That’s Stella

When I moved to New York last year, I wrote a top five list of musicians I wanted to see whilst I was here (because the chances of catching them in Perth are often limited or if that, you’re forced to see them at festivals like the Big Day Out, where you don’t really get to fully experience/appreciate).

Here’s my list:
1. Lou Reed
2. Broken Social Scene
3. Explosions in the Sky
4. Sufjan Stevens
5. Radiohead

So far I have crossed from the list Lou Reed, Explosions in the Sky (who I’ve seen twice now) and Radiohead (one of the best experiences in my life). I was super excited to hear Sufjan Stevens was playing four shows in the next 2 months. Considering how much I want to see him, I can’t believe I went online 4 hours after tickets went on sale, only to find they were sold out. SOLD OUT. I kid you not!! I was devastated. DEVASTATED. I also recently missed out on tickets for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Phoenix. I’m kinda confident I can score YYY and Phoenix tickets from scalpers, but Sufjan promoters have made it impossible for people to sell tickets. Firstly there was only a 2 ticket limit per person and everyone has to go to the venue to pick up their tickets on the night of the show. Super bummed I won’t be crossing that one off the list.

1. After work activity

I actually managed to finish work early on Friday (5pm) which is a huge accomplishment because I am usually out of the office by 7pm. When I was on my way home, I decided to stop off at one of my favorite cafes and had apple cider and a red velvet cup cake, plonked myself down in the corner of the cafe, read Elle and peopled watched on Bleecker Street. Awesome.

2. Walk the long way home

It takes me 8 minutes to walk to work. After work I’ve started walking the long way home, through my favorite beautiful streets in the West Village lined with brownstones and theatres and little cafes and looking out for any action happening in the Village. It is so relaxing.

3. Cooking

I would say 90% of Manhattan folk eat out every night or get delivery. Here’s why. People finish work late. Manhattenites have a big social life after work and that includes eating out with friends. Because there are SO many options for food. Because their kitchen is tiny, or they don’t have a kitchen. I shit you not. But it costs money eating out every night. And it’s not always good for you. So with a bit of inspiration from my dad (who was a chef) and the food pornographer, I have had SO much fun making yummy meals! I cooked mushroom and marscapone ravioli last night, vegetable fried rice the other night and this evening I made this old family recipe my dad taught me - a beef stew. As I was letting it simmer, I took the garbage downstairs and passed my neighbor who didn’t know I was cooking and said to his girlfriend “Wow, that smells so good”. I was giggling inside. hehe… My house mates LOVE it.

4. Reading

A couple months ago I didn’t have a TV and started reading novels for the first time since highschool! Haha. Bad I know. Anyway, now I am hooked and have to restrain myself from buying books. Instead I’ve signed up at the local library (which by the way use to be this beautiful church and has a turret!). Latest books I’ve loved are A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (I cancelled a date to read the book - that good!), A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke (hilarious) and right now I’m reading Water for Elephants.

5. Dating

Some girls at work were doing research on markets and came across this statistic… 60% of women are married by the age of 25 years. I can’t remember if it was 60% or 70% but either way, the statistic is depressing. It’s not that I want to be married at my age, but I am 24 and no where near walking down the aisle. We were all talking about it, and apparantly this should exclude New York women, because the statistic would be more like 90% of women in New York are NOT married by the age of 30 years. There are 30+ year old Account Directors and Supervisors at my agency who are smart and stunningly beautiful and don’t have boyfriends and have been single for years. WTF!!!! I probably didn’t mention, but things are completely over with LA man so I am now officially on the market and have started getting to know someone…. but that is a whole new blog post.

I was tagged by Teddy. Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot.

Little Miss Pissy Pants
Milchfrömmler
One Dog Said to the Other
TEdALOG Lite
That’s Stella

Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to…
And I choose…

ShyGirlAndrea
Passive Agressive Steak
Lobotomy Rips
Supertorio
Andge’s Journal

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ooo… I was 11 years old so I was going through a pre-teen identity crisis, singing to Shampoo and Black Hole Sun. It was the Beverly Hills and Sea Quest DSV years so I was pining over Jonathan Brandis and Jason Priestly. And probably wearing overalls and tencel jeans. Eww…

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Chicken salad
2. Oranges
3. Toast with melted bocconcini
4. Carrot sticks
5. Reeces Pieces

