Sunday, March 28, 2010
cross found at ground zero
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
brenda walsh/prue halliwell/gage sullivan/heather romly
i'm not really big on reality tv, but when i found out that one of my favorite stars, shannen doherty, was going to be on dancing with the stars, i had to watch the show. it was the first time ever. shannen doherty has been my girl crush for a really long time. meaning, that i admire her style, her beauty and her attitude, and would like to emulate her. there are some people that just fascinate you, and she's one of those people for me.
i have all her cheesy made for tv movies, and her episodes of charmed on DVD. i follow her clothing and jewelry choices, make up and hairstyles too. people think she is weird looking, but i think she's so pretty! maybe i'm weird. anyway, she chose to do dancing with the stars because of her father. he's a big fan of the show and he recently had a major stroke, so she decided to do the show (after being invited on for every season) as a gift to her dad to make his dream come true. such a loving thing to do.
i thought she danced well, maybe a bit nervously, since it was the first episode. but still really well, there were some complicated dance moves in the choreography chosen for her that must've been really nerve wracking to attempt in front of a live audience, and that show is also broadcast live which i had no idea. that's real pressure. she's not the most graceful dancer, but can probably get better with practice. this show really makes you want to go out dancing or take dance classes. it just looks like they are having so much fun. it's kind of corny in a way and i'll probably stop watching when and if shannen gets eliminated, but at least it's tolerable.
the premiere episode was two hours long though, which i can't stand. i hate it when a show eats up my whole night. i can't sit in front of the tv screen for two hours straight, i have to get up during the commercials and clean my bathroom, or wash dishes or make my lunch for the next day, or iron my clothes. i heard that only the premiere is that long, so thank goodness.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
technological world
today, i chose music. my favorite song of the moment is:
and i currently can't wait to read this:

tomorrow is friday! i'm so happy. and it looks like spring has finally arrived. a friend of mine from work asked me to write an article for her fabulous blog, http://indiecouturenyc.com/. so i'm currently working on it. it's due on tuesday and i'm kind of nervous! i wrote the first draft out today but i want to try to take some pictures and submit them to go with the article. it was a lot of fun to write. i guess writing is what i'm really meant to do. it felt so great to write that article while i was bored at work today, maybe because i had a real chance to use my mind and compose something again. not complaining about being bored at work though! it has been a welcome break from all the craziness that had me pulling my hair out a few weeks ago. c'est la vie
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
50 more things to let go of
1. old pillow
2. poem book
3. simplicity book
4. address book (extra)
5. bus schedule (never used)
6. old photos/postcards
7. horoscope book
8. alarm clock manual
9. cards
10. grey pants
11. throw out fifty things book (read twice)
12. pilled purple sweater
13. old blue sweater
14. old shampoo (used a little)
15. bottle of rum (very old!)
16. camera case
17. comic book
18. taking woodstock book (got free at a class)
19. scarf
20. magazine
21. happy for no reason- book
22. lit from within - book
23. book of sonnets, edna st. vincent millay
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Monday, March 01, 2010
in the end, only kindness matters
Sunday, February 28, 2010
shopping, and other distractions
i was thinking tonight about my life overall, as i tend to do on sunday nights when faced with another work week. i start to think about my deep down dreams that i barely ever spoke about to anyone but myself. and i start to wonder, what's really holding me back from going for them and leaving behind my regular life? i start to remember all those things i read in encouraging books and heard in motivational tv programs, or inspirational quotes that i have kept and liked reading. and i start to really say to myself, i need to seize the day, this isn't a dress rehearsal, we only go around once, and all this stuff and i start to feel like my day job is a waste of time. i distract myself reading books and magazines, watching movies and tv but then i wonder, how is all that really serving me and what i want my life to be?
when i started to workout and see my body change, i felt a suddent brief rush when i glimpsed what my life could be. i could be someone with the type of body that i always dreamed of having but never thought it possible. maybe i don't go for my dreams because i don't feel they are possible, therefore sabotaging them before they have a chance to begin. and i think well, if i buy these clothes or this thing that i want then i'll feel better, i'll feel i'm working hard for a reason, and i'll feel special and like i'm treating myself. but what's the point of having money and buying things if your day job doesn't make you feel happy and fulfilled all the time? or is at least interesting and satisfying to you? these are the things i ponder almost every sunday night, before i get swallowed up by the work week and it's stresses. i want to work towards a life that makes me happy, not one that allows me to simply come home and buy something or watch a movie and try to escape. life is going no where if we don't face ourselves and question.
