My wonderful friends Harukieeee and Gabe (funny how when your friends get married your friend list grows) came to visit their old stomping grounds NYC and of course mee!! yay!
It was a wonderful day.
Haruka and I keep in touch very often that when we saw each other again after a year we didn't really have any catching up to do. So we went straight to what we do best:
EATING
When we were having dessert we all had a conversation about "those" people. Those people that bugg the crapp outta you.
Soooo here it is
I decided for now to focus on New York because really this blog would be too long otherwise.
IN Nyc (since ya, you know I live here):
-people who do not have their effin' metro card out and ready. AND
DIG through their purse/pocket/wallet without even stepping to the side!!!
C'mon you know that you need that little buddy out to slide and get through and if you can't find it then pleaseeee step aside so other people can get through.
-people in big groups who walk in a horizontal line in front of you, almost always taking their time.
Seriously. Walk in twos. The sidewalk ain't big enough.
-people who are walking in front of you and then all of the sudden stop.
For whatever reason they just stop. Like something inside of them clicked and said STOP. Whatever it is you're looking at, checking out, or taking a picture of, please remember that you're walking in NYC. We use our legs as transportation. Stopping abruptly like that does cause accidents.
-people who feel the need to sit super close to you in the subway car when there's empty seats all around. -people who try and squeeze in a little gap between you and the other person so they can sit their ass down.
C'mon. Just wait a stop.
-people who hoot and holler'.
Get some class.
-people who just walk down the street with big ol' poor conditioned umbrellas, when it's not even raining.
WATCH out. Your umbrella seriously almost poked my eye out twice!
-people who have loud conversations.
You do know you're sharing the subway?
I'm sure there's plenty more.
But i'm doing things backwards tonight.
Im writing then walking Napoleon who now needs to use the restroom very badly.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
8!
Wow.
8 days. 8 Straight blogs.
Charms and Jewels
(Behind the Curtain #1).
Napoleon and I walked up to Union Square (which really is never a good idea to begin with) because I was feeling the urge to window shop at one of my favorite stores.
Lately!
I've been on this jewelry craze. I don't really just buy jewelry because it's pretty and what not, I actually buy, collect and it takes me FOREVER to decide on which ones I want to buy. (I mean hello, that's a lot of money being forked over.)
So I haven't bought jewelry in over 2 years. NOT ONCE PIECE! I can't believe it, not even my friends can believe it.
Jewelry is one of my "things", I suppose if I were to find a root somewhere it'd be from my Grandma (Mommyla) who's always been into it, taught me and has given some of my favorite pieces to this day. Not a lot of people know about it and I rarely ask for it as a present from my family unless I'm super specific, I mean I'm rather picky.
Anyhoots.
Last night the lady was talking about her charms. So before Napoleon and I headed out, I took out my charm bracelet. I started it when I was 16. There's so much stuff on it, and there's so much more that needs to go on it. I used to get at least 3 charms a year for it..till of course 2 years ago.
Charm bracelets, I think, is something every lady should have. It's like a little physical journey of your life, who you are and what you've been through.
Charms are after-all charming. :)
Maybe a day soon enough will allow me to get back to my charm bracelet....
Digging through my charms and jewels is what prompted my need to walk Napoleon over to ABC.
Ahh!
I don't even know where to begin.
So many effin' goodies I want. I can't choose. And I HAVE to choose. I'm on a tight budget.
So as Napoleon was getting ooooohssss, ahhhhs, awwwwws, gahhhhs, I was oogling and ahhing over the jewelry in front of me.
I love that store. It's a floor of independent jewelers, meaning...it has TONS of one of kind of pieces eep!
Okay I haven't decided and there's really no, none, 0, zip, point to this blog, only to just purely talk about the material things I'm lusting over right now.
So I decided to show pics!
(they are really more than this! ) womp womp
8 days. 8 Straight blogs.
Charms and Jewels
(Behind the Curtain #1).
Napoleon and I walked up to Union Square (which really is never a good idea to begin with) because I was feeling the urge to window shop at one of my favorite stores.
Lately!
