Nacho Figueras in NY

Those of you who follow my blog "New York Love" are aware that I have a crush on Nacho Figueras, a talented Polo player from Argentina. Well maybe not a crush per se, but definitely a fascination.

Not only do I find him extremely handsome and sexy, I admire him for his public work. Google him to see what I am talking about.
Last Sunday, I was extremely fortunate to attend a nonprofit event with "Help Argentina" hosted by Nacho himself. It was a benefit Polo game (played by Nacho and his older son) to bring awareness and find sponsors for the organization that supports education and development of children in Argentina. Very noble indeed. Check it out here: http://www.helpargentina.org/en/polo2012
As if I wasn't lucky enough to be present at the event and watch Nacho in action, I was also able to take a picture with him! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Here are some shots of the event, and "Me Happy" next to Nacho Figueras!

It's Figueras, Nacho Figueras

Cheers All,

Those of you who've been following me religiously (reading each post:), are well aware that I am no big fan of celebrities and/or movie stars. When a year ago, my girl-friends and I had a heated debate on who was the hottest man in the world, I was the only one who didn't have anyone in mind. What can I say, I still found the only man I loved to be "The Man" for me.

Needless to say, after that night I got on a project to find my "Brad Pitt"(who is popular among my friends but never did it for me). Lo and behold, a week or two later, I found him, which I shared with you all here (see my post "Ideal Man"). That man was Nacho Figueras, a famous Polo player from Argentina.

Life is an amazing thing if you don't know it yet. Polo is somewhat exclusive sport, and Nacho being the best player makes it even more so. So imagine my surprise when my girl-friend invited me to the event "Help Argentina" organized and hosted by no other than Nacho Figueras. Don't ask me how she got invited, it will always be a mystery to me.

So yesterday, I had the most exciting experience. Not only did I watch Nacho at his best: playing Polo. I was lucky to take a picture with him! I know God loves me!

Conclusion: I was right all along. Not only is he the hottest/ most handsome man in the world, he is also an amazing person. Some things you just know when you see them. Let's just hope there are more men like Nacho Figueras in the world.

Guys behind the scenes

A few weeks ago, an extremely rare opportunity presented itself. I had a chance to spend quality time alone with 4.5 guys on their boat, on FIre Island. First, let me explain 4.5. One of the guys was drunk asleep, making few noises now and then. Common scene really, as I figured out. The rest of the guys, although drinking the whole night, were in a decent condition.

Second, let me explain Why and How I ended up with 4.5 guys on the boat! Please don't rush with your conclusions! It's not what it seems :)

Basically, during our visit to the famous Fire Island (please read about it on my sister blog NY Life), my girl-friend met a guy she liked, and they hit it off. As the night was progressing, and I started making some suggestions (only suggestions) about leaving the Fire Island and going back home, she got all sad.. "Such a nice guy, and we have to go?" Not surprisingly, he turned out a team player, and invited us to his friend's boat. Quick fact: the boat belongs to twin brothers, and other guys are chipping in to use the facilities.

Once we established that I didn't want to "hook up" with anyone (the question I was asked right away!) the guys let me be. Although attempts were made during the eve/night, I made it clear that everything would be nicely described on my blog with a great detail. That was enough to keep them straight all night, and most amazingly, be themselves around me.

The night progressed as follows: guys drinking bear, smoking w**, getting off the boat, getting back on with people they met inland. People coming and going. Traffic didn't stop for a few hours. I was on the boat the whole time, and so was my girl-friend with her guy. The rest of the guys would come and go. When they realized I appreciated their sense of humor, they spent more time entertaining me instead of making trips to the bar inland. It was a stand-up comedy live, all for me! I felt special :)

As you assume the traffic to the boat consisted of lots of girls, all kinds, pretty, not pretty, drunk, not drunk. As I was watching all this, I was waiting for "something" to happen. You know, something you'd expect guys with a boat would do. Good looking guys, let me add. One of the "ladies" tired of waiting, started blatantly hitting on one of them. He stayed unamused.

I was waiting, all excited to get some juicy material for my blog. When again will I have such an opportunity to witness firsthand how guys get girls? and in such a classic scenario: Fire Island, expensive boat, good looking self-confident, successful guys..

So imagine my shock when they simply decided to call it a night, and stay in, guys only. Except for me, of course.. They locked the door and pulled up the ladder to make sure there would be no more visitors, and showed me who they really were.
That night I learned who guys really are, behind the scenes with no one around..

First, they made fun of each other, saying silly stuff and no one got offended. And the more we laughed, the more they joked about each other.
Once we decided who sleeps where (I was even given a clean T-shirt and the only blanket available), they put on "Flavor Flav", and one by one we fell asleep to watching a funny comedian. It felt like home. When my girl-friend decided to check on us, she was shocked to see such idyll. The guys who were partying just awhile ago, were peacefully lying, watching TV all alone.

What I learned that night: Guys are much more innocent and simple than we think. They don't always just want to get girls, and/or get laid. Yes, they want to have fun, they want to get out there, and get some attention. But at the end of the night, they just want to be comfortable with their buddies, have some laughs, have some body reactions (we girls would never have in presence of anyone), fall asleep and sleep like babies.
And most importantly, they just want to be funny! Being very giggly by nature, not only did I fit in, but let them be the best they could be :). Final verdict: every guy secretly wishes to be the funniest. I couldn't be happier, as sense of humor is one of the 3 qualities I need in a man to make it to my heart. Good for you guys!

