The past few weeks or so.

Who needs a man when you can have pasta?

Thank you to my college, The New School, for giving alumni lifetime access to the campus buildings. And thank you even more for providing us with free Internet access, because I would be lost without it. Now, on top of always having a clean bathroom to use around Union Square for the rest of my life, I'm also grateful to having a quiet place to get some work done on my computer.

.

"Happiness lies,

In your own hands."

From the song Secret by Madonna.

The weeks seem to go by so fast.

"Love likes me.
Love takes it shoes off, and sits on the couch.
Love has an answer for everything.
Love smiles gently... and crosses its legs.
Well, here we are.
Well, here we are."

From the song Liquid Days (Part One) by Philip Glass.

It's a new week, a fresh start.

Cherry Tavern.

Wonderful.

"So no one told you life was going to be this way,

Your job's a joke, 

You're broke,

Your love life's D.O.A."

From the song I'll Be There For You by The Rembrandts (also known as the Friends theme song).

I can't even attempt to count the number of times I've heard this song in my lifetime, but it's funny how the lyrics so resonate with me now.

Friday night.

대박.

Local news is the best.

Happy 2014!

With no Internet at my current living situation, it's difficult for me to get online with my computer on most evenings.

Right now I'm sitting with my laptop at the Starbucks inside the Union Square Barnes & Noble, but it's really difficult to concentrate here. With the endless stream of seat-seekers, customers, loiterers and crazies as distractions, I don't know how people get any actual work done at this place.

I was recently doing some self-reflecting upon my year that just passed, and it feels like I got a few things here and there accomplished. Overall it was a good year, but the one thing I really hope for in 2014 is some stablity. I honestly feel like it's been quite some time since I last truly felt this, and I'm adamant on making it my goal of the year. Stability in income. Stability in a place to live. Stability in health care. Stability in a career. Stability in a relationship. Ahh yes---stability.

The only stability that I do feel like I've had in the past five or so years was thanks to my sister, and also close friends. Whenever things in my life were rocky and volatile, I knew I was able to count on them for some moral support, a shoulder to comfort me, or even a couch to crash on---and I thank them so much for that.

Well, it's still the beginning of the year, so lets all make it a good one!

Happy Monday.

Laugh through the pain.

Formulaic.

Happy New Year, everyone.

"The world comes to Roosevelt Avenue, more than 100 blocks long, where more than 120 languages are spoken."

From the December 23, 2013 New York Times article, Immigrants Send Gifts Away, To Those Close At Heart, by Sarah Maslin Nir.

Was it everything you thought it'd be?

Even at 30, it's interesting to learn new things about myself and what I'm capable of...

Life is so great.

Dear Apple Store in SOHO,

Why do you block access to VICE.com when using your store's wifi?

Thanks.

-Thwany

I just want to connect.

"I am the child of alcoholics. Two alcoholics actually, but more importantly my mother. And I was 11 when my parents became alcoholics and my sister was 14. And my younger sisters were I guess, Haley 4 years younger than me and Amy 5 years. I believe that nobody has the same parents, that you're born into a family at a different time, that your parents relate to you differently depending on what your personality is and how they connect. I was 11 when this happened, and I really had much more time to live in that house. And when you're the child of an alcoholic, you are worried all the time. All you think about is, are they going to start drinking tonight? My parents were---this was the hardest thing I wrote in the book by far writing about my mother---and I felt it was so important because of the isolation you have as a child like this. You're always keeping the family secrets and I just, don't keep them---I really feel passionately about that. So I became someone who was always trying to figure out what was going to happen. I was a watcher. I was on hyper-alert. Were they going to fight tonight? Were they going to drink tonight? What did that movement mean? Why did she pour the glass so quickly? Why did she drink it so quickly? Why did she throw the jacket over that chair in that particular angry way? What did it all mean? And what happens is you grow up, and you're still worrying. You're still knowing that when you're looking left that something is coming at you from the right. So you're trying to look two directions at once which we know is completely impossible as we all know. But those things you develop as a child, these survival things---they hang on. And they stay in your life. And I really needed to write a lot about that to sort of exorcise the demons of it."

Said by Delia Ephron in her NPR Fresh Air interview from December 9, 2013.

This is so relatable that it's giving me goosebumps.

Sometimes, you just want to listen to Sade and stare out a window.

On the rocks, please.

Writing takes time.

Last night, my closest friends and I went out for our holiday dinner. 

I first went to Astoria right after work to chill at my friend Susy's house for a little, and then we headed back into the city together. We met the rest of our friends in TriBeCa, and the six of us started our evening at Khe-Yo, which is NYC's first stand-alone Laotian restaurant ever. The entire dinner was super great, and we all stuffed ourselves with so much awesome food. Then we ended up to Koreatown and sang our hearts out for endless soju and hour-after-hour of drunken Karaoke.

I love you guys, thanks for such a great night.

After purchasing Beyoncé's new album, I can't figure out if I should first experience the music by listening to it or watching all the music videos.

I just want to dance until the sun comes up.

Can't write.

Can't sleep.

Can't focus.

Feeling so useless.

..................................................................

Power.

Words are precious.

It's funny when people who have no idea about what the fuck they're talking about act like they do.

It feels great to be back home for the holiday season.

As cheesy as it sounds, Christmastime in NYC is my ultimate favorite time of year. Things in the city just seem so full of wonder when December hits, and I love everything about it. Holiday decorations, overplayed Christmas songs, and the smell of pine needles from Christmas trees for sale on the sidewalks of every other block waft through to the senses. The mood and energy of things just feel different. This lingering sense of there's so much to look forward to clings to the day, making everything so much more pleasant and enjoyable.

It's funny though that the end of the year is even almost here. It was exactly one year ago today that I left Thailand for good, and man, what a year it's been.

Here's to all of us finishing off 2013 in the best way possible!

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"You used to take your watch off,
before we made love.
You didn't want to share our time, 
with anyone."

From the song Trojan Horse by Bloc Party.

Huh?

What dreams?

Peace.

Seriously.

Christine and Ray were just in from Chicago, and it was so great seeing them!

Friday night was a good ass time for us all.