Today was actually one of the mildest days we have had weather-wise since we’ve been back from the Southern Hemisphere, so we decided to take a long stroll from our apartment in the Upper East Side all the way down to Hakata Tonton for Japanese hot pot in the West Village. Apparently, this place has been around for seven years now, and I just never had any idea it existed. Now that Chris has found it and we have eaten there, we are both in love with it. Everything there was tasty, from the sashimi to the hot pot (made from collagen) to even the strawberry ice cream and individually wrapped mochi we had for dessert at the end.

The hot pot tonight reminded me of my own hot pot set, which I gave away when I moved into this apartment due to a lack of space. I used the set about three times at my Elmhurst apartment, and each time, I only used homemade chicken stock and had a vast assortment of meats and vegetables to serve it with. I remember one of my favorite condiments with hot pot – homemade XO sauce, and how well it flavors everything it seems to touch. Looks like it is time to make my own soon.

Hot pot also reminded me of how drab hot pot was at our house growing up because my aunt always insisted on having the plainest meats and broths possible, so Ed and I always preferred having hot pot outside, even though we knew the broths weren’t homemade. Ed never got to have my homemade hot pot, and he’ll never have the XO sauce I plan on making. But Bart will sit at the table with us the next time we have hot pot so we can remember him.

I worked from home today since I didn’t want to deal with slipping and sliding over all the piles of snow and ice that had accumulated overnight, and it’s probably better that I did because all I could hear on NY1 was everyone on the Upper East Side complaining that De Blasio is screwing over our neighborhood by sending all the plowers to Brooklyn and Queens. As he said, we should be focused on all five boroughs as New York City, not just Manhattan. I took a quick walk outside today, and there was way more snow on the roads than I thought there would be.

Though there was more snow on the roads than I’d thought, that is relative to what I am used to having lived in this neighborhood for almost two years now. When I lived in Queens, there would be streets after streets in Elmhurst that would go un-plowed for days. My roommate once took a photo of herself digging herself out of the snow that had accumulated around the Grand Ave subway entrance, preventing her from easily walking out. She had to literally dig and climb her way out! People on the Upper East Side need to stop complaining because they don’t even know the definition of “ignored” or “untended to” until they have lived in my old neighborhood. Poor Queens. When you have always had privilege, I suppose you think you are just entitled to it no matter what the situation and take it for granted.

Today, we are expected to get somewhere between 8-12 inches of snow here in New York. Every time I looked out the window today, it was snow, snow, and snow… and plenty of wind. I made it to work but left a bit early to deal with the slow walk to and from the train, not to mention the train delays and chaotic traffic all over Manhattan streets. All I could hear walking through the snow were cars honking at each other, and all I could see were people jaywalking between vehicles in the middle of intersections and slipping and sliding everywhere.

I also had two different people bail on me for dinner plans this week, one for snow reasons, and the other for who-knows-what. Another thing about living in New York – you have to deal with the fact that people in general can be flaky, especially when the weather gets really bad. Sometimes, it’s justified (as in, bailing when you know there may be up to 12 inches of snow the night you planned to eat dinner out), and other times, when your friend is cancelling on dinner two days in advance without giving any reason at all, you know it’s because you got passed up for what they perceived to be a better time.

I guess this is a good way to tell whether your friend really wants to see you or not. It’s also a good time to re-evaluate why you are friends with this person at all.

Sometimes, I get exasperated at the costs of living in Manhattan. I realize (and am repeatedly reminded) that by global standards, New York City is not that expensive, but given that I have only lived in the U.S., this is a pretty damn expensive place to be. I’ve learned two annoying things in the last two days:

1. I’ve decided to start scrapbooking again, and Michael’s crafts store has always been my favorite crafts store. When I did a search to find their coupons on their website, I find out that the weekly coupon is 20% off in Manhattan, whereas in Queens, where I used to live, it is 40%. Apparently, I can’t save as much money if I live in Manhattan.

2. I recently used my Working Advantage employee discount to purchase $7 Regal Entertainment Group movie tickets. When we went to use the passes to get tickets to see Wolf of Wall Street today, there was an additional $2.50 per ticket surcharge – but only in Manhattan. I guess I forgot to read the fine print before I purchased 10 of these. At least I have my AMC passes, which have no surcharge.

These are tiny complaints, but there’s no logical reason why either of these cases have to screw me over just because I am living in Manhattan.

