My New York Life #3: Thanksgiving Adventures

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I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! I will say that mine had me missing my family but I had an event filled break. I thought it would be fun to break it down a little. Also, let me know how your Thanksgiving was down below!

Wednesday 11/21: Prep Before the Storm
I knew that I would need all the energy that I could muster. I had intended to wake up early so that I could sleep early but that didn’t work. I woke up pretty late and then just relaxed at my apartment and enjoyed the confines of my room. I ended up going to bed around 8:30-9 because…

Thursday 11/22: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
I woke up around 1:30AM to work the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! I got ready slowly and took my time. My roommate made me a breakfast sandwich which I heated and took with me when I got on the subway at 3:00AM. I also want to point out that there were still people at 3:00AM in the subway from workers, homeless, and other commuters. I was a little surprised and honestly thought that I would be unsafe but it wasn’t that bad at all. I sat on the subway for quite a bit before it moved which I wasn’t surprised by. I got to Herald Square around 4:00AM and relaxed before heading up around 4:30AM. I got up to the third floor and got ready for the onslaught! Just kidding. The stilt walkers arrived in slow waves. I was definitely in the slower entering group of people. The parade itself was something I didn’t get to see but I enjoyed working the parade!

I FaceTimed my family and we all took photos as I was walking to 42nd. I definitely missed my family. I got home around 1:30PM. I saw two of my roommates and felt too exhausted to actually going out with one of them to a friendsgiving. I decided to do laundry and watch television. I did fall asleep for 15 minutes because I was just that tired.

Ice Rink @ Rockerfeller Center

Friday & the Weekend: I definitely wanted to do some Black Friday shopping because it has always been a tradition within my family to go out and enjoy the good deals. Shout out to all the troopers who worked their butts off during that whole weekend! I ended up going out in the afternoon to SoHo and grabbing a couple of hot ticket items in Uniqlo, H&M, and Sephora. I spent the rest of my weekend relaxing for the most part. I really needed it since this week has been full of meetings and getting other things in order. I did enjoy what felt like a really long weekend. I need another one please!

xoxo
Tiffany

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My New York Life #2: Change

Posted in Life by
Me at the Brandless Pop Up

In 3 months after moving to NYC to work here. I realize that there are so many things that have changed about me. I wanted to just let you guys know what’s up. I go out all the time. On the weekends you can find me at the local farmer’s markets, museums, or just walking in the city. I love exploring and NYC really does wonders to make me feel like I could live here forever because I am usually doing something different every day. However, going out all of the time means that I need a recharge. I always need this, but I need it more now. NYC is overstimulating at all times and it is just really nice to be in my room, being a hermit. I don’t want to really see people because I have seen people all day. On the opposite end of that, I Facetime my friends more often or call them. I actively want to keep up my friendships with people because there is no longer a 4-year something or the other that will “force” me to see the same people every day.

I think that reason I had an urge to really type out my thoughts is because I recently told my brother that I was happy and content. Sure, there are definitely days that are a little more trying than others, especially with all of the people who are just trying to get form point A to point B, but that is NYC. I am happier here than I have been in North Carolina where I was born and raised. I am happy that I don’t have to drive, can you imagine that? But, if you have questions about NYC, leave them down below because I would love to answer them! 

Eating okonomiyaki

xoxo
Tiffany

My Headspace

Posted in Life by

Toronto Wings

My headspace these two months have been a whirlwind of “I don’t know” when it comes to The Mermaid Network. I feel as though there has been so much time since posting every single time. I have also realized that I love to just live in the moment. I know that it may not seem that way based on my Instagram, but those are just snapshots. The Mermaid Network is something I hold dear to me but it has been on the back burner and I thought that would change once I had more time. In some ways it is because I am extremely busy with work, other days it is because I am uninspired. You see that girl up above? She is happy, in the photo, but she tried at least 5-10 times to get that perfect shot. “Perfect shot.” When did that become my reality? This is not to say that I don’t love this photo or my time spent in Toronto in the PATH, but I remember telling my sister so many ways to take the photo and getting frustrated that it wasn’t perfect.