I've been on this jewelry craze. I don't really just buy jewelry because it's pretty and what not, I actually buy, collect and it takes me FOREVER to decide on which ones I want to buy. (I mean hello, that's a lot of money being forked over.)
So I haven't bought jewelry in over 2 years. NOT ONCE PIECE! I can't believe it, not even my friends can believe it.
Jewelry is one of my "things", I suppose if I were to find a root somewhere it'd be from my Grandma (Mommyla) who's always been into it, taught me and has given some of my favorite pieces to this day. Not a lot of people know about it and I rarely ask for it as a present from my family unless I'm super specific, I mean I'm rather picky.
Anyhoots.
Last night the lady was talking about her charms. So before Napoleon and I headed out, I took out my charm bracelet. I started it when I was 16. There's so much stuff on it, and there's so much more that needs to go on it. I used to get at least 3 charms a year for it..till of course 2 years ago.
Charm bracelets, I think, is something every lady should have. It's like a little physical journey of your life, who you are and what you've been through.
Charms are after-all charming. :)
Maybe a day soon enough will allow me to get back to my charm bracelet....
Digging through my charms and jewels is what prompted my need to walk Napoleon over to ABC.
Ahh!
I don't even know where to begin.
So many effin' goodies I want. I can't choose. And I HAVE to choose. I'm on a tight budget.
So as Napoleon was getting ooooohssss, ahhhhs, awwwwws, gahhhhs, I was oogling and ahhing over the jewelry in front of me.
I love that store. It's a floor of independent jewelers, meaning...it has TONS of one of kind of pieces eep!
Okay I haven't decided and there's really no, none, 0, zip, point to this blog, only to just purely talk about the material things I'm lusting over right now.
So I decided to show pics!
(they are really more than this! ) womp womp
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Number 7
A Dream is Love...and elbow grease.
As Napoleon and I walked around Battery Park, I couldn't stop thinking about our guest speaker in my Publicity Workshop class.
She's an amazing woman and reminded me that a dream-is love- and it takes a lot of elbow grease to make it into a reality, but only stop once you've obtained it.
A little bio about this lady:
Her name is Deanna she's probably around her late 50s
She graduated with flying colors from Parsons
Lived in Paris for about 10 years
Designed and sold for Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus and she and Betsey Johnson are best friends.
After many successful years as a fashion designer/buyer she wants to go into the jewelry business.
What I learned/re learned...through her words and story.
After many years in the fashion industry and even her best friend being one of the top designers today, she still to this day (after 6 years) is having a hard time launching her business.
To think she had all the connections and her jewelry is actually pretty unique, beautiful, with amazing quality and definitely beautifully vintage giving it that "one of a kind, super special feel".
Her bracelets have graced many fashion magazines, maybe not a direct shot, but it was there, and credit was in the back of the magazine.
Her bracelet was featured in a book written by a good author friend of hers.
Her bracelets graced the cover of 3 very important fashion newspapers over the holidays.
And still she couldn't get the plane off the ground so to speak.
She invested in hiring someone to get her website together and started writing a blog.
After creating a website and dishing out money she learned that in creating a website, you have to enter codes, and do things a certain way for GOOGLE to pick it up. Her font, of course is not Arial or Times and so when you google her she shows up on the 10th page or something rather. Who really goes beyond the 2nd page max in a google search? But she didn't want to change her font, her website is very her and very perfect for her jewelry. And she didn't want to pay extra for the extra html this and the codes that etc.
So as always, in the creative field, everything is a double edge sword. Now out of money, where to turn to?
This is where a publicist would do his/her magic work, but then again, that needs money.
So she returned to passing out business cards, self-promotion (wearing her jewelry everywhere), and getting back in touch with people she knew.
She admitted herself, it was disheartening at some points, to get voicemails and then not knowing who to turn to with the recession, the shitty economy everyone in the industry had been shuffled around or laid off.
So where is she now? She finally got a break (hopefully)when out of nowhere her old friend from Paris thought of her and is now putting her on QVC for 2 shows. So hopefully, now she really get the plane off the ground. Fingers crossed.
