New England Weekend

For the long holiday weekend, we decided to make the trip to the New England area to visit Providence, Cape Cod and Newport. I had driven through Providence in the past, but never spent real time there, so it would be a new adventure and place to explore!

Our road trip began with dinner at Cafe Silvium, an Italian restaurant in Stamford, CT. The pasta is made fresh there and very delicious - I will definitely be making a return trip next time I’m in the area! Thank you to my friend Jess for the recommendation!

After a few hours of driving, we finally made our way to Newport, Rhode Island! Some of the highlights of Newport were:

  • Gondola ride in the canal - it was a great, unique way to tour downtown providence compared to your typical boat tour, for just a little more money, we were able to get a private tour, which even came with cookies, drinks and some romantic Italian songs!

  • Providence River Walk - a nice area to walk along the canal

  • Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) - Art Museum

  • To do: WaterFire - centers around a series of ~100 bonfires in baskets on the water along the canal of downtown Providence. Sadly I didn’t get to see this while I was there, but definitely want to go back to do this!

Next we were off to Cape Cod! It was a bit cold, but still a nice quaint town with great seafood! Despite the cold hoody weather, we:

  • Took a boat tour around the cape, where we saw some mansions, light houses and just enjoyed being out in the ocean

  • Walked around downtown

  • Visited some light houses, national parks and even added a junior ranger bad to my collection!

  • Ate dinner out on a pier in the middle of the arena, we got lucky and got a seat outside with the best view at the Baxter’s Boathouse

While we were there, we also had breakfast at Red Barn with my first VP, who took a chance on me and shaped the trajectory of my career for the past 9 years. I’ll be honest, we were a bit skeptical of the restaurant and had no idea what to expect as the restaurant looked very small and quaint, however there was a long line and wait. The food was definitely worth the long wait and turned out to be one of the best breakfast spots I have been too! If you are in Dennis, Cape Cod, I recommend he cinnamon bun french toast or the corned beef hash!

For our final destination we found ourselves in Newport for the day, where we:

  • Found our favorite lobster rolls of the trip at Belle’s

  • Visited the Cliff Walk

  • Walked around downtown Newport

We covered a lot in just a few days! I can’t wait to go back to see Cape Cod in it’s prime when it’s warm out and to see the WaterFire in Providence!

MLK Day of Service

Today is Martin Luther King Jr Day, also designated as a National Day of Service!

Education and empowering the youth with the tools necessary to succeed in life has always been something I value, which is why I volunteer with New York Edge, where I am a Founding Member & President Emeritis of their Young Professionals Board & Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, where I am a Big to some amazing Littles!

What are some of your favorite organizations to volunteer with? Let’s showcase them and get involved!

Happy 2024!

Happy New Year!!!!

Fun Fact: These are the actual numbers displayed under the NYE ball in Times Square!

2023 was a chaotic year to say the least with many ups and downs - from a 6 day hospital stay & dating debacles to 3 international trips across 6 countries & good times with amazing friends! 🙃

It’s always good to remember and appreciate all the experiences you have, the good and the bad.

Hope everyone has an amazing 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ filled with lots of joy, love, happiness, prosperity and good health! 🎉

10 Days in Puglia

I just went on a 10 day trip to the southern part of Italy, Puglia. After a crazy rain storm in the northeast and a missed my flight from NY connection to Italy by MINUTES, but I finally made my way to Rome from Vancouver & NY via Barcelona and a few days late.
(Note to all: Fly Norse Airline does not have digital check in, so despite making it to JFK from Newark in time for boarding the check in desk was EMPTY, so I literally saw my friend but couldnt get my boarding pass)

We started the trip in Rome for a few days before heading on our road trip of Puglia where we visited:

  • Bari - largest city and port town of Puglia

    • Bari is very small and you can visit it all in a day. Aside from a major port for boat/trains, the main things to do there are shop and eat, with 1 Michelin star, 1 recommended restaurant and lots of high end designer shops

  • Pogliano del Mar - coastal beach town by the water

    • Gorgeous beaches, but they are pretty rocky vs sandy but most known for Lama Monachile Beach (Cala Porto)

    • Boat and cave tour is a must here!

  • Monopoli - coastal beach town

    • Great town to walk around and have some seafood

  • Fasano - olive tree town

    • In Fassano, you can stay at a masseria, which now are more of resorts where you can get some much needed R&R. You can learn now olive oil and cheese are made at some of them!

