Clothing Line

MODERN EGO

Looking for something classy and fabulous? 
Well, Modern Ego clothing line has a lot of clothes, accessories, shoes and bags!

Check out their collection at: http://www.modernego.com/?r=1598

They have various colors, sizes and patterns!

You live in an international country (Outside America)???? NO PROBLEMO!

Modern Ego is located in the United States but we ship out to international countries as well. You can use your credit or debit card (the one that you use in your country) and checkout with PayPal. You do not have to worry about currency conversion via PayPal :) we have prompt shipping services. 

To get 10% of your purchase, use the link:                       

http://www.modernego.com/?r=1598

If you have any questions, email me at: modernegonjrep@yahoo.com

Follow this page on instagram : modernegonj 

Fun things to do in NYC this spring/summer

I am sure you have read such posts several times. What to do in NYC in spring and summer with list and links to concerts and blah blah...

But here is what I have been doing and really enjoyed doing in NYC when its warm and sunny-

1) West Village: 

This place is gorgeous to walk around. There are a lot of restaurants on the Greenwich St that have outdoor seating. I went here with a friend, so we sat outside with a glass of mimosa followed by a glass of wine and salad.

Then we walked on the Perry St. by the brownstone houses and grabbed a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery. Delish!

2) Central Park:

There is not much you can do here. I went to central park with a friend and we talked and walked. So put on your running shoes and walk around this amazing park. Even though I have been here several times, I always end up discovering new routes here. As you know, this place is huge! You never know what you discover here (a new side of the lake, manhattan skyline, statues, parks etc)




3) Museums:

Couple of weekends ago, I went to American Museum of Natural History. This place is huge! You can easily spend your entire afternoon here. I went here with a friend but you know...it would have probably been best if I went here alone.






4) SoHo:

I went here shopping. Not in the main fashion street, but if you enter small streets from the main street, there are a lot of small boutiques with great vintage collection. I grabbed a box of cupcakes from Baked by Melissa and walked through these cute little boutiques. Got some great statement necklaces which are my absolute favorite right now.


5) Grand Central bars: 

As soon as you get out of grand central, there are small bars on Madison Ave. I went here with a college friend I hadn't met in very long. Corona and chicken burger on a late afternoon was a perfect way to spend my evening.

So here are some ways to spend your afternoons or weekends in NYC. These are some more realistic and experienced tips for NYC.

Hope you enjoy :)

Things To Do When You Live Alone

People think, if you are alone, then you are lonely. Is that true?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Its sometimes so peaceful and relaxing to be all by yourself. There are a bunch of things you can do when you are alone and there are so many advantages to that!
Now this doesn't mean you have to cut yourself out from all your friends. But once in a while, you can try this and you might feel so good about yourself.

Things you can do alone:

1) Go alone for a walk on the street- Listen to music, walk around, get lost on the streets or go for a run.

2) Take a book/magazine and sit in a cafe- Enjoy reading while you sip your latte. I would sit somewhere outdoor or by the glass windows.

3) Art- Go to a museum or some art store alone. See yourself talking to yourself (in your mind) as you walk through those amazing art work.

4) Shop- Shopping alone is the best thing a person can do. You don't have to worry what your shopping buddy has to say about that dress or tie. You can buy what YOU like or what YOU want.

5) Join a club - Google some local clubs or groups in your area. Do what you really enjoy. Yoga, painting, book club or trekking.

Advantages:

1) Discover yourself

2) You are more self aware

3) You know what you really want, like or need

4) Its nice to just be yourself and do things for yourself 

5) Analyze your goals

6) Possibly meet new people

Check list for House Hunting

Although I love my current house, I wish I had done more research about the area and the facilities it has to offer. As soon as I accepted the job offer, I had less than a week to get a house. I went on Craigslist and listed down few houses in the same area to have a look at. And the next thing I know, I was signing papers for my new house. But after a few weeks, I realized that my area has nothing much to offer. Living alone in the city is not fun all the time! So I came up with a list of things that I am going to look into when I am looking for a house next time.

So here is the list of things I would like near my house-



1) Convenience Stores: And I mean good stores. Although I have a ton of these stores in my area, I figured it's an important thing to have close to your house. You know, those quick runs for things on odd hours. Ofcourse having Walmart, Walgreens or Wegmens is a plus.




2) Gym/Yoga class: I don't have any of these close in my area. I like to be fit and active even after work. But I don't want to catch an additional subway or bus to get my ass in shape!







3) Restaurants: By restaurants I don't mean Chinese take-out. I am sick of that and its not even authentic Chinese! I need good food after a tiring day. Oh, good and healthy food of course :) Bonus for home delivery :P

4) Crowd: Don't forget the crowd! You got to know what kinda crowd you want to live in. You learn a lot from the crowd they say. You don't want to live in a retirement area when your 20-something, do you? The crowd in your area can set your mood and can turn a bad day around. I have noticed that good crowd makes me happy and it inspires me.

5) Night/Day: Make sure you visit and check your area in the day and night. Because I realized that locations look a lot different in the day and night. This is not only to see how safe your area is during night time but also how happening your area is in the day.

 6) Parks: Well I can't expect to have a park in NYC around the corner. And I definitely don't want to take a sub or a cab all the way to Central Park if I want to stroll around for that peace in mind. Its definitely a plus to have a park. Its not only refreshing but its good to get out of the house on a gorgeous day.





7) Transportation: Always make sure you have public transportation close to your house especially if you don't have a car. The closest subway/train from my house is 1.1 mile from my house. Trust me, its not fun to walk 1.1 mile at 8am…already tired and sweaty.!




8) Pharmacy: You got to have this walking distance from your house. Period.



