Cousins Girl Day!

Today I took my younger cousin Jenna out for a girl day! Jenna just finished her freshman year of college and this was our first time to hang out in the city without her parents! (I guess they trust me!)

Here’s the perfect girls day guide, especially if you are under 21:

Brunch at Maman
Maman is a cute restaurant/bakery/cafe for brunch and pastries, I love the ambiance at the restaurant - it is cute, yet classy, but still casual at the same time. We shared a ratatouille hash, some pastries and both got iced elderberry matcha lattes!

Kayaking on the Hudson at Pier 96
The Manhattan Community Boathouse at Pier 96, located at 55th Street & West Side Highway offers free kayaking throughout the summer. You can book a timeslot in advanced or just walk up, which is what we did. When you get there, you sign a waiver, get a life vest, paddle, wait until it is your turn and you are good to go for 30 minutes. This was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend!

Intrepid Museum
Next we decided to visit the Intrepid Museum as it was just down the block from kayaking. The Intrepid is a Sea, Air, & Space Museum on an actual aircraft carrier, featuring a lot of historical war and space exhibits. It is a bit pricy to visit, but definitely worth checking if you are into war history and want to be aboard a battle ship!

$1 Pizza
Jenna had never had $1 pizza, so we had to stop for some authentic pizza at 2 Bros before she headed home!

I love spending time with my family, can’t wait for the next cousins girls day!





Grab and Run Assault

Today, I am sad to say I was harassed in broad daylight. Don’t worry, I am fine!

Earlier this afternoon around 1:15 PM, I went to the local park in my neighborhood to get some fresh air. During my stroll, I stopped on the side of the main pathway to check my phone. As I was on my phone, a random rude man came up from behind (out of nowhere) and grabbed my butt! 😡

I called the guy out and he responding blaming me, as I was “in his way” as he was casually walking away as if nothing happened. I quickly screamed back, “YOU GRABBED MY BUTT, THAT’S NOT OK!” I know at least 1 guy heard me, hope more did as well.

This is how empty the park was. This mirrors side of the park I was on, I left shortly after the incident.

The pathway was very wide and EMPTY, there was no reason or way I was in his way.

After everything that happened yesterday with the overruling of the Rowe v Wade decision, I was more inclined to say something when this happened. I hope that people do not feel entitled to infringe on more women’s rights and think this is ok.

THIS IS NOT OK!

Don’t be afraid to speak up! Be alert & safe everyone!

COVID Negative

Negative COVID Test

Negative COVID Test!

After 8 long days, I have finally tested NEGATIVE ➖ for COVID!

I had been testing every day since I tested positive to see how long it would take. Apparently my dad caught COVID around the same time, not from me but a Pickleball Tournament, however COVID cleared his system a few days before me!

I tested this morning around 12 PM and tested positive, the “sample” line was very faint and did not appear until closer to the 15 minute mark, where I thought I was negative for a second.

Morning Positive Test vs Evening Negative Test

I decided to rest up a bit, get some more vitamins and electrolytes and test again. At 6 PM, I tested again and was pleasantly surprised to test NEGATIVE!!! I did it on a whim, since I have so many at home tests, who knew a few hours would actually make a difference!

COVID Positive

Looks like COVID finally caught me, but I did make it pretty long without catching it.

All the at home COVID tests I took since I tested positive

So I’m sure you guys are all wondering what happened - how and when did I catch, when did I test positive and what symptoms do I have?

Here’s the answers to it all.

Who caught it? Me
What did I catch: COVID 19 - BA.2 Omicron Variant, also known as the stealth Omicron subvariant - this variant is much more contagious than its predecessors, but the symptoms are not worse.
When did I test positive? I tested positive on Sunday, June 5, and had tested negative the day before
Where did I catch it? I am not 100% sure, but can confirm it was related to going to work/happy hour last Wednesday or the Corporate Challenge in Central Park (which was entirely outdoors). Everyone I was with and spoke to did not test positive for COVID, so it is unclear.
Why? I think I had a weakened immune system from a lack of sleep from a jam packed week in Atlanta for work/fun followed by 2 late nights of work events leading into the weekend when I tested positive.
How? The COVID germs found me!

