New York Photo Dump

Been really busy apartment hunting and exploring the city. Also had to move from one place to another. Thanks to Dee and Carlo for hosting us till we can find a place for the month of September since the place we're gonna be moving into wont be available till October.

So here are a bunch of pictures Ive taken the past week (which feels like its been 2 months already)

Empire State
53rd and 6th Halal. Best ever
My bike came in! Now I feel complete here. Except that the weather is shitty, too hot or raining. Im actually looking forward to the weather cooling down so I can be more comfortable on the bike. I still gotta go explore more too but looking for an apartment is taking up all of my time!
Stopped by Ippudo to visit my friend Christian. If youre ever in NY you gotta stop by here and grab a bowl of their ramen.
Prospect Park.
Exploring Brooklyn at night.
View from Brooklyn Bridge
Apartment hunting in the Upper East Side. This area is exactly like the New York you see in the movies. After looking through some other apartments in not the best areas of Brooklyn, right when we walked out of the subway this area automatically became was our #1 choice for a place. But we ended up going finding a place back in Brooklyn.
The storms out here are crazy! One minute it'll be okay and the next itll be storming out! So this dinner was caused by a major downpour and we just walked into the closest door open.
Brooklyn Beer
Neck Face sighting at some bar
Upper East Side
Fette Aus? I think thats how you spell it but the it was pretty much a steak house and it was awesome. Priced by weight so you can get a little bit of everything.
Clubs/Bars here done close till early morning (4-5 am) so weekends are very tiring. Trains dont come as often too so it can take a couple hours coming from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Taxi's are a lifesaver.
and my partner in crime.


Riding through the Williamsburg Bridge gives you an awesome view of the east river and the city skyline.
riding around my bike. stopped to check out Chari & Co.
On the way home one of those storms caught me right when I got on it. Ended up getting soaked. But with the hot weather it felt nice.
Chillin' at Central Park.
Here's the Alice in Wonderland memorial.
Being a fool. Sorry haha
The other day New York had a couple earthquakes. Happened while we were in a restaurant. Minutes later these firemen came by and saw this.
Thrift store finds
Pistachio Creme Brulee. So good.
Seaweed and Jellyfish
Soup Dumplings
Beer Pong on a wednesday night
and I ended up trolling. for the first time ever in my life! ahhh so disappointed in myself
Brooklyn rooftop views
result of the night.
Okay thats all for now. Til' next time!

Bay to LA: Day 3

Getting back to the LA bike trip.

Sleeping under the redwoods was pretty awesome BUT like the night before I was FREEZING! Slept with 4 jackets on and an emergency blanket, yea those foil ones people have after running a marathon or something. Had to take another nyquil to go to sleep and woke up multiple times throughout the night shivering. But oh well

Woke up early and had some canned pasta for breakfast. Started a fire to cook them on.
Nothing beats pasta with a hint of ash in the morning.


Then got greeted by this 2-3 mile uphill climb right at the very start of the ride. I was freezing with a bunch of layers on but by the time we hit the top I was drenched in sweat.
The views were worth it though.

A lot of construction along the way.
On the left is a garden. A garden in the middle of nowhere and that guy in the white t-shirt was there maintaining it. Complete with sprinklers are everything.
Ran into this group of riders from across the country doing the same exact route we were doing except they were supported and being followed by a van. Pretty cool, they let us use their pump.
Stopped at this restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Not trying to stereotype but I think they were a bit racist. They were pretty mean and when we wanted to eat at the restaurant they said they were going to be closed for lunch and on top of that the lady told us that while she was eating a damn burger AND then 2 people came out of the restaurant with burgers in hand! Then the lady told us the next closest restaurant was 15+ miles away!...
I think their cat was even racist. It tried to bite me.
It took us a very long time to get out of Big Sur's rolling hills. After going through all those hills everything seemed so much easier though.


Rest of the ride for the day was pretty much the ocean to our right and dry hills on the left. 109 miles of riding that day. At least we ended up in San Luis Obispo and finally had a bed to sleep in.

New York!

We're finally here!

It took a lot of planning and even more hard work, but we made it. It's still surreal that I'm now 3000 miles away from home. I give it a few more days to finally hit me. So far it's a lot of walking, getting lost, exploring, and taking in so much it's a bit overwhelming, but it's pretty damn awesome.

We're currently on the unemployment train and still waiting for our stop to a place to live in. This is giving me plenty of time to relax and get everything in order. I know things are going to work out so I'm being patient, but I'm hoping to settle in our place soon so we can really start, start living our lives in this new and exciting place.

Here are some pictures:
Thank you Jannelle for the awesome cupcakes! Also thanks to everyone who came out to our goodbye shindig. Everyone that mattered to my life were there and Im truly happy for you guys being in my life. I hope to see you guys here in the near future. You guys will always have a place to stay in. Just give me time to find myself my own place to stay in first. haha
Last sunset in California
Somewhere in the clouds.
First view of New York
Finally reunited with this guy! He's not mine but I missed him. Im pretty happy to be have him snuggling up on me in the middle of the night or licking my hair to wake me up when my alarm goes off in the morning.

Subways are damn confusing. Getting the hang of it though.
Uptown? Downtown? Which town again?
All up in my armpit
Best halal you will ever have in your life. Guaranteed.
The Empire State.

Moving to New York was the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. I've put myself through a month of work with no days off, working 3 jobs at one point, and working a full weeks worth in just a couple of days to be able to save enough money to do this. I left a job that I love, my friends, but most of all my family.

This decision wasn't an easy one, but it was made because of a series of events, events that didn't go my way and at times has put me in some of the lowest points of my life. But those same events made me stronger (pardon the cliche), made me hungry, made me want more, and gave me the motivation and drive to be more.

More. Not more money but more as a person. To experience new experiences, to take in new cultures, taste new food, and learn life lessons. I want to grow old and be able to talk about the things I've done, the places I've been, the amazing views my eyes have seen.

I want to show my parents that they've raised a good son. That all of their hard work, their patience, all those years of putting up with my crazy antics were worth it. I could tell them that they've taught me manners, morals, and instilled in me determination, hard work, responsibility and countless other traits to be used for tools to success. I could tell them that I appreciate all of the things that they have done for me, I want to make them proud. But you know what, I would rather show them. That's what I'm doing.

Most of all, I want to show my little brother and sister that there is a whole world outside of "home." I could sit them down and tell them that they can do whatever the hell they want to do. Tell them that you can be whatever you want to be. I want to tell them to step out of their comfort zone. I want tell them that they can make their own options and explore those same options, but more importantly to explore the world. I want to tell them that hard work will always take you places. But I would rather show them. That's what I'm doing.

I want this move to make me a better son. To make me a better brother. To make me a better person. That's what I'm striving for.

P.S. It's a whole lot better than living at home leeching off your parents' money. Just sayin'