.  I feel like it has been longer...probably because I'm there all the time.

I guess that's all the milestones thus far! There are times when I'm walking around the city, and everything just seems so surreal.  It's so weird when I'm watching TV and recognize a place or realize I was just there.  For instance, Vh1 did their Top 20 Countdown in Max Brenner's chocolate shop, and I was there eating some chocolate pizza only days before. How awesome! haha

You try sneaking a picture in the library.

But yes, life in NYC is considerably different from California, but I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had out here.  I definitely want to make the most of it while I have the chance.

I'm heading back home for a short bit in December. It'll be nice to be home. :)

Well, it's back to those job applications in the library (where else?). Yes, even though I have a job and internship, I'm looking for something else to do. You know how I am. Busy busy all the time! ;)

NYC: Highlights

It's been a little over a week since I've been in NYC, and it has been an excellent start so far!  Let's recap some of the fun activities in the city...

I met up with Ben for lunch in lower Manhattan. It was great to have some East Coast seafood. Yum!

It was so nice outside that we even got to eat near the water with a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Then we checked out the view from the top of Ben's apartment building, where a bunch of people were tanning.  Can you get tan from a New York sun?! I guess you can try, like they do in Portland. Anywho, it was a SWEET view of NYC!

Then we decided to just walk around...EVERYWHERE! It has been a while since I've walked that much. Kinda reminds me of my study abroad summers and walking all around London and Montreal. Ah. Good times! ;)

Luckily, we rested in Central Park. Whoever decided that putting parks in the middle of large cities is brilliant!  It was amazing to somewhat escape city life and enjoy the grass and sunshine! :)

Definitely coming back to daydream....

It was so great to reunite with Ben! It's been such a long time since we just hung out, especially after he graduated.  But now that we're in NYC together, we can hang out all the time...well, kinda.

I spend lots of time in the library to apply for jobs. Nothing special. I mean this library is amazing but what I do on a daily basis isn't. I think once I get on a regular schedule things might get more interesting. Maybe...

Sometimes I go to Central Park just to walk around. It's so nice. I haven't stopped to daydream though...just walking around.

I also like walking around the oh-so-crowded Times Square. I'm not sure what is it that I like about walking there. Maybe because it is a New York icon.

Good times so far.  I think one of the coolest things Ben and I did was go to Fashion's Night Out...but I'll leave that for another post. :)

BOOKS: The Bell Jar

Remember when I mentioned The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath at the beginning of my New York adventures?  Well, when I wrote about it then, I was still at the beginning of the book when Esther Greenwood, the female protagonist, was doing a magazine internship in New York City.  I had so much hope for her to see where she would go after finishing the internship and continuing her college career.  However, things took a turn for the worst.

After coming back home from New York City, Esther stopped sleeping, eating and writing for weeks.  She was going through some kind of mental condition that she was sent to a mental asylum.  The rest of the book follows her as she moves from different mental hospitals and as her condition continues to get worst.  She has suicidal thoughts as well as moments of depression.  She undergoes several sessions of shock therapy, but does it really work?

I had no idea all that was going to happen when I picked up the book.  It was an interesting read yet quite depressing to see such a strong character lose it.

When I started reading, I was thinking of all the different ways Esther and I were similar, especially since she had a magazine internship in New York City and was a college student.  It made it easy to relate to her from the get-go, but everything changed...

I read the biography of Sylvia Plath in the back of book after completing the novel and discovered that The Bell Jar was a semi-autobiography.  Some of the events in the book were parallel to those in Plath's.  I was surprised to see that those events happened to her in real life.  It's so depressing because she had it all - a good family and a successful writing career.  I wonder what makes people change so drastically in just a short period of time.

Some reviews claimed that The Bell Jar was the female version of The Catcher in the Rye, which is one of my favorite books.  I can somewhat see why they would think that because both books cover that moment in a young adult's life where his/her life changes as he/she enters adulthood, kind of like the moment I'm living in right now.  However, I think the books have different endings about how the protagonist accepts that change in his/her life.

Overall, I was surprised by the book, and I thought there were moments when I wouldn't be able to continue reading.  However, I felt a need to see what happens to Esther - to see if she gets better, to see if she returns to school, to see if she remains friends with Buddy, and more.  I'm glad I was able to finish the book though because I was having a hard time getting back into reading.

P.S. This is my first subway book.  What's next...?