Off to La La Land!
Laguna Beach
My holiday vacation started today at 3 pm! We are leaving for California tomorrow and we’ll spend ten relaxing days there. I can’t wait to sleep in everyday, enjoy the nice weather, hang out with family and friends and eat In-N-Out burger every other day. I’ll be back with new posts in 2010!
First Snow
Rckefeller Center
I guess when you live in NY you have to go to Rockefeller Center during Christmas and see the tree and be a part of the chaos. So we did that too! It was fun but freezing cold. The next day, we got the very first snow. It snowed all day and we had to stay at home. By 9 o’clock we decided to go outside and walk to Macy’s. It was an amazingly beautiful experience but it was very very very cold. On our way back, we were hit by the storm and couldn’t not feel our faces; it wasn’t fun. I heard on the weather channel that it’s going to be a white Christmas in NY and i am sure it’s going to be beautiful. Fortunately when that happens, we’ll be in California, by the beach, enjoying the sun ;)
Shabe Yalda
Monday night (December 21st) was winter solstice or as we call it, the night of Yalda. Yalda is not only the longest night of year and the first night of the winter, but it’s an ancient Iranian festival as well. It is a time when friends and family gather together to eat, drink and read poetry (especially Hafiz) until well after midnight. Fruits and nuts are eaten and pomegranates and watermelons are particularly significant. The red colour in these fruits symbolizes the crimson hues of dawn and glow of life, invoking the splendor of Mithra. Since most of our friends have already left NY for the holidays, we decided to celebrate Yalda on Sunday, the 20th so the ones that are still here can join us. It was a fun and long night indeed.
So…
So i realized the last time i posted something was August 16! Wow time flies. I haven’t been motivated to write and i couldn’t figure out why. But i think it just hit me. I used to write because i was fascinated by NY. Not that i am not any more, but i am used to it more. Last year, everything was new to me, so i wanted to share it with my family and friends but i guess at some point i let go of California and slowly became a New Yorker. I walk faster, talk faster and act more aggressive towards people on the street and own a black jacket. Yes me, a black jacket! And you won’t find any bright colors in my closet anymore. It’s all shades of gray, navy blue and dark purple. I used to dream of when we go back for good but now i have nightmares that Hooman is telling me we are moving back tomorrow and i am hysterical!
So from now on, i am not going to compare California with New York any more and my blog is going to be more like a weekly journal i share with my family and friends. Let’s see how long i can keep this promise ;)
Mad Men
Mad Men, one of my FAVORITE shows is coming back for its third season tonight and i am super excited about it. The show is about an advertising agency in the 60’s in Madison Ave. Being in this filed and having worked at an ad agency i can totally relate to it. Nothing has changed much since those days and the politics is still going on in most ad agencies. It’s so funny to see how they had to made comps by hand and draw their ads layout since there were no computer programs like we have now. The fashion and decor is exceptional and the cast are just wonderful. For this season, they had a casting call and a promotion was going on with Banana Republic. I just love seeing the ads all over the city and can’t wait to see what happens tonight. Make sure to tone in; AMC, at 10 pm.
Iran Inside Out
Couple of weeks ago i attended a cocktail fundraiser event at Chelsea Art Museum for Iran Inside Out exhibition. The exhibition features 35 artists living and working in Iran alongside 21 others living in the Diaspora challenging the conventional perceptions of Iran and Iranian art. I saw some extraordinary work there (you see my favorites up there) and met some talented people. It was a bitter sweet experience for me. On one hand it was amazing to see all these work by Iranian artists in US and on the other hand, there was a dark message behind each and every work. You can read more about the exhibition here.
Prius
I walk by Madison Square park everyday on my way to work and there is always something going on. Once i saw them filming for Ugly Betty; another time a commercial for HSBC bank which at the time i didn’t know what they were doing but i just saw the commercial on air and realized what it was. Couple of weeks ago, as i was walking by, i saw six Prius Solar Flowers being installed to promote the launch of the 2010 Toyota Prius. Each flower provided free wifi and a solar powered charge for your portables. The event went on from July 23 — August 2, 2009 from 8am to 9pm. Each flower had room for up to 10 people to seat on. When you walked towards it from far away, it created a nice scene.
Sweet Revenge
Sweet Revenge is a little heaven in West Village that i recently discovered. I went there a month ago with a friend of mine who was visiting from Atlanta and fell in love with it. During their happy hour, you can get a cupcake and sangria for $10. Their cupcakes are smaller than Magnolia or Sprinkles but it’s a perfect size with not a lot of frosting. I had Crimson & Cream which was a raspberry red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and my friend had Pure which was a Mexican Vanilla Cake with Mexican Vanilla Buttercream. It was all very yummy!
Sweet Revenge: 62 Carmine Street, NY, NY 10014
Pomme Frites
My Brand
I love french fries. like a LOT. I can have it for lunch and dinner everyday and don’t get tired of it. So when i was in school, in one of our classes, we were asked to create a brand and come up with all visual elements for it. I created Patat, a place that sells all different kind of french fries, with many options for dips. I was very proud of the brand i created and thought it was a fresh and unique idea. When i came to New York, as i was looking for a job, almost every interview i had, when i showed my book and explained about this brand, people asked me if I’ve been to Pomme Frites? So there i realized that my idea has been done before and it’s not so fresh. Although, it my defense, we don’t have anything like it in California that i know of. It’s only in New York that you find the most random things possible.
I checked out Pomme Frites and i fell in love with it. It’s a tiny hole in the wall place close to St. Marks street that only sells one type of french fries, in three sizes, with a lot of different options to choose from for dips. My favorite sauce is Pomegranate Teriyaki sauce and old fashioned ketchup.
So if you are in town, be sure to check it out.
Pomme Fries: 123 2nd Ave. New York, New York 10003 212
Babies
On fourth of July, we had a little baby in our apartment for the very first time. My cousin and his 7 months old baby came to visit us for couple of days and we had a blast! I haven’t seen the baby since he was 1 months old and Hooman haven’t even met him. He was an AMAZING kid. You could barley hear him cry (only when he was hungry) and he always had a smile on his face, even when he woke up in the morning. My favorite part was in the morning when i would wake up at 8 to lay down next to him and watch him with his legs up in the air, and sometimes one foot in his mouth, and play with him . Hooman was in heaven. He loves kids and he was constantly playing with him.
While they were here, Hooman and i discussed when we are going to have kids (and that’s a question we get asked a lot these days) and i think if we wanted to have kids in couple of years, not it’s pushed back to 4-5 years. He was such a good baby and still taking care of him was a lot of work. My cousin was super exhausted at times but she still managed to take care of him with patience and a smile on her face. Hooman and i admired her patience a LOT but i don’t think we are ready for that now or anytime soon.