The Gems We Found // NewYorkCity

The funny thing about this post series on the city is that it has taken me forever to write.

I'm not sure why exactly, but my gut feeling is that so much happened in this week that I have no clue how I am supposed to put everything into words. I've been looking for the right opportunity to put it all on 'paper', but it took me until right now to realize that if you're always waiting for a perfect moment, a million will pass you by.

So let's begin.

We giddily stumbled off of the train around 6pm Saturday and literally could not do anything else but stare at each other and beam like brace-faced tween idiots who just saw Justin Bieber. We were so overwhelmed by even the smallest things - the smell of Penn Station (which is one to remember, I'll tell you that), the grungy colors and the thousands of people from every-which-where walking in one reckless wave.

It was like being drunk but sober - completely engulfed by everything. The people. The luggage. The clacking of cash registers. The clanking of trains. So, in order stop our heads from spinning off, we hunkered down and ate a slice of New York's prestigious pizzas (one of many to come). This did us in for a good while as we made our trek home to Brooklyn. 

All until we stepped foot outside of the subway, that is.

Oh sure, we knew there was a storm hitting the East Coast. But little did we think it would pose much of a challenge for us to get home......hah, were we wrong.

We had to sleigh our way through thick snow with massive suitcases trailing behind us but managed to miraculously conquered the elements. We made it across several dauntingly wide, slush-covered streets and hauled ass up several flights of stairs while horizontal bullets of snow were attempting to take our eyes out. Words cannot describe the feeling of accomplishment (and relief) of being inside the apartment we rented and sprawled across our respected beds. 

Samantha||Christine||Isabelle - 1 NYC - 0

What would a group of three adventurous girls do to celebrate such a victory? Go out, of course.

So we tediously put on our best to impress the city and dashed out of the house into Manhattan territory. 

We then settled into a crepe restaurant with the most lovely vibe, most lovely food and drink, and most lovely looking waiter to match (always a plus).

This was the point of no return, however. Several crepes and glasses of wine down, Kanye West and Drake came on and the party really got started. It wasn't long after that the three of us were finding our way home when all of a sudden, we found ourselves knee deep in a puddle of sewer slush.

Want to know something even more sad? This didn't happen just once. It happened twice.

Ahhh NY you dirty player, you. 

Samantha||Christine||Isabelle - 1 NYC - 1

Nevertheless, we woke up with huge, bright smiles on our faces the next day and headed to downtown Chinatown to grab some dim sum grub.

I had so much fun introducing my friends to such a big part of me. I used to go to dim sum every Sunday morning...and ordering all of my favorite dishes to share with them brought those old memories back to life.

Scarfing the day off to a brilliantly full start, we waddled our way to Brooklyn to hit up the renowned Brooklyn Flea Market. 

In which the walk required us to get bundled up.

Seriously, you can find the city's best gems in this market. Delectible s'mores? Done. 

Artisan burgers like the Ramen Burger? Oh darling, how could you expect anything less.

And jewels? Galore. 

Wearing ourselves out after hours of bargain hunting, we stumbled across this gem of a stand selling cinnamon buns with three different types of frosting - hazelnut, original, and maple bacon.

Do you even need to guess which ones we got?

Hazelnut and maple bacon all the way.

I'm telling ya, magic awaits around every corner in this city. And the next few legs of the trip prove that even more so!

Good Vibes

There are many meanings behind my sun tattoo.
Sometimes I say it represents shining light in darkness. Other times, I say it represents being positive. But these things are just pieces of a greater puzzle.

It all started when I was introduced to a mindset that completely changed the way I looked at life - the law of attraction. So some of you might think this post will be some crazy science that doesn't work, and that's fine. But I know once you sink your teeth into this, you will never look at the world the same again.