While I was not asymptomatic, my symptoms were somewhat mild. Here’s a rundown:

All the positive tests

  • Fatigue leading into the week of potential exposure

    • May 24-May 29 - Trip to Atlanta with jam packed days & late nights,

      • Woke up feeling tired (more than usual), the days leading up to the positive test, despite getting normal sleep

  • Potential Exposure:

    • June 1 - Work and happy hours with coworkers

    • June 2- Corporate Challenge at Central Park

  • Tested Positive:

    • June 5 - decided to take a COVID test from a mobile testing center since I had a scratchy throat and was losing my voice

  • Symptoms:

    • June 5 (Day 1 ➕) : Woke up more tired than usual, fatigued, scratchy throat, starting to lose voice, feeling warm (99.4F in the morning to 100.9 F by 6 PM)

    • June 6 (Day 2 ➕): Woke up more tired than usual, throat is on fire, it is in a constant burning and I can barely speak, essentially lost voice, fever (100.9F the highest), very fatigued

    • June 7 (Day 3 ➕): Woke up very tired, throat is no longer on fire, but scratchy, but voice is cracking in the morning but basically back normal by the evening, super tired/fatigued, but much better in the afternoon, slightly elevated temperature. Boss made me take the day off, felt a big difference from 9 AM to 9 PM

    • June 8 (Day 4 ➕): Head a bit cloudy, but more functional than earlier in the week, dull constant headache and fatigue as the day goes on, temperature is back to normal

    • June 9 (Day 5 ➕): Basically back to normal, a small cough here and there & tired voice from talking in meetings, dull headache as the day went on, somewhat strong by 930 PM

    • June 10 (Day 6 ➕): Basically back to normal, a cough here and there to clear my throat

    • June 11 (Day 7 ➕): Feeling good & back to normal, did get hungry and felt a bit light headed from not eating before lunch, usually I can last through lunch. Also got tired walking up the stairs, but was wearing a mask which impacted my oxygen intake

    • June 11 (Day 7 ➕/➖): Feeling good, tested positive in the morning with a faint line and NEGATIVE by 6 PM!!!! I am now COVID FREE!

To help remedy the virus, I hydrated with plenty of electrolytes (Pedialyte & Gatorade), Vitamin C & D and an attempt at getting some more sleep. Despite knowing I was still testing positive, my boss had some placed some expectations on me to get some data analysis done, which I think caused headaches and delayed my recovery, but made sure to rest up on the weekend!

Corporate Challenge 2022

Tonight night was the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge! This is the first big company wide event since COVID. The Corporate Challenge is an annual 5K that I have participated in every year since I joined American Express, and am happy they brought back this tradition!

On the way there, I met up with my former Finance teammate Jonathan and a group of other finance friends I have not seen in a while. Sadly, due to my sprained foot, my foot hurt after starting to run for a few minutes and ended up walking most of the race, with a few spurs of run and jogging here and there.

When we got back to the AMEX tent for food and drinks after the race, I bumped into my old TLS teammates and caught up with them as well as our Risk partner from Kabbage.

I love all of my colleagues and am so happy to have been able to catch up with all my old & new AMEX colleagues!

First Product Launch!

FIRST PRODUCT LAUNCH

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FIRST PRODUCT LAUNCH 〰️

Today my first ever product launch went LIVE!!! This launch included:

  • a company first

  • one of the quickest launches done by AMEX /Kabbage standards (Phase 1 was completed on April 5, just 1 month from ideation to implementation)

  • enabling us to give increased funding to business owners to meet their needs

If you asked me a few years ago if I thought I’d be leading a product launch or even being a product manager, this would not have even been on my radar, but I absolutely LOVE my job. It just goes to show, don’t be afraid to deviate from your plan and take a chance on something new - you may end up finding something even better than you would’ve expected!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have lead this initiative and to be part of such an amazing team! Thank you to everyone helped make this happen!

First time Exploring Atlanta

Lunch at Ladybird Atlanta

First Photo in Atlanta at Ladybird

This past week I was in Atlanta for work, luckily I had the opportunity to fly in a day early to explore all Atlanta had to offer AND have some yummy southern food!

On Sunday, I landed around noon, got to the hotel and immediately hit the ground running in search of some southern food for my first official Georgian meal!

Shrimp & Grits at Ladybird

I found myself at Ladybird, which is a cute outdoor spot for food and drinks. At Ladybrid, I had some true southern Shrimp & Grits and Fried Okra, which was DELICOUS!!!

After a late lunch, I headed to Ponce City Market, where I met up with a former AMEX co-worker and explored Ponce City Market, explored the Atlanta Beltline and then e-scootered to Piedmont Park and then got some yummy food at Bettlecat, where my current coworker and new boss met up with us!

  • Ponce City Market is cool hangout spot with some shops and a large food court. I tried some doughnuts from Five Daughters Doughnuts, which were like cronuts, but with so many more flavors!

