Astrology??

I am somewhat apprehensive to believe anything about astrology, but my coworker recently sent this link to me... which I proceeded to use as a means of procrastinating through my first day back from my holiday break. I basically inputted my name, date of birth, and birthplace. And ta-dah! The website did its magic and shot this out. 

WHY IS THIS SPOT ON?

Rising Sign is in 01 Degrees Aries - You are a free spirit and you must be first at everything you do. Very energetic, self-assertive and active, things must be done your way. Even though you may feel calm and serene on the inside, you certainly do not act that way. You want to do everything full-tilt, 100 miles per hour! A great competitor, but a poor cooperator -- you must learn how to lose more gracefully. Very self-confident, ambitious and passionate, you radiate positive energy. You are blunt and direct, but at times unfeeling and tactless, especially if anyone offers you any resistance. You fight for your beliefs, but your tendency to act first and think later often causes you much grief.

Sun is in 10 Degrees Virgo - Extremely careful and cautious by nature, you value neatness and order above all else. You rigorously practice very high standards of living and conduct and you demand the same of everyone with whom you come into contact. At times, you are so supercritical that you are merely nit-picky. You are very good at practical skills and quite handy with tools of all kinds. You are also greatly concerned with hygiene, cleanliness and personal health problems. Very likely your health is much better than you think it is -- don't worry so much! Extremely methodical and analytical, you are a perfectionist -- this makes you the perfect person to carry out highly detailed, precise operations. But, at times, you pay so much attention to details that you lose sight of the larger issues.

Moon is in 26 Degrees Aries - High-spirited and courageous, you are a fighter when your emotions are aroused. The degree of force and drive that you can bring to any effort sometimes surprises others. You have hair-trigger reactions to specific stimuli and tend to "let it all hang out." You sometimes act before you think and do things on the spur of the moment, and that sometimes gets you into trouble. Your moods change quickly -- you have quite a temper, but you don't hold grudges. Very independent, with an extremely strong and forceful personality, you are known for being impulsive, careless, reckless, foolhardy, rash and daring.

Mercury is in 24 Degrees Leo - You are usually quite convinced that your own ideas are correct and you enjoy persuading others that they are. At times, you are very stubborn and proud of your beliefs and principles, and you get very defensive when they are challenged. You appreciate truth and honesty -- you practice it yourself and expect it in others. You have good talent for organizing, directing and planning. You delight in being asked for your advice and counsel.

Venus is in 07 Degrees Leo - You have a striking, regal appearance and demeanor that attracts others to you. Your friendship is highly sought and you tend to take friendships quite seriously -- you remain loyal and true to those to whom you are attached. For you, love is mixed with pride and respect. Relationships are over when you lose respect for your partner. Be careful of a tendency to relate only to those who make you look good -- the powerful, important and influential. This can lead to arrogance and selfishness, and neither of these qualities becomes you.

Mars is in 25 Degrees Leo - You are a very proud person. Strong, bold, courageous and self-possessed, you love to be the one to initiate significant actions. When people expect a lot of you, you respond positively and will work hard in order to maintain their respect. But when your dignity or pride is threatened, you tend to become sarcastic, arrogant and domineering. Try not to take any challenge or resistance that you meet as a personal affront. You are very stubborn about your right to live your life according to your own principles.

Jupiter is in 08 Degrees Aquarius - Your personal growth occurs when you have the freedom to do things in new and interesting ways -- this brings out your natural inventiveness. You are an individualist, but you are also attracted to mass movements that emphasize social betterment and you will devote much time and energy to their efforts. Very fair- minded and objective, you have extraordinary skills at organization and administration.

Saturn is in 22 Degrees Scorpio - You tend to release emotional energies only very reluctantly. This is partly due to your fear of what horrible calamity might occur should they be released -- your emotions are terribly complicated and intense. Try not to repress these energies entirely, however, or you will succumb to negative and destructive forms of compulsive behavior. Give yourself the freedom to look awkward or silly once in a while. The relief you feel will be quite therapeutic and the embarrassment (whether it is real or imagined) will pass quickly.

Uranus is in 14 Degrees Sagittarius - You, and most of your peers, have the tendency to think that all ideas, customs and traditions from the past are outmoded and irrelevant. You are attracted to radically new ideas, philosophies and religions that will, hopefully, cause sweeping changes throughout the world.

