Photos from the past few weeks, captured through my phone. Somehow, my owning a camera phone has turned me into a lazy photographer. I don't bother bringing out my camera anymore, even for the food shots I used to take.

In no particular order:There was a fire alert beside the resto about two weeks ago. Two fire trucks came rushing to the apartment beside us. They used the fire hydrant on the corner and could not shut it off after they used it. It took them about 20 minutes to shut the water off during which gallons upon gallons of water flooded 7th avenue.

There were about 20 firemen standing around watching one man attempt to shut off the hydrant.

Kona Mocha in the comfort of my own home.

The morning after 4th of July I opened my curtains to find an ambulance and cops across the street below. There was a Police Line Do Not Cross tape around this particular space. I'm not quite sure what happened but based on the facts [1.) police line tapes indicate death or a crime 2.) ambulance means something happened to someone] I figured someone was found dead across the street. May have been a homeless man who slept and never woke up, or at least I'd like to think so.

Went to Ikea the Sunday after July 4th despite my morbid hangover and bought new sheets, a new plant and new wall art. It's my room's summer make-over.

One of my lunches during my day off. Pan-grilled chicken breast in rosemary and thyme with grilled veggies and mixed greens topped with crumbled herbed feta. I tried to replicate Jad's dressing (shallots + onions + salt/pepper + balsamic vinegarrette) but I prefer my usual balsamic vinegarette + honey combo.

I'm making nobody's mouth water here except myself. People who read this who like green mangoes with bagoong have better access to it in Manila. I dug through the bottom of the mango barrel in the corner fruit stand to find the hardest one I could find and scraped what's left of the bagoong in the fridge.

Mica and I went to Ikea again yesterday to supposedly buy a few items for the house and for our rooms. I ended up with a cartful of stuff instead! I had to leave some items behind before checking out since I really didn't want to spend so much again. I got shelves, mirror, plants, a wok and other little items I needed around the house. Spent the day indoors drilling holes in my wall. I broke the power drill attachments while doing so but that didn't stop me from mounting my full-length mirror, two wall shelves and coat hook even if I had to manually screw holes in my wall. I'm SERIOUS. I was hungry and exhausted after all that, that I only had energy to make myself instant ramen.

Before.
Drab walls, cramped spaces.
After!
You can't see it in the photo but the box that the butsudan used to be on is gone which leaves me with extra floor space. Yahew!

I am not a huge Picasso fan but the framed art is pasalubong from Baby's trip to Madrid last February.

My Butsudan has a new home!

Mica bought me an orchid from Union Square today.
It's a wonderful addition to my new design space!
I framed a leaf I got from Prospect Park last fall.
It's my first autumn in New York and marks my arrival in the city.
I bought chayote from the asian store a couple of weeks back with intentions of making tinola. I never got around to cooking it and the vegetable began to sprout so I placed it in a vase with water and pebbles I got from Ikea yesterday and let it grow.

A lot of things have been happening all at once and I don't even have the luxury to sit down and tell you all about it here. Last night I think was my breaking point when I've surrendered to the fact that I'm no longer 21 and shouldn't be partying like one. My body felt like it was beaten up this morning. I had the hardest time getting out of bed. I missed my filipino SGI meeting and was unable to give/finish the presentation assigned to me.

Last night was CRAZY busy. It was probably the best night at the restaurant since I started working. From the moment I clocked in at 4pm to when I clocked out at 1am, I didn't have time to eat or even sit. I was on my feet for 9 hours straight. It would probably have been okay if I didn't just have 4 hours of sleep after having been awake 24 hours the day before! The party at Claro's stretched on until 8am and I ended up making breakfast for Eisa, Mica, Jordan and I before we all passed out. I got to Claro's a little after 2am and was semi-pleased to see that only a few people came. I was assuming it would be a melow night of just a few drinks. But a few minutes in, Claro busted out the lambanog he brought from his recent trip from Manila and made another beer run. No one was sober that night. I played DJ and every one was on their feet dancing in the kitchen. It was a night full of fun and laughs but one that I will not be making a regular habit of.

It was IKEA day today and we all went to buy the stuff we've been planning on getting for weeks. I finally have a chest of drawers, my box spring, my workstation and a few other items to organize and design my teeny room. We were on assembly frenzy as soon as we got back to the apartment. Mica cooked adobo and we devoured it like animals. I'm not finished buying everything I needed. I didn't have enough money on me so we will all go back in two weeks for round two. I have yet to buy frames for my photos, shelving and a few other items.

I'm off again tomorrow to attend my district meeting in the evening. I will finish cleaning up the room and Mica and I will do laundry. I wish I always had two days off. One day is no longer enough to do everything I need to do outside of work. Must. stay. focused.