  • Atlanta Beltline is similar to the NYC highline, it is a 22 mile pedestrian rail park that will take you throughout the city

  • Piedmont Park is one of Atlanta’s most famous parks and often has events happening and vendors selling food and products

  • Beetlecat - was a cute spot we went to for dinner, they had really great seafood!

  • Lingering Shade - outdoor patio on the Beltline for cocktails and appetizers

The office, located in Midtown Atlanta, was the quintessential startup office, with free food, coffee and BEER on tap, as well as tons of free snacks and CHAMPAGNE in the fridge, but the best part was all of the DOGS in the office! As much as I love NY, the Atlanta office hands down beats the NY office!

Some other fun spots the team and I ended up at were:

  • Two Urban Licks - this was a great spot with live music and a cute cocktail bar inside and the outdoor space is right on the beltline, not to mention they had delicious food!

  • South City Kitchen - this spot was recommended to my team and I by a coworker, the food was good, however the fried chicken did not live up to our expectations, however the FRIED GREEN TOMATOES were delicious (and this is coming from a girl who was very skeptical about even ordering them)!

I did not know what to expect coming to Atlanta for the first time, honestly I had very low expectations - and let me say - Atlanta, you blew my expectations OUT OF THE WATER!

I had an amazing time and cannot wait to come back again!

Sprained Foot

CONFIRMED: SPRAINED FOOT

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CONFIRMED: SPRAINED FOOT 〰️

DIAGNOSIS: Sprained Foot

Today I went to the podiatrist, who confirmed after 6 x-rays, I have a sprained foot with:

  • strained ligament

  • tendonitis

  • bruised bone

Fun fact: I learned that I have some “accessory bones” and some were fractured and bruised

TREATMENT: Stay off my foot

I was told to stay off my foot for at least 2 weeks and return for another assessment. I asked the doctor if I could walk home (10 blocks and 1 avenue) and was given a thumbs down.

I am basically on lockdown for 2 weeks, but worse because I cannot even go out for a walk or anything.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? Fighting Bad Guys

At this point you’re probably wondering how did this happen? Ironically, I injured myself in a self defense class during one of the drills learning to beat up bad guys.

Visitors and food are welcome, wish me luck!

Happy Pi Day

For those of you wo do not know, π Day is TODAY!

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14, in honor of the mathematic constant π, which is the ratio used to represent a circle’s circumference to its diameter. π is an irrational number beginning with 3.14, which is why it is celebrated on March 14.

This year I celebrated Pi Day with a visit to Little Pie Company in Hell’s Kitchen. My favorite classic pie to get is the Sour Cream Apple Walnut Pie!

Check out my adventure to the Little Pie Company here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CbHO2q-g-uP/

Speed Mentoring with New York Edge

As many of you may or may not know, I am very involved with the non-profit New York Edge, in fact I am on the Young Professionals Council (YPC) and am a co-founder of the council. New York Edge is the largest provider of free after school programming for students K-12 in NYC.

volunteering New York Edge Eileen Tublin Kevin McCarthy Elizabeth Tam

Today we hosted our first volunteer event since the pandemic began. The event was a virtual speed mentoring program with MS355Q in Jamaica, Queens (unfortunately, due to school restrictions, we are not allowed into the schools). We did 3 rounds of cluster mentoring with the 8th graders of MS 355Q.

It was interesting to hear what the students were thinking when it came to careers and the entire HS process. They all had a diverse interest in careers and high schools. If you know me, you know how much I value learning and education - in fact my platform as Miss New York was “empowering youth through education, by providing them with the tools necessary to succeed in life.“ It was through third platform that I actually initially heard about New York Edge and became involved.

Speed Mentoring New York Edge volunteering

Group Shot!

For those of you who are not from NYC, the NYC public high school process is like applying to colleges. There are so many high schools, general high schools, those that specialize in different subjects and magnet and specialized high schools that you need to take an exam to get into. I feel like most people do not fully understand the how rigorous the process is, so I am always happy to speak about it as I can relate and the experiences my friends and I had at the various schools.

Thank you to all of the volunteers, staff and everyone who helped coordinate this event! Hopefully we will be able to do more and bigger events soon… and in person!

If you are interested in getting involved with this event or getting involved with New York Edge, do not hesitate to reach out. I have been involved with New York Edge since 2013 and love the work that they do to provide free after school programming to students across NYC!

My Belongings Have Returned!

I finally received my belongings from my ex in Minnesota! It only took Daniel 7 months… and he had to commandeer his mom for help. Thank goodness for her, she is such a great human being!

