I interrupt these photos to bring you this update on my life:

1. Have been exercising 2-3 times a week. I know. You don't believe me. I would take a picture of my sweaty self and post it but for fear that when I become a celebrity the media would be all over it like Paris Hilton on any small bit of attention.

2. Spent time with Kaiser and Asma last Thursday-Friday. They visited New York and stayed with me. We frolicked around midtown, ate Magnolia cupcakes, gazed longingly at fashions we can't afford, and hacked into Lindsay Lohan's sidekick. Just kidding about that last bit.

3. Read a lot. Am seriously going to update bibliophile more.

4. Found out (several weeks ago) that cute boy I volunteer with actually has had a girlfriend for SEVEN YEARS. Yep. He finally revealed this to me after knowing me for a YEAR. A whole year without so much as a mention of the girlfriend. Skeevy, you're thinking, right? He's never hit on me though, and we have a nice friendly rapport which I hadn't wanted to ruin anyway with romantic complications.

5. I totally have a new crush. And I am so going to talk to him tomorrow. I know I've been vowing to do so for the past, oh, 3 weeks, but seriously. I am. And I'll keep you updated.

On another note: happy birthday to my darling little sister!

P.S. Saw SARAH JESSICA PARKER walking in the West Village yesterday. She was in a purple velvet coat, green pants, and tall boots, walking very quickly. Had on huge sunglasses, like she didn't want to be recognized but secretly she did.

First time having afternoon tea with friends in DC. I was enchanted with the tiny pastries and sandwiches, and the very British-ness about it all. I still, however, prefer my Asian teas without milk or cream.

You'll notice lots of photo posts in the coming days. This new Hello contraption is really something, I tell ya. So now you'll all partake of the past photo bounty I was never able to share with you.

The Jello Bar in Montreal was where I had my first Cosmopolitan and Peachblossom martinis. Delicious and the band that night was awesome--funkifying up everything from Outkast to Nelly. They also played good oldies. Lovely ambiance, though the crowd was a little older than Suzanne and I.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone dearest to my heart!

Hope you have a lovely one. And hope you like the new layout. I really didn't like the other one. Hopefully this one'll last longer.

(and I still have to get the links and about pages changed. i'll get to it)

As Valentine's Day approaches, there are more commercials with happy couples swinging around and laughing and generally looking like they are beyond mind-blowing ecstatic. And also, as VDay approaches, there are more angry whines from people around me and generally lots of steps back for the independent women movement.

Before I'd ever had a boyfriend, I felt this same way, to some extent. I had a love-hate relationship with Valentine's Day. I mean, on the one hand, it was the day I got free candy and cute little cards. On the other hand, it was the day I didn't have a boyfriend. In the past, the latter would have mattered much more. I would always think, Why don't I have someone? It felt as though any Jane, Sue, and Mary could get a boyfriend, so why couldn't I?

Now, I'm in a much better place. Without a boyfriend, I don't have to worry about whether he's going to make the right big gesture, or worry about what I'm going to do for him on Valentine's Day. Instead, I can chill with my friends, and make some chocolate truffles to distribute the love. And hey, if I'm ever in the need for some lovin', I know who to call. What could be more perfect than a non-committed Valentine's Day?

...

Little notes: Dear Blogger, let me have your babies. You've changed the comments format so that we can see all the previous comments when we write our own, and baby, that's hot.

Also: was just watching on HBO the story about an old woman (70ish at the time) who got raped and fought to keep her rapist behind bars repeatedly. Damn she's a strong woman. Now there's a role model. She had to face him in parole hearings and finally, after 12 years, he told her he was sorry. Sexual offenders make me angry because they usually repeat their offenses right after they get out of jail. Why is the government not doing something about this?!

Lately I've been unable to shake off the vivid imagining of holding a cigarette delicately between my index and middle fingers and taking a drag from it. What does that mean?

...

It was dark in the apartment. The only light came from a computer screen in the far corner. "I hope I didn't give you that impression," she said, arm across his chest.

