gleamr1's Xanga

Shopaholic / Eataholic in NYC

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 00:05:57 GMT

My purchases in the last 2 weeks...ahhhh...

- Brown/pink leather ballet flats
- Black pumps
- Snakeskin peekatoes
- Black Satchel
- Pale yellow tote
- Marc Jacobs pleated skirt
- Diane von Furstenberg coral/gold threaded dress
- Crochett olive halter
- Shisheido toner & moisturizers

Notable NYC restaurants I went to in the last month or so:

- Perry St
- Cuba Libre
- Tribeca Grill
- Cafe Boulud
- Philip Marie
- Max Brenner
- BLT Prime
- One if by Land, Two if by Sea
- Estiatorio Milos
- Peiyali
- Sala 19
- La Boite En Bois
- Le Colonial

No wonder my wallet feels lighter..hahaa. I think I have a shopping AND a dining out problem. oi.

I Will Teach You To Be Rich: It Never Gets Easier Than Now

Tue, 22 Aug 2006 13:29:17 GMT

Very interesting article...After a year of working as a corporate monkey, it's inspiring me to think about doing something not so safe...

It's easy to stay in the comfort zone - on the safe path that your parents or college or everyone around you have paved out, hang out with a familiar group of people, stay close to where you grew up. It's easy to get trapped in the complacency of thinking this is good enough and that it's too much work to do something different.

We feel like we have time, but the truth is, we're already close if not past our mid 20s and will only get more responsiblities as time goes on. So, how many of these things do you do?

Every time I hear someone say "I'm too busy" to do something, a little puppy dies and I want to stab myself in the eye with a katana blade. I don't think people realize how good we have it right now: We're young, we're only responsible for ourselves, and we can do basically anything we want. If you think about the responsibilities we'll have in 20 years--or even 5--you start to appreciate that doing almost anything will never get easier than it is now.

Here are 9 examples:

Saving money is never easier than now. If you don't think you can save 25%+ of your salary today, think about this: You have no one else you're spending on. And while your salary will go up, the increase won't be commensurate with your expenses--unless you start developing habits right now. Let's think about some of the expenses we'll face soon: insurance, a new home, homeowner's insurance, remodeling, moving costs, a car, car insurance, car repair, medical costs, vacations, giving to charity, giving wedding gifts, giving birthday gifts, giving graduation gifts, a babysitter, diapers, baby formula, kids' sports, and, finally, unexpected expenses. As Chris Yeh wrote, "Just this morning, I calculated that our monthly expenses are about 10X what they were when my wife and I were just a single couple living on our own, mostly due to our two bundles of joy." If you think you'll be able to save more in the future than today, you're out of your mind. Read my site, read others, start a budget, and find a way.

Working out. We're in the best natural shape of our lives. There's a school near my place, and when I run, I see older men sweating like Patrick Ewing after only one lap. I scornfully lap those 72-year-old men over and over again. It'll never be easier than today.

Eating fast food. With that said, our metabolism also makes it possible for us to eat the greasiest, most delicious food on earth without causing our thighs (or whatever) to show it. So maybe we shouldn't feel guilty about enjoying that filthy KFC bowl.

Starting your own business. Here are some common reasons people give for not starting one "right now" that make me thankful I am not a dragon (my sigh would ignite them): "I'll just wait until I save a little more money," they say. Or "I just have to learn some more before I do it." Now, most people won't start their own companies and that is perfectly cool. But for those that want to, there's nothing like learning by doing--and if you fail, what's the worst that can happen at our age? You don't lose your house or wife and kids. You go and...get a regular job. You can always go to the corporate world. Going the entrepreneurial route gets harder and harder.

I faced this exact situation when I was graduating from college: Google made me a great offer, the position was a nice fit, and the people there are really smart. Plus, the food is amazing. But I decided to go the startup route (to PBwiki) because I can always go back to the corporate side. The people at Google couldn't have been more supportive.

Just hanging out with friends. It's easier to go out with friends now than it will ever be in the future. Why? Because we all live in the same general area, live similar lifestyles, and have virtually no responsibilities to anyone else. "But Ramit," you might say, "most of my friends live far away." Even if they live on another coast, we have such few external responsibilities that we can take a weekend trip to most places. Also, on my comedy blog (Things I Hate), I wrote about the people in college who get "married" by only hanging out with their boyfriend/girlfriend. What a huge mistake. Your friends aren't all boring and in serious relationships yet. If you have any married friends, have you ever tried hanging out with them? It's like a giraffe trying to find a pair of lost contact lenses. Impossible. We're young, our friends are young, and we're all pretty available to hang.

Doing your own side projects. Holy christ, we have more free time right now than we know what to do with. "But Ramit," you might say, "I work 12 hours a day and then I study for the GMAT and then I build houses in Guatemala on the weekends. You're full of shit." Let's keep it real: We all have lots and lots of time we use for leisure activities--whether it's watching The Hills (Heidi surprised me on Wednesday), working out, or whatever. The question is, can you track what you spend your time on and redirect it to something you care about? Something that will have an impact for the next 5, 10, or 50 years? The answer is yes. And we'll only get busier in the future.