Her story is like the book "Tipping Point" (great book) IN the sense that
You never know what's going to hit, how it's going to hit and when it's going to hit.
These days it boils down to just plain old persistence and hard work.
It doesn't know matter who you know, what if they can't help you?
What matters is you keep going, every little thing counts.
I've been "officially" trying to get my modeling career for 2 years now.
In these 2 years I've been signed, gotten a few things here and there, met a lot of important people and still, I haven't gotten my "big" break.
Deanna's story and the book reminded me, that even though it may seem like you're not getting anywhere, you actually are.
You can't just meet people and boom, they'll help you out or you can't always be the chosen lucky one and all of the sudden be an over-night sensation.
The point of the matter is that you love what you do, you're doing whatever it takes to do it, so really, there should be no stopping, besides it's the journey not the destination right?
As Napoleon and I walked around Battery Park, I couldn't stop thinking about our guest speaker in my Publicity Workshop class.
She's an amazing woman and reminded me that a dream-is love- and it takes a lot of elbow grease to make it into a reality, but only stop once you've obtained it.
A little bio about this lady:
Her name is Deanna she's probably around her late 50s
She graduated with flying colors from Parsons
Lived in Paris for about 10 years
Designed and sold for Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus and she and Betsey Johnson are best friends.
After many successful years as a fashion designer/buyer she wants to go into the jewelry business.
What I learned/re learned...through her words and story.
After many years in the fashion industry and even her best friend being one of the top designers today, she still to this day (after 6 years) is having a hard time launching her business.
To think she had all the connections and her jewelry is actually pretty unique, beautiful, with amazing quality and definitely beautifully vintage giving it that "one of a kind, super special feel".
Her bracelets have graced many fashion magazines, maybe not a direct shot, but it was there, and credit was in the back of the magazine.
Her bracelet was featured in a book written by a good author friend of hers.
Her bracelets graced the cover of 3 very important fashion newspapers over the holidays.
And still she couldn't get the plane off the ground so to speak.
She invested in hiring someone to get her website together and started writing a blog.
After creating a website and dishing out money she learned that in creating a website, you have to enter codes, and do things a certain way for GOOGLE to pick it up. Her font, of course is not Arial or Times and so when you google her she shows up on the 10th page or something rather. Who really goes beyond the 2nd page max in a google search? But she didn't want to change her font, her website is very her and very perfect for her jewelry. And she didn't want to pay extra for the extra html this and the codes that etc.
So as always, in the creative field, everything is a double edge sword. Now out of money, where to turn to?
This is where a publicist would do his/her magic work, but then again, that needs money.
So she returned to passing out business cards, self-promotion (wearing her jewelry everywhere), and getting back in touch with people she knew.
She admitted herself, it was disheartening at some points, to get voicemails and then not knowing who to turn to with the recession, the shitty economy everyone in the industry had been shuffled around or laid off.
So where is she now? She finally got a break (hopefully)when out of nowhere her old friend from Paris thought of her and is now putting her on QVC for 2 shows. So hopefully, now she really get the plane off the ground. Fingers crossed.
Her story is like the book "Tipping Point" (great book) IN the sense that
You never know what's going to hit, how it's going to hit and when it's going to hit.
These days it boils down to just plain old persistence and hard work.
It doesn't know matter who you know, what if they can't help you?
What matters is you keep going, every little thing counts.
I've been "officially" trying to get my modeling career for 2 years now.
In these 2 years I've been signed, gotten a few things here and there, met a lot of important people and still, I haven't gotten my "big" break.
Deanna's story and the book reminded me, that even though it may seem like you're not getting anywhere, you actually are.
You can't just meet people and boom, they'll help you out or you can't always be the chosen lucky one and all of the sudden be an over-night sensation.
The point of the matter is that you love what you do, you're doing whatever it takes to do it, so really, there should be no stopping, besides it's the journey not the destination right?
Monday, September 6, 2010
Numero 6!
Labor Day
Again, I'd like to start this blog off again, wishing another dear friend of mine Miss Celia- A Very Happy Birthday!!