I got most of my stuff back - still a few items missing, but at least I got my coats! However, my Coach purse was nowhere to be found.

Not sure if this was on purpose done by him or the person he’s dating, but he sent back the sloth stuff animal (Sloth Skaggs) I gave him for our first Valentine’s Day… now I have the burden of figuring out what to do with him.

It is also unclear the person he is seeing coordinated for it to come back around/on Valentine’s Day - she’s done some shady things that even our mutual friends picked up on that Daniel refused to see…

I am just happy to say this saga of getting my stuff back is OVER!

Career Day at UAGateway

Career Day at United Assembly Gateway

Career Day at UAGateway

Today was career day at United Assembly Gateway School of Technology (UAG). I was invited to speak on a panel to a class of 9th graders. As a native New Yorker, I especially love speaking to students from NYC. I am a product NYC public schools and want the students know all of the opportunities that are available to them right at their fingertips! Coming from NYC, I think sometimes we take it for granted, but there truly is no place like NYC and encouraged them to take advantage of everything NY has to offer! Hopefully I was able to provide them with some guidance and helpful information as they start to think about colleges and potential careers.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Match - Big and Little

Me & my Little Eleena!

While I loved speaking to the 9th grade students, the most exciting part of the day was I finally meeting my Big Brothers Big Sisters little Eleena!!!

I have been volunteering with BBBS for 3.5 years, it will be 4 years at the end of this school year. My little Eleena and I were matched last year, but we were never able to meet due to the pandemic. However, when we were invited to speak at career day at UAG, I knew I had to go! It was so great to finally meet her after 1.5 years of virtual meetings! I know I get excited pretty easily, but we were both equally super excited to finally meet each other!

When I finally made my way there, Eleena came to meet me at the elevator and took me around the floor - she even took me to the Principal’s office… eek! 😲 As the COVID-19 restrictions begin to lighten up, I hope we get to see each other in person more and that the other matches who haven’t met yet get to do so!

Thank you UAG and BBBS for a wonderful day!

Chinese New Year Traditions

Happy Lunar New Year!

This year is the year of the TIGER! 🐯

Happy Year of the Tiger!

Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in the Chinese culture, so I thought I would share some of the Chinese New Year traditions!

Chinese Zodiac 🐅

There are 12 Chinese zodiac signs: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

The tiger represents courage and bravery, therefor this year could be a year of resiliency and bravery.

People born in the year of the tiger are brave, competitive, unpredictable, and confident. They are also quick-witted, resourceful and well liked, however can sometimes be stubborn as well.

Traditional Greetings

Chinese New Year Sweets

Some of the most popular Chinese New Year traditional greetings are:

  • 新年快乐 - Happy New Year!

  • 恭喜发财 - Wishing you happiness and prosperity!

  • 身体健康 - Wising you good health!

Red Envelopes 🧧

Chinese New Year Red Envelope

One tradition during Chinese New Year is to give out red envelopes. Traditionally children wish their parents and grandparents well wishes (see above) and in return they receive red envelopes with “lucky” money for the new year.

The envelopes should contain new, crisp bills and not be in a denomination of an unlucky number, such as 4, which sounds like the word for death in Chinese.

Traditional Lucky Food

Similar to many holidays, there are traditional foods that are eaten to bring you luck, happiness and prosperity into the new year.

Chinese New Year Dinner

Chinese New Year Dinner

Here are a few of the dishes and what they represent:

  • Fish 🐟 - Abundance

  • Shrimp 🦐 - Laughter

  • Noodles 🍜 - Longevity

  • A whole soy sauce chicken (head and feet) 🐓 - Togetherness

  • Lettuce 🥬 - Wealth

  • Prosperity Cakes (fa gao) 🥠 - steamed rice flour cakes

  • Oranges & Tangerines 🍊- wealth, success & good luck

It is also a tradition to have an excess of food and to have the leftovers the next day, this is to represent that you are bountiful and not going hungry into the new year. My family and I try to have 8 dishes since 8 is a lucky number in the Chinese culture.

These are just a few of the many traditions for Chinese New Year!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Lunar New Year with your loved ones!

恭喜发财!

The Lion King on Broadway

I can’t believe it, I WON lottery tickets to see THE LION KING!!!

I have wanted to see The Lion King - The Musical on Broadway for YEARS, and was ecstatic when I found out I won tickets for the 5th row center! What are the chances?

Lion King the Musical on Broadway

The show did not disappoint, it was hands down the BEST Broadway play I have seen. I would definitely recommend going if you get a the chance!

