Cosmopolitan

Manly Ferry goes to NYC!

Having grown up in Bangkok and Taipei as a child and then spent most of my adult life (so far) living in Auckland and Sydney, now a greenhorn New Yorker, I often struggle a bit when people ask me where 'home' is.   Is it the childhood apartment where I grew up, where my parents would still spoil me like a little girl?  Is it the two-storey white bungalow in Mt. Roskill, where I finally lived my childhood dream of having a family dog?  Is it the tiny loft in Ultimo, where I got a taste of freedom and independence living away from home for the first time?  Is it the garden unit that was Nelson and my first love nest together?  Is it the Manly heritage listed building where we lived the Australian dream and the beach life?  Or, is it the 'cute' one bedroom in Chelsea with a 2-feet-wide closet that I am sitting in right now?  (sitting in the unit, not the closet, in case there is any confusion there)

I sometimes go visit friends' places and admire their worldly possessions from the past, not realizing I am probably doing something similar - because I have lived in so many different and lovely places, instead of having to define where home is, I bring a little bit of every single of them with me.

Last week we finally had our shipping from Australia delivered to our apartment, after having them floating somewhere in the pacific ocean for more than 4 months (in the style of Life of Pi).  I was excited about being united with my 'stuff', but also really dreading having to find somewhere in our tiny place to put all 25 boxes of 'things'.  Fortunately after some intense sorting and moving things around in the fashion of a busy worker-ant (the benefit and curse of having OCD), we now have a home that feels like home!

As I close the last chapter of this international house move, I can't help but reflect on what a big job it is to relocate across half the world (to my mom who did it 20 years ago - I salute you!).  This post is a mini-trip down the memory lane of the weird and wonderful world of moving... with a deadline!

First thing to do when I realized
we were moving to New York in 6 weeks:
Set up a Scrum Wall.
(no judgement please)

After we set up preliminary tasks such as getting our visas sorted, quit our jobs, and to sell our beloved car and boat, we started going through every cupboard and shelf and categorize everything into:  1) Ship to New York 2) Go to storage (a.k.a Nelson's parents' basement) 3) Sell 4) Donate 5) Bin.  A natural and important part of this otherwise tedious process was to discover random crap that demand you to have a play with.  :-)

This mask made me the belle of the ball
at one of my work Christmas parties.

Old lecture notes - neat writing and drawing
does not usually translate to high marks unfortunately.

A souvenir from my BFF
in 1999 - a premonition that was
17 years in the making?

Selling our excess pre-loved goodies on eBay turned out to be an interesting experience.  Especially with Nelson working in online retail - it is exhausting but quite addictive too for some reason!  We went more and more elaborate with each item we were selling - with more photos and details and sometimes the full-on marketing pitch.  Sometimes even using props to help with our sales.  And no one could say I was not 100% dedicated when it comes to answering potential buyer's questions at any hour.

Minion shop assistant
comes to the rescue and help
sell an empty computer case.
(Honestly - is anyone still using
desktops these days?)

I do a post office run almost every day - like
a true eBay entrepreneur. 

Tracking can get so tricky when you are selling multiple
things everyday.

One man's meat is another
man's poison indeed.

Bringing your unwanted stuff to donation bins and waste management centers can be painful (both physically and emotionally) but liberating at the same time.  I donated quite a few pre-loved stuff toys - it is like saying goodbye to my childhood (I know I am a bit old for that).  Note:  make sure you don't watch Toy Story 3 prior to conducting these activities.

Having a convertible is awesome during occasions
such as when you have to load up the car
with bags and bags of stuff to throw away.

It was a once in a lifetime experience
 going to a drive-in dumping ground,
where old house appliances such as TVs
and fridges go to die. 

An OCD's true nightmare.

It is also super important to stock up on Vegemite
before we leave.

Days were getting closer and closer to our departure.  With our 'Done' piles on the Scrum Wall getting bigger and 'In Progress' list getting shorter (and nothing under the Back Log - I sure am a Scrum Master with an iron fist muahahaha), packed boxes also start congregating everywhere in our apartment.

No post-it notes were harmed in the
making of this international move.

The removalists are here!  It had finally hit me that we were really leaving our lovely home and friends and moving to somewhere a long way away not knowing anyone there.  It was exciting but also made me feel quite nervous.