3000 miles has nothin' on us! :)
So today, basically Napoleon and I were out and about from 10:30am-7:30pm.
It was a wonderful yet exhausting day.
Labor day was made a holiday here in NYC.
Here's a brief history. Thanks to Wikipedia!
The first Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882 in New York City, by the Central Labor Union of New York, the nation's first integrated major trade union.[1] It became a federal holiday in 1894, when, following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with the labor movement as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congressunanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[2] The September date originally chosen by the CLU of NY and observed by many of the nation's trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers' Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair, for which it had been observed to commemorate.[3] All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories had made it a stautory holiday.
Now Labor day of course, as all holidays has evolved.
To me, it symbolizes several things:
1-The mark of the end of the summer which
a-means Fall is soon on its merry way
b-it's time for classes!
which then leads to
c-LAST Summer Hoorahs!!
2-It's the day of rest-NO Labor on Labor day
3-The beginning of Football season!
4-Fashion Week!
and a repeat
5-Fall! Crisp air, Fall gear, Boots...Autumn in NYC is Wonderful!
Today was spent as follows:
Napoleon and I meet Victoria for a scrumptious brunch. We then walked over to do some window shopping in one of our favorite areas: the West Village:. Afterwards we departed and Napoleon made our way down to our favorite simple dog park at : Union Square: where he played, I read a book (needed for class). Afterwards we walked to grab a quick dinner (a McDonalds Happy Meal spoke out to me and yes unhealthy and not what great for my diet, it was scrumptious and really I haven't stepped foot in a McDonalds for at least 6 months!). We then walked slowly home, watched all the kids get their last hoorahs! in, watched people as they had bags in hand from all the labor day sales and felt the air start to get cooler as the sun started to hide behind the buildings.
It was such a simple and wonderful day. A day where you can feel everyone just enjoying it for what it is. Almost like a Norman Rockwell painting. Everyone had smiles, every store had sales and everyone's tan was fading.
I thought to myself, as I reached the apt, that these days are often taken for granted. How I used to love labor day as a kid for all the above reasons. How I knew it was going to be the day that the last hide-n-seek game played with the neighbors for awhile. How I wanted to savor every minute of the day, from big breakfasts-slip-in-slides-lemonades and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches-tug-of-wars-games-dinner-hot showers-hot cocoas underneath the stars and finally bed. And now, as an "adult", I did just that. I may of savored every minute differently, but, it didn't matter. The truth of the matter is I did.
It's so hard these days, to sit back and enjoy the simplicity a beautiful day can offer. So today, tired as I may be from the night before, I had a wonderful reminder of how things used to be when I was younger, at how simple life was, at how the simple things made the very best memories and how the simple things always get harder to see when you get older but when you do see them it truly puts everything back in perspective.
Again, I'd like to start this blog off again, wishing another dear friend of mine Miss Celia- A Very Happy Birthday!!
3000 miles has nothin' on us! :)
So today, basically Napoleon and I were out and about from 10:30am-7:30pm.
It was a wonderful yet exhausting day.
Labor day was made a holiday here in NYC.
Here's a brief history. Thanks to Wikipedia!
The first Labor Day in the United States was observed on September 5, 1882 in New York City, by the Central Labor Union of New York, the nation's first integrated major trade union.[1] It became a federal holiday in 1894, when, following the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the U.S. military and U.S. Marshals during the Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with the labor movement as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congressunanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike.[2] The September date originally chosen by the CLU of NY and observed by many of the nation's trade unions for the past several years was selected rather than the more widespread International Workers' Day because Cleveland was concerned that observance of the latter would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair, for which it had been observed to commemorate.[3] All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories had made it a stautory holiday.
Now Labor day of course, as all holidays has evolved.
To me, it symbolizes several things:
1-The mark of the end of the summer which
a-means Fall is soon on its merry way
b-it's time for classes!
which then leads to
c-LAST Summer Hoorahs!!
2-It's the day of rest-NO Labor on Labor day
3-The beginning of Football season!
