Commencement

At the risk of sounding naively optimistic after just two days of work, I really enjoy commercial banking, at least as far as what my group does can be called commercial banking. (Why is finance jargon so loose anyway? Bankers would do well to learn from physicists--a technical term should have a technical meaning.) I'll spare the details since I doubt anyone wants to hear them; in any case, I'm happy that I'm not bored already like I was with research last summer.

And now, the real point of this entry:

Lessons I've learned in the workplace

• "We should get lunch" is the office equivalent of "We should grab a meal sometime." You know, that thing you say half-heartedly when you bump into an acquaintance you haven't seen in a while. Only, if it's a co-worker, breakfast and dinner are impossible because you probably live halfway across the city from each other.
• If you ask for more work, you're gonna get more work. This is perhaps an obvious point, but I should definitely take it to heart if I don't want to burn out in the next two months.
• Coffee is liquid magic.
• Work is not like college--though curiosity is encouraged, you can't ask a question wherever and whenever you want, as my MD reminded me fifteen minutes into my internship. Oops.

Lessons I've learned in life

• When buying perishable solid foods like meat and cheese, get the resealable packages. Okay, so cheese isn't really perishable, but it turns rock hard after a couple days of exposure apparently. Sadness.
• Green bananas are the way to go if you don't want them turning old and spotty and mushy after a couple days.
• Milk is arranged such that the further away the expiration date is, the harder the bottle will be to access because of all the blasted soon-to-expire bottles.
• Not all dry cleaners are made equal. Never go to the nearest dry cleaner purely out of convenience, because the owner just might be a lazy money-grubbing meanie.
• On a positive note, small meals of fruits/veggies, whole grains, and lean meat every few hours have been doing wonders for my digestion and overall health.
• Orange juice with pulp is actually yummy. Does this mean I'm getting old?

And now, the REAL point of this entry: more photos! I realize that my pictures so far make it seem like I never leave Greenwich Village (or my apartment, for that matter), but I assure you, I've been making my way around Manhattan. Maybe a photography expedition this weekend is in order. Anyway, enjoy.

Lots of books to read.

Just a sofa. Or is it?

Nope, it's also a bed! Okay, this is actually the other sofa bed in my apartment, but same difference. Notice the mess. And my panda. Her name is Xiongmao.

Fairly small kitchenette, but it serves my purposes.

And finally, the coffee table turned dining table turned laptop stand. I use my phone as an internet tether, so don't call me while I'm facebooking please. =D

And now I'm off to go running for the first time since I arrived in New York. I hope I don't get hit by a taxi driver. Wish me luck!