This is a small piece of insight when it comes to what is in my head. I am hoping to come back better and stronger and hope that I can share more with you guys soon.

Thanks for your patience.

xx

Tiffany

I am on Youtube | Florida Lookbook

Posted in >> Mermaid's Wardrobe <<, Fashion by

I have always loved video editing. I actually have a youtube account that has all of my manga music videos that I created. So, now that I am out of college, I decided to go ahead and invest a little bit of time into things I love. I love blogging and documenting my life. I also love traveling and remembering where I go through photos and videos. Most of my photos you see on Instagram, but you don’t see the videos. So, I am compiling and creating short travel videos when I go travel. I may also share my travels through video in New York if you are all interested.

Anyway, here is my first official YouTube video. It is all footage from December 2017 when my family and I went on a trip to Disney World. It was my first trip there. Please be kind with any feedback! I have not made too many edits with moving footage, just standard pictures (if you have seen my manga videos).

xx

Tiffany

My New York Life #1: 7 Things I Did/Learned During My First Week in New York

Posted in Life by

Times Square from 50th St

It’s been crazy that I officially live in NY now. I didn’t expect myself to acclimate as I have. I am really trying to get my life together. For those of you who don’t know…I am in New York working as an apprentice for the next 9 months. I am so happy to have this as a stepping stone in my career and life. I do miss my siblings dearly and I have called my mom more often than I ever did. Distance truly does make the heart grow fonder and give you perspective. So, here are a couple of things that I have learned this week that I want to share with you. I also have some advice. Let me know in the comments below or give this a like. I am thinking of doing this series once a week. New York is not without the most interesting things happening.

  1. Don’t let the comfort of your home stop you from going out. So, when I arrived at my apartment, all I wanted to do was unpack and stay in. However, I didn’t have groceries. So, I forced myself to head out to the grocery store instead of using modern conveniences like postmates or another grocery service or eating out. Not that those are bad, but I wanted to really push myself to become comfortable where I live and the surrounding area. I found an area that had more than just my local Aldi, it was fantastic and I have been back at least two times since
  2. Take the taxi. If you can afford it, take it when you first move to the city. It cost me about $60.00 but I know I wouldn’t have been able to lug three suitcases through the subway and then up the stairs. Most of the subway stops don’t have elevators. So, if you are moving with all that you have, just save the headache and get that taxi.
  3. Subways aren’t that bad once you get used to it. The three words “Uptown,” “Downtown,” and “Brooklyn” will help you gain a general direction as to where you are going in the city. Of course, some of them are not listed and you will definitely have to use Google Maps to help you out. Uptown= goes up towards the Bronx. Downtown= goes down towards Staten Island Ferry. Brooklyn= goes off the main island towards Brooklyn. I know that it may sound silly to say all of that but it has really helped me gain a sense of direction.
  4. If you get lost, explore. (within safety and reason) New York is only dangerous if you aren’t smart about it or at least cautious. I got on the subway and realized I was heading towards downtown. Sadly, you can’t just transfer over, you have to actually get above ground and go to the uptown side, meaning that you will have to swipe your metro card again. I got off after the second stop and ended up at 50th st. I took a moment to see the hustle and bustle of Times Square from afar.
  5. Tourist is not a bad thing. There is so much to see and do in New York that avoiding the touristy spots means that you can really be missing out on the amazing things in life. Like, me getting lost and ending up near Times Square was my first moment of realization that New York is my home for the next year. The museums may be considered tourism but the exhibits are amazing, for sure. I still need to go to the Heavenly Bodies exhibit at The Met! If you end up feeling jaded, go on off hours. Go to Times Square early in the morning when you are enjoying your coffee or experience it at night when the people are in awe of the bright future they see.
  6. Getting my stuff delivered has been a nightmare. I don’t say this to freak anyone out, I am just telling you my story. So, in order to get someone to sublease my room, I ordered a folding bed frame, bed, and mattress cover. My bed frame was said to have been delivered but my roommate did not see it. I called Amazon, who were really helpful and replaced it free of charge. When I ordered my items from UPS, they wouldn’t deliver for the longest time even though I gave them my door code. So, I signed up for a UPS My Choice account, which made things a little easier but not by much. I also have a UPS store close so I had my personal boxes that my sister sent for me sent there. Currently, I am dealing with a desk that I ordered off of Amazon that got shipped through FedEx and was said to have had three attempted deliveries. I was not home for the first time, the second time I was home, and the third time I left them the door code on my account. I called FedEx, she was helpful, and she called the local facility who were really rude. You will find that shipping companies around here are actually really rude. Granted, some of them are really nice. My local UPS, is pretty nice. FedEx, I feel, is the most unreliable where I am living in the city. UPS is hit or miss, USPS has been pretty consistent.
  7. I LOVE the quiet. With the craziness of the city, I am always surrounded by people or noises or my A/C unit. I do not really hear quiet unless my A/C shuts off or I am asleep. I hear so many things throughout the day that I just need that peace and quiet. I don’t want the honking, the screeching of the rails, or the people who will randomly talk to you in a way that is uncomfortable. This is not to say that I don’t appreciate the sounds of New York, I do, but I enjoy a quiet mind that comes with stepping away from teh world and into my room.