4-Fashion Week!
and a repeat
5-Fall! Crisp air, Fall gear, Boots...Autumn in NYC is Wonderful!
Today was spent as follows:
Napoleon and I meet Victoria for a scrumptious brunch. We then walked over to do some window shopping in one of our favorite areas: the West Village:. Afterwards we departed and Napoleon made our way down to our favorite simple dog park at : Union Square: where he played, I read a book (needed for class). Afterwards we walked to grab a quick dinner (a McDonalds Happy Meal spoke out to me and yes unhealthy and not what great for my diet, it was scrumptious and really I haven't stepped foot in a McDonalds for at least 6 months!). We then walked slowly home, watched all the kids get their last hoorahs! in, watched people as they had bags in hand from all the labor day sales and felt the air start to get cooler as the sun started to hide behind the buildings.
It was such a simple and wonderful day. A day where you can feel everyone just enjoying it for what it is. Almost like a Norman Rockwell painting. Everyone had smiles, every store had sales and everyone's tan was fading.
I thought to myself, as I reached the apt, that these days are often taken for granted. How I used to love labor day as a kid for all the above reasons. How I knew it was going to be the day that the last hide-n-seek game played with the neighbors for awhile. How I wanted to savor every minute of the day, from big breakfasts-slip-in-slides-lemonades and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches-tug-of-wars-games-dinner-hot showers-hot cocoas underneath the stars and finally bed. And now, as an "adult", I did just that. I may of savored every minute differently, but, it didn't matter. The truth of the matter is I did.
It's so hard these days, to sit back and enjoy the simplicity a beautiful day can offer. So today, tired as I may be from the night before, I had a wonderful reminder of how things used to be when I was younger, at how simple life was, at how the simple things made the very best memories and how the simple things always get harder to see when you get older but when you do see them it truly puts everything back in perspective.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Numberrr 5!
Good Company
First thing: Happy Birthday Miss Betty! :)
Now blog:
I took Napoleon out on a walk at 630 this morning, the sun was just waking up along with the city. But I had an amazing night. One of those nights you feel like your heart is full, memories are etched in your brain forever and your cheeks hurt from all the smiling and laughing you did.
So I think it's very fitting that my 5th blog, lands on the 5th day of the month which happens to be my dear friend's birthday.
I literally spent the whole night out. And I have not done that in awhile. And I'm so glad that I did, and I did it this way.
Out here in New York City, clubs/bars/lounges don't close till 5am and in some places not even till 6am! So my friend was turning 20fo' and of course wanted to just have a good time with people she really cares about. We all meet at this hole-in-the-wall place (White Noise)that plays great music that range from The Supremes-The Cure-Greenday (oh and the dj looked like a Holy Santa Claus) and the drinks were strong. As it turned midnight it was officially Miss Betty's Birthday so a shot and a toast for all! We stayed at this place mingled,had a couple drinks and danced until sweat would drip till about 3ish. It was around that time that Betty's small number of of 9 dwindled down to just 4. And the 4 of us decided well since everyone is hitting the road...it was time for pizza! It was then that I was introduced to this pizza joint.. "Artichoke" which is basically eating pizza with spinach dip slathered on it. IT was delicious. After greasing our stomachs the 4 of us then met up with 2 more lovely people (friend's of Betty's of course), and decided to hit Karaoke. Now. I, myself, am hardly in the mood for karaoke, unless I'm super drunk or there's a good group going. And I'm glad it was the latter. We sang our voices out...literally, till we got kicked out due to closing time. So afterwards we led Miss Betty to her favorite cafe where we then grabbed coffee/tea/juice and had Betty blow out a birthday cupcake before saying our farewells for the evening.
It was a wonderful evening. I'm so glad that Betty enjoyed it. She's got herself a group of wonderful friends, ones that really care, love and support her. We were all there last night/earlier today due to one common ground : Betty : and we were all there to have a good time with her and in doing so, we walked away with new friends, new memories, and good times.
