There is a light that never goes out

The Rockefeller Tree Lighting happened last night:

As usual, it was a hell of a mess.

Closed streets, confusing cops, a huge crowd...but this time, it was also freezing balls.

People were all so cheerful and happy to be standing in the cold for two hours that became even friendlier than usual. I was about to get killed at some point. But this is not the main story.

This year's show was starring:

-Rod Stewart (apparently famous)

-Tony Bennet (actually famous)

-Cee Lo Green (which is the last person in the world I would associate to Christmas)

-Mariah Carey (her giant boobs are now serving as Tree Ornaments)

-Somebody from American Idol

-Somebody from The Voice

-A teen Sensation in her late 30's

-Il Volo (...)

-The Muppets

-The Rockettes

-Billy Crystal (Was he Harry? Mmm, no, I think he was Sally)

-A drunk guy who was "friendly hitting" her girlfriend in front of us and then kissing her and then peeing on her feet. And then sharing a cookie. Oh, Christmas.

Give Thanks

Most amazing Thanksgiving EVER.
I know, it was the first one, but still...such a good time.
I went to see the Parade with some friends and we had a very good spot, so we were able to see pretty much everything, unknown VIP included. But not Whoopy Goldberg, damn sneaky Whoopy.

A couple of trains after we were in Williamsburg and how can you possibly get bored in the best place in the world? We went to the riverside in the industrial area and there we were: sitting on big blocks of concrete while a breathtaking sunset was displaying all its beauty.


Then we invaded the hotel kitchen and had an Italian/Mexican/American dinner and had a walk in the park..at least until a police car stopped us and ordered to get out because the park was actually closed at that time. We pretended we didn't know about it.
David Bowie was singing "Rebel rebel" in my head.

Yesterday I traveled to Darien, Connecticut, to visit Julia and her family, so I could experience a slice of "real America" and laugh my head off hanging out with Julia and her friends.
Picture the scene: we are sitting in a diner at 2:00 AM and this drunk guy is telling us about Thnksgiving lunch with his half Italian family. At some point he says something like: they were all nuns.
5 Seconds of silence, then another guy says: wait, your family is a whole bunch of nuns?
I started laughing like a pig and crying and couldn't stop for ten minutes, everything that came out his mouth was just too hilarious.

So today I had a tour of Darien and it's a beautiful place, very American, very tv show:

In the afternoon I took a train back.
As soon as I ran out of Grand Central Station: BOOM
New York City.
My heart exploded.
I'm back, bitches.

Breaking balls

I had a pretty awesome weekend.
On Saturday I went with Patricia and Vi to see Breaking Dawn part 2.
We went to the movie theater at 6:30 and the first ticket we could get was for the 9 PM show. We were told we had to line up for 2 hours if we wanted to seat all together and in nice spots.
Ok, we were feeling pretty teenager, but not that much. So in the meantime we went to a diner where I had this glorious wrap (Black beans wrap, avocado, chicken, tomatoes, bacon):

Then we agreed for a 1 hour queue, which surprisingly was full of guys, like groups of guys, not just reluctant boyfriends holding sweaty hands of some overexcited girlfriend. As soon as they let us in, the run began.
People went crazy. This is "Patricia the runner", she was the worst of all :)

In this precise moment she was asking me to stop taking pictures, but I was just accumulating evidences of the madness.

To use them against her.

Someday.

The movie was awful, of course, and we were expecting some vampiresque sex scenes that never arrived, but the guys sitting behind us provided the best commenteary throughout the movie.

It was crazy, people were actually screaming and clapping hands everytime a bad guy had his head ripped off.

In the end there is this very romantic scene when Edward and Bella are laying in the same field they were in the first movie and they're looking in each other eyes and saying meaningless shit. At some point she says: I wanna show you something.

At that point it was all so pointless that I couldn't help myself but saying out loud: Your boobs?

Maybe a little too loud.

So we started laughing histerically till the end and I couldn't really get how the movie ended.

I have to watch it again.

Not funny

Two daya ago I was on my way to Grand Central Station. So I get out of the subway at Times Square and first thing I hear is people screaming. Since I'm very curious (read: I can't do my own business) I follow the screams and see a bunch of people with Israel flags.
Facing a group of people with Palestin flags.
And police in between. Not funny.

I was really late, so I didn't stop to see what was going on and I kept walking. I was on 42nd, waiting to cross Fifth Avenue and a Chinese girl came to ask me where she could find the Public Library. So I just turned around and pointed at it, cause it was right behind her ass.

Another girl noticed us and asked me which direction to take to get to Park Avenue. I told her and felt so proud of myself that I grew 5 centimeters.
But that's not the point.
The point is that if the second girl hadn't approached me, I would have turned around to see if the first girl was going in the right way, it's something I always do.
And maybe I would have seen something really amazing.
Cause you know, Chinese girls are always very informed about what's going on.
And yesterday I checked out Twitter and saw that fucking Lea Michele was filming Glee in New York City on Sunday.
And by the picture she posted I couldn't see a lot, only a street lamp.
But I swear to God that street lamp looked like a fucking Bryant Park street lamp. Which is right behind the public library.
Not funny.