Neptune is in 00 Degrees Capricorn - You, and your entire generation, will idealize work, practicality and the ability to attain reasonable goals. But, because you will also stress the need to be selfless and giving, you may find it difficult to attain your goals unless you have lowered your expectations on all fronts.

Pluto is in 02 Degrees Scorpio - For your entire generation, this is a period of intense research and discovery in areas that were heretofore considered mysterious, remote or taboo. The root causes for many complex occurrences will be unearthed due to the intensity and thoroughness of the search.

Node is in 10 Degrees Taurus - It's not in your nature to seek out many casual acquaintances in your daily round of activities. You feel much more comfortable with a small, close-knit group of people -- those with whom you can relax and work toward known and clearly defined goals. Your loyalty to a person or group, once given, is forever -- you'll expend all of your quite considerable energy in seeing that the group stays together and prospers. You choose your partners and relationships so carefully that you're bound to gain certain advantages from them, including those of a material nature. Be careful though not to let mere self-service be your motivation in establishing your connections -- make sure that there's an even give-and-take!

Pretty crazy. I am definitely spooked.

A group of friends leave on the MetroNorth from Grand Central.

A preface.

All friends met in Columbia University in the city of New York.

Two of the five are from California (S is from the south, T reps the north - any Cali resident can tell the difference), J grew up in St. Louis, M is from Illinois, and G is a Jersey native. Four of the five friends are now working professionals in New York, fresh off the shipwreck that is college.

All five have, at one time, lived in New York City for three or more years although not one has used the various transportation services at Grand Central; four have never even stepped foot inside.

The friends are traveling to Beacon, NY, a small town by the Hudson River one hour and 20 minutes north of Manhattan to explore Dia:Beacon, a contemporary art museum randomly located in one of the smallest (and most uncontemporary) towns I've had the pleasure of touring.

Our experience there was an interesting one. I can't speak for the others, but a large percentage of the reason I ventured more than an hour away to suburbanville was for the company... what a bunch we were. Given our various backgrounds, the most obvious common thread was our time spent at Columbia; we are all pretentious Ivy yuppies from the city of New York, self-righteous and fully expecting certain services so easily accessible in the city that never sleeps. (Common misconceptions for simple services include, for instance, waiting a max of five minutes for a cup of coffee, getting creamer and sugar with your coffee when it is finally placed on your table, sides with sandwiches (an anomaly, I know), and glasses that hold more than two sips of drinkage, to name a few.) So we got to thinking... is the city mindset really so different?

The obvious answer is yes. Oh, yes it is.

Time spent in my hometown in New Jersey is always bittersweet. I have lived here for the majority of my formative years and some of my best friends are, thankfully, still here as well. Every time I step foot onto Perth Amboy soil, a mixture of feelings consume me - love for family and friends, nostalgia for the past (high school naivete, family traditions, and just plain ole stupid decisions...), and bittersweet memories of first love and the heartbreak thereafter. They are all here, intertwined in a tangled (and confusing) web that compose me as a person - physically, mentally, and spiritually. With that said, I understand the influence my hometown has had on me, and my closest friends who have not been raised in Perth Amboy often acknowledge "strange" mannerisms I thought completely normal around my high school friends.

AND YET, there is just something about the city. Something alive, something soulful, something breathtaking. The sights, the sounds, the smells (ew) equally contribute to the magic that is New York City, but without culture, fashion, and the people, we might as well be in Tokyo. New Yorkers have a certain swagger. Although not born and raised in this beautiful city, I have had the privilege of living in it and bathing in the glory of Manhattan for four+ years. In this short amount of time, I have learned the ins and outs of the city, polishing myself in every aspect of the word to smoothly adapt to such as fast-paced and energetic environment.

So I wonder, how different would I be if I had spent the last four years cultivating my development elsewhere? Would I be cultured? Would I have balls of steel? Would I be sympathetic to others' opinions and beliefs? Would I not care about what other people thought?

