For my Dad

Only you, daddy, and you alone can appreciate this. I've learned this: a little elbow grease never hurt anyone, and waiting for other people to do the job is the pits.

And for the rest of you, here is a little taste of my house's quirkiness! Bathrooms and pipes go together like...kids and bikes?

Rainy Day Fun

So, the weatherman got it right yesterday. Forecasted storms did indeed fall upon Cambridge, but luckily only in the afternoon--so the morning was the perfect time to gather materials for indoor fun as the rain fell.





After a quick metro ride to Harvard Square, I stopped by my three favorite stores, all lined up in a row: Dickson Brother's True Value Hardware Store, Urban Outfitters and Tealuxe. There I found paint, a wonderfully colorful rug, and a frozen chai with bubbles (delicious!). Then, my walk home brought me to a basket of paper mache'd fruit at Oona's Thrift, that I immediately fell in love with and quickly placed in my kitchen once I walked through my door.






Of all of it, the paint provided the most fun, although I did enjoy the chai bubble tea perhaps the most for the moment. After quickly plotting out a plan for decorating the found table of last weekend, I slapped down some masking tape and started painting. First, I laid out a border of "Golden Green" and then filled in with a couple layers of "Aspiration," all of which match quite well with the "Himilayan Mist" base coat. The finished product...

Free is good when things aren't great.

The much anticipated event, Boston's Free Shakespeare on the Commons, was all this week. Friday night was the only time I could possibly go and beat the forecasted rain for this weekend. So, at 8:00 I parked myself on my nice Rice throw (thank you LRC) with an ice cream cone and awaited the show. The actors walked on stage, started into the dialogue, but my interest waned. In essence, the actors were okay, the stage pretty sad, and the singing---let's just say that the first time I heard the Fairy Queen's voice, I, along with half the crowd, packed up and went home. Better luck next year, Boston!

Not to mention, the actors were all dressed like space-age bumble bees...

Shoes, Sowa, Super

Today, after sanding and repainting the table, I headed over to the BackBay area of Boston and patronized the Boston Center for the Arts by seeing the new exhibit on shoes. Small but thoughtful, its big headlining piece were a pair of Marilyn Monroe's shoes.





Then, I walked over to the SOWA market, in the South End, and actually in the big parking lot of the building that I travel to everyday for work. From bags to bread, plants to jewelry, there were many things to be desired. I took home just one thing from the market, however. My heart!

I'm in the Money

Last weekend, I recieved a wonderful package in the mail, and inside it was a Money Tree. This litte tree, given me by a wonderful Mr. Mori, is apparently a vital part of traditional Feng Shui and holds the ability to bring good luck to its caretaker (s). I have given it a prized spot in the kitchen, and every morning, it greets me with bright green leaves. And I have noticed that since it has been in my possession, I have come upon some good fortune...

Thank you, Michael!

Updates on the apartment: I have added a few more touches to the apartment, namely the addition of some sturdy curtains, as well as new furniture. Thanks to my newfound luck, I happened upon a moving sale right around the corner from my house and purchased a few items/took the leftovers that were kicked to the curb after the fact. New items: awesome metal and wooden chair, blonde wooden cube/shelf, a little expandable table asking to be repainted and fixed up, mini blinds, and some nice pieces of yellow pine that lend themselves to the creation of flexible shelving. Above: Chair and Cube. Below: Curtains and Table.

Sail away, sail away

Somehow, earlier in the week, I got wind of a lovely little piece of information: Boston Sailing Center, located on the waterfront, was planning to give free sailing rides on Saturday afternoon. I penciled it in and on Saturday, headed over on the T to the Aquarium stop, and emerged onto a beautiful sunny day. After walking a couple of wharfs down, I spotted the center and quickly got in line and put my name on a list of soon-to-be passengers.


I treated myself to some Chardonnay while waiting, and before long, was aboard a sailboat! Four other passengers, the "captain" and his litte boy, accompanied me out onto the Boston Harbor, as I steered the way for us all (literally, I was given charge of the boat as soon as I sat down at the back of the boat!). The wind and sun felt lovely on my skin and the view was amazing, allowing for a chance to see all the other boats zipping across the water on a bright sunny day.
Sadly, an hour later I was back on dry land. But then I treated myself to a McDonald's ice cream and suddenly all was dandy once more!

Photos: photos of photos on my camera...haha.

Harry Potter!

In the hullabaloo spurred by the release of Harry Potter 7, I devoted Friday night to all the festivities in the area. I headed over to Harvard Square, declared Hogwart's Square for the occasion, and watched as people lined the sidewalks and waited in line for the book at multiple bookstores. Hundreds if not possibly thousands anxiously awaited midnight, some dressed as novel characters, and the rest of us with smiles on our faces...I just participated in the excitement, and reluctantly gave in to my tiredness around 11:30, when I went home to sleep. The following morning, however, I was at the bookstore asap to swap cash for pleasure...

Currently reading, don't spoil!