i remember once reading somewhere that the older you get, the only thing that gets better are your clothes. i don't think that's entirely true. i'm definitely more confident then i used to be, but i still strive to have a wardrobe full of clothes that i love and that express who i am, not clothes that bore me or that i simply tolerate. in this recent picture, i actually love all that i am wearing, the yellow dress, the gray cardigan, the great green bracelet that i love so much, and you can't see them but i wore these really cute brown boots that day. it was one of those rare moments where everything came together the right way. it sure is nice to finally be able to buy clothes and shoes without feeling guilty and without incurring debt. my bf took the pic.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
my photo at gallery 364
this is the photo he took of me last December at a cafe near my apartment that has since closed down. i posed in front of a wall mural/painting.

below is the invite for the show describing the theme-
wishing you luck Louis!!
You're Invited!
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25th, 2010 Opening Time: 7PM-10PM (Press Welcome)
FEBRUARY ART COMPETITION THEMED "LOVE/DESIRE"
Show Open Thru March 20th, 2010 by appointment
Greetings!
Please join us at Gallery 364 "Bay Ridge's First Art Gallery & Studio" for our Feb. Competition LOVE/DESIRE. OUR GUEST JUDGES ARE: PAINTER DAVID JON KASSAN, AND PHOTOGRAPHERS ANTHONY ALMEIDA, & GARY HELLER.
WINNING ARTWORK FROM OUR "HUMOR" SHOW WILL ALSO BE ON DISPLAY.
Be sure to stop off on the porch for a free massage demo with massage therapist Christine Hernandez from The Green Spa & Wellness Center.
Noshes Provided by Ming Yu and Chris Chou at Gyotaku Sushi & Pierre of Circles & Canteena.
$5 suggested donation at door. (noone will be turned away) Recieve a free raffle ticket w/donation for a chance to win a couples massage (a $200 value). Prizes donated by The Green Spa and Wellness Center and HOM.
LOVE/DESIRE ART OPENING
DATE: FEBRUARY 25TH, 2010
TIME: 7PM-10PM
LOCATION: 364 72ND STREET
TRANSIT: 'R' TRAIN TO BAY RIDGE AVE.(69th st.) click for more info
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU HERE!
Georgine Benvenuto
Gallery 364
email: georgine@gallery364.com
phone: 917-767-3848
web: http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103088425324&s=245&e=001DWnqb7b7vIpcoMlsCiuFn24_0KjZgcFmt4WqCjnZA2clABg9I6QIo7gk8215UoKTTvotjlUApBJD6BmjRkA795LKjgle9dG2Xh1oTrvVZ7enb05HHpvXcA==
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
what happened?
somewhere along the way it got lost
amongst too many cups of coffee
too many sleepless nights
and out went my ear for poetry
the language betraying me.
I turned around one day, it was gone
I was drowning suddenly in deceit
in this lie I started living
and somewhere in my tears that have all
dried up, my artist's soul remains
crying out with no voice
straining against the city backdrop
of countless conversations, constant
indifference, an endless row of cold
shoulders. somewhere there's the me
longing to take a photo but I
am weighed down, trying to grasp
onto the minutes futily, I know
there's no stopping time, no slowing
for my energy to peak again, to
let out the voices in my head with a
writer's pen, I'm just not ready
to say goodbye yet.
Monday, February 22, 2010
workweek woe
my boss got on my case for forgetting to remind her about two conference meetings she needed to have, on a day when i was working on another project for her with a more urgent deadline and i was also sick. she seems to think i can do 5 things all at once, and do them all well. i'm sorry but i just can't. rather than get myself super stressed and anxious, i consciously tell myself to slow and relax and let some things go and just do my best. that's the only way i can work. and if some of the work must be put off then so be it. this job isn't my life and my boss doesn't seem to get that. i actually bought a lottery ticket today for the first time in so long! that's usually the first sign that i'm tired of my job and need a change. i won $5 so maybe i'll go buy two more tickets with that tomorrow.
