sweet and simple days

"i really learned a lot
how to dust off my heart
how to make it shine
how to take a field of dandelions
and make dandelion wine"

"such sweet and simple days
though bitter tasted the wine
we drank it anyway
for love had made it fine
when the world was young
when the road was bright
and the morning poured
its golden light
like dandelion wine "

- ron sexsmith, "dandelion wine" -

i am in love with this season. more sun, more daylight, more time to spend outside. though it isn't officially summer yet, i've been listening to compilations of songs from the summer of '04 and it always brings a smile to my face.

sunset at the park

she's so big now. i can't believe it myself. i get so sad when i'm at work, because i always miss her terribly. i feel bad because sometimes, she would rather go with her lola and i know it's because she spends more time with her. i really want to quit my job so i can be with her. this is the best age so far. she's like a sponge, learning things i wasn't even teaching her, doing things i didn't even know she knew. i don't want to miss it anymore.

the little things

i got flowers from work last week. it was "appreciation day". my boss immediately said it wasn't from her, but whatever. i wasn't even expecting her to get me anything. but even if it's something they had to do, it still felt nice to get them.
it's the little things that make my week brighter.

tokyo tower stamp & mast brothers chocolate

to me, new york always feels like a big amusement park for adults.
so every once in a while i buy myself a little something something.

spring has sprung

i've never seen so many blooming trees in my life. it's really lovely to walk around our neighborhood this time of the year. bd doesn't really like where we live, because the people here can be a bit off at times. specially those east of avenue c. i find some things a bit odd too, like how there's a church in almost every single corner, if not, every 2-3 blocks apart. it's really weird. it's also a bit conservative compared to new york city or jersey city which is only 15 minutes away. i've heard that despite it being so close to the city, some people have not step foot out of this peninsula. but i do like the quietness and the peaceful walk home. it's not the city but also not quiet the suburbs. i also like how i can walk everywhere: grocery store, restaurants, my doctor and my dentist (but still drive anyway).

discovering nooks around the corner.

one thing i love about new york city is you can turn on one corner and be in a whole new world.

this is a thrift shop in soho called housing works. they sell mostly designer stuff and a bit more expensive. as a point of reference, i found a new (w/ tags on it) steven alan messenger bag in there for $75, which normally retails for about $200. they also have housewares. shoes and cute vintage dresses. next door is their used bookstore with a nice cafe inside. everyone that works there is a volunteer because, like the brown elephant, they donate all the monies to end homelessness and AIDS.

also this street is real short, probably the length of this building, but these pictures were all taken in that one block.