  • Alberobello - known for the trulli style of architecture, which reminded me of some of the Smurf homes

    • You can check out some of the architecture and a few of shops for souvenirs and my favorite - gelato!

  • Matera - old town located within the caves and rocks of the ruins

    • Very cool to see how people lived in the past in some of the cave dwellings, many of which have been turned into shops and restaurants now. There is not much shade, so be sure to bring a ton of water and sunscreen before you start your trip!

  • Lecce - 2nd largest city in Puglia, known for a lot of their limestone buildings, with many pretty churches and even a mini coliseum

    • Great city to explore the local and historical architecture and delicious food!

Each of these towns had their own personas and brought something unique and special.

If you plan to make a trip out there, I would recommend renting a car, so you can drive around and see things at your own pace - however it was a bit tricky to drive down the narrow streets, especially at night in the more rural areas.

Happy π Day!

Pi (π) Day is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate, you can see the inner math nerd coming out right now!

For those of you who are less familiar…

What is Pi (π)?

π is an irrational number starting with 3.1415… going on to infinity. π represents the constant ratio between a circle’s circumference to its diameter. This may not be a number your average person uses in their everyday lives, but there are so many everyday items that used the application of π in some way.

How did I celebrate?

This year I celebrated π Day with lots of pi, pies & circles!

My high school friends, Yi, Ganesh and I have a tradition to get together on or around π Day for some pie! This year we celebrated early (due to work travel) and had pie at Little Pie Company, dessert first of course and then dinner. We each ate a pie our own pie - I had a blueberry crumb pie, Ganesh had a classic apple pie & Yi had a key line pie!

After we each finished our pies, we decided to have dinner at Tim Ho Wan, needless to say we were all rolling home that night.

Today I exclusively ate circle items today (except for 1 banana - oops, I was in a rush - don’t tell anyone), including a Sprinkles cupcake and an entire large cheese pizza w/ chicken cutlets, and only drank out of round cylindrical cups! Sadly I was unable to finish the 18 inch pizza, but I tried!

What other pie and circle items should I eat next? 🤗

Tinder Swindled by a Con Artist

Wow, has it been a week!

I am sad to say I have experienced my own version of the Tinder Swindler, version 2.0 the Bumble Bamboozler!

I was swindled by a man from London, who seemed nice, but boy was I wrong! Not only did he try to take advantage of me, he turned out to be a con artist and tried to con my boss, friend of a friend and his friends!

Don’t worry everyone, I am safe and sound! I am mentally a bit shaken up and shocked that this happened to me, but all good otherwise! However, things did not end as well for him… I’ll let you read more about the encounter for yourself here.

I have no words, this could happen to anyone and there really is no way to verify a first date. You just need to look out for things that seem odd and go with your gut. There were a few red flags I noticed and thankfully I listened to my gut and did not let this go too far.

That being said, if anyone has any vetted or referrals of eligible bachelors for me to date, please let me know!

A Week in Vegas

Is a week in Vegas too much? If you stay on the strip… yes!

Exploring the Valley of Fire

My friends and I went on a girls trip to Vegas for the long weekend! It was a lot of fun, but just hitting the max of how long you should be in Vegas.

Here’s a rundown of the highlights of all the fun things we did! Feel free to reach out if you need any recs!

Vegas Highlights

  • Vegas Strip

    • Water Fountain Show at Bellagio

    • Lava Show at the Mirage

    • Conservatory Garden at the Wynn

  • Valley of Fire

  • Restaurants & Bars

    • Superfrico

    • Toca Moderna

    • Jessie’s BBQ

  • Casinos

    • Black Jack & Craps - I lost more than I would’ve liked , but at least I had a fun time doing it!

Day 1 - Arrival Day

Wynn

Loving all the decor for Chinese New Year

  • Flight from JFK to LAS
    My friends, Diana, Imen, and I few in on a late flight after work from JFK to LAS.

  • Check in at the Aria Resort & Hotel
    The entire hotel was decked out for Chinese New Year, which in absolutely LOVED!!! In hunger upon arriving so late, we checked out the mini bar, you would not believe how much a bottle of water and a rice krispy treat cost… the prices were $25 & $12.50, respectively - how crazy is that?!