Taking risks in investing and life. I'm going to describe some fears we have about investing, but you can apply this to anything.

Don't worry so much about losing all your money. Don't worry about not having the optimal asset allocation. Don't worry about your friends making more than you. Worry about not getting started. In my 1-hour talks, I ask young people our age about what would happen if we lost all our money right now. After a couple of inevitable gasps, most people admit that it wouldn't really be that bad. Maybe they'd go live at home for a few months, get back on their feet, and go get another job. But what happens when you're 35 with a husband, 2 kids, and a mortgage? Losing most (or all) of your money would be catastrophic. And if you're 65 and spending your money on pills and bingo, losing your money can be a matter of life and death.

To get higher returns, you incur higher risks. And at our age, we have a huge tolerance for risk--even an appetite for it. And if we invest well for the long term, time can mitigate any short-term losses. No, I'm not telling you to lose all your money. You have to get educated and get started (see a list of all my articles). But if you let a fear of losing money deter you from investing, you're losing the best years of compounding to turn a little money into a lot.

Meeting interesting people. You wouldn't believe how many people are willing to meet to share advice and connections. I meet them all the time, and it's not because I'm some fancy guy (I'm not). It's because I'm young and interested. CEOs, VCs, and even small-business proprietors and teachers are so friendly. I think it's because of 3 things: First, people love to talk about themselves, and I'm interested in their story. Second, people love talking to young people, both to share their experience and to stay connected to young people; for example, last week, I taught a business friend what "Benjamins" are. God I loved it. Third, people love knowing that your intentions are pure and that you got in touch to learn, not to inject some corporate agenda. Who knows what could happen if you just asked?

Traveling. You think when you're 30, you'll be able to take a weekend trip to New York, stay out until 5am, then make it back in time for Monday morning? No way. I'm not 30, but aren't most 30-year-olds plagued with arthritic joints and incontinence? Heh, I hope I don't get in trouble for that one. Anyway, traveling to visit (or live) in other places is unbelievably easy right now. To visit, it costs about $200 roundtrip to anywhere in country. To live, we pick a place, get a job, and it's done. We have no one to answer to, and imagine the amount you can learn by living somewhere else.

Living in situations your parents would abhor. As we get older, we naturally demand a more comfortable living situation. When we travel abroad, for example, we can stay in hostels with no problem. When older people travel, they need a hotel. In college, we lived in like 150 square feet with 2 other people. Older people measure their homes in the thousands of square feet, and they have things like "dens" and "islands" in their "kitchen." (Funny thing: You should have seen some of the parents' horrified faces when they visited Stanford, where the dorms are actually really nice. And then to buy sheets ("linens" to them) at Target? Oh my god!) Ok, that went off on a huge tangent, but the point is that we can live in a way that older people cannot. So whether that's saving on rent by living in a cheaper place, or driving your 10-year-old car, or just realizing you don't need that much...it's never easier than it is now.

...

But for now, think about it. Is this going to be just another blog article you read and then go on with your day? Or can you think of something concrete, right now, that you want to do because it's easier now than it will ever be?

See the original at http://http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/archives/2006/07/it_never_gets_easier_than_now.html

Hot design for the Fall

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 23:14:19 GMT

While wandering around NYC on Sunday, Joanna and I went to a sample sale and ended up with...
=> me buying a super form fitting Versace dress in which I can only take baby steps
=> Jo buying a little white dress that's completely see through except for some thin lines of fabric at the "important" areas. HOT.

Super cute designs are already being showcased. Goal for now is to look and be inspired but not exercise my credit card..... I need to be rich.

Giorgio Armani

Elie Saab

Valentino

Sin City... second time in 2006!

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 17:37:11 GMT

Almost been ONE year since I started work in NYC... Sometimes a lot of work, sometimes not much at all (I've had a 3-day weekend every week for the last 2 months). But one thing's constant, and that is non-stop playing!

Las Vegas part 2 6/29 - 7/3

Staying at the Ventian this time with some coworkers + friends and reuniting with MIT'ers.

Sweet.

Summer vacation ideas?

Sat, 27 May 2006 23:54:08 GMT

I'm taking a week long vacation this summer... thinkin about a tropical destination - anyone have suggestions or know of travel sites with good vacation packages?

YAY!

MAYAN RIVIERA - Sunscape Puerto Aventuras Riviera Maya - 6 Days/5 All Inclusive

looking forward to:

Miles of Unspoiled White Sandy Beaches
Crystal-Clear Caribbean Waters
Incredible Coral Reefs
Many Watersports: Windsurfing, Scuba Diving, Jetskiing, Peaceful Snorkeling

Pictures!!

Thu, 18 May 2006 01:47:55 GMT

Finally! Life's been crazy the past 2 months so I haven't had time to update... but here's to my trip to China:

With my mom and dad - I'm the tall mutant of the family.