"No, no, no, it's fine," he said. It wasn't fine, he thought. How could she have done this to him? She had been so flirtatious, giving him those laughing eyes when they'd danced so wildly before. He moved away, stood to get a drink of water. She stayed on the bed, quiet.

The sounds of the latest indie favorite filled the silence.

I hear that, yo.

Chaos at Ikea opening [via Gawker]

I'm watching Pleasantville right now on TBS and I'd forgotten how much I loved this movie. The naivete of the Pleasantville people, those moments of discovery, the pink petals floating lazily down as Etta James sings 'At Last'.. the theme of people doing something they'd never do or had ever done before...

If you've never seen the movie, Pleasantville is a fictional black-and-white town on television to which two modern day teens are transported. As the teens try to conform to the Pleasantville way of life, they can't help but disturb the natural order of things. Gradually, as the Pleasantville citizens explore things they've never even thought about, they and their surroundings become colorized. One example is the colorization of certain high school students after they've had sex. It's not necessarily the 'naughty' things that cause it though; for example, the jaded modern girl becomes color after she reads a book and finds she enjoys it for the first time.

What have you never done, that would cause a colorization in Pleasantville? Stay anonymous, if you wish.

Just to re-iterate what I've said before: I have gmail invites. 50 of them. Come and get 'em.

This weekend has gone by so quickly. Far too quickly, in fact. I now have loads of work to do.

To sum up: met lots of new people and renewed acquaintances. It's strange how small NYU really can be, even though we have however many thousands of people here. As an example-- Friday night I went to a party at Water Street and it was being thrown by my recently renewed friend Derick's friend. I thought I'd know no one.

Boy was I wrong.

Right off the bat, I saw a guy who'd been in my Freshman Seminars class with Derick. We chatted for a bit, then I decided to circulate a bit. Talked to these two guys, one of whom apparently had been on the same Florence trip as me. These guys, once they heard I was from Minnesota, pointed out another girl who was from Minnesota! I was very excited. This girl, Sarah, was from Minneapolis and... coincidences of coincidences, she was my old roomie Marie's roommate this year before Marie moved out!

So crazy. So the party was very interesting in that aspect, then it was also interesting thanks to my suitemate Michelle.. haha, the poor girl is tiny and underestimated her own tolerance, I think. Yeah, she uh, threw up in a cup. Yeah. I had to leave her at Water Street cause she didn't feel well enough to move and cause (this sounds really stupid) I had contacts in which needed to be taken out.

With the warm weather outside, the whole mood of New Yorkers seems to have lifted. Or perhaps that's just my projection onto them. People around me seem more polite, friendly, and plain old happy.

Then again, it's also Tax Free Week here in the Big Apple and it's funny hearing people talk about it like it's a miracle sent from God or something. "It's Tax Free Week!" a classmate of mine said in French class today.

"Really? Damn it! I spent all my money before this week!" another exclaimed with (mock) vehemence. To be honest, it is quite a nice discount, seeing as how we have a 8.625% tax on everything. I myself haven't really taken advantage of it, as I bought quite the load of stuff while home on break. And besides, I'm trying to save money now for my.. (drumroll please)

Financial portfolio! Yes, your little Christine is growing up and learning to invest. I'm working on having a tidy nest egg for the future. Of course, it helps that my parents pay for most of everything, so that all my money I earn from work can go towards it, but still. It's kind of hard watching my hard-earned money go and sit there. It will be worth it though, damn it. Then perhaps I can be one of those people who needs an iPod shuffle.

There are ads posted up all over New York for this gadget--background green with different pithy sayings such as, "Give chance a chance" and whatnot. I heard about the iPod shuffle when at home, and when I asked what the hell it was, my dad said it was a memory stick of some sort. I shrugged it off.

Then when I got back to New York and saw all the ads, I became curious as to why it was such a big deal. Finally, last night while watching telly with the roomies, the ad came on and I knew I had to look it up. When I read out the description to my roomies (a music player that randomly chooses 240 songs from your iTunes for your listening pleasure), Suzanne said, "That sounds like something unnecessary for really rich people." I laughed.