  • Dinner at In-N-Out
    A trip to the west coast and late night cravings aren’t complete without a trip to In-N-Out and my double double did not disappoint! I did have to hold off on the milkshake at that hour though 😆

Day 2

  • Lunch at Din Tai Fung
    I had always heard great things about Din Tai Fung and it was right next to the lobby of our hotel, so we had to try it! The food was pretty tasty, however coming from NY and being Chinese, I did feel like it was a bit overrated and I’ve had better. Am I happy I tried it - yes, would I go again… likely not

  • Hello Kitty Cafe at Fashion Show Mall
    We were exploring Vegas and stumbled upon the Hello Kitty Cafe at the mall, it was SO CUTE and PINK! If there were ever a cafe that described me, this was it! I was also pleasantly surprised how yummy the Hello Kitty cupcake was!

  • Dinner at Jessie Rae’s BBQ
    My friends and I decided to get off the strip and go to a local must go to spot and ended landed at Jessie Rae’s BBQ for dinner. When we first arrived, it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere outside a dimly lit restaurant, but this was it. We had taken a 15 min Uber, so we had committed. My friend Diana and I split the a 3 meat platter and went with the Brisket, Baby Back Ribs & BBQ Chicken with Tater Tots. The food was AMAZING 🤤, some of the best BBQ food I’ve had and definitely want to return next time I’m in Vegas! We met an older couple, who frequent Vegas for trade shows and this is their go to spot, where they even know the owners.

Day 3

  • Brunch at the Henry
    Imen and I got a yummy brunch at the Henry in the Cosmopolitan. I had a very tasty truffle fried chicken sandwich - Vegas is delivering on food!

  • Pool Day!
    Diana was working today since she started a new job, so Imen and I decided to hit the pool, despite the 50 degree weather. We were happy to learn that the pool was heated (as was the hot tub), ironically the life guards were dressed in parkas while we were in our bikinis! 🤣

  • Dinner at Sen of Japan
    We met up with my friend Paul who is a pro-poker player in Vegas for omakase at Sen of Japan. The sushi was great and the staff was super nice. Not sure if this is a Vegas thing, but interestingly enough, we noticed that their omakase had a bit more cooked dishes than you would ever find at omakase in NYC.

  • OPM at the Cosmopolitan
    After we finished dinner, we headed over to the Cosmopolitan with Paul, his girlfriend Lindsay and his friend Henry to see OPM, which their friend Patrick happened to be one of the performers - a juggler!
    The show very raunchy and a lot of fun! The show was a raunchy variety show with a space theme.

  • Drinks at the Chandelier
    After the show, we wen to drinks at the Chandelier and were joined by Patrick, who also happens to be one of the top jugglers in the world! It turns out he peaked as #2 in the world the same year I peaked as Miss NY 😅
    Imen also tried an interactive drink, which involved eating a berry that will alter the taste of the drink (and make your tongue tingly)

  • Clubbing at the Jewel
    Next, I took Imen to her first club in Vegas, Jewel. Thank you to our new promoter friend Regan for hooking us up! (Message me if you want his contact information)

Day 4

  • Day trip to the Valley of Fire
    Vegas is a desert, so we decided to take a day trip to the Valley of Fire. We figured we should probably check out what else Vegas has to offer aside from shows, food and gambling, and you can only spend so much time on the strip as a tourist…
    The Valley of Fire was GORGEOUS! There were all different colored mountains and formations, there were even hieroglyphics on one of the old rocks!

  • Lunch at Eataly
    When we returned we took a little break and went to Eataly and met up my friend Antonio, who is the head pizza chef and an international pizza award winner!

  • Dinner at China Poblano by José Andrés
    We checked out China Poblano a Mexican and Chinese fusion restaurant. The food was OK, not sure I would recommend or go again. However, I will say the terra cotta soldier chocolate mousse dessert was fun to eat - you needed to break him open (like a chocolate bunny), to get to his insides and eat him!

  • Drinks at Toca Moderna
    This was Diana’s last night in town, so we had to do it big - we went to Toca Moderna, which may be my favorite spot for drinks in Vegas. In addition to an awesome cocktail menu, while we were sitting at the bar, we saw a fire eater aka a woman on the bar just eating and playing with fire. But back to the drinks, Diana and I both got some really cool and tasty drinks that were lit on FIRE! 🔥🔥🔥 I am by no means a pyromaniac, but they were pretty cool! We topped off the night with good vibes, good music (that DJ was on fire, metaphorically speaking this time) and a churro ice cream sandwich!