The glamourous life of NYC

The last two days have been.........................................dynamic.
 The agency I work at was running a fashion photo shoot and even if I was just partially involved, it was crazy.
One of the models was amazing and I heard she's been casted for Dolce & Gabbana.
She's 16.
God bless you.
My part in all of this was carrying steamers around Midtown

Carrying racks around Midtown:

Shooting pictures at people shooting pictures:

So tonight I'm staying in my room. Yeah, I pretend New York life is stressing me out but I'm actually staying here cause I'm broke. This city is way too expensive.
And I'm also stressed out.
But mostly broke.

So on my way home I bought a bottle of red wine to cheer me up and I have to say that after a half of it I'm pretty cheerful. I bothered my room neighbours to share the wine with me cause drinking alone looked just sad.
And then I took the longest shower of my life.
And now I'm a new person. Ready for the weekend!

Worst job in the world. AKA How I became a model

We picked the coldest day of the Century.
Cause we do like challenges.
And started walking around Times Square to shoot pictures of our clients' coats (can't name the brand).
I wasn't expecting to be a model when I woke up that morning. I barely even put make up on, because I was still half sick and all I was looking forward to was going through the day and go back to bed.

Instead, I just find myself wearing coats and striking poses, with people watching me. As if I was a model. The way I look at models when I see them shooting on the street. That mix of envy and pity, and "she's probably very stupid" look.

This shooting was supposed to take place two weeks ago. That morning, instead of my usual coffee, I had a skinny mocha. Cause that sounded appropriate. You know, saving on calories. But then I was just so frustrated by the fact that I was asked to be skinny that I got a blueberry muffin.

But, as I said, it didn't happen that day. The day we actually took these pictures I had just two wafer buiscuits for breakfast. So I was STARVING, and I was COLD, and people were STARING, and I felt like I had run out of BLANK expressions.

And the whole situation took us 4 hours, so of course as soon as I got back to the office I was overwhelmed with work to get done by the end of the day.

All in all the only good I got from this is that now I have to honor to be featured in fashion blogs for menopausal women.

Hooray.

Everybody says: Italy I love you

Well you'd be surprised by the amount of New Yorkers that want to go to Italy. Maybe because everybody here has Italian ancestors or claims to have them.
I was at a party (a house party. Without knowing whose house was that. Welcome.) and there was this girl begging me to bring her to Italy when I'll go back. But it's something I hear all the time: a guy thought that by saying -I'm from Italy - I was just "showing off". Another one told me that he would move any moment to Italy, cause it's the best place in the world. They have an ideal picture of Italy in their mind, like I had one of New York City. And none of this imaginary places really exists.

On another note: I seriously have to cut on coffee. It's not healthy.
But for those of you who are not concerned about water retention, I feel like giving some Starbucks 101 lessons.
The fact is that it's impossible to really understand what people who work at Starbucks are telling you. But since it's always the same stuff, here are some insights:

1. the very first thing they say is something like: how are you today? or What are you having today? It actually sounds like -owarydy? so in case you don't understand which one of the two options they chose, answer number 2. It's pretty acceptable to just ignore the option number one (cause they're not listening anyways). Option number 2 is what they really care about and it's always better than asking them to repeat.
2. After your order they're gonna ask you: sdl? That means -is that all? You can nod.
3. Then they'll probably ask your name, and then they'll ask you to repeat it. 
4. If they're still holding a marker and a cup and it clearly looks like you didn't move to the next step they're asking you to spell it. 
5. If your coffee is more than just a medium roast or an americano, pay attention, cause that short sound with a question mark at the end is: whip? so they wanna know if you want whip on top of your coffee or not. The answer is yes. Always.
6. Ok, they are showing you the palm of their hand, place there your money/credit card
7. In case it's a card, there's another question for you: credit or debit?
8. You're done. Enjoy your coffee.

Now, if all 8 steps take more than 50 seconds, don't be surprised if they look really annoyed.

Eight million stories out there, and they're naked

It's been a month.
Unbelievable.
It's also unbelievable that I still have to check how to to spell "unbelievable" every time.
Anyway, it's so weird to look back at when this was still a dream. "Hi I'm Chiara and my dream is living in New York City."
When I first told my friends that this was actually going to happen, everybody said the same words:
you deserve it.
I was surprised. Why would they think I deserved it? I remember being flattered,, but also confused, I really wasn't expecting them to think that about me.

Now, as I said, I've been living in New York City for a month. Do I think I deserve this? Maybe.
Do I think I'm the one who can handle it? Yes.
Now, that is shocking, ah? I never said such a thing. Like, ever in my life. But living here is tough. Especially if you are on your own. I don't think you realise it if you just visit the city for some days.