The Joy of the Saturday

Now that I have been employeed for one week, I have happened upon a wonderful revelation: for the first time, I have weekends. And I'm not talking about the kind that are struck with the dread of looming schoolwork, or spent in anticipation of what's to come. Rather, they are exactly what I make of them.

La, tee, da.

So, for this first post-work weekend, I took the time to do a few things around the house-a bit of housewarming, if you will. Walked to Trader Joes, bought a couple plants, washed some laundry, did a bit of cookin on my gas stove (what efficiency), and finally met with the maintenance man for some minor improvements at the house. But, after all the to-do's were done, I ventured into the city and did a bit of exploring.

Saturday night I took a trip on the dreaded Green line to Fenway, near Boston University, and arrived at the cinema just in time for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix! The show was sold out, and the crowd was filled with excitement. I loved every minute of the film, but did miss the portions of the book that didn't make it in, as well as Rowling's humor. With a few more lines of dialogue, I think it could have filled in a few plot gaps and celebrated Rowling's subtlety. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it all the same.

Sunday morning I started the day with a 90 minute session of Vinyasa Yoga at my nearby gym, and then acknowledged the shining sun's rays with a trip to the beach! After hearing of a sand-sculpting competiton at Revere Beach, northeast of the city, I hopped on the Blue Line and bared my skin to the sun along with a few hundred other Bostonians.

Sand sculptures:


And for my fellow Dog-Lovers:

Boston 9-5

July 9th marked the first day of my one year internship with the architecture firm of Machado & Silvetti. Located in Boston's newly gentrified South End, the office is set up in a renovated industrial warehouse building. The first week went pretty well! Everyone is friendly and welcoming, although most of them are at least a good half-generation older than me. I am officially baby M&S, but I suppose I'll probably learn a thing or two...

Right now I am working on a project in Pamplona, Spain--a mixed-use housing complex in a newly developed area outside of the city. My main responsibilities involve the creation and fine tuning of facades. In other words, Autocad, Photoshop, and InDesign are my new best friends, but I'm not complaining. I really enjoyed the work, and think this next year will be just what I've needed.

Some pictures of my desk and the office:

Wellesley, North Shore, and Hanover?

Yes, all in just one short weekend, thanks to my lovely friend, Rachel. Her amazing driving skills took us all about the Northeast this past weekend. A day trip to Crane Beach on the North Shore of Massachusetts, and a tour of Wellesly, Massachusetts, Rachel's hometown, followed for the evening. Then, a weekend jaunt to Hanover, New Hampshire, home to Dartmouth University (Rachel's Alma Mater). We also ran in Vermont. Amazing!

Photos: Wellesly College (a la Mona Lisa Smiles); Rachel and I, very smiley!

Magic Mountain!

Here is my latest garden at the new apartment...More photos of my other plants soon to come.

It's a Beantown!

At last! I have arrived in the city that has loomed ahead of me for the past four years. My dad and I landed via friendly American Airlines late Sunday night (July 1) and made our way across the city in a newly rented suv (upgraded for bed-moving logistics). Our first glimpse of the city was lovely, an 8:30 pm sky still filled with the day's last rays of sunshine. The first night--not so lovely. Uncomfortable air mattresses were not our friend and for a number of hours, my dad and I tossed and turned, never to fall into sound sleep and only to awake to the morning's sun--at 4:00 am!!

We rose early and from that point on, we moved non-stop to get my place into working order. Forever, I am indebted to my father for all of his help. Four trips to Target, one to Ikea, Home Depot and Shaws, plus two crazy drives around Boston to seal Craigslist deals...needless to say, we got to know the city. Beautiful it is, but the roads are unmarked and much too windy!


My apartment in Cambridge:


Here is a couple pictures of my room in my new place:


And the kitchen:


The first couple of days we neglected to eat, but we did indulge in a few wonderful meals after we got our bearings. First, we ate at a great Italian food place--one we thought was local, but turned out to be a chain: Bertucci's. Nevertheless, it hit the spot and our stomaches were incredibly happy, as they were the following night when we partook in some delicious Indian food at Inman Square's Haveli. Covered floor to ceiling in beautiful Indian tapestries, my dad and I ate while enjoying the atmosphere.



We also walked the Freedom Trail on July 4th-how wonderfully American. Our feet were tired and we were ready to lie down and sleep, but we ventured out later that night once again to watch the fireworks on the Boston Univeristy Bridge over the Charles River. It was wet and rainy but being able to spend the day with my dad made it all worth it.


After accompanying my dad to the airport, I have since started to settle into Boston. Public transport is wonderful, and I really like the Central Square/ Harvard Square area in which I live. Also, I started work on Monday at the architecture firm of Machado & Silvetti. So far, so good! I think I am the youngest person at the firm by about 4 or 5 years, but everyone is welcoming and the work has been fun, too. Even better! I am currently working on a project in Pamplona, Spain...first pin-up this Friday. Wish me luck!

Oh, and Harry Potter Friday!