Cool

I am so bored right now, it's not even funny. So while I wait for an appropriate time to go to bed (I just had the largest meal known to mankind at Serendipity) I am doing pointless stuff like this... Word.

AMAZING FATE!
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, MP3 player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write that song name down no matter how silly it makes you look.
4. Title this email what the answer to your last question is.
5. Take luck and have fun!


IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Brand New Orange

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Fall Line

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Save Me

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Hanging by a Moment

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Why Not? (OK...so maybe I have some Hillary Duff in my i pod)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Extraordinary Girl (oh...how presh)


WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Over the Rainbow

WHAT DO YOU OFTEN THINK ABOUT?
Silhouettes

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Save the Last Dance for me (I can't say I am actually interested in anyone at the moment, but I could see myself thinking this)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
She's a Rebel (ha... that's totally the opposite of what I aspire to be)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Wonderful (WICKED!)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Kiss the Girl (hahaha... how cheesy! I could have Kaitlyn perform her tapping seaweed dance to top it off!)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
New Girl in Town

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Flying High

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
This place is deserted

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Your Song

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO NAME THIS EMAIL [BLOG]?
Cool (only not really :) )

The tag... and I SO have better things to do than this...

The Five Tag

5 years ago: (2003) I was getting ready to leave home and move to Utah to start BYU.


5 Months Ago: (January) I was freezing to death by the ridiculously cold Utah winter, working full-time at Del Sol, freaking out about my internship placement and preparing for Dancesport.

5 Things on my to do list:

1. Apply for more jobs
2. Mani/Pedi- I do them myself because I absolutely refuse to pay for something I can do myself.
3. Figure out my life
4. Find an apartment in NYC
5. Iron my white shirt

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Kettle Corn
2. Apples w/ natural peanut butter
3. Ovaltine
4. Tortilla chips and pico de gallo
5. Bruschetta

5 Things I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
1. TRAVEL. EVERYWHERE.
2. Buy myself a house
3. Buy mamma a house
4. Help people in Costa Rica who would surely appreciate it
5. Donate to the Multicultural Scholarship fund at BYU (they did pay for my ENTIRE education)

5 of my BAD habits:
1. Cracking my back/neck/wrists
2. Not drinking enough water
3. Diet Coke
4. Wasting time
5. Slouching in my office chair

5 Places I have lived:
1. San Jose, Costa Rica
2. Ft. Lauderdale, FL
3. Provo, Utah
4. Kauai, Hawaii
5. New York, NY

5 Jobs I have had:
1. Account Executive (intern)
2. Product Development assistant
3. Cougarwear Sales clerk
4. Del Sol Intern/ JIM
5. Maui Wowi Smoothie artiste

5 things people don't know about me:
1. I hate it when I can hear people chew their food or swallow their drinks. GROSS.
2. I almost drowned once.
3. I have been rescued out of my house by the fire department. (I was like 4 or 5--and the river overflowed).
4. I have really sensitive teeth
5. I actually LIKE staying in sometimes.


TAGGED!
1. Betsy Denney
2. Rachel Law
3. Brooke Eddington
4. Britt Stafford
5. Kyra Herbst

Running through Times Square like a crazy person...

Monday night I got to go see a senior dance recital at Juilliard. It was so cool! But…even for someone who likes dance as much as I do, it was a little much. There were probably about 15 students in the show case; all of them did a solo. A lot of the pieces were choreographed by the students themselves, but some were pieces originally done by Jose Limon, Twyla Tharp and Merce Cunningham. I liked those the best. Some of the ones choreographed by the students were REALLY weird. Anyway, long story short: the recital was awesome, free, but a little much.

Tuesday was insane. Well, after work I was supposed to go to the Gershwin Theater again to try and enter the Wicked lottery. I love that show and want to keep entering the lottery because it only takes like 20 minutes out of my day, and if I win, then I only have to pay $26 for my ticket. Anyway, of course as I am on my way out of the office, I get a project that had to be done right away, so I had to stay later. Finally, at 4:40PM, I left the office and ran all the way to Grand Central (in the rain), hopped on the S train, ran through the Times Square Station to get to the 1 Train… Well, of course the train leaves right as I leave the platform… If I had made it onto the train, I would have been at the Wicked lottery on time.