she went home early today due to feeling sick and when she left i had the most immediately great feeling of relief, like i could finally work in peace on all the emails she sent me last night with things that she needed done without constant interruptions and phone calls from her. monday mornings are hard enough without added stress. i really want a slower paced job, i'm not the workaholic type. work is just not that important to me. i'm looking forward to when i can look for work in publishing. luckily, this job with this nightmare boss has at least given me more confidence with which to deal with other types of people. that should make me a bit less afraid of a big change in my daily life. i'm just not looking forward to training someone to take my place. the job is way too complicated to actually teach to someone else.
i can't wait for the springtime to come. i'm so tired of my big winter coat. thankfully next week is march already. i can't stand working in new york city and having it be too cold to really go anywhere after work. it's such a waste! i've lived in the area of NYC all my life and there is still so much of it that i haven't seen or explored. i'm starting to get cabin fever!
Sunday, February 07, 2010
joyous movie

Tuesday, February 02, 2010
hope for haiti

http://www.rachelzoe.com/help-haiti-hope
here's a quote from rachel's blog entry about this charity necklace-
"you will stay en vogue while all proceeds go directly to aid the children who are suffering from the earthquake’s effects."
the people in haiti definitely need those $10 more than i do, so i feel its only right. i also texted to the number to give from my cell phone bill, and donated through my job. my company has raised $65,000 in total for haiti earthquake relief, and i have to say i'm pretty proud of that.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
yes!
they moved me a new, more spacious cube at work, so that made me happy this week, and will probably make it a little easier to go into work tomorrow, knowing that my scenery will be a little different. also, it's in a corner so it's more private, which is nice, and closer to the windows. i told my mother and she said it was good that they moved me because it's beneficial to shift stale energy around sometimes. she is so right. that's why she's my mom, we think so alike when it comes to things like that.
my weekend plans fell through, but i was kind of glad about that because it's still bitterly cold outside. i'm proud of myself for being able to get my body in shape in the dead of winter, without the benefit of working out outside, and the temptation to overindulge in food. now i just need to keep it up!
Monday, January 25, 2010
boss from hell
there are currently two VPs in my department. the one who is not my boss is kind, sweet, very independent, hardly asks anything of his assistant, who just started by the way a few months ago, is only 21 years old and has had basically no time with the company. she gets to leave at 3pm on fridays as long as she makes up her 40 hours a week. the other VP is my boss, the tyrant. she has her days when she's ok, nice. but i honestly dread when she's in the office. even if she's not there, she'll repeatedly call me, like she did today. i try to see her as a human being, a mom, a regular person. but when she comes at me with this attitude like i'm simple minded or dumb or should be able to read her mind, that's when i get angry. i'm not a miracle worker. i'm a human being. yes i work fast, but i have limits, and right now my workload is becoming way too much to bare.
she actually called me today to have me check her office to see if she had left her cosmetics case in there. i searched all around and found nothing, i couldn't miss it, it's a huge case, and when i let her know. she said 'oh i was sure it was in there,' and i said i looked all around and it wasn't. and we actually had to talk about this insignificant thing. was that really necessary? she has me there on the phone in silence, i have no idea what she expected me to say. i wasn't lying to her. then she called me back to have the delivery guys send her laptop to the office where she was working, so i had to remove it from the dock, and let the guys know to come get it. then she calls me back a third time and asks me to look up some numbers on a spreadsheet that i sent out to her which she could have easily checked, and tell them to her over the phone. then she called back and asked me to do the same thing from another spreadsheet.
then she called back to say that the updates she needed for a meeting were not the latest updates, when all i did was copy and paste what her managers had sent me last week as their latest update. we kept going back and forth, 'but what are all these dates' and so on. and i said 'that's what they sent, that's the latest update, that's what i sent to you. and she says 'you need to coordinate this with them' and that's not what i was told, i was told to copy and paste the new information they send me into the spreadsheet, so i DID. i was like, what the hell do you want??? and finally she tells me to put the date of the next meeting, after arguing with me about when the last meeting was and the dates should follow it, like i would check, i'm just going by the data i was SENT. UGH!! then she says she doesn't know who submitted which update, so it follows that she should ask me to separate them by name which she eventually does, but i had no way of knowing that this is what she wanted. she could have easily taken my update, communicated with her OWN team to find out who submitted what, and that would be that. but no, i have to do each and every little step.