Truth? Not nearly as much. New Yorkers always seem to get a bad rep. "Ya'll are always rushing. Ya'll are so rude! Ya'll don't know a good beer because ya'll are too busy drinking your stiff martinis." I obviously disagree. Onto my list of the best aspects of New Yorkers. (The list, of course, is a general one. I cannot account for NY tourists and just plain beat people.)

1. RUSH RUSH RUSH: No, it's not because we are work-obsessed, tech-reliant savages whose lives are based solely on non-committal digital relationships. Okay, fine. Maybe. But is it so bad that we value our time? We value the work in which we divulge ourselves. We value every step we take, every breath inhaled because in all sincerity, one wrong step and that yellow taxi may cut our lives shorter than we had expected. BUT, and a big one at that, just because we may be running everywhere in a hurried pace (and probably on empty) this doesn't mean we are impatient with one-on-one relationships. If anything, it should reflect the importance of them, since we are all too eager to get from place to place in the expectation of seeing people we care about. Personally, I often find myself wasting money on that swerving yellow deathtrap when I have important functions to attend, believing an extra half an hour with friends is worth $15. Time is money, but friends are priceless.

2. SELECTIVE APATHY: One of the BEST things I love about New Yorkers is the air of absolute blunt regard for anything that crosses their path. It's refreshing, it's real. I wouldn't label it rude. Rather, I'd call this honesty. And honesty is always the best policy, no? I term this portion "selective apathy" because New Yorkers just don't give a f--- when it comes to certain things, ie other people's opinions/thoughts about say...their hair. However, given the right platform (ie politics, religion, cultural differences) impassioned sympathy replaces the "don't-give-a-f---" attitude, after which an educated and aroused conversation takes place. New York is undebatably the most diverse city in the world, allowing its inhabitants to expose themselves to new cultures, perspectives, and arguments daily. The exposure surely breeds individuals who are able to cultivate their own opinions about certain topics but understand and appreciate others' views. AMEN.

3. FOODIES!!! Food and wine, wine and food. There is never a dull moment in New York City when it comes to restaurants. It is only in New York City that people will argue incessantly over which falafel food cart/coffee house/hot dog stand serves the best of their specialty. It is only to New York City that people will drive 45 minutes only to wait another 45 minutes in line in the wee hours of the morning to enjoy their favorite Halal. (Can you say 53rd and 6th?) It is only in New York City that the opening of a Trader Joe's brings out food lovers in droves, consequentially leading to a queue of hungry yet excited New Yorkers demanding their ::insert organic, wheat-based food product difficult to come by at the local Morton Williams:: long enough to circle the avenue. I personally believe food is a serious business- I am blessed to have found a place crawling with people who sympathize with my obsession.

With that said, my favorite quote from our journey outside of Manhattan may be this:

G: "Ha, I wonder if people think we're pretentious assholes."

J: "We ARE pretentious assholes."

Dating Rules

I don't boast a large dating repertoire. I don't have a little black book stashed between my two favorite novels and I can count the number of guys in whom I have had haphazard interest on (maybe) 2 hands if I stretch my feelings slightly. Fortunately, I've been able to experience love, and because of it, I think I may have been spoiled into believing I deserve better than most guys can offer. Or maybe I'm just picky. Irregardless, my perpetual single lifestyle has allowed an array of young men in all different colors to somehow pop up into my life, if only for one night. And then the dismissal.
There are just some things that need not be tolerated, and I've happily (and begrudgingly- sometimes the memories are pitifully painful) compiled a list. Enjoy.


Rule #1: When a girl gives you her number, NEVER (caps lock necessary) call within 12 hours of her giving you the 10 magic digits to her heart, or rather, her voicemail. I mean, what? How does a man justify this type of behavior? Especially after a night that ended in the wee hours of the morning, I find it truthfully shocking that some men deem it necessary to call the next day while two good friends are happily enjoying LUNCH, wondering where our manners went, and laughing profusely about last night's debaucheries. So you got a number... and? Please do not believe, in any sense of the action, that numbers are given out selectively. Truth be told, sometimes a girl likes to flirt maniacally to see how one reacts. Or maybe you did have some charm...until you disproved that lovely thought by calling 5 times before dinner. OH. And if a girl avoids the call, happily ignore last night's invite to tonight's plans... Chances are, she'll be on her way to finding someone else equally handsome, but much less desperate.