Well, with all hopes lost of getting there on time, I decided to go to the TKTS booth to see what tickets they had available for other shows. Of course, as soon as I make it to 42nd St. and Broadway, it starts to rain, and of course, my umbrella breaks! So I start running through Times Square like a crazy person in order to find a place (anywhere) that had umbrellas. Usually there are 80 billion umbrella vendors on Times Square and I couldn’t find a single one… I ended up running all the way to 47th, which is where the tickets booth is and then I found an umbrella. So I ran 5 blocks in the rain just to get an umbrella. Typical…

Anyway, my night lightened up when I got tickets for Phantom of the Opera for that same night. After picking up the tickets, I went to Junior’s because I heard that they had really good cheesecake. I got a really good sandwich and of course, was too full to get a cheesecake. It was fun to just sit there and people watch while I ate my dinner and warmed up (don’t forget about running in the rain). After that, I headed to the Majestic Theater to see Phantom. My friend, Jeff went with me and it was a really good show. I loved everything about it except for Raoul’s voice.

Week 3 in New York City

Here is the thing... I HAVE a lot to say. I am naturally a very detail oriented person, so I am dying to write every single detail in this blog. I mean, people who know me should know that by now, and this week is certainly no exception. But... I also know some people are LAZY and don't read my blog posts and only look at the pictures. Well, you know what? Here are some pictures with short summaries, for your enjoyment :) However, if you would like more specific details, give me a call or drop me a line and specify what you would like me to expand on.


Student Rush seats are a blessing:) We got to see Legally Blonde for only $26.50. I absolutely loved it! All you doubters need to go see it! Laura Bell Bundy who plays Elle Woods is fabulous!




After the show, we headed over to Canal Street where they sell fake designer bags, sunglasses, perfume, turtles, you name it... An experience to remember for sure! I got three bags and some Tiffany's jewelry.



The long awaited dinner with Danny! We lost contact with her for a few years and were finaly able to meet up. We went to see What Happens in Vegas and then went to a really good Cuban restaurant near Union Square. Danny is the girl in the pink, sitting on my right.




Our waiter, Nick, treated us to a song by Queen. We went to the Starlight Diner where aspiring Broadway actors work. They all have amazing voices and take turns entertaining the customers. The diner is on the corner of Broadway and 51st Street.



WICKED!!! A dream come true! I was still in disbelief that Rachel's name was drawn for the Wicked lottery. We got front row seats for $26.25! The cast was amazing, and the show was everything I thought it would be! I want to see it again!



I took some pictures during the show with my phone. This isn't one of them because I forgot to bring the cord to upload pictures from my phone, but it is pretty close to one of the ones I actually took. That is not Julie Reiber as Elphie either. I am actually not sure who that is... But That's Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda.




With Kendra Kassebaum who plays Glinda, the Good witch. She is hilarious. She has a great voice and has been on Broadway for a while.




David Burnham sings like an angel... Really. And he was so NICE. He did an amazing job playing Fiyero.





ELPHIE!!! Well, her real name is Julie Reiber. This was her first night on the Broadway stage and she was fantastic. In fact, I want to find out when she will be on again, because I would rather see it when she is in the cast. She is currently an Elphaba standby, but knowing me... I would probably like her better than the current Elphaba. Julie was super nice.




We saw Mamma Mia for only $21.50. We got standing room tickets, which means you stand up the ENTIRE time. I didn't love this one as much, but it was still a fun show. The cast was amazing, and we had fun dancing along at the end when they sing Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia.

Andy Kelso (Sky) and Carrey Anderson (Sophie) in Mamma Mia!

As a tradition, we always wait for the cast to sign our Playbills, and since it was so cold outside we were invited to wait inside the theater. The security guard let us go on the stage and take pictures with the set and stuff! It was so cool! We got to see the dressing rooms and hear the story of the ghost light! I can now say I've been on a Broadway stage!



Another picture I did not take. This is the set for Little Mermaid. We got student rush tickets for $26.50. The sets and costumes were amazing. It was a cute show and it was fun to see it with kids because they were SO excited.




Central Park is absolutely beautiful on sunny days. We went there yesterday for a ward activity and ran into this Hip Hop crew performing at the fountain. After the ward activity, we walked through these trails in the park, and ended up on Central Park West and 81st Street where we met up with the rest of the BYU interns. Our advisor, Chris Cutri, planned a trip to the Museum of Natural History for us. BYU paid!



Do you recognize this from Night at the Museum (with Ben Stiller).... This is what we like to call the "Dum Dum" because in the movie, he keeps saying "hey dum dum, give me some gum gum." In the name of cheesiness... I am holding a pack of gum:)




With Randi, Hailey and Monica at the African Mammals Exhibit. Those are elephants in the back, in case you can't see them.

The dinosaur from Night at the Museum...

After the museum, we headed over to Little Italy for some delicious dinner and Gelato. We also saw the place where Heath Ledger died (sad) and then I went to see Prince Caspian with a friend who goes to BYU Idaho.

Rodriguito

Eat your hearts out, people... Meet my ADORABLE nephew!

