ahh, this is the (work) life

mario batali's del posto

3rd of july. ahhh, this is the life. not quite the 4th of july holiday yet but here i am enjoying a nice al fresco breakfast at the fave neighborhood fabiane's cafe—reaping the benefits of a pre-holiday holiday from the office. my cup of tea could've been sweeter though if the token raise i got yesterday was instead a little bit more substantial (but i i guess its true that i just got that promotional raise 6 months ago so i can't be all that greedy, really). but how can you beat this scene: me typing away nice and chill over breakfast while the rest of the world rushes to work (actually there's really not a lot of them but for consolation let's pretend there's tons of them).

temple bar

the past 2 weeks at work have been great. was completing some TV projects so i was in and out of production and post-production houses. it was good learning hands-on the different processes involved in making a commercial happen—the shooting, editing, color correcting, recording, audio mixing, and even wardrobe picking (although that was the least interesting for me). though it proved to be bit hectic sometimes, there were real treats mixed in. the lunch at mario batali's del posto (the best-cooked salmon i have ever had), all the free lunches (mostly sushi, mmm yummy uni), the wine and cheese, martinis at temple bar, and the best treat of all, a 10-minute back rub at one of the editing houses (wow, now that was an unexpected treat).

thursday night karaoke with officemates

aside from all the free treats, a big advantage of being sent out to production is meeting all the other people in the industry (note to self though: try to remember people's names and faces a little bit better so you dont get embarrassed again like those 2-3 oh ya we've met before moments). also, a huge plus is being able to spend more time with some agency bosses (although this time, it was mostly me and the producer sent out to call the shots). its great knowing a little bit more of everyone (though the stories were a bit on the unfortunate side with people's relatives dealing with cancer, or the possibility of it). i must admit i work with some good people in the agency (definitely nice enough to counterbalance a measly raise and good enough to go 2.5hr karaoke-ing with on a thursday night).

hard at work (booking my peru flight, shhhh!)

i could get use to this i work to live attitude. im pretty much good to go as long as i'm able to eat, sleep, and drink. and ok, travel and see the world a bit too. and get to use my new SLR lens in the process (another note to self: don't spend a raise before knowing for sure how much it's going to be). speaking of travel, all my flights, hotels, and tours are all booked now. so lima, cuzco, and machu picchu it is for end of august. i even start my spanish lessons tonight at nyu to get myself ready for at least getting my food orders in spanish right this time. but for now, the city calls me.

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jalen bowling

spent the past weekend in delaware for jalen's 7th birthday bowling party. my bowling sucked but at least i broke a 100. and i did manage to teach my nephews how to ride their bikes without trainers (well, at least one of them). and i managed to re-establish myself as the let's have a farting contest uncle (not one of my proudest claims to fame obviously). enough! i need to go for a run or a swim now. all that weekend birthday cake is making me feel sluggish.