and the workload just keeps piling on, there are so many things that she asks me to keep track of that i feel like i'm losing my mind. it's hard to keep it all straight. not to mention that i also have requests coming in from her team all the time for things they need. i feel like i'm directly assisting about 5 people. not an easy task for one person. i feel like i want to quit. its all just becoming too much and i don't know why i'm putting up with it and keeping up some fucking happy face. there are other more important things in life, like living and being healthy, than dealing with 5 emails from one person (either my actual boss or her director, or one of her 4 managers) sent from 6-9pm each night asking me for all different things, so the stress begins before i even get to work. i don't know why i always end up with these bosses from hell. but i decided to actually pray tonight for some sort of solution to this, because i don't know what else to do. a good friend once gave me a small card that says 'cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.' so i'm going to try that, just writing out my prayers and pleading to him. i don't care about how much i earn anymore. my salary is higher than what my needs are. most of it is just sitting in the bank. there's no reason for me to have to deal with this much stress. it's not worth it at all.
i've been at my company since 2003. don't i deserve to leave early on fridays sometimes???
too bad i called in sick last tuesday, or i'd totally be staying home tomorrow and calling in sick. i'm exhausted.
fitness progress report
for some reason, when i go for walks, the weight comes off faster. i went for a long one hour walk this past saturday and ended up discovering a very big park near my apartment. i passed by it a few times when i've been driven somewhere and always forgot exactly where it was located, but i found it on my walk and i was happy i did. it has a really huge race track and people were running/jogging/power walking on there, which was inspiring, also there were lots of hilly paths with inclines which are good for walking quickly on and burning more calories.
there are basketball courts there too and a small boardwalk overlooking the water where lots of people were wandering around, walking their dogs, or taking pictures. there was even a small wedding party there taking pictures. now that i know this park is so close, i have somewhere nice to walk to when i feel like going for a walk, instead of just the boring streets or the main street with all the heavy foot traffic and shops and restaurants (and the temptations to window shop which usually leads to actual shopping). also, now i have more of an incentive to finally buy a bike and go bike riding again when the weather gets warm. i used to bike ride all the time.
with my music on during the walk, the time flew by, and it was a hell of a lot easier and more fun than the 1 hour cardio DVD i've been suffering through the past few weeks. so i'm going to continue eating right and exercising, and sacrificing my favorite foods a while longer to see if i can get in bikini-ready shape for my upcoming family cruise this summer!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
discouraged
:(
should i cut my calorie intake even more? exercise more often and do different kinds of exercise? i don't want to get into the dangerous territory, but i'm getting desperate because i don't feel like myself and this is taking too long. i keep going up and down two pounds and not losing any more than that. i am not eating any chocolate or pasta, only salads when i eat out and fruits, vegetables and yogurt if i get hungry at night. i was looking at some weight loss pills today but most of them contain a lot of caffeine which i don't want to do to my body because it could have a negative effect on my anxiety. i feel stuck :(
Sunday, January 17, 2010
new year so far
it's pretty difficult and there are a few moves i still can't do, but even skipping or modifying those moves and pushing through the rest of the DVD makes me sweat a lot and feel majorly sore. i could barely move the day after i did it the first time, but that's a good feeling, because it means my muscles are toning up, and feeling sore reminds me that i need to eat well because i am working so hard on improving how my body looks. i was really craving chocolate tonight after dinner, but i drank water and resisted the craving, and it worked. i did the workout DVD and had some apple slices with peanut butter as a snack later on.
its nice to workout and feel that i'm doing something that can result in my feeling better about myself again, and more confident. it makes me realize i'm in control, of how my body looks, how i feel, my energy level, and the food i choose to eat. i try to consciously make healthier choices no matter where i am. it's not always an easy thing, especially when i'm faced with visiting my parents and having my mother's cooking. but i persevere. i ask her to make me vegetables with chicken instead of rice. and i skip dessert, and drink only water with dinner. sometimes i slip up and have a (rare) soda or an iced tea, but i make sure to always have water with dinnner even if i end up drinking something else too. water before meals also helps me feel fuller.