You can enter to win Broadway lottery tickets to see the Lion King here: https://lottery.broadwaydirect.com/show/the-lion-king/

The lottery opens from 9 AM to 3 PM the night prior to the show, at 3 PM they draw the winner and you have 1 hour to claim and pay for your tickets.

Good Luck and please support the Broadway community!

Happy 2022!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉

I am excited for 2022 and what the new year will bring! I hope everyone has an amazing 2022!

Fun Fact: These are the actual numbers displayed with the NYE ball in Times Square!

My New Year Resolutions this year are:

  • Reconnect & keep in better touch with friends and acquaintances

  • Take risks - keep an open mind when it comes to trying new things

  • No Regrets - don’t hold back!

  • Be true to myself

What are your resolutions for 2022?

As Macklemore said in his new song, which is also going to be my anthem for 2022,

“Next year’s gonna be better than last year!”

2021 was a tough year, but rather than viewing all the tragedy & hardships as problems, let’s look for the silver linings & turn them into opportunities! ✨ Where there are endings there are new beginnings!

Cheers to 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣! 🥂

2021 Recap

Happy New Year’s Eve Everyone!

With the NYE Ball in Times Square

I hope all of you are able to (safely) ring in the new year with friends, family and loved ones!

Check out my 2021 Recap here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYMFXjUhlIv/

2021 was definitely a rough year for many, including myself from:

However, 2021 also ended with a lot of positives I am grateful for:

  • New Job & Promotion 📝

  • New & Strengthened Relationships 🔗

  • New Perspectives 👀

  • Personal Growth 💪

2021 was a year different than any other. We are resilient - all of the tragedies, hardships and unexpected events only make us stronger. Let us take this and rather than viewing them as problems look for the silver linings & turn them into opportunities! ✨

For 2022, I want to bid good riddance to toxic people and negativity!

What are you bidding good riddance to in 2022?

I am excited for 2022 and what the new year will bring! I hope everyone has an amazing 2022! 🥂
Happy New Year! 🎉

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!! 🎄

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday! I know many of you were unable to go home and see your families and loved ones due to Omicron and hope you were able to spend some virtual time with friends and family.

This year I was fortunate enough to see some of my relatives on my dad’s side who I had not seen since Christmas of 2019 (after taking 4 tests, 2 rapid tests & 2 PCR tests). It was really nice to catch up with with my cousins and great Aunt & Uncle after so long!

My great aunt pulled out all the stops and made an authentic Chinese style lunch & a delicious dinner!

My Christmas wish and is hope for everyone to be able to be with their loved ones in 2022!

This is 33

First and foremost, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone for the warm wishes, gifts and birthday love! You really know how to make a girl feel special and I am so grateful for all of you!

Last night I went out to celebrate my birthday with some friends at Cathédrale in the East Village. The venue is GORGEOUS, I loved the high ceilings and ambiance! I can see why Heidi Klum had her infamous Halloween party here! I was pleasantly surprised by how the delicious food and desserts at Cathédrale were!

I was fortunate to have friends from many different parts of my life come - middle school to college debate to internships to my first and current job, even a friend from SF that happened to be in NY for the weekend.

After Cathédrale, we planned to go to Alphabet Bar, but it was closed before we even finished dinner, so we went to the Wren AND Pianos. We had such a good time, we actually ended up closing down both bars for the night! I have not done that or been out that late since pre-COVID or even in a few YEARS to be honest.

The COVID rates are starting to increase again, so I am happy I was able to get in one last hurrah and a first since the pandemic started in 2019 before it begins to get bad again.

Here’s to 33!

It's my Birthday!

Today is my BIRTHDAY!!!

I woke up today very excited & happy to celebrate my birthday and for what the year will bring! This past year was a bit of a rough year between the pandemic to my breakup, but it has only made me stronger and know this year will be my year!

Mother Nature decided to share in the excitement with amazing warm weather and sunshine today! ☀️ Here’s hoping for many more days like today! ❤️

I definitely had the “treat yo self” mindset today and treated myself to some dim sum for lunch from Tim Ho Wan, sesame balls from Dim Sum Palace & bubble tea from Ho Ho Te! I also splurged an got myself a nice ring from Local Eclectic! My ex’s super sweet mom also sent me a birthday/holiday gift from Aveda, which was a pleasant surprise I received today!

Tonight my friends and I will be having dinner at Cathedrale, a cute restaurant in the East Village. I can’t wait to celebrate tonight with my friends, especially those who I have not seen since pre-covid!