Saying goodbye to Sydney on a fine sunny day,
while having one last cup of fine Australian coffee :-)

Fast forward to 4 months later, New York.  The moment of truth!  Will they fit or won't they?  I was so excited to see those familiar-looking boxes (but have no idea what were in them anymore)

Oh brother I have been waiting for you.

OMG 1 - stuff EVERYWHERE.  printer on the sofa,
snorkelling gear, and what's in that box you ask?
Yes - that is Nelson's prized super soaker.
Why?  Why?  Why?!

OMG 2 - more stuff (and the brothers were still
unpacking more boxes).  By now I was stuck in
our tiny kitchen - I couldn't even move my way
to the bathroom.

OMG 3 - I can't even. Oh dear.

After close to 10 hours' of going through everything and climbing up and down our mini step ladder non-stop, I am pleased to announce that we have managed to fit in every single item into the limited storage space we have.  The flip side is that there isn't much space left so I need to be careful with any future shopping of clothes or shoes (and now wouldn't that be a massive challenge living in New York City).

What the closet lacks in width it makes up
in height.

Some things were tacky if you live in Australia
but pretty funny if you don't.

We used to have a laundry.  Now
we have a cabinet. The point though is
that everything fits.

Who would have thought our teeny
weeny kitchen would have been
able to house so much cookware?

Ah my pots and pans how I have missed you guys.

Finally, our little pieces of Manly have made it to Manhattan and doesn't that feels good.

Before:  Nick Hollo's oil pastel of the Fairy Bower Pool always reminds me of a nice summer day, walking to Shelly Beach in the morning light.  Yoshi the gold fish and the sea urchin shells Nelson collected during his dives was a 'feature' in our Manly bathroom.

After:  The painting still reminds me of a nice summer day in Manly, especially in the middle of New York winter!  Good news is that Yoshi and the sea urchins have moved out of the bathroom and into the sitting room now.

 A little piece of Manly in Manhattan.

Before: Another of Nick Hollo's oil pastel painting of the view from the 3rd Cemetery in North Head.  I loved its colorful representation of your typical Australian flora.  What used to reside on the kitchen wall was my proud acrylic painting of Luna Park in Kirribilli.  At the time, in my haste of trying to avoid painting a portrait I totally forgot that it was a massive face I had to paint at the end.  

After:  Mona Luna hides behind our photos and the camel couple Sam and Ada.

Before:  I bought these two prints in Moss Vale (in Southern Highlands, NSW) when Nelson did his first ever Gong ride with Eric (Sydney to Wollongong - when he caught the cycling bug).

After: Their new home on the bedroom wall.

The morning sun can be lovely on a cold winter morning.

Lastly, the happy reunion of Don Don, Grumpy, and Monkey Nine.  (Nine, who is a gift from my parents, now sits on the dresser)

It is nice to be home!  Now I can concentrate on being a New Yorker - and I pray to god that I don't have to move house again for a long time!

The Day After Tomorrow

Attempting walking like a supermodel in
the knee deep snow.

Snow storm Jonas (a.k.a the Snowzilla) had come and gone - and sounds like NYC had survived the blizzard without any major dramas.  I considered ourselves fortunate - that the first snow storm we have ever experienced was a record-breaking one.

Having grown up in the sub tropics and spent half my life living in Sydney, where bush fire is more the concern because it can get so hot and dry, I was anticipating my first snow storm (actually it only snowed once for 2 hours since we moved to New York) with even a bit of excitement, and I truly didn't know what to expect anyway.  What will it be like?  What will it look like?  How will I feel?

Ignorance is Bliss

The Friday before Jonas came to town, while normal people were buying snow shovels and stocking up on food, clearing out shelves in the shops, I was getting ready to visit New Jersey for the first time in my life to attend a dinner party, oblivious to what a blizzard really means.  Until I started getting concerned messages from family and friends overseas and interstate, and an email from Brooklyn Music School (that was the final straw), I quickly ran to the supermarket and bought some tinned soups (Clam Chowder in both Manhattan and New England styles... yum.  Only the best will do) and some bottled water.

As kids these days would
say: 'S**t just got real'

Tony Soprano Eat Your Heart Out

Nine years on since the series finished, I still have the intro of The Sopranos very clearly imprinted on my brain: Tony Soprano driving through the NJ turnpike and into Jersey - with New York City, Statue of Liberty, the factories, houses, and bushes swooshing by in the background.  This is the kind of road trip I imagined going into Jersey for the first time.

But first I had to go to the Port Authority Bus Terminal on the corner of 8th Ave and 42nd street.  And it was like a massive maze inside the building.