for the first time in a while this weekend, i finally got the urge to write again. and i can only write when i feel good about myself and who i am, so that's a good sign. if i feel like writing again then that means that i feel like myself again.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
my fitness goals
i did hundreds of crunches-both standing and sitting, some squats, jumping jacks, and leg lifts while lying down. i hate the feeling of my thighs rubbing together, and there's nothing that makes a girl want to eat dinner less than coming home from work, undressing, and seeing a protruding stomach. and it sucks to know that this is my body, regardless of how little i seem to eat. i don't quite get it. so i did a few things, i looked up some jillian michaels exercise mini videos online and learned how to do stand up crunches for the abs from those, and i ordered a cardio dance workout DVD from trancy anderson, who claims to be able to make any woman 'smaller.' and god, how i want to be smaller. not super thin, just thin enough to fit back into my pants again.
i found myself wearing the same two pairs of pants for work over and over, and other days just skirts and tights, because i no longer fit into anything else. and that's when the frustration comes in. but now i'm really serious and won't let anything deter me from getting my nice body back. i also rented a video about the vegan lifestyle from netflix, which i should be getting tomorrow. it shows you how to shop for healthy foods and what foods to avoid to improve health. people who have given up meat say that weight loss is one result, also having a lighter feeling and more energy. so it seems worth considering.
and the first thing that happens when i decide this is that my mom invites me to a colombian restaurant for my aunt's birthday this weekend. i had to make up an excuse and turn her down. i'm not 21 anymore, simply eating in moderation the day after a big meal won't work anymore. and colombian restaurants have no salads or anything light on their menus, and their portions are huuuuuge!!!! they are seriously huge, like a 2 person dinner is usually served for each person. no thanks, don't want to derail myself now when i actually feel motivated.
i was looking up online to see if i could find those sketchers shape up sneakers that help you tone up while you walk, they are really expensive, i had no idea. i don't really want to wait for them to come in the mail, so i'll probably go to dsw tomorrow or friday to buy them. i wonder why it is that anti anxiety medication puts a stop to your metabolism so you balloon up. maybe they work by getting you focused on losing weight instead of obsessing over how anxious you feel? and why is it that birth control makes you steadily gain weight the longer you take it? and why does aging make your metabolism slow down? and why does everything seem to cause weight gain???
Monday, January 04, 2010
jennifer's body
tonight i watched jennifer's body. a movie i rented just out of curiosity. i wondered what it was about megan fox that people find so irresistible and amazing. and i still don't really know. she's conventionally pretty i guess. but also a bit hard to watch. maybe because she doesn't seem to be quite human. so i guess the role in this movie was a good choice for her. she was strangely convincing. i was expecting a lot more gore considering the movie's premise- a demonic cheerleader who likes to eat boys. but there actually wasn't that much. the writer of this movie, diablo cody, also wrote 'juno' which i haven't seen but had such a buzz around it that i assumed she was a good writer, like tina fey, or someone like that who knows how to be clever with humor. but the dialogue and snappy comments in this movie, jennifer's body, just fall flat and seem to be there just for shock value or to offer quotables like movies that are cult classics. 'heathers' comes to mind, no one can beat that film's one liners like:veronica:
'Heather told me she teaches people "real life." She said, real life sucks losers dry. You want to fuck with the eagles, you have to learn to fly. I said, so, you teach people how to spread their wings and fly? She said, yes. I said, you're beautiful. '
jason dean:
'Our love is God, let's go get a Slushie.'
heather:
'Transfer to Washington. Transfer to Jefferson. No one at Westerberg is going to let you play their reindeer games. '
heather:
'did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?'
jason dean:
'everyone's life has got static. is your life perfect?'
jennifer's body is not really a cult classic. it was a bit disturbing, but not really that scary, and not really that funny either. i don't think the writer knew what tone to go for with it because it seemed all over the place. it seems like it was made just as a vehicle to make money, to profit on the name of megan fox and her looks, and the fame of diablo cody. it could've been a lot better, and was pretty disappointing. the netflix rental didn't have any featurettes on it either (which i really hate), only previews . i read that the official dvd of jennifer's body contains deleted scenes and a featurette, i'm a bit curious to watch those if only to see megan fox's real personality. if she has one, that is.