I had a chat with the instructor for one of my gym classes this morning. We were talking about what we’ve been doing since we last saw each other before Christmas. While I soaked up summer and warmth in Australia, she was hard at work for almost the entire month. She owns her own fitness and nutrition company, and apparently December is also a very busy month for that industry. I guess January isn’t the only busy month, with all these people making new year’s resolutions to get in shape and lose weight. I commented how dedicated she was, and she responded, “I love what I do, so it never feels like work.”

I can see how rewarding it would be to help people make goals to ultimately become healthier and more fit. I think it would be a great feeling knowing that you helped change someone’s lifestyle to improve the quality of their life. At the same time, even if the work I did was my one true passion and calling in life, I know I would still have greater enjoy in spending time with Chris, my family, and friends, while eating, drinking, playing games, and doing things that would never in any society be considered “work.” How great it would be if I could get paid to spend time with my loved ones. I guess we can only dream.

One day, when I leave New York City, I will really miss the variety of cuisines you can find here. While there are some scarcities of some cuisines (I can’t find a really good Cambodian restaurant here), for the most part, you can get whatever you want as long as you are willing to travel either within Manhattan or to outer boroughs. Tonight, my best friend and I caught up over xiao long bao (soup dumplings), spicy Sichuanese wontons, stir-fried rice cakes with shredded pork and cabbage, and dry-fried string beans with pickled greens. The best catch-ups are over great food and/or drink.

My first xiao long bao experience was right here in New York for Thanksgiving in 2005. The first time I had a tamale made from fresh masa was in Queens. I’ve had a lot of epicurean “firsts” here in this city. A guy who befriended me at the gym said to me, “Why would you want to leave New York? One of the best things about traveling abroad is that you know when you come back home, somewhere you can find the food you learned about when away!”

That’s true. But sometimes, you need to leave a place to appreciate it more.

Just four days ago, we left a summery Melbourne to return to the dismal biting wind and snow that is wintery New York City. Tomorrow evening, we are anticipating snow fall of about 7-8 inches (17.8-20.3 cm). This isn’t something I am jumping up and down about.

So the first thought that comes to mind when the snow starts piling up is that I have zero desire to go anywhere during these weekends, and all I want to do is hibernate in our cozy apartment – hibernation means watching meaningless things, reading, and of course, researching countless recipes that will bring hot and hearty meals to our table. Right now, I am thinking about lasagna bolognese, turkey chili, jook, tom yum noodle soup, and Thai fried rice.

I also have zero desire to socialize, go to Meetups, or talk to anyone outside of my apartment right now. That probably isn’t the best way to start off the new year, but when it’s cold, it’s hibernation time – at least, for now.

Today, Chris and I spent the morning reflecting on all of our past New Year’s Eves, and it suddenly occurred to me that I’ve never really gotten very excited about New Year’s at all. I get excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas, but New Year’s always seems so overhyped to me. I guess I am turned off by those events thrown in cities like San Francisco and New York where you fork over some ridiculous three-digit amount of money just to get into the venue, but for some reason, that money will only cover one drink for you, if you are that lucky. I think you can have a great New Year’s celebration and not have to spend so much money. The most important thing is that you are with people who you love who want to have fun, as trite as it is. Fireworks and alcohol are big bonuses, though.

The best New Year’s I’ve ever had was in Sydney last year, where Chris and I waited over 14 hours to see the incredible fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House (thank God it was summer where we were – we both got pretty tanned that day despite constant sunblock reapplication). I don’t think any fireworks display could ever compete with Sydney’s – it happens so fast and all around you that you barely have time to process that the fireworks are going off, and then when you are looking one way, you experience an internal conflict where you aren’t sure which way to turn your head – left, right, center, or just turn 180 degrees!

Tonight, we are just going to a small house party in Long Island City that a friend and his dog are throwing. I think as time goes on, I’d prefer quieter New Year’s, and if they aren’t quiet, I’d hope they would be warm like it was last year in Sydney.

I haven’t forgotten about Ed. Bart is coming to Long Island City with us. Happy new year, Ed. Miss you.

For someone who is just 27, I’m a bit of a cynic. I don’t generally trust people or believe that they have the best intentions. Even after I have gotten to know them, I still tend to doubt them. Maybe it’s my own defense mechanism; because if you have the worst expectations, no one can really disappoint you that much in the end, right? So it always surprises me immensely when people react in positive ways when I did not anticipate it. Since my resignation, a number of coworkers have offered to take me out to eat, a vendor partner asked me out, and people I barely know have wished me well. Maybe it isn’t the worst thing to rely on the kindness of our acquaintances.