Why hello, lovely people! I swear, this update is not my idea of a terrible April Fool’s joke, but I can’t say I’d blame you, what with my posting once in a blue moon. So in my two-ish month absence, I have trudged through my last semester in uni, but even amidst all those midterms, there are two things of note:
• I received and accepted a job offer from an amazing company. What does this mean? Well, this means A Lot of Things. Such as the fact that I’ll officially have some sort of modicum of a life plan once I graduate this May. Or the fact that I’ll be moving to Austin, Texas, this summer. Or the fact that my senioritis has kicked in high gear and my already declining interest in school has officially surpassed the point of no1curr into IDGAF territory.
Admittedly, it’s going to be a weird transition to go from New York to Austin, but I’m really excited about it. I mean, first of all, there’s the job and the company. I’ve heard only good things about Austin from friends, and the fact that the cost of living is nearly half that of NY? Score. Also, the fact that there is rain and snow here in April, for crying out loud — I can’t even. Anyway, I’ve started the apartment hunt already. I’m slowly planning my summer, and this is what it looks like so far:
May 18th: Graduation!
May 18th – July 11th: ??????
July 11th – 29th: Work training in Mountain View, California
onwards: AUSTIN.
This totally begs the question, though. What do I do from May to July? My family might be going on vacation for two weeks in late June, but that leaves about four weeks of a blank schedule. Am I going to chill out at home in Shanghai? Stay in NY and cling to the sidewalks until I actually have to move? Take a vacation on my own (something I’ve been wanting to do since forever)? Spend the rest of that time moving in Austin? Egads, the possibilities!
• I went on a 10-day trip to Spain (Madrid, Barcelona) and Portugal (Lisbon) in mid-March for spring break. Once I sift through 2038594 photos and upload them, expect lots of blatherings about pretty castles, art, football, and FOOD from yours truly. I mean, really, if the capslock and bolded letters didn’t jump out at you enough, I ate a bunch of good food. Patatas bravas, WHERE ART THOU IN AMERICA. But yes. I have photos. And writeups. Both of which I will gladly share, because letting them rot and die in my hard drive would be a rather sad way to go about things.
Anyway. This here is a drawing of the Infanta Margarita as portrayed by Diego Velázquez in my favorite painting EVER, Las Meninas, which I got to see in person when I was in Madrid. Seeing your favorite painting right in front of you is something akin to a religious experience. Chalk it up to the all the art I’ve seen in the past few weeks (Goya, Miró, and Gaudí, oh my!), but I’ve been feeling oddly inspired since Spain. Anyway, wallpaper’s up here in Smashing Magazine, if you want to download.
So there you have it. I’m still alive, but even better, I’m positively excited about my future life plans. It’s a good feeling.
I really appreciate the feedback, so lots of hugs for you lot! Secondly, my immune system decided to go AWOL on me, because suddenly, I’m phlegmy and headache-y like none other. It started out as hay fever from last week and gradually evolved (or devolved?) into me coughing like there’s no tomorrow. Blarg. But no matter! I bring forth the third (out of four) installments of my Parisian adventures!