Category: Miscellaneous

Three Small Things That Make A Big Difference

There are a number of small things that can make a huge difference in a day. With a work schedule that’s becoming increasingly more and more intense as I get closer to the big day, I’ve learned to take a minute for these small things. Sometimes, it’s those little things that can raise you above the worst and into a better light.

A delicious cup of coffee
My favorite coffee (the one I don’t brew at home) comes from the coffee cart vendor who sits outside of the Prada store on the corner of Broadway and Prince. He knows my face, always asks me how I’m doing, and gets my order right every time. When I don’t visit him for a while, he always asks where I’ve been. “Fashion Week again?” he’ll say with a smile as he makes my hot coffee with the perfect splash of skim milk (no sugar, never sugar). “Oh, sure” I’ll always answer, even those it’s March and everyone knows Fashion Week is in February and September.

Getting a manicure & pedicure
No joke, there is nothing better than sitting in a pedicure chair, reading a trashy magazine, and having someone rub on your feet. It is worth every penny, and every minute of a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Enjoying a beautiful spring day with a real lunch
The New York City mind set is one that never tires. You work through your lunch, eat hurriedly at your computer, and by the time you leave your desk, the sun has gone down and you’ve missed the day. With the weather getting nicer (especially because everyone knows that Summer in NYC is the absolute best). To enjoy the weather I’ve been “forgetting lunch at home” and popping out to grab something, even if it’s only a block away. Worth every missed call and urgent email unanswered, even if only for 5 minutes.

What are the little things that make your day just a little bit brighter?

Men: The Grand Romantic Gesture is Dead

Dear Men,

I come bearing unfortunate news. The grand gesture is dead. You know the one I’m talking about – the grand romantic gesture: The one that gets you the girl, names you her knight in shining armor, and allows you to walk off into the sunset with your princess. Yeah, that one – it’s dead. And as a result, all gestures with intentions of leading to romance are failing… Womp. Here’s why:

Back in October 2011, Officer Chris Collins pulled over Evangelina Parades for speeding in Chicago. The woman was issued a $132 ticket and sent on her way. Collins, 27, then used the ticketing information he had on file to search her records, find her address, and ask her out. He left a note on the windshield of her car (which was parked outside her home) that read as follows:

“It’s Chris … that ugly bald Stickney cop who gave you that ticket. I know this may seem crazy and you’re probably right, but truth is I have not stopped thinking about you since. I don’t expect a girl as attractive as you to … even go for a guy like me, but I’m taking a shot anyways. But hey, I did cost you $132 — least I can do is buy you dinner.”

Let me just say that initially, when I heard this story I thought, how romantic! A prince who couldn’t stop thinking about a pedestrian! How Wills & Kate! Then, I started to write this post and the sentence “[he] used the ticketing information he had on file to search her records, find her address, and ask her out” gave me the creeps. I suppose despite giving his best effort at a grand and romantic gesture, this 27-year-old hopeful really just creeped out an entire nation of women. So much so that websites are polling the level of creepiness (how many times can I use the word “creep” in a paragraph?).

Needless to say, Parades is totally freaked out, so much so, that she has filed a lawsuit against the hopeless romantic law enforcement officer. The lawsuit states that the letter from Officer Collins has caused Parades to “suffer great fear and anxiety[...]” It goes on to note that the “Plaintiff could not believe that a police officer would use his access to her personal information to find her home and stalk her.” Now, I find the word stalk a bit harsh, but when you go leaving notes on people’s cars outside their homes, I guess stalk is the only thing that comes to mind.

This is an extreme case. However, it seems that women are becoming more and more jaded to romantic gestures. I go to the supermarket and even the slightest smile gets you a side eye from me. In fact, most of the people I’ve dated have come from a mutual friend or at least an acquaintance. I’ve only ended up in one long-term relationship that started from a meet-cute situation. So, is my side eye warranted  or is the movie-style meet-cute a thing of the past?

Xx, Maiah

Happy Thanksgiving, With Love

Another year, another day to give thanks.

This year, I’m thankful for my family – who hasn’t stopped talking to me since I walked in the door at 12:45am on Wednesday morning thanks to Tuesday night Thanksgiving traffic.

This year, I’m thankful for my friends – each of whom have sent the most ridiculous set of wishes for this year’s Secret Santa. No, I can’t buy you a house in DR with our $50 budget (don’t get it twisted through, I wished for diamonds and a brand new car. Good luck, Santa!).

This year, I am thankful for my job – it has taken me on a journey that I would never have imagined and with a few changes coming up for the New Year, I have a feeling this chapter is about to take me on the ride of my life.

This year, I am thankful for a roof over my head – there is nothing sweeter than my NYC apartment (and my super sweet roommate and her super sweet baking skills). But knowing that I have a roof waiting for me in NYC, as well as several in different states (and one international city), I am pretty blessed.

This year, and every day, I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

I Love Love…

…I really do.

And to hear about a failed love, or a love gone wrong (they are different) really breaks my heart. In a perfect world (like the one I grew up in, within which I have two parents who are more in love now than ever), I would imagine everyone is in love like the people who live (or work) in the building depicted in this image… so in love they had to shout it from (or write it on) the rooftops.

“Love You” written on a building just below the Mondrian SoHo. I love the effort to spread love.

The End of an Era

I have a huge problem.

I have spent the past week crying. It’s really not my fault. But every time I watch a Farewell to The Oprah Show episode, I explode into tears. You see – I’m a fairly sentimental person. If you say something nice, I’ll likely get a little watery so perhaps this is the main cause for the blubbering that happens every time I watch Grey’s Anatomy or even the Sex & the City Movie scene where Carrie beats Big with her wedding flowers.

However, I’m crying this time because it’s really the end of an era with The Oprah Show coming to a close after 25 years of greatness.

Like many others, I grew up watching Oprah. My initial aspirations of being a journalist stemmed from watching her show. I went on to participate in an internship at Boston’s WCVB TV’s Chronicle, a nightly newsmagazine, which has been on air since before I was born. I landed the internship through a stellar interview within which I told them I wanted to be just like Oprah and my mother when I grew up. So Oprah, she’s not just some television host for me, she’s an inspiration.

So as I watch this bittersweet farewell season of Oprah, I can’t help but cry when she cries, and laugh when she laughs (and buy what she buys).

The great thing about endings is that they allow for new beginnings. When one door closes, a window of opportunity opens. Oprah’s is OWN, a network on which I’ll get my Oprah fix daily. She’ll keep living her number one rule: “live your best life” and thanks to her, I will live mine.

Thank you, Oprah, for your 25 years of dedication, love, and guidance.