Let me tell you a little story...
A very dear friend of mine gave me her leather jacket that I had been drooling over since we'd met and one day, during a hell week at uni, I realized I had lost it. I remember looking at Rachel, my roommate, and flipping out. "I lost it! Awesome, I can't even remember the last time I wore it let alone where I could possibly find it... I'm screwed."
But then I looked down at my wrist and remembered my philosophy. If I remain calm and know that I will get it back, I will get it back. So I turned around to her again and said, "You know what, there's no point in stressing because I know it will find it's way back to me. Somehow, somewhere, I will have it again." So I carried on with the rest of my day trying my best not to think about it. It wasn't until that night that my friend sent me a picture of a sign in the dining hall saying, "If you lost a leather jacket, contact the manager."

I don't remember being able to do anything except gleam.

I sprinted downstairs and immediate asked for my jacket from the manager. We got talking in which I found out that he had actually had it for 3 days and only that night did he put up the sign.

Coincidence? I beg to differ.

Basically, like attracts like so in a nut shell, this kind of thinking materializes thoughts. Want that brand new BMW? Acknowledge that you want it. Believe you will get it. Receive it.

Legit, it's that simple.

Acknowledge
The first part of getting anything you want is identifying exactly what it is you want.
If you want to be out of debt, you can't think, "I don't want debt" because you're focusing on having debt and, therefore, will only attract more debt to you. SO, instead, you need to think, "I want to be abundant." By doing this, you are thinking about all the money you'll have to buy that BMW.

If you're in the market for a relationship, make a universe shopping list of everything you could possibly want in that other person. It can be down to the most ridiculous things - long hair, eyebrow piercing, dry humor - what have you - but jot it down. Granted these lists can grow pretty quickly so choose a top few characteristics to really focus on. Once you've made your list, craft a sentence that includes those qualities and form it into a mini mantra. "I will be with a hockey player who's got the long hair flow and respects, values and cares about me next semester." (This is my current mantra so hockey boys come at me ;))

Having these mantras will give you a point of focus and determination to get what you want - just as if you were Katniss successfully shooting the biggest deer you could've ever imagined.

Believe
Once you've acknowledged what you want, you have to believe you are absolutely going to receive it.

I love me a BMW so we'll stay on track with that example. You've identified that you want the BMW 4 Series. Now you're going to imagine already having it. When you're sitting on the couch numbly waiting for the commercials to wrap up, you're going to close your eyes and picture yourself sitting in that sexy car. You can feel the smooth-as-caramel leather on the driver's seat. Your fingers flex wide open and then clamp shut around the chocolate wood wheel. You rev the engine. Oh what a gorgeous sound that is. It hums. It roars. You are the only one with the key to such power. You've got the key. You.

Now, wasn't that a magical thing? By visualizing having what you want, you are releasing positive energy into the world - aka good vibes. When I visualize, I always feel like my heart is glowing. Cheesy, I know, but that's how I know my good vibe is strong and is making its way into the world to bring me what I want.

Ladies, know a lad you'd like to get with? Think about how good it would feel to be with him. Find yourself sitting in Target while you wait for you friend to hurry her ass up? Picture him sitting across from you, holding your hand, circling your fingers - whatever it is you would want from him. Feel that glow radiate inside of you from the bottom of your stomach up to the epicenter of your heart and let it beam through you.

It's by feeling those good vibrations as often as possible that will bring you what you want. The more often you release those vibes, the sooner you'll get what you want. This is where the mantra really comes into play. By referring back to it, you will experience the good vibes attached to it and release them out into the universe. This will attract the situations into your life to bring that desire around to you.

Another component to this step is gratitude. You have to show gratitude for the things you already have in your life to continue emitting positivity. Be thankful for your family. Not too stoked on your family? Be thankful for your friends. Not too stoked with your friends? Be thankful for the bed you have to sleep in - and so on, so forth. Like I said, by doing this and visualizing your goal, you'll create even more positive vibrations which will attract your desire faster. Win win.

Receive
Now, all you've gotta do is sit back, relax, believe it will come true and be open to receiving it.
This basically means to keep your mantra in mind, feeling and releasing those waves of positivity and (most importantly) believing you will receive your desire. 