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. Eternal Flame – The Bangles
2. Connection - Elastica
3. Breath – Kylie Minogue
4. 6 Underground – Sneaker Pimps
5. Maps – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Buy properties around the world – starting off with New York, then Perth and LA
2. Be a philanthropist – give away millions of dollars to the needy and charity
3. Set up my family for life
4. Pay Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman to make me a lead in one of their feature films
5. Fund Larry David projects

Five bad habits:
1. Spending too much on clothes – having expensive taste
2. Taking too long to get ready – showering and deciding what to wear, etc…
3. Biting my nails
4. Openly mocking stupid Public Relations girls and my Asian relatives
5. Being too competitive

Five things you like doing:
1. Day dreaming
2. Exploring flea markets around the world
3. Eating cookie dough ice cream and saving the cookie dough pieces till last
4. Chasing ducks
5. Neatly packing my suitcase before a big trip overseas

Five things you would never wear or buy again:
1. Tencel “denim” – so wrong…
2. Wedge shoes and platforms
3. Chinoto – you know, the drink? Grouse man
4. a PC – once you go Mac, you never go back
5. a backpack – unless I went backpacking and highly unlikely

1. Returning home to New York
As soon as I landed in NY, I went straight to my friends, Rob & Tiongs apartment in the East Village. I could direct the cab driver exactly where to go. Everything looked the same. After a year away from home nothing had changed and I still remembered exactly where my favourite Chinese restaurant in Chinatown was, my favourite store in Soho and the correct subway exits to take. How awesome to return to the West Village to live and have one of my best friends from Perth live with me for a month.

2.Meeting new friends
Bonding with my New York Jewish men - Katzy & Bornstein.
Meeting uber talented stylish net friend – Miss. Tiff
Joining a new group of 20+ friends later in the year
Meeting my best uni girl friend – Miss. Andrea

3.Winning Best Ad Campaign Pitcher
Kicking boys asses and working hard and being rewarded with my first job in an advertising agency. My competitiveness and strategic thinking and constant stressing paid off.

4.Hide & Seek in Times Square
During New York fashion week, my colleagues and friends and I were invited to a few fashion shows as part of work. We started off the night playing a game of hide and seek in Times Square, running around and losing each other in the sea of lights. Following the game, we attended the fashion shows but missed out on the front row goodie bags with Dior glasses, etc…

5.Date with Doves
I scored free tickets, backstage and VIP passes for the Doves gig in Perth from their cousins. My date and I had a VIP viewing section to watch their show, and at the end of the night the band manager yelled at Metropolis Security who wouldn’t let us backstage. After the show we drank beer with the lads till the wee hours of the morning talking about how Velvet Underground was the best band on earth.

1.Leaving New York
It killed me to leave New York. I spent my last day with my NY fling Bornstein, having a waffle breakfast and strolling along the East Village river together. On the way to JFK, I sobbed uncontrollably, listening to the Garden State soundtrack as I left Manhattan, and constantly turned around to see the city skyscrapers disappear.

2.Saying goodbye to friends
Having to say goodbye to Katzy and Bornstein – men I had seen every day during my time back in New York.
Saying goodbye to my best uni boy friend as he left to go home to Scotland.
Farewelling work colleagues I had grown to love in NY.

3.Sick in London
Spending my days in London sick. Not going to the Tate and being able to enjoy the city as much as I wanted to. Being a drag… to myself!

4.Realising real friends
Letting go of people who were dragging my super group of friends down.

5.Sacrificing a night out with The Hives
One of the best and worst moments. I sacrificed a huge night out with The Hives (free tickets and a boozy night with the Swedish band) when I realised that my advertising career was more important than rock and roll. I had grown up.

According to my iPod Play Count reading…
In order is my top 20 most played songs in 2005…

1. Caring is Creepy - The Shins
2. Coming In From The Cold - The Delgados
3. Uncle Pat - Ash
4. The Only Living Boy in New York - Simon & Garfunkel
5. Don’t Panic - Coldplay
6. Blue Eyes - Cary Brothers
7. Untitled - Interpol
8. Since I Left You - The Avalanches
9. Two Hearts In 3/4 Time - The Avalanches
10. Y Control - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
11. In The Waiting Line - Zero 7
12. Punky’s Dilemma - Simon & Garfunkel
13. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
14. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) - The Arcade Fire
15. Sea Songs - Doves
16. Neighborhood #2 (Laika) - The Arcade Fire
17. Let Go - Frou Frou
18. Sometimes - Ash
19. Your Hand In Mine - Explosions In The Sky
20. Molly’s Chambers - Kings Of Leon