I hope that this helps you! I know that it was a lot of information! I am hoping that I will get to document more of my time here and give you peaks into my life.

xx

Tiffany

I’m Moving

Posted in Announcements and Updates by

A short life update: It has been a crazy time in my life but I am happy/nervous/stressed to say that I am flying out to NYC tomorrow and living there for a whole year. I have an apartment, I am paying rent, I have most of my stuff curated to be shipped out. I am living a fast paced life and I wouldn’t change that for the world. I want to see the world for what it is, live my life to the extent that I can go, and hope that there are great things waiting for me.

I hope that you will follow me on this journey. It may take a while for me to get into a groove but I am hoping that I will be able to post more and about my adventures because there will definitely be many.

 

xx

Tiffany

Review: Romwe

Posted in Announcements and Updates by

romwe logo

Full disclosure: I purchased all items myself after I had the itch to buy all the rompers and jumpsuits in the world. Maybe an exaggeration but, all opinions are my own.

Romwe is a website that sells clothing at a relatively decent price, think of them as an online Forever 21. Sadly, I would much rather shop at Forever 21. Now, just so everyone knows my struggle, I am 5’1″ and I am around 140lbs-150lbs and I have broader shoulders.

The website is extremely easy to navigate. The prices are what get to you. I ordered 14 items, a mix of jumpsuits and rompers that were all super cute and would have been perfect in my collection. I purchased them and about a week later, they arrived. They do ship from China so you are paying for what you get, I suppose. All items ranged from $8.00-$20.00. I got all the items in a bag that had a couple of holes in it, all items were safe. They ship through DHL and require a signature so I highly recommend contacting them to just drop it off if you know you won’t be home.

I purchased the largest sizes in all of the items and double checked the measurement sheet. When I unpackaged them, almost all of them felt like cheap material that would stick to skin like a piece of saran wrap. I did not like a lot of them for that reason and for the fact that they wouldn’t go over my shoulders. A lot of the rompers and jumpsuits had a surplice front, meaning it would create a V-neck. I only liked one romper that was well made and felt like a jumpsuit I would purchase in-store.

As for returns, I contacted them as soon as I finished trying them all on. I received an email promptly within 24 hours and I requested a prepaid label and let them know that I wanted my refund on the original payment method. I just printed it out, it deducts $5.99 from the refund which is cheaper than shipping it out on your own. My package probably would have cost $10.00 to ship. They don’t have you ship back to China, which is nice, but to a distribution center closest to your address.

Have you purchased from Romwe before? Let me know if you have any questions!

-Tiffany
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