And I'm not just saying it's draining, like Milan is, for example. It's a matter of attitude. For me, pretending to be a badass all day long just to get people listen to me is very difficult. Cause I'm not that person.
I often feel like I'm too kind and vulnerable to get things done here.
And it's true that you sometimes meet very nice people around but the reason why you notice that, is that you feel it's actually out of place.
New York is demanding.
And I'm not complaining about that, I know a lot of people would kill to be in my shoes right now, but I'm telling you, there's no way to be ready for this.
I love this place, every day, no matter what, I wake up with a smile on my face. Every morning I can't wait to get out and breath. And every step I take, I make sure I am feeling it, I try to put all my weight in my legs, down to my feet, touching the sidewalk.

But here is the ugly truth: dreams are not free. 

And they certainly ain't easy. 

"So be careful what you dream, cause it might come true". I heard it a lot here.

But maybe this is what New York is about, you know.

Tv

I think we shouldn't really complain about the fact that the Italian television is populated by an evergreen fauna that is never old enough to retire. Here it's just the same.

Do you rememer Slater from the tv show Bayside school? He is now the host of a music show.

And Brian Austin Green (David in Beverly Hills)? Apart from being the luckiest man on Earth (he married Megan Fox on a day in which she had a very low self esteem) he also plays a leading role in a new tv show: wedding band.

And then there's Dawson. He doesn't own a creek anymore, but his pusher is still the same. You can tell. He is everywhere, man, everywhere. Playing always the same character: dumm, borderline Dawson doesn't have a show anymore, let's make fun of him. That's what he plays. And I feel sorry for him. Most of the times. 

By the way, did anyone else notice how that tv show was just unfortunate for everybody working in it?

 Katie Holmes sold herself to cover Tom Cruise's homosexuality and doesn't have a life anymore. 

Michelle Williams lost her boyfriend and father of her daughter.

Joshua Jackson is getting fat like a turkey for Thanksgiving.

Steps

Since the subway is partially recovering, this morning I was able to get until Wall Street and see the very South of Manhattan.
Firemen are still working very hard to get things back to normal, there's still a lot of water to pump out and there are big power generators everywhere.

So I take a few steps and get to the shore: I am facing the Statue of Liberty, where the Hudson and the East River meet. This place is very quiet, just a few runners around, New York State of Mind is playing in my head. There is a beautiful sun, there are seagulls and there is the Brooklyn Bridge and I am sitting right here:

And everything makes sense.

I can see every step that brought me here. I see the work I put in this and how much it costed me. In terms of eveything.

And I am grateful.

First of all to myself, for making it true.

And then to everybody who kept the sparkle alive, cause sometimes it was just hard.

Because now

Here I am.

The best way possible

Photo Reportage of the day:

The Flatiron Building:

Washington Square Park: 

Me at Washington Square Park feeling very Rachel Berry-ish:

Brunch in Nolita (right now at the first place in my neighborhood ranking):

Little Italy. Probably one of the worst places I've seen in New York. What a shame:

Aaaaaand after stalking every single bar from Little Italy to the West Village, I finally found a place that let me see Juventus-Inter (now I wish I didn't). With also a nice English musician who was singing literally behind my back. Right into my ears. But he had a nice accent so I forgive him. Also because he was very cool about my unfortunate comment. This is the story: I am in this bar with a Swiss girl and a Swiss-Italian guy. The singer asks about famous Swiss singers and they agree on the fact that there's none. So I find nothing better to say than: -They work, they don't sing.

Awkward. 

Awkward.

Still awkward guys, but if we all ignore it, it will just pass.

But then the singer says: -oh, thank you, what are you tryin' to say?

And I just babble something like: - no, I meant it in the best way possible. And turned back to face the TV screen and die a little inside.

Morning sickness and afternoon delight

Great.. I'm. Sick. Should have seen this coming after all the walking during the day and the sweating at night. North Pole in the office and tropical oasis in my room.
Well, I got out of work earlier cause I was going to throw up on my desk.
Let me tell you, if you have nausea this is the worst place to be. On my way to the subway I smelled fried chicken, asian cuisine, kebab and also something vaguely spicy coming from a food truck that I didn't investigate. At that point my stomach was uncomfortably squeezing.
I crawled into my bed and watched Kill Bill.
Then I watched Kill Bill 2.
Then I decided I deserved a reward for being such a good kid.

Somebody please close Urban Outfitters. Standard &Poor is tracking my cash flow and will soon downgrade me to homeless wannabe.

Soup du jour for dinner.

Concrete jungle

Yesterday was quite a mess. Empty streets were already a (desirable) memory. instead we had huge traffic and it was impossible to get on a bus. A guy pushed me to jump on the bus I was trying to get in. I was handling hot coffee that dropped all over my hand and also didn't get on the bus. I guess in times like these the stronger wins. 
The subway was not running, so I had to walk back home for 60 blocks. 
And 60 is not a random high number. From 39th to 99th street is exactly 60 blocks. Which on a normal day is fine, I mean I had done the same on Sunday. But after a day at work? Uff, kill me.

Today was just ok, I got robbed for a salad at lunch as usual and I worked my 8 hours. But on my way back I realised: I'm in New York. 

So I stopped being "ok" and started being awesome instead. (Needless to say, Hymym quote)

Some guys told me I look like Lana del Rey. Which is pretty cool. :)