You cannot mistake the feeling of being around Good Company. I learned that you don't have to know people forever, you don't even really have to know their name to have a great time...BUT you do have to have some common grounds. Perhaps, we all lucked out because having Betty as a mutual friend is amazing and you just know you're bound to meet some kick-ass people. We were all strangers but also not.
The feeling of being around Good Company makes you always wish the night was a little bit longer, that the "natural" high lingers and the laughter goes on. Nobody is selfish, it's really one of those "we are all in this together" and because of that the good vibes keep rollin'.
Good Company makes you realize the simple things in life. The things that matter most. That having a good time doesn't need money, it just needs good people. And a good time can be happen anywhere, anytime and with anyone.
After a long night out, only drunk off of having a good time (good! less calories and headaches for all!!), sore feet, the smell of everyone's perfume/cologne on your shirt (from all the goodbye hugs), a scratchy throat, a deep almost- not-there voice, and tired eyes, I crawled into bed with a happy heart, a happy dog and knowing a friend had a very Happy birthday! :) (yes I know, I can be cheesy at times)
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Number 4
Napoleon.
A blog already dedicated to my puppy.
Napoleon is more than my dog, he really is a big part of my heart.
As we walked tonight, I was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but I knew THAT this is the least I can do for Napoleon...he has come to expect a walk when I return home and only rightfully so.
And so I thought...I thought about what goes on in his little noggin, what he did all day when I was gone and how he's always happy to see me.
I am sure there are other cool dogs out there. But really Napoleon is it for me. He sleeps when I sleep, he's up when I'm up, he's understanding, not picky about his food, he cuddles yet he's independent.
I think about about the year and a half of hell I went through and Napoleon was there. He was probably the only one who got it, and faithful and loyal as he is, never ever left my side, even if it meant holding his potty break longer.
I think about the city. How the city has changed so much in my eyes since I've moved out here (More on this perhaps on another blog in the future). How this city will feel incomplete without Napoleon walking in it.
I could literally go on and on. But truth be told, I'm exhausted and I'm ready to watch to GTL :). Such trashy tv, but hey it clears my brain for that whole hour! hehe. And for the first time in a while, walking tonight, enjoying the last few summer nights, my thoughts were, well not there. It was the first time in a long time that, I can actually say, "I was just kind of in the moment"...just walking my love, being happy and loving it".
Ps. Happy Birthday Harukie! :) I loves you
A blog already dedicated to my puppy.
Napoleon is more than my dog, he really is a big part of my heart.
As we walked tonight, I was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but I knew THAT this is the least I can do for Napoleon...he has come to expect a walk when I return home and only rightfully so.
And so I thought...I thought about what goes on in his little noggin, what he did all day when I was gone and how he's always happy to see me.
I am sure there are other cool dogs out there. But really Napoleon is it for me. He sleeps when I sleep, he's up when I'm up, he's understanding, not picky about his food, he cuddles yet he's independent.
I think about about the year and a half of hell I went through and Napoleon was there. He was probably the only one who got it, and faithful and loyal as he is, never ever left my side, even if it meant holding his potty break longer.
I think about the city. How the city has changed so much in my eyes since I've moved out here (More on this perhaps on another blog in the future). How this city will feel incomplete without Napoleon walking in it.
I could literally go on and on. But truth be told, I'm exhausted and I'm ready to watch to GTL :). Such trashy tv, but hey it clears my brain for that whole hour! hehe. And for the first time in a while, walking tonight, enjoying the last few summer nights, my thoughts were, well not there. It was the first time in a long time that, I can actually say, "I was just kind of in the moment"...just walking my love, being happy and loving it".
Ps. Happy Birthday Harukie! :) I loves you
Friday, September 3, 2010
Three
Social Etiquettes.
Napoleon and I had company on our walk today. My lovely 19 year old cousin.
As we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge we were sharing a few summer experiences when we both came across a couple stories that had a common ground: a couple of friends and people we know/have encountered have 0 social graces, etiquettes, manners whatever you want to call it. We wondered if it's because a-they just didn't know or b-they're too selfish?
With growing technology as means of communication the "social etiquette rules" are changing frequently. But still there should be some basic principles and common grounds.
