nyc

earlier this month, the mister had to be in the big apple and i jumped at the chance to tag along. never mind i'd my end of year exams the day after we returned to the UK. this must be the 'unhealthy lack of fear' my mother refers to when she laments my poor life choices. but hey, i'll take revising in manhattan (haha) over revising in london any day, if you get what i mean. 

then halfway through our 8 day trip, i had a little wobble after realising i hadn't done any work at all. what was i thinking? which part of 'revise for exams in nyc' sounded like a good idea?! revision whinge aside (yes, i know it's lame. sorry, will stop now!) nyc was such a blast. we'd a few days of holiday before the mister got busy busy with 14h days and i was left to my own devices. not that i minded, because all the better to catch up with friends without having to be dragged along the wine and dine circuit. ok, so i was the gracious +1 a couple of times and the mister's colleagues are a likeable bunch. but there's only so much jean georges my unrefined palate can take, and so many breakfasts (our record is three full brekkies in one morning before 10am) i can stomach in a day. 

i suppose that's the thing about being social. i tell a white lie and say i'm a housewife. which isn't far from the truth at this stage (reading week otherwise spent in domestic drudgery!) because it's just too much effort to tell randoms i used to be an attorney (uhmurican vernacular!) and am now in medsch. and then have to justify my life choices (again, back to that unhealthy lack of fear). as a quick aside, i've a consultant friend who tells people on the train he works at morrisons (budget supermarket) to avoid being pumped for free medical advice. too funny! anyhoos, most of the other wives are stepford wife types and i evidently far from blend in because much as i wish i'd a trophy wife body (haha) i don't. but i've been juvenile and flouncing around in crop tops and short shorts that have my 20 year old sister cringing in embarrassment on my behalf. had this conversation with the mister about how being in a foreign land is freeing because i'm not about to run into anyone i know and i can look as hobo-like as i want without the repercussions of someone ratting to my folks. in fact, i've developed the bad habit of rolling out of the hotel in my pjs. because the lower east side is casual like that, no one bats an eyelid.

the beauty of facebook is when my inner attention ho posted a photo, tons of friends started to share unsolicited advice about where to eat. i suppose it's all par from the course when one announces they're in nyc. but it was a bit overwhelming and we actually did have plans for most of the trip and were double/triple booked on some days. by some happy coincidence, we were already going to most of the places fb commentators(?) recommended, but were unfortunately less than impressed with a couple we did try on friends' suggestions. note to self: only trust the mister when it comes to f&b! 

jetlag hit quite bad this trip and i'd be up by 6am most days. which doesn't bode well for the mister because there's no tanglin halt peanut pancake to appease me with. and when i can't sleep, he can't sleep. in addition to the pj-wearing in public habit, i also cultivated a napping habit with 2h naps every afternoon (after my fitful 6am starts!). but that just meant i could stay out (and awake) beyond 10pm.

oh and wanna hear a moral dilemma? was walking with a girlfriend after drinks when we saw a lady cyclist kind of go limp then fall off her bike. it caused quite a stir and my inner lawyer was all 'it's uhmurica! don't anyhow volunteer help if you don't want to be sued!' while my inner medic said 'how can you NOT check on her if you're the first person on the scene and equipped with the necessary skills?' no prizes for guessing which side won and i somehow did an impromptu spine + hip exam (she'd fallen on her side) and it seemed to be heat exhaustion. a passerby gave her some water and she pepped up. but gosh, momentarily scary and i'm glad it didn't seem to be anything more serious. of course, the usual safety netting like 'go and see your doctor tomorrow if you're not feeling better', 'ring an ambulance if you start to feel worse' etc. and my favourite magic phrase 'i'm acting in my capacity as a lay person with knowledge' because cannot pretend to be doctor when not. but, you know, it felt good to be of some use.

will post more about nyc over the next couple of days. do check back if you'd like to see :)