Day 5

  • Hello Kitty Cafe Truck
    Diana did not make it to the brick and mortar Hello Kitty Cafe, but our hotel was very close to the truck version, so we headed there for breakfast! Crazy enough, there was a long line for this cafe and barely one at the actual cafe.

  • Drag Brunch at Hamburger Mary’s
    We had brunch at Hamburger Mary’s off the strip. Sadly, I was disappointed by the caliber here, I think coming from NYC and the Vegas Strip to this local show, it just did not compare and the food was subpar and gave me a stomach ache.

  • Playing Tourist on the Strip

  • Dinner at SOL Mexican Cocina
    We couldn’t decide where to get dinner and ended up SOL, which was actually a great choice! We all loved our entrees and had happy bellies!

  • Absinthe
    Absinthe, what can I say about Absinthe… before even leaving NY, 3 of my friends from differ parts of my life all recommended to see Absinthe, in addition to a guy from Vegas on my dating apps. With all these recommendations we decided we had to see it. My boss described it as Magic Mike meets Cirque Soleil - after seeing it I would say it is more of a Magic Mike meets a raunchy variety show.
    The show was even MORE raunchy than OPM and had a lot of wonderful acts from acrobats to sword eaters. I came to learn from our new friend Patrick that they are owned by the same group and that he had actually developed and sold the rights for the juggling act in the show!
    If you go to Vegas and have done the typical shows, I would highly recommend seeing Absinthe

  • Clubbing at XS

Day 6 - Final Day

  • Knights Hockey Game at the T-Mobile Arena
    This was my first EVER hockey game, it was so much fun! The Knights and their fans really make the game and ambiance so much fun! I was sad they did not win their home game, but was so much fun!

  • Dinner at Superfrico
    Superfrico is a speakeasy Italian restaurant next to where the OPM theater is in the Cosmopolitan. I just love Italian food, but little did I know, they would also have performers to the style of OPM performing little acts throughout our meal!

  • Flight home LAS > JFK

Birthday Week Celebrations!

Birthday Girl!

What a great week full of birthday celebrations, expected and unexpected celebrations!

At our holiday team lunch at Locanda Verde, my very sweet boss celebrated my birthday early with yummy chocolate cake and a birthday candle for dessert!

I was shocked!

At work the following week, my team surprised me with a birthday party in the office - they really got me! My colleague Joe and I were going to get coffee to catch up on some topics, but he had forgot his phone in one of the rooms. There were some of our teammates in the room, so I did not want to go and interrupt their meeting, eventually he got me to go in and it turns out it was for me! They really had me surprised - well played team!

Lunch at Tim Ho Wan

As for the actual day - I started off the day with lunch at Tim Ho Wan with my friend Michelle, it was nice to catch up and celebrate with some yummy dim sum! Michelle was one of the first people and friends I made on the Kabbage team!

I was taking it easy and decided to pamper myself and got my nails done at local nail salon a few blocks over. I decided to do glittery pink nails for the occasion! When I went to pay they gave me a holiday gift card for $10 off my next visit, what a nice surprise!

I also arrived home to find the rose quartz I ordered, hoping it brings me some love this year!

Every year I stress over what to do for my birthday and end up planning something last minute. Surprise, surprise, this year was no different.

This year I planned a at Salinas in Chelsea with a few friends. The food at Salinas was delicious (mmm steak!) and the cheesecake at the end was a perfect way to end the meal!

For those of you who know me, you MUST have some form of cake or something for your birthday!

Afterward we headed to Jungle Bird, where a few more friends met up with us for drinks, including some from holiday cocktails!

I feel truly loved and grateful for all the amazing people in my life and can’t wait to see what this year will bring.

Thanks for everyone who came out to celebrate with me!

Diner en Blanc NYC 2022

Last night I attended Diner en Blanc NYC right on the Hudson River outside of Brookfield Place. This year marked the 10th anniversary of Diner en Blanc in NYC!

Diner en Blanc NYC

At Diner en Blanc, thousands of attendees dress up in white, head to toe, and gather together for a large dinner celebration. What is unique and fun about this event, aside from everything being in all white, is:

  • you need to bring your own table, seats and picnic for dinner, however you can order a gourmet picnic basket

  • the location is a secret until just a few hours before the event

  • at the start of the event everyone waives their white napkins

Chef Todd English Elizabeth Tam Diner en Blanc NYC

Chef Todd English & I

The highlights of the night included delicious bites made by none other than Chef Todd English and featured champagne from Baron de Rothschild Champagne. I was lucky enough to had the opportunity to meet and chat with Todd in the media lounge, he was so down to earth and friendly!