Rule #2: Do not date people in the same circle. Soooo, Mr. I-Love-Girls-From-The-Pacific-Islands... It is quite endearing that you know what you like. Simply put, you've got great taste. However, when the main reason that you know all of these lovely ladies is because you were trying to date a specific someone in the first place, perhaps the best thing to do is stick to that specific someone. Extra points if you manage to get a date with all of your prospectives! But when you finally figure out which one is least harmful to your macho repertoire, chances are, she will no longer be interested. Two things are certain: 1. News travels fast and 2. Girls talk. The sum of these parts equals a very large "Loser" sticker reserved for your forehead. It would be even better if you did not show up uninvited to places which you could easily avoid. I would have enjoyed dancing with Mr. Man until your lovely best friend showed up whispering the two words I could have lived without. ("He's here.") Owning up to the situation could help your cause, but as it stands, I guess "we're friends, but not really." Easily the most profound words that have blessed these ears... And yet you wonder why I don't call...? 

Rule #3: After a very long and difficult day/week in a young professional's life, an easily accessible and fun outlet is the much anticipated night of alcohol, food, and debauchery. I do not support alcoholism, nor do I feel that abusing one's liver is absolutely necessary to enjoy a night in the city... but hey, it doesn't hurt. Consequentially, a few drinks inevitably lead to one thing: bad decisions. Whether she is dancing on bars, throwing back that last shot of tequila that determined her post-chugging walking ability, flirting with her ex-boyfriend's best friend, or sending text messages to said ex, a bad decision is almost always involved in the wee hours just before daybreak. Unfortunately, boys, a bad decision is just that - a bad decision. Some women are generally bubbly in personality and have magnetic personalities that could easily be misconceived for flirtatious. Granted, the woman is definitely at fault, but you, the man, are more guilty for believing that she may actually be interested! A real woman will 'fess up to her mistakes and apologize for said "flirtatiousness," at which point, the conversation should be cut, not made unclear by completely ignoring the situation. It is a blurry line between love and hate, especially with beer goggles, and awkward demeanor during the next point of contact, is most definitely not helping the situation. At this point, you just become the guy who can't handle an aggressive woman. Lame.

Rule #4: Don't break up with someone you "love" over the phone. Seriously?

new

A short introduction, lovingly written by my sister in the best birthday card I have ever received for my 23rd. Life goes a little something like this...

"In the small and sleepy fishing village of Lianga, Philippines, HVR burst into the scene ready for something, anything. Loving the spotlight, she energetically danced and sang her way into people's hearts. Destiny had bigger plans for this vibrant girl, and at the age of six, she was whisked away to America, the land of possibility, when her father transplanted the family of four to pursue new opportunities. "G" assimilated just fine in the relatively large city of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where she enjoyed the love and comfort of family and many, many friends. Naturally outgoing and exuding magnetism, she easily befriended anyone she met and joyfully kept them for years. Simultaneously, she excelled in school and steadily paved her path towards higher education. Graduating high school with flying colors, she attended Barnard College in New York, the city that quickly filled her -- mind, body, and soul. In those formative years, she tasted the good life, experiencing scholastic challenges ad success, the thrill of dance, breathtaking travels, great food, and of course, even greater friends. Having just graduated from college, G is beginning the rest of her life by working in her favorite city, excited for the adventures ahead. This strong, beautiful, and independent Barnard woman is indomitable."

I do not believe a short introduction is adequate in telling the story of a life that is constantly referred to as a highly erratic and attention-demanding "experience" by my closest and dearest friends. However, these few words serve the greater purpose of describing my background and the experiences from which my thoughts stem. I am a Filipino American young professional who was born into provincial poverty, raised in a predominantly Hispanic inner urban city, bred in a prestigious liberal arts institution that constitutes one of the four undergraduate schools in the only Ivy League university in the largest city in the world. Wow. that was a mouthful. Translation: I have seen a lot, but I thirst for more.

The purpose of this blog is simply to highlight my experiences in New York City. A highly eclectic individual with creativity oozing through my pores, I have had experience in a range of different realms; from music to the culinary arts to dance, art, poetry, and fashion. Thus, the sole cohesive connection between each thoughtful post, I anticipate, will be only this: they are my own. Oh and of course, they are never boring.