Serendipity

So.. Serendipity (the movie with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale) is easily in my Top 5 Favorite movies list. Last Friday, I got to go to the cafe where they shot some of the scenes. Serendipity is famous for great ice cream desserts and sandwiches. I had seen a TV Show on the Travel channel about it and knew I HAD to get the frozen hot chocolate... it was SO good. Here are some pics:

The movie!

Here we are! After a VERY long walk, we finally made it!

Rachel, Sharlene and me with our Serendipity menus!

This, my dears, is what a frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity looks like.

This is the Golden Oppulence Sundae. It costs $1000 and you have to order it 48 hours in advance. It is served on a gold plate, with a gold spoon and a really fancy crystal goblet. It has EDIBLE gold sheets in it, really expensive vanilla ice cream (which is topped with these really rare vanilla beans), really fancy chocolate fudge and caramelized fruit, a gold flower (that you can also eat) and topped with passion fruit caviar. Talk about indulgences...

New York City... Center of the Universe

Well, I have finally arrived! New York is great so far… The trip here was exhausting. Thankfully, Eric let me sit by the window, so I was able to get some sleep, but it was not good sleep… It was the miserable kind when you know you are not sleeping well. Then, when we got to the JFK airport, we had to try and gather our shuttle group, which was kind of hard because there were some people in it who I had never met before, so I didn’t really know who I was looking for. Then two people tried to get into our pre-reserved shuttle… which made things chaotic because the luggage didn’t fit… Anyway, those two people ended up having to take a cab. It’s their fault, really. I am pretty sure I sent them all e-mails to see if they wanted to share a shuttle…

Anyway, we finally got to the International House after some heavy traffic. Then we had to wait FOREVER until one person checked us in one by one. After getting checked in, and getting my International House ID, I headed over to my room, which is small, but not any smaller than my room at The Promenade.

International House is interesting. First of all, it is a mixed residency hall (not to be confused with dorms). There are both men and women on the same floor, which is already different than how BYU housing is arranged. Secondly, I live on the 8th floor, which means I have to wait for about 20 years before I can get in the elevator. I House is way uptown, almost near Harlem. It looks cool from the outside, but it is pretty old. It’s not bad though. The 1 train is only two blocks away, and it is a safe neighborhood.

The first day there, we did a group scavenger hunt through NYC. We saw things like our work places, Broadway theaters, Times Square, Grand Central Station, Chrysler Building and the New York Church of Scientology (really…but alas, Tom Cruise was not there).

The next day was the first day at work. I have to take two trains to get there. I work on the 12th floor at the Young and Rubicam offices. I am working with their Hispanic advertising team. It is called the Bravo Group. It is fun so far, but I haven’t been given any real assignments yet, and I am hoping that will change really soon here.

So far, I’ve been through Central Park, the Museum of Modern Art, Serendipity 3 (remember the movie with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale?), and Hairspray. At the Museum of Modern Art I got to see a real life Monet--- The water lilies… I didn’t even know that’s what I would see! I also saw pieces by Mark Rohtko, Jason Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Cezanne, Rousseau, Renoir, Kandinsky, Seurat, and VAN GOGH!!! (I saw the original Starry Night!!!). That was great and all, but nothing compared to when I saw original pieces by Andy Warhol (The Wall of Campbell’s Soup cans) and Roy Lichtenstein. I was so excited, I almost cried. No really, it was kind of pathetic actually.

Andy Warhol's REAL masterpiece

So far, my favorite activity was going to see HAIRSPRAY! We got our tickets an hour before the show and got second row seats... It was so good! Norm from Cheers played Edna Turnblad. After the show, we got to meet the cast. Here are some pics:

Miss Motor Mouth Maybelle herself... I guess this actress is super famous and has been on the Fresh Prince a lot... Shame I still don't know who she is.

I can hear the bells... Well, don't you hear them chime? Yes, ladies. That is Link Larkin himself (But in real life his name is Constantine and he is Greek).

Tracy Turnblad!!! Well, her real name is Marissa, but she is not the same Marissa who is on Dancing With the Stars, who was, in fact, the original Tracy Turnblad.

Her mom says she's not allowed to prespire, and int he movie, her mom condems her to a diet of saltine crackers and Tang... Can you guess who?

The BYU girls I hang out with often... Left to right: Rebecca Erekson, Rachel Harrison, Irasema Romero, me, Sharlene Mataalii

Little Inez Stubbs

Real New York hot dogs at Gray's Papaya. They do have really good papaya juice!

Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village is under construction, so this is the best shot we could get.

My camera has been out of batteries, but I just got more, so I will put more pics up soon...

More later!