An Enjoyable Blast From The Recent Past

I can tell you one thing. The week before last one was overall wonderful and most of the bad things happened for a good reason (Exception: loosing my camera. *sniff*)

So anyway, on Saturday, I went to meet the guys from the Retreat I met in NY. The only one I met in a more or less regular basis was Satvic, so it was nice to see the rest of the NY gang. We met at Rocco's in West Village (and I, indeed, wondered one thing: How come one gets lost when it comes to meeting with friends? This never happened to me when going solo, or maybe that has to do with my opennes to spontaneity). We ate at a paneer restaurant as well, and while I wanted to watch a French movie my sister recommended (and Satvic wanted to follow), we all ended up watching Pineapple Express, which has a typical independent movie aesthetic to it. Despite the fact that I thought I would miss the chance to watch Tell No One. That I did on thursday night, and I met two souls there. I forgot the name of the theatre at the moment but I know it is in South Houston between first and second Avenues. Not far from the Gita Studies I go with Satvic to.

Last tuesday, I went to the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria. It was a lot of fun, and I met a few people I am hoping to catch up with in the next event. It will be great! The place is really nice, and I am glad I made it there before it starts to get cold. I think Ganesh told me about this one before, so it was great to go.

Let us jump to Friday. I went to the movies with Satvic. He knows Queens like the back of his hand, so he walked with me towards the movie theater. We both ate in Panera Bread (I have to take Swapna there) and then we went to the movies.

Satvic surprised me on Saturday. He told me to go to his place to go to the Hindu temple in Manhattan with his family. I said "surprised me" because the original plan was meeting him there. I guess New Yorkers can really be surprising at times. At that temple, we would celebrate the birth of Krishna, or Krishna Janmasthmi. There was a crowd of people of different ethnicities. A great thing. Everyone was dancing, and helping out. I even met one neighbour I want to get to know better. It is good to know people who live a few blocks from you!

As for today, I am going to the Himalaya Tea House to discuss Middlesex. I have yet to read it, but I have never been in a book club, so I guess it will pay. In addition, I am taking a typing course online to type faster.

See you next week, lovelies!

A Pool Closes, A Pool Opens, Dollars I have to Make worth... And the Weekend's best Laid Plans.

1. Not having bought groceries last sunday, I have had to eat my breakfast outside. It has been for the most part $1 Nature Valley bars that I buy on my way to work. Except for today, when I went to Starbucks and took one small protein shake from a brand of smoothies I don't remember. It is low in calories.
2. Today, however, I ate bits here and there, perhaps because walking a lot in the middle of the heat makes you hungry and loose energy. Let alone that I had a very busy (and very accomplished) day at work. So I ate a small sandwich at Thalia, an ice cream yogurt, a cereal bar and some chocolate... I guess I am going to have to walk a little less...
   
3. I explored some stores, including Sephora. I experimented with some makeup and I was pleased with what I got. It looked natural but I looked more fresh. I will buy this next friday with my fat check (don't get me wrong, I won't burn all the money, OK?
4. My best female friend and ex-roommate in college, who I will call Swapna (oddly enough, this is the second time I rename someone with the name of someone else I know. But this is the name that I can make a connection with) is coming to New York this coming September. I told her she could stay at my house, something I will tell Jess soon. Swapna's fiancee, "Harshit," might come too, reason for which I need to investigate an accomodation. Swapna comes both for a course of Genetics here, and to look for a job in New York. As much as I love this apartment and I am very pleased with Jess, if Swapna lands on a job and has not married Harshit at that time, I will move with her... That will be in a year though.
5. So anyway... On the job front, things have got much better. I started seeing four clients and I even saw five today. And even in complicated cases, I managed. It boosted my confidence as opposed to last week.
6. On Sunday, I went with Satvic to a Mandir (for those not Indian or familiar with Hinduism or Indian terms, Mandir is synonim of Hindu Temple). It is North Indian and Bengali for the most part, but it is near my house. I am still eager to go to the South Indian Mandir in Jamaica, the Ganesha Temple with the Jeweler, but I will have to talk to her. Or maybe I will go on my own. I am most familiar with South Indian traditions, and my trend of having a bunch of South Indian friends has not changed since I moved to New York. But I will definitely will come back to the mandir near Astoria quite often.
7. But speaking of friends in communities, tomorrow there is a Latino party in Guggenheim. There is also another one on Saturday. I want to go to the one on friday because it is more of a networking event. I was telling The Kid that I don't want to party every single friday and saturday. At 29, I have noticed that doing this in two consecutive days wears me out. Now imagine me doing this every weekend. I need more variety, you know.
8. I will work extra hours three days a week. It will be a welcome gain of extra money, extra experiences, and some other good advantages.
9. Touched base with G. We will see each other next week. I need to touch base with quite a few of my classmates!
10. Yesterday I went to the Y! Gym (I enter for free as a perk of working at the agency where I work). It was WAY BETTER than I expected.
11. I am reading Personal Velocity, by Arthur Miller's daughter (The name escapes). It is a great book!
12. An asshole from my earlier years of highschool was talking about me in Facebook saying that I was planing to get even on everyone. And I am getting even, as the best revenge is living well. I used my real name at the time, and right now I am using my nickname, so there is no way for him or the rest to tell that I am around. I knew this because the only worthy classmate I had pointed me to that forum. That confirms I have no interest in connecting with those people!
13. Ohh! Back on Sunday. I went to Jackson Heights and invested in a deal that was there. So, in that store, I was calling the lady Auntie and she asked me if I was from Afghanistan, which is something people tend to ask when I am in Muslim context, wearing a proper South Asian dress. I tend to get mistaken for a lot of nationalities, but this was the first time I was mistaken as Afghan while in jeans and a shirt (I Usually get things like "Italian" "Israeli," "Egyptian" and the sort. G pointed out the equation: "Saying Auntie + Dark hair + Tall + Fair = Afghan/ Persian." I knew in New York, which has double and triple the diversity than South Carolina, where I lived before coming here, people mistaking me for other as the Latina I am would multiply... Interestingly enough, also more Latinos identify me as one of their own without me having to speak. They speak Spanish to me immediately!
    
14. That's all I have so far... Unless I remember other things.