Here's a few that came to mind and to conversation.
Hitching a ride. So a friend offers to be driver for the day. Great! Or a friend offers you a ride home (that's semi out of the way) just so you don't have to wait around. Even better! :Enter social etiquette: EVEN though they offered, you should maybe offer to return the favor another day, grab them their favorite coffee/tea/juice/drink, or offer a couple of dollars as a sign of appreciation.
Attending a party/get together/hang out. So you get invited. Whether it's just a social hang out, a dinner party, a birthday party...whatever it is, you are a guest attending some sort of thing, fancy or not, one should never show up empty handed. EVEN if the host says, "no just bring yourself"...ALWAYS bring a bottle of wine, desserts, flowers, what have you. Just don't show up empty handed.
Staying as an Overnight Guest. Yay! Another invitation and this time it's a sleepover! Really, try not to forget a towel, a toothbrush etc. Although if the host is prepared they will have extras for you to use. Hosting is fun but there's a lot of work that goes into it, especially hosting an over nighter. They have to clean the sheets/towels, the place/room and prepare meals. Make sure you try to bring as much of what you can. And always say thank you at the end, even better, sending them a thank you, or taking them out as a thank you. Showing your appreciation goes a long way.
Now within this there's a lot a.b.c. like A- when using the bathroom and it's not yours, please spray/open windows and don't go crazy with the toilet paper. But really, no need to get into this right now.
Greeting/Leaving. When you enter a house, a party, an event anything and you leave...Make sure you said Hello to everyone and Good-bye. Not to mention a couple of "thank-yous" to the right people.
ie. My brother's friends actually saying hello, good-bye, and thank you for having us/cooking for us to the parental unit. IF 19 year old boys can do it...really...anyone should.
Texting/Phone Calls/Facebook . I know it's super hard to be separated from your phone. But really, there are occasions where you should not be on it. Weddings. Wedding receptions. Dinner with friends and family. GENERALLY when you are out and about with someone other than yourself. A text message can wait, so can a phone call (unless of course they call 100x it must be an emergency) and of course facebook can wait... oie :rolls eyes:. You want to be spending time and living in the moment with whoever you are with, not being engrossed in a super cool object.
I will admit, that I have been a guilty of this every now and then. But never over family dinner. Geeze my parents would take my food away!. But there have been times, that I have been out with a friend ie. getting a mani/pedi and respond to a text or what not. However, I make it an effort to never check my phone or respond more than 3x.
Umbrellas/Items/Bags. Really. Umbrellas are no joke and neither are those rollie suitcases. When you are carrying them around...PLEASE be way more aware that you have those objects with you. Watch out for people's feet and other body parts that can injured. I cannot count how many times my feet has seen the wheels of a suitcase because some F*** was in a hurry and most definitely used that as a weapon. Look I get it. I live in the city too. We all seem to have to some place to go in a hurry, but I am still mindful that I'm around HUMANS.
Sneezing/Coughing. As basic as this sounds. Please turn away, cover your mouth when you have to sneeze or cough. Don't forget to say "excuse me". And if you covered your nose/mouth with your hand. Please don't use that hand to shake hands with someone! Ickkkkkk
That's all that we came up with, encountered. However, as I write this the more come to mind. There's a ton out there.
Most of these are common sense (yes, to me, it's common sense) or my mom taught me. So when people don't display them, my forehead wrinkles and in my brain there's a question mark. True, some haven't been taught, but what about common sense? OR just wanting to show thanks and appreciation to someone you care for, who, put in effort?
Manners-are a sign of respect and appreciation. And I think having social graces goes a long way. Parents will want you over more, friends (those who are good and practice the same social graces) won't forget, and in general because people have seem to have forgotten how to act or don't know how...You leave a better impression and at the end of the day getting invited over and over again!! You did something thoughtful. Thoughtful acts never go un-noticed.
Napoleon and I had company on our walk today. My lovely 19 year old cousin.
As we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge we were sharing a few summer experiences when we both came across a couple stories that had a common ground: a couple of friends and people we know/have encountered have 0 social graces, etiquettes, manners whatever you want to call it. We wondered if it's because a-they just didn't know or b-they're too selfish?