9) Laundry: No everyone doesn't have their personal washer and dryer. Sometimes, the whole building shares a couple of those in the basement. But what if you don't have any of those either? Make sure you have these very very close to your house! It is very important when you realize you got nothing to wear and you need to do laundry ASAP.





10) Loud locations: After moving in, I realized I have a fire department right behind my house (no I did not know about it until I moved in and I did not realize there is a fire somewhere in my area every half an hour LOL) Stay away from airports, fire departments, hospitals etc. Its annoying, trust me!

So here is the checklist for must haves for housing locations. Hope this is helpful for your housing hunting process after college. This is best for 20-something gals and guys.


If I missed something, comment and let me know your ideas :)

Studio Houses

As we all know, living in Manhattan is expensive. Typically, you get a very small house for lots of $$$$. After graduation, I knew I wanted to work in New York City. After I accepted a job offer, I bought a small studio house with the help of a broker.

My studio house is rectangular and it was unfurnished. I instantly fell in love with it because:
1) It was on 7th floor (View from my window)
2) It was small and cozy (Very homely)
3) Lots of closet space (A girl definitely needs that!)
4) My bathtub had a jacuzzi! (Yes, the best thing on cold evenings)

I tried to draw the layout of my apartment to give a better understanding of my house. Its not up to scale but close...

So to furnish my apartment, I made a trip to the closest IKEA. I didn't want to crowd up my small space so I bought just the essentials. Also, I made sure all of the things below were the same color and pattern. I went for dark shades or color because the color of my wood flooring was very light. (Check image below)
1) Couch
2) Dresser
3) Bed
4) Divider (We'll talk more about this)
5) Night stand/table

Out of these, my best purchase was the Divider. 

What does my Divider do? 

It gives the illusion or feeling of a bedroom for your bed. It separates my bed from the kitchen, door and the bathroom. Its not as big as my queen size bed but it works perfectly. Its like a small corner space for the "bedroom". 

The divider I purchased from IKEA is square shaped with lots of shelves. Perfect to keep things in if your night table falls too small for you. My night stand definitely doesn't hold all my mess. I also keep my night lamp in one of this shelves. 

The image alongside is the image of the divider. (sorry about the mess hahaha)  The bed is on the other side. I fixed cabinets and drawers for the shelves because it creates more space to keep things orderly. You can also get the cubical baskets to put in there and it fits perfectly. I keep photo frames in there as well. 

So here is how I set up my small studio apartment. Its perfect and it doesn't feel "studio-ish" anymore! 

Hope you like it :) 

Start of something new

It all began after my 10^th grade. One summer afternoon, I read a newspaper article about students going abroad (America) to complete their high school education.

American shows were very popular in all parts of the world even then. I grew up watching those TV series and Hollywood chick flicks. Always fascinated by the culture and lifestyle of the American life…I wondered if I could have it. I want to study in America too and experience that culture, I decided.

The next step was to convince my parents for it. 16, young and naïve to be sent so far they thought. I knew they wouldn’t take me seriously. After a lot of promises, tears and persuading, I was told I could go after completing my high school.  Mind you, the high school education system in my country was very different than American school system. They let me take my SAT test and IELTS (entrance exams for international students) during my 12^th grade.

I applied to 5 American Universities. I came home one evening and my mom handed me a USPS package. I knew exactly what it was. They say, you know you are accepted or not by the size of the packet. Mine was BIG! I tore the packet anxious to know whether I got in or no. And there it was. A letter starting with ‘CONGRATULATIONS!’ and I did not feel the need to read further. That was my first university acceptance letter. My parents were so excited for me because I was accepted in a New York university with a scholarship!

That summer, I was busy getting my visa and college papers in order. I spent the entire day with my family and evenings with my friends. It was a great but busy summer. It was time to leave my land and start this new journey of my life. I was too excited to miss anything or anyone at home. I think I was well trained for what was coming from my cousins in London and ofcourse, the Internet.

My parents accompanied me till my university and helped me set up my dorm. I was glad they stayed with me during the initial period because I knew no one there. After my orientation, my parents came to pick me up from campus for dinner. I saw my dads surprised face when I introduced him to all the friends I had made during orientation. (I wasn’t exactly the extrovert type those days LOL). And the day came when they had to leave. I knew they were scared leaving me alone in a new country all by myself. I was the first kid from my family to study in America. No, I did not have ANY relatives in this country. Scary? Yes, but I convinced myself I was strong enough to handle. Before leaving, my parents gave me the responsibility and safety talk. They sat in the cab and I saw them leave for the airport.

And I stood there outside, alone, anxious, a little scared and lonely. And then I smiled to myself thinking; I was going to live my dream.

Then there I was, 4 years later, watching my parents, this time along with my sister sit in the cab and leave for the airport. I stood there outside, alone, anxious a little scared and lonely holding the navy blue folder, my college degree. I looked down at it and smiled to myself thinking, yet again, I was going to live my dream… The new dream I had for myself while I plant my foot in the real world. And I knew it was the start of something new.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

Introduction

Honestly speaking, I am Ms. Clueless here.

I am 21. International student who graduated from a college in NY in May 2013. Works a "perfect" job in Midtown Manhattan and its been only 3 months into it. Currently living in New York with lots of hopes, aspirations and goals set for myself.


Ordinary girl with an ordinary life with extra ordinary dreams. However, I believe in myself and will survive in this world no matter what. I like to think I am a positive person, judgmental sometimes and confused all the time.

I decided to start blogging because I have been journaling since I was 16. So…I am sure this is the next best step for me. I have great ideas and lots of questions that have no answers. I will be sharing my thoughts and experiences as a 21 year old girl who has just stepped into the real world. So lets see how it goes :)

Everything happens for a reason.