Fun facts I learned about Todd English, despite using caviar for his high end clientele he is NOT a fan of caviar, but IS a fan of anchovies, in fact he likes to eat them straight!

Can’t wait to see where the Diner en Blanc will be held next year!

 
Diner en Blanc NYC Media Lounge

Cheers

Champagne Baron de Rothschild Diner en Blanc NYC

Baron de Rothschild Champagne

US Open Kickoff

What a whirl wind it has been — I’ve been out at events leading up to the start of the US Open all week. This was my week in a nutshell

  • Wednesday: IHG US Open Kickoff Party

  • Thursday: Taste of Tennis

  • Friday: Fan Week at the US Open & Chase Sound Stage featuring DNCE

  • Saturday: Fan Week at the US Open

While it was a bit exhausting, I wouldn’t change any of it and happy I took it all in. I’m so happy that the US OPEN is BACK and NY is taking it all in!

Taste of Tennis 2022

This year I had the pleasure of attending Taste of Tennis at Cipriani 42nd Street, which is a fun event for the tennis pros to come and eat a lot of delicious foods from restaurants throughout the city.

If you’re a tennis fan AND a foodie, this is definitely the event for you!

The event was a lot of fun and had a variety of food and drinks and even featured a cook-off between Nick Kyrgios and Naomi Osaka! Some of the restaurants feature included: Portale, The Lambs Club, Amrina & La Newyorkina.

On the red carpet with Style Music TV, I interviewed a few of the pros playing at the US Open. A fan favorite amongst the players was pasta and sushi!

Taste of Tennis is a lot of fun, if you get the chance to go, I would definitely go!

Cousins Girl Day!

Today I took my younger cousin Jenna out for a girl day! Jenna just finished her freshman year of college and this was our first time to hang out in the city without her parents! (I guess they trust me!)

Here’s the perfect girls day guide, especially if you are under 21:

Brunch at Maman
Maman is a cute restaurant/bakery/cafe for brunch and pastries, I love the ambiance at the restaurant - it is cute, yet classy, but still casual at the same time. We shared a ratatouille hash, some pastries and both got iced elderberry matcha lattes!

Kayaking on the Hudson at Pier 96
The Manhattan Community Boathouse at Pier 96, located at 55th Street & West Side Highway offers free kayaking throughout the summer. You can book a timeslot in advanced or just walk up, which is what we did. When you get there, you sign a waiver, get a life vest, paddle, wait until it is your turn and you are good to go for 30 minutes. This was a lot of fun and I would highly recommend!

Intrepid Museum
Next we decided to visit the Intrepid Museum as it was just down the block from kayaking. The Intrepid is a Sea, Air, & Space Museum on an actual aircraft carrier, featuring a lot of historical war and space exhibits. It is a bit pricy to visit, but definitely worth checking if you are into war history and want to be aboard a battle ship!

$1 Pizza
Jenna had never had $1 pizza, so we had to stop for some authentic pizza at 2 Bros before she headed home!

I love spending time with my family, can’t wait for the next cousins girls day!





Grab and Run Assault

Today, I am sad to say I was harassed in broad daylight. Don’t worry, I am fine!

Earlier this afternoon around 1:15 PM, I went to the local park in my neighborhood to get some fresh air. During my stroll, I stopped on the side of the main pathway to check my phone. As I was on my phone, a random rude man came up from behind (out of nowhere) and grabbed my butt! 😡

I called the guy out and he responding blaming me, as I was “in his way” as he was casually walking away as if nothing happened. I quickly screamed back, “YOU GRABBED MY BUTT, THAT’S NOT OK!” I know at least 1 guy heard me, hope more did as well.

This is how empty the park was. This mirrors side of the park I was on, I left shortly after the incident.

The pathway was very wide and EMPTY, there was no reason or way I was in his way.

After everything that happened yesterday with the overruling of the Rowe v Wade decision, I was more inclined to say something when this happened. I hope that people do not feel entitled to infringe on more women’s rights and think this is ok.

THIS IS NOT OK!

Don’t be afraid to speak up! Be alert & safe everyone!

COVID Negative

Negative COVID Test

Negative COVID Test!