You've gotta stay positive and optimistic throughout this process, though. That's where a lot of people fail. They set themselves a desire and get tired of not getting it immediately and turn around to go back to where they started - because that's all they know and it's an easy, customary reality. It's a journey - one that happens in its own time. Your only job is to know for a fact that you'll reach your destination and to keep walking down the path to get there. It's easy to look around at any given point after setting your intention that you haven't achieved it yet. From here, you start hating the law of attraction and stop thinking that it actually works. But it does! If you stop believing in it, you will drag yourself off the course of receiving it.

That's pretty much a rough summary of the LoA. I live my everyday life by it and I could have never imagined the amazing things I've gotten out of it. I go to one of the best unis for what I want to do, I am surrounded by people I love, and I am constantly exposed to circumstances that allow me to grow and evolve into the person I want to be. What more could anyone ask for?

Seriously though, anyone can have what they want with this mentality. Although, there's bound to be some of you who think it's a bunch of bull, so I pose a challenge to you.

Imagine something you don't see every day. Money lying on the floor, a feather on the sidewalk, people who's name is Shaniqua. Anything...and say to yourself, "I see money lying on the floor everywhere I go." "I see feathers all the time." "I meet so many people named Shaniqua." and just watch it come true. Give it a try - that's my challenge to you. After all, there's nothing to lose!

My Kind of Battle

December.

The month and/or several weeks of hell as seen through the eyes of university students everywhere.

But to me, finals week(s) are bitter sweet. They are a time to cram, a time to amaze yourself at your rapid learning abilities, and a time to finish off several months of hard work.

Obviously, we jump for joy and celebrate their cessation, but we always forget to look back and realize how far we have come in such a short amount of time and how much our bank of knowledge has grown.

Having been done with my finals for a few days now, I've been able to realize just how far I have come since starting school here in Boston. I joined a team, sorority, survived college and just Boston weather in general. 

I must say, it's quite an accomplishment for this warm weather gal.

...but on the other hand, I do enjoy my fair share of snow. So when it started drifting down this afternoon, I knew I had to embrace the closing of this semester and prepare myself for a wonderful, travel filled, holiday ahead of me with nothing better than an epic snowball battle.

We were obviously too deep into the moment to take many pictures (I'm speaking for myself, that is) so these are the only ones I managed to get / capture clearly enough. Nevertheless, the memories behind these photographs are what matter most. Isn't that the case with pictures anyway?

Masterfully gathering the snow and moulding it into perfect snowballs, we each took shelter behind cars then sprung out at juuuust the right moments to absolutely deck someone. I'd like to think I did my fair share of damage but being realistic, I got more damage done to me than I did to anyone else....Let's just say that I will see some bruises tomorrow morning. But then again, it was so very worth it.

On a final note, there's just one thing I want you to take away from this article:

No matter what stressful things are going on in your life, like finals, remember to go outside and play in the snow. It's one of those things that no matter how big the event may seem, it is never big enough for you to sacrifice your happiness. We have long lives ahead of us but in reality, they are too short to waste over worrying. Create the best snowball you can but don't get caught up in where it lands - just remember that at the end of the battle, it's just going to melt anyway so you best enjoy making it while you can.

So with that, carry on with the rest of your finals troops and let the snowball fights commence!

So Good It Should Be Illegal

While stuffing ourselves full of turkey on Thursday was a beautiful thing (one of the many reasons why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday), Leah, Goldie and I decided that we needed a bit of the sea to keep us sane. 

And what better place to sail to than Legal Harborside.

This restaurant not only houses the best seafood dishes in Mass, but also one of the most culturally rich stories behind the name...

In 1955 lived a family-owned restaurant called Jimmy's Harborside. It too was home to the best seafood in all the land - so much so that celebrities from across the globe came to have a taste. The walls were lined with photographs of these celebrities and twas the place to see and be seen.

But in 2007, the restaurant became tired and decided to close down...but not long after did Legal Sea Foods come into town and swooped the restaurant and turned it into their own. But out of respect for all the history that lay on that spot, they named the restaurant Legal Harborside.