With growing technology as means of communication the "social etiquette rules" are changing frequently. But still there should be some basic principles and common grounds.
Here's a few that came to mind and to conversation.
Hitching a ride. So a friend offers to be driver for the day. Great! Or a friend offers you a ride home (that's semi out of the way) just so you don't have to wait around. Even better! :Enter social etiquette: EVEN though they offered, you should maybe offer to return the favor another day, grab them their favorite coffee/tea/juice/drink, or offer a couple of dollars as a sign of appreciation.
Attending a party/get together/hang out. So you get invited. Whether it's just a social hang out, a dinner party, a birthday party...whatever it is, you are a guest attending some sort of thing, fancy or not, one should never show up empty handed. EVEN if the host says, "no just bring yourself"...ALWAYS bring a bottle of wine, desserts, flowers, what have you. Just don't show up empty handed.
Staying as an Overnight Guest. Yay! Another invitation and this time it's a sleepover! Really, try not to forget a towel, a toothbrush etc. Although if the host is prepared they will have extras for you to use. Hosting is fun but there's a lot of work that goes into it, especially hosting an over nighter. They have to clean the sheets/towels, the place/room and prepare meals. Make sure you try to bring as much of what you can. And always say thank you at the end, even better, sending them a thank you, or taking them out as a thank you. Showing your appreciation goes a long way.
Now within this there's a lot a.b.c. like A- when using the bathroom and it's not yours, please spray/open windows and don't go crazy with the toilet paper. But really, no need to get into this right now.
Greeting/Leaving. When you enter a house, a party, an event anything and you leave...Make sure you said Hello to everyone and Good-bye. Not to mention a couple of "thank-yous" to the right people.
ie. My brother's friends actually saying hello, good-bye, and thank you for having us/cooking for us to the parental unit. IF 19 year old boys can do it...really...anyone should.
Texting/Phone Calls/Facebook . I know it's super hard to be separated from your phone. But really, there are occasions where you should not be on it. Weddings. Wedding receptions. Dinner with friends and family. GENERALLY when you are out and about with someone other than yourself. A text message can wait, so can a phone call (unless of course they call 100x it must be an emergency) and of course facebook can wait... oie :rolls eyes:. You want to be spending time and living in the moment with whoever you are with, not being engrossed in a super cool object.
I will admit, that I have been a guilty of this every now and then. But never over family dinner. Geeze my parents would take my food away!. But there have been times, that I have been out with a friend ie. getting a mani/pedi and respond to a text or what not. However, I make it an effort to never check my phone or respond more than 3x.
Umbrellas/Items/Bags. Really. Umbrellas are no joke and neither are those rollie suitcases. When you are carrying them around...PLEASE be way more aware that you have those objects with you. Watch out for people's feet and other body parts that can injured. I cannot count how many times my feet has seen the wheels of a suitcase because some F*** was in a hurry and most definitely used that as a weapon. Look I get it. I live in the city too. We all seem to have to some place to go in a hurry, but I am still mindful that I'm around HUMANS.
Sneezing/Coughing. As basic as this sounds. Please turn away, cover your mouth when you have to sneeze or cough. Don't forget to say "excuse me". And if you covered your nose/mouth with your hand. Please don't use that hand to shake hands with someone! Ickkkkkk
That's all that we came up with, encountered. However, as I write this the more come to mind. There's a ton out there.
Most of these are common sense (yes, to me, it's common sense) or my mom taught me. So when people don't display them, my forehead wrinkles and in my brain there's a question mark. True, some haven't been taught, but what about common sense? OR just wanting to show thanks and appreciation to someone you care for, who, put in effort?
Manners-are a sign of respect and appreciation. And I think having social graces goes a long way. Parents will want you over more, friends (those who are good and practice the same social graces) won't forget, and in general because people have seem to have forgotten how to act or don't know how...You leave a better impression and at the end of the day getting invited over and over again!! You did something thoughtful. Thoughtful acts never go un-noticed.
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