After 8 long days, I have finally tested NEGATIVE ➖ for COVID!

I had been testing every day since I tested positive to see how long it would take. Apparently my dad caught COVID around the same time, not from me but a Pickleball Tournament, however COVID cleared his system a few days before me!

I tested this morning around 12 PM and tested positive, the “sample” line was very faint and did not appear until closer to the 15 minute mark, where I thought I was negative for a second.

Morning Positive Test vs Evening Negative Test

I decided to rest up a bit, get some more vitamins and electrolytes and test again. At 6 PM, I tested again and was pleasantly surprised to test NEGATIVE!!! I did it on a whim, since I have so many at home tests, who knew a few hours would actually make a difference!

COVID Positive

Looks like COVID finally caught me, but I did make it pretty long without catching it.

All the at home COVID tests I took since I tested positive

So I’m sure you guys are all wondering what happened - how and when did I catch, when did I test positive and what symptoms do I have?

Here’s the answers to it all.

Who caught it? Me
What did I catch: COVID 19 - BA.2 Omicron Variant, also known as the stealth Omicron subvariant - this variant is much more contagious than its predecessors, but the symptoms are not worse.
When did I test positive? I tested positive on Sunday, June 5, and had tested negative the day before
Where did I catch it? I am not 100% sure, but can confirm it was related to going to work/happy hour last Wednesday or the Corporate Challenge in Central Park (which was entirely outdoors). Everyone I was with and spoke to did not test positive for COVID, so it is unclear.
Why? I think I had a weakened immune system from a lack of sleep from a jam packed week in Atlanta for work/fun followed by 2 late nights of work events leading into the weekend when I tested positive.
How? The COVID germs found me!

While I was not asymptomatic, my symptoms were somewhat mild. Here’s a rundown:

All the positive tests

  • Fatigue leading into the week of potential exposure

    • May 24-May 29 - Trip to Atlanta with jam packed days & late nights,

      • Woke up feeling tired (more than usual), the days leading up to the positive test, despite getting normal sleep

  • Potential Exposure:

    • June 1 - Work and happy hours with coworkers

    • June 2- Corporate Challenge at Central Park

  • Tested Positive:

    • June 5 - decided to take a COVID test from a mobile testing center since I had a scratchy throat and was losing my voice

  • Symptoms:

    • June 5 (Day 1 ➕) : Woke up more tired than usual, fatigued, scratchy throat, starting to lose voice, feeling warm (99.4F in the morning to 100.9 F by 6 PM)

    • June 6 (Day 2 ➕): Woke up more tired than usual, throat is on fire, it is in a constant burning and I can barely speak, essentially lost voice, fever (100.9F the highest), very fatigued

    • June 7 (Day 3 ➕): Woke up very tired, throat is no longer on fire, but scratchy, but voice is cracking in the morning but basically back normal by the evening, super tired/fatigued, but much better in the afternoon, slightly elevated temperature. Boss made me take the day off, felt a big difference from 9 AM to 9 PM

    • June 8 (Day 4 ➕): Head a bit cloudy, but more functional than earlier in the week, dull constant headache and fatigue as the day goes on, temperature is back to normal

    • June 9 (Day 5 ➕): Basically back to normal, a small cough here and there & tired voice from talking in meetings, dull headache as the day went on, somewhat strong by 930 PM

    • June 10 (Day 6 ➕): Basically back to normal, a cough here and there to clear my throat

    • June 11 (Day 7 ➕): Feeling good & back to normal, did get hungry and felt a bit light headed from not eating before lunch, usually I can last through lunch. Also got tired walking up the stairs, but was wearing a mask which impacted my oxygen intake

    • June 11 (Day 7 ➕/➖): Feeling good, tested positive in the morning with a faint line and NEGATIVE by 6 PM!!!! I am now COVID FREE!

To help remedy the virus, I hydrated with plenty of electrolytes (Pedialyte & Gatorade), Vitamin C & D and an attempt at getting some more sleep. Despite knowing I was still testing positive, my boss had some placed some expectations on me to get some data analysis done, which I think caused headaches and delayed my recovery, but made sure to rest up on the weekend!

Corporate Challenge 2022

Tonight night was the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge! This is the first big company wide event since COVID. The Corporate Challenge is an annual 5K that I have participated in every year since I joined American Express, and am happy they brought back this tradition!