And here she stands today in all her glory.

Complete with three levels of dining...

The first being casual; complete with an oyster bar, drink bar, and swanky seat layout.

As you climb the stairs, you venture into the second floor's fine dining area.

And most excitingly, as you reach the third rooftop story, you will be warmly greeted and escorted into the rooftop lounge.

While it's lovely in the winter, the summertime is when this floor comes to life. The roof retracts, the windows slide all the way open and the deck is available for outdoor seating.

While the restaurant's layout itself is pretty awesome, it doesn't compare to the food.

We started off with their famous clam chowder - creamy, chunky, and just the way I like it!

Then ordered our dishes and waited in anticipation..

I got the Lobster bake which came with a soup so I went for the turkey (since Thanksgiving is only one day a year, you've gotta make the most of the bird for as long as you can).

 Leah went for the baked scrod with mashed potat'rs

Goldie went for burger; cole slaw and fries on the side.

And, as previously mentioned, I went for the Lobster Bake - complete with a full lobster, corn on the cob, muscles and clams. Heart melting..

Having it be my first lobster since my arrival in Boston, it goes without saying that I was more than a little excited to dig in.

 Stuffed, yet again, we waddled outside to get a deep breath of that invigoratingly crisp Boston air.

Smash Those Weights, Girl

Some of you know that fitness has always been a big part of my life. Inside and outside of the gym I work towards being the best version of myself.

So when I came to Northeastern and found out there was a powerlifting team, the only thought that crossed my mind was 'I'm so game'.

Here's a little de-brief for those of you who aren't quite sure what exactly powerlifting is and why most of the girls on the team don't look like smaller versions of Arnold Schwarzenegger....

There are three movements: the squat, the bench, and the deadlift.

Squat, as you would imagine, is when you hold weight on your back, squat down until your hips just break parallel and spring back up.

Bench press is when you're lying down with the bar and weight overhead, lower the bar to your sternum and press back up.

Finally (my favorite), the deadlift is when you have the bar and weights on the ground, you bend down to grab hold of the bar and straighten up to standing - hips locked - and then lower it back down. 

At practice, there are normally 5-7 gals on a rack so doing these movements (along with stretching and accessory exercises) takes up to 4 hours. It sounds like a hell of a long time to be in the gym but it absolutely doesn't feel like it! You're lifting with your friends, you're goofing around when you're not lifting and you're building yourself up to be the lean mean iron-crushing machine you've always dreamed of being. Ahhh music to my tomboy ears..

Competitions on the other hand are very different to our practices. We still do the three lifts but in a different way. The meet is divided into weight classes and within those weight classes the person who lifts the lightest starts first. But just because you're in a lighter weight class doesn't mean you'll go first. You could be in the 158 weight class and lift first while the next lifter up is in the 128 weight class (which was the case of this meet because I was in the 158 class and I don't lift as heavy as ~120 lbs Michelle....yet).

So I was the one who had to kick the meet off on Sunday and there is no other way to say this but I was sh*tting bricks. I don't think I've been that nervous for something since my gymnastic days. I was the first one up on the podium with my least favorite movement with a weight I've only lifted once before in front of a crowd of strangers...could not have gotten more nerve wrecking than that. But the nervousness played so much to my advantage. I was literally shaking in my sock monkey knee high socks but went out there and lifted my heart out. I was so unbelievably besides myself that I lifted as much as I lifted because it came out of no where! Just goes to show that a little confidence and obscene amounts of sugar rushing through your veins can go a long way.

I could not be more proud of the team I've become apart of. I've shed tears and showered in sweat but it has all been worth it. I could have never imagined I'd be where I am now a few weeks ago. Turns out that no matter how much knowledge you have, if you don't have the confidence nor support to put it into action you won't go very far. Without the girls on the team, I would still be lifting little red weights and have low self-confidence levels. They have been my rock hard shoulders to lean on and even stronger slaps on the ass to get myself back in check. They are the force that drive me past the limits I thought I had.

I am a part of NUPL and I'm damn proud.