Eating an emperor's meal at an old palace.

Me being pretentious and trying not to laugh...

My dad and I conquered the Great Wall! So after all that climbing, it's dum dum dum...Peking duck time!

YUMM.

Live scorpions on a skewer...

And me eating one...

10 crazy Chinese acrobats on a bike.

Alcoholic at heart - I had to do it - my parents didn't know what to say so they just snapped the photo haha I was cracking up the whole time posing for it because there were a bunch of old Chinese people on the left staring at me like I was absolutely nuts.

How cute do my mommy and daddy look in this picture??

I was so pampered in Beijing - massages (yea sorry there's no picture of that), great food, and the chance to actually visit the sights I've read about since I was a little kid (yes I'm a fob).

After that...off to HK! Many thanks to Miss Tingting for hosting and showing me a fab time Can't wait to see you again! (And you still owe me pictures)

After my trip to Asia, I was exhausted for awhile, from the jetlag and the traveling. But 2 weeks later, it was reunion time in Boston! Dee, Fang, Sherry, Alex, Kaliq, Charles, and many others all went up to Boston. Photo recap:

Friday night at Tonic:

Sexy ladies... Charming guys...

Not sure what was so funny... Dee was obviously having fun.

Saturday went to Founder's day - great weather, lovely company, and yummy lobsters. What else can a girl ask for? Night was spent at Umbria:

Good times.

Sunday had brunch at Charlie's Saloon on Newbury Street with Grace, Cindy, and Allison

THANKS to 55 Revere for hosting, PKT for a great Founder's Day, club Moy, and everyone that came out!

Hoppin' all over the world...

Tue, 14 Mar 2006 02:59:58 GMT

3/23-3/26 *Paris*

Next up, 3/31-4/16 *Taiwan, Beijing, HK*

Home sweet home in Taiwan, then...

Grand Hyatt Beijing

This pool looks amazing...and looking forward to Forbidden Palace, the Great Wall, Tiananman Square, the Temple of Heaven... In my 12 years of living in Asia, somehow I never made it to China. Better late than never though!

Can't wait to see you in HK Ting Christy, you'd better stay!

I love taking the subway

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 01:50:21 GMT

Taking the NYC subway is often an event of its own. Besides the lovely smell that makes me hold my breath, the stairs littered with used metrocards, and of course, the performers.

After a nice day at the Moma and dinner, I took the 4 train from Grand Central to Wall Street. I stepped onto the train expecting a good relaxing 10 minutes of indulging in my food coma, so I was a bit thrown off when a big guy jumped in front of me and DEMANDED a high five. I thought uhh ok maybe he'll leave me alone if I just give him five. However, when I sat down, he came over and started blowing bubbles towards me and did this trick that looked like he pulled a bubble out of thin air. Then he tried to make me hold some stuff so he could do other tricks, but I didn't wan't to. THEN I don't know if it's revenge, he started pulling at the hem of my skirt (I was wearing a long skirt with boots) -- and stuck something under my skirt and hit my ankle with it. I was thinking...OMG WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!!? At that point he pulled out the thing and it was a magician's hat, and dumped its content into my lap. Guess what it was?! A BLACK LACE THONG.... The train was pretty full and all these guys started laughing and clapping. I brushed the thong off with a brochure and the guy kept picking it up and throwing it back at me!! He was yelling stuff like..."Oh you *really* want me to keep your thong??"

I was kinda grossed out by it because who knows where he got it from or where it's been, but I must admit... it was pretty amusing hahaha. I think I find almost everything amusing... not sure why. It was tough trying to keep a straightface so he wouldn't come terrorize me again.

On another note, I saw Underworld Evolution this weekend... Kate Beckinsale's so smokin' hot. Life's unfair, but at least she kept the movie interesting:

The end.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 22:39:10 GMT

Who knew?

Found this in an old email...always makes me laugh.

===========================================================================================

Ah! New Yorkers...

Toll Booth Accident - Both must have been typical New Yorkers, one more in a hurry than the next one.....
I wonder whose EZ-Pass paid the toll?

I wish the accident report was included in this email! I would love to have read that one!

Maybe this is why I'm so unproductive working from home. Too many distractions.

Time to go out. Ciao.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 03:45:56 GMT

It's been a good while since I last updated xanga... but with everyone scattered out now, it's easier to stay up to date on what people're up to - so here we go ~

Life's been pretty different since graduating, and working in consulting and living in New York's been quite a ride as well - meeting lots of people and and traveling all over. BUT some things don't change... like the annual spring time Vegas trip that's becoming a tradition! (I hope so anyway) Thanks to our amazing photographer Timmy, check out the pictue:

~Pix~

Favorite moments: Seeing Sang after almost 1 year; "Fun" with dee on the Pure patio; Caviar, lobster, & champagne; Sake bomb madness; Jessie on Jessie action; Jerry running down the hall in .... (edited just for you jerry)

Hahaha too funny. Thanks for the fabulously crazy fun times everyone