On the way there, I met up with my former Finance teammate Jonathan and a group of other finance friends I have not seen in a while. Sadly, due to my sprained foot, my foot hurt after starting to run for a few minutes and ended up walking most of the race, with a few spurs of run and jogging here and there.

When we got back to the AMEX tent for food and drinks after the race, I bumped into my old TLS teammates and caught up with them as well as our Risk partner from Kabbage.

I love all of my colleagues and am so happy to have been able to catch up with all my old & new AMEX colleagues!

First Product Launch!

FIRST PRODUCT LAUNCH

〰️

FIRST PRODUCT LAUNCH 〰️

Today my first ever product launch went LIVE!!! This launch included:

  • a company first

  • one of the quickest launches done by AMEX /Kabbage standards (Phase 1 was completed on April 5, just 1 month from ideation to implementation)

  • enabling us to give increased funding to business owners to meet their needs

If you asked me a few years ago if I thought I’d be leading a product launch or even being a product manager, this would not have even been on my radar, but I absolutely LOVE my job. It just goes to show, don’t be afraid to deviate from your plan and take a chance on something new - you may end up finding something even better than you would’ve expected!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have lead this initiative and to be part of such an amazing team! Thank you to everyone helped make this happen!

First time Exploring Atlanta

Lunch at Ladybird Atlanta

First Photo in Atlanta at Ladybird

This past week I was in Atlanta for work, luckily I had the opportunity to fly in a day early to explore all Atlanta had to offer AND have some yummy southern food!

On Sunday, I landed around noon, got to the hotel and immediately hit the ground running in search of some southern food for my first official Georgian meal!

Shrimp & Grits at Ladybird

I found myself at Ladybird, which is a cute outdoor spot for food and drinks. At Ladybrid, I had some true southern Shrimp & Grits and Fried Okra, which was DELICOUS!!!

After a late lunch, I headed to Ponce City Market, where I met up with a former AMEX co-worker and explored Ponce City Market, explored the Atlanta Beltline and then e-scootered to Piedmont Park and then got some yummy food at Bettlecat, where my current coworker and new boss met up with us!

  • Ponce City Market is cool hangout spot with some shops and a large food court. I tried some doughnuts from Five Daughters Doughnuts, which were like cronuts, but with so many more flavors!

  • Atlanta Beltline is similar to the NYC highline, it is a 22 mile pedestrian rail park that will take you throughout the city

  • Piedmont Park is one of Atlanta’s most famous parks and often has events happening and vendors selling food and products

  • Beetlecat - was a cute spot we went to for dinner, they had really great seafood!

  • Lingering Shade - outdoor patio on the Beltline for cocktails and appetizers

The office, located in Midtown Atlanta, was the quintessential startup office, with free food, coffee and BEER on tap, as well as tons of free snacks and CHAMPAGNE in the fridge, but the best part was all of the DOGS in the office! As much as I love NY, the Atlanta office hands down beats the NY office!

Some other fun spots the team and I ended up at were:

  • Two Urban Licks - this was a great spot with live music and a cute cocktail bar inside and the outdoor space is right on the beltline, not to mention they had delicious food!

  • South City Kitchen - this spot was recommended to my team and I by a coworker, the food was good, however the fried chicken did not live up to our expectations, however the FRIED GREEN TOMATOES were delicious (and this is coming from a girl who was very skeptical about even ordering them)!

I did not know what to expect coming to Atlanta for the first time, honestly I had very low expectations - and let me say - Atlanta, you blew my expectations OUT OF THE WATER!

I had an amazing time and cannot wait to come back again!

Sprained Foot

CONFIRMED: SPRAINED FOOT

〰️

CONFIRMED: SPRAINED FOOT 〰️

DIAGNOSIS: Sprained Foot

Today I went to the podiatrist, who confirmed after 6 x-rays, I have a sprained foot with:

  • strained ligament

  • tendonitis

  • bruised bone

Fun fact: I learned that I have some “accessory bones” and some were fractured and bruised

TREATMENT: Stay off my foot

I was told to stay off my foot for at least 2 weeks and return for another assessment. I asked the doctor if I could walk home (10 blocks and 1 avenue) and was given a thumbs down.

I am basically on lockdown for 2 weeks, but worse because I cannot even go out for a walk or anything.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? Fighting Bad Guys

At this point you’re probably wondering how did this happen? Ironically, I injured myself in a self defense class during one of the drills learning to beat up bad guys.

Visitors and food are welcome, wish me luck!