oscar sunday.. oh so soon!

Okay I know Oscar Sunday doesn't have exactly the same punch as "Superbowl Sunday", but whatever -- I. am. SO. excited!!! Check out this video of Oscars hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco getting ready - too cute & hilarious.

look & feel

Lunch with friends, gym-time, and cooking have kept me cheerful and sane this week in the midst of all the meetings & emails (I hate the CC button!) & business events! I'm feeling as serene as Grace Kelly looks in these photos. (Which is very lucky indeed. I could be feeling like this. Scarrrry!) Wishing you lots of "Grace Kelly feelings", dear readers!

(Grace Kelly in 1955 via pintrest)

what's in a name?

The organization freak inside of me loves these labeled containers. (They just make things look extra special, don't you think?) WANT.

(via 1, 2, 3)

words of encouragement

In between rushing from one meeting to another this aftenoon, I managed to read bits and pieces of this poetry anthology book during my brief stop at Argo Tea. This poem (below) stood out and felt like a simple, beautiful rush of encouragement:

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I love beautiful women,
I also love working women;
But I love beautiful, working women --
More.

-- Translated from Turkish by Murat Nemet-Nejat.

Alright, off to bed -- another meeting at 9am tomorrow! Here's to beauty sleep! :)

(photos via jak & jil)

gimme gimme

Oh Asos, stop tempting me with your cute coats! (I have too many as is! Although I don't have a yellow coat.... or a cape yet. Hmmm.) Ack, now I've got fashion on the brain!

Welllll, okay so it's not entirely Asos's fault. Today, I went to a New York Fashion Week fashion show (for Rad Hourani), spent a few hours with the ladies who run Rent the Runway, and then spent about 30 minutes chatting with a new friend Kyra at Kate Spade in Soho. Besides the work & meetings in between, t'was a very stylish day! Yep, definitely lotsa fashion on the brain indeed.

PS: Went to a standup comedy show tonight, and the comedian pointed out my dress! He said I looked like a "deck of cards".... hoping that's a good thing :)

(1, 2, 3, 4 via Asos)

my talented friend

Remember my friend Liz, who I said is one of my closest girlfriends as well as a talented trader (to-be J.P. Morgan trader, precisely)? Well, now you know I'm not exaggerating! Liz just earned the title of best U.S. student trader, having won the New York Stock Exchange's Traders Trophy final, beating 30 fellow students from the top colleges in the country.

She'll be heading to the World final in Amsterdam this May. I'm so excited & swelling with pride (& I hope I'm not embarrassing you by writing this eeks!). I love you, and you are such a rockstar. (And a role model! Sales & Trading is an almost completely male-dominated occupation, did you know?) xoxo

Read more about Liz & the Trader's Trophy here. (Photos via Spiegel)

happy valentines day xoxo

Happy Valentines day, my sweets!

As a single (and minglin') lady, I will be with my girlfriends at Fat Cat tonight, playing pool and listening to jazz. Obviously, a part of me feels a little bit like this, but celebrating love is so lovely... I can't wait to call all of my friends & eat lots of heart-shaped lollipops! Wishing you joy & optimism and a wonderful V-day!

(design by katie evans)

otto

Otto is one of many amazing restaurants in New York City, but it's one restaurant that is dear to my heart. Like many of Mario Batali's other restaurants, it receives a bunch of buzz & boasts a roster of celebrity clientele, which is undoubtedly fabulous. But Otto is also the very first "nice" restaurant I've ever dined at as a New Yorker, about 4 years ago.

So it was super special to have dinner there tonight with some friends from my NYU Stern cohort, the same people I sat and ate with back when we were wee freshmen. (Sidenote: Yes Earl, I AM blogging about this lovely experience!) The food was as delicious as I remembered. Mmm, thin crust pizza...

Our table was a beautiful sight.

If you ever plan on making a visit to Otto, I'd especially recommend trying their famous gelato, which they make in-house. (My favorites are hazelnut, salty peanut, and lemon.)

park here, nyc

Boy, is it chilly and windy today in NYC! I spent the majority of the day in Aroma Espresso Bar in Soho, prepping a few juniors on their internship interviews. Afterward, I stopped by Openhouse Gallery's indoor pop-up park in Nolita. I'd never been, even though it's only 2 blocks from my apartment...

It was so nice! I had such a great time chilling and reading my book in the warm, inviting park atmosphere. (They were even playing birds chirping audio clips from the speakers!) Sadly, the park is only here until February 13th, but I will definitely be back. It's quite a special place in wintry downtown New York. :)

(photos via openhouse gallery)

tote-tally rad

These Bonjour mon Coussin totes would make such fun shopping/gym bags. Aren't they just made for traveling? Love. (That first one is especially swoon-worthy.)

Stamps, tickets, and a map of Paris. Sounds good to me!

Come to mama.

(via greedy girl)

happy chinese new year!

Yesterday was Chinese New Year, and it was such a phenomenal day! I woke up and immediately walked over to Chinatown to watch the beginnings of the annual Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival. It was so fun to capture Chinatown's anticipation for the festivities; the street vendors were busy setting up their wares, and we made smalltalk (in Mandarin) about the new year and all of its blessings...

Highlights of the day: Following the dragons from the festival and getting a picture taken with one (!!!), delicious food all day long (Chinese pastries, shumai, etc.), heading over to Brooklyn to shop at Beacon's Closet with my friend Neetu, and then later, throwing a potluck dinner party for all my friends! (I made a mean chicken stirfry that I'm quite proud of.)

Update: More festive photos, this time from the Lunar New Year Parade on Sunday, 2/6!

Happy Year of the Rabbit, my friends!
Here's to a year of blessings and love. xoxo

cat attack!

Sitting in the NYU business school's lobby, looking through my favorite pictures from pinterest. Seriously, I could spend hours on this website, admiring all the beautiful photos! You can check out some of my photo boards here, but for now, I leave you with this orange kitty (quite literally)! :)

I'm having a potluck dinner on Thursday...

maybe I'll try to make some orange kitties for my guests? ;)

PS: I wore a cat hat this weekend! 

(1st photo via pinterest; 2nd by Georgina's iphone)