Escalators and stairs and signs everywhere.

You then line up with everyone else to buy a ticket.
Different tickets for different bus companies.
So intuitive.. not.

Really?  Find your 'gate'? I thought
I only had to do this at the airport.

Hmmm... okay this really is a 'gate'.  It is soooo
weird waiting for a bus in an underground
greenhouse (in the dark too).  Am I really catching a bus? 

Public Service Announcement:  Yes!  I am on a bus!
New Jersey here I come!

After about half an hour on the bus (no NJ turnpike like Mr. Soprano - we took the Lincoln Tunnel), I got off at Port Imperial in Weehawken.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weehawken,_New_Jersey

Looking at mid-town Manhattan
across the Hudson River.

I made it to my friend Vanesa's apartment and we settled into a late afternoon tea waiting for our boys to join us for dinner when they finished work.  The snow storm forecast started coming in with a possible travel ban, and the guys (such worry pants - where is your party spirit?) were a bit concerned about us getting stuck in New Jersey without being able to go home until the storm passed.  (Okay I get their concern about having to play hosts to Nelson and I for more than 24 hours hahaha)  So there and then we made a group decision to cancel dinner and I was to hop on the Sopranos bus again to go back to New York.

The Whiteout

Snow started falling at around 10pm on Friday night and I couldn't help but got really excited.  In Chinese there is a saying that describes how a girl would look 3 times prettier if she has fair skin (direct translation is: 1 x white-ness covers up 3 x ugliness).  I can't say I agree with this theory but it is so true when it is about the snow.  The white layer makes everything so much more beautiful.  You can't see the garbage bags waiting to be collected.  You can't see the occasional dog poo.  You can't see rusty fire stairs.  You can't see batted up cars.  You just see this amazing white world.  New York to Narnia in 60 minutes.  

Just like a thin layer of icing sugar.

6am on Saturday morning.

12pm Saturday.
The beautiful little snow mountain was caused by a large
pile of garbage bags underneath.
And do not mistake the thing sticking out for
someone's snow shovel.  It is a vacuum cleaner.

Winter Wonderland

Nelson and I decided to go check out 'the outside world' on Saturday afternoon.  It was AMAZING.  So much snow!  (Record was 26.8 inches at Central Park)  A travel ban was put on NYC for Saturday so there was no cars on the streets.  It was surreal to be in the middle of Manhattan and hearing no traffic noise.  Most of the shops were closed, including trusted Starbucks and McDonalds.  It was almost like this was not New York City but some country town in the mountains.  Everyone was out (and looking happy) and walking in the middle of the roads.  People were building snowmen, having snowball fights (so much harder than I thought - I couldn't even make a snowball).  And kids sledding on container lids and boogie boards.  It was truly a winter wonderland (and what I was really hoping for Christmas 2015).

Walking down our street

All the stairs covered in snow

Walking up 5th Ave like you
just don't care

Skiing in Union Square - why not!

Let it go ~ let it go ~
something something and then,
'the cold never bothered me anyway'

Perfect comfort food when its blizzard type of crazy outside

We even had entertainment ready, in case
the power goes out.  

The Day After Tomorrow

If I didn't feel the pain of the snow storm during the blizzard, I definitely felt it after it stopped.  You can tell where the snow plow trucks have been,  as there is a layer of dirt on the snow, making it look like yesterday's jam.  What was worse than the dirty snow was the slushies.  It was dark in color which made the slush puddles look like surface of the road.  So you stepped in and suddenly your whole foot was inside icy cold slush.  I did it twice on Monday and another time on Tuesday.  Although I was pleasantly surprised my cheap boots from Sydney seemed to be waterproof and my foot didn't get wet.  The streets were slippery and crossing intersections became difficult because of all the push-aside snow everywhere.  

Snow plowing in action!

Not only you had to watch out for the slushies,
snow/ice falling from fire stairs can also hurt your head if
you get hit.  I was constantly having to look both upwards
and downwards.  Not easy.

I was walking in Flatiron area the other day and noticed that the snow had almost completely melted.  And it looked somewhat depressing, with the snow all crumbled and mixed with mud and dirt.  It was like I never noticed the ugly side of New York until I saw how beautiful it was covered in pristine, powdery white, and lots of it.

I think I am ready for the next snowfall!

Graffiti covered mailbox with dirty snow.
Give me back my winter wonderland please.