Germs in the City

Apparently besides many other "unnecessary objects", there is an abundance of germs in the city. As if NY didn't have enough.

A couple of weeks ago, I was fortunate to spend quality time with a famous microbiologist from Canada, Jason Tetro. Known as a "Germ Guy", Jason specializes in germs and their impact on us, people. One thing Jason noticed that was very striking about NYC, is abundance of germs everywhere.

We met at a social event, a movie premier to be exact, and spent some time socializing before and after with many other New Yorkers. What I overlooked (or simply didn't pay attention to), Jason noticed and made a note of. People around were sneezing, sniffing, and basically carrying a lot bacteria with/on them. When Jason asked me about it, I wasn't any disturbed. I guess I got used to seeing this, and having people with some kinda "bug" around me all the time.

Jason didn't give up on the subject, even though I assured him it was no big deal! As a result, as soon as he got back to his native Ottawa, he wrote all about it and posted it on The Huffington Post, where he is a contributing writer. Please check it out here: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jason-tetro/germs-in-new-york_b_1690935.html

Since we connected very well (what we would say "clicked"), I contributed to his article. Thank you!!

Most importantly after our conversation, I started paying closer attention to other, least pleasant, aspects of NY, and was surprised to see how many of those we do have. The most disturbing part is how used we are to them, that we don't even pay attention and never think of consequences. Here are some shots of New York that is less glamorous. As I said when launching this blog, I'd show you New York, good and bad, and here is the bad part of it.

A pile of garbage on 5th Ave, 6pm, Tuesday. Just notice that it's as high as a man passing by in the background.

N/R train station in Flatiron area. NY has the most disgusting subway in the world. No competition.

No, it's not what you think.. This is also a pile of garbage by Lincoln Center. Camera couldn't take it all.  Every day is a new pile. not a day without it. You'll see one on each block. No joke.

NY in pictures

I've always been into architecture. As much as I love the nature, I am just as amazed with what human hands can create. NY city is abundant with architectural gems. The most amazing thing is, however, a juxtaposition of different styles and forms. Basically, the trend is in line with city's diversity.

 Most of the city is crowded with tall buildings that are closely spaced. It makes it so much harder to capture any or all of them in one shot. But it's the beauty of this architectural mosaic that makes it so New York.  

View from the rooftop at my office building, taken during our Summer outing last week. I love a juxtaposition of the colonial style with the Empire State bldg above.

8 1/2 Building in Midtown. One of my favorites. I've been trying to get a full shot of it for years! The shape is so beautiful, when looking up, I always feel as if I am about to fly all the way up.

Remodeling of LMVH has been finalized, and what a surprise. Original, creative.

Columbus Circle. Another one of my favorites. Allegedly, D.Trump build his property and the globe (in pic) in this area as it's considered the most feng shui place in the city.

Last week, I (and many New Yorkers) were pleasantly surprised with the fireworks above the Central Park.

Flatiron area. Cloudy sky is rare in NYC, that day it looked magical, almost unreal.

Cheers

It's official I've been MIA with my NY Love blog for almost a month. While I posted on my new blog NY Life, I completely ignored my first born, since it's more personal. I am sorry.

Life hasn't been just hectic, it's been extremely consuming and transformational in the past month. I think I've come so much closer to learning who I am and what I truly want from my life. A lot of things came to light, and made me realize that some of them were dead for awhile, and needed to be let go. I was able to see "my anchors", the things(people) that were holding me back from going forward. I was able to see a clear desire to move forward and leave the stuff that was holding me back behind me, no matter how emotional it had been. 

As much as it's hard to do an inventory of your life, it's just as liberating and promising. All my life I've been striving to become a better version of myself, but only now have I learned that it takes more than positive attitude. It takes tough decisions. It takes hard-core re-evaluation of your thoughts, your actions, and people in your life. It takes practical and conscious understanding of your "anchors". I know it sounds philosophical to say the least. In reality, it's spiritual and necessary in order to move forward. 

So that's been a month for me, the time I've been going through a lot of thinking, connecting and finding out who I am and what I want out of life. The bad part: some things (thoughts, actions, people) needed to be let go, tough decisions were made. The good part: I'm in touch with myself and those around me, I am conscious about reality, I know what I want. The most amazing thing: I realized whenever I was going thru the same transformational period (which happened a few times in my life), I was extremely productive and successful in anything I would undertake. Clear vision, in my opinion, is the most important variable in a success formula. 

In the end, I couldn't be more excited to be in this place in my life. Only good things will or already happening out of this.

As for my romantic endeavors (after all this is the major focus of this blog), there's been plenty. You know me, it just happens :) But I didn't make a big deal out of them (also for the first time), and made sure to stay extremely cool and collected. After all, desert is best when it's served last!

Love to you all, and wisdom.

Fire Island

This post is probably more relevant to stressed out, tired, in need of vacation, time strapped New Yorkers. I've already shared one of the quickest and easiest ways to get away for a day or two, which was Long Beach. And here is another one: Fire Island. Not as fast and easy, but still a very good option to connect with the nature and get some vitamin D.
Fire Island is literally an island, with no cars, no transportation, but a long strip of a beautiful clean beach, funky beach houses, bars and restaurants, family owned shops, and boats. The only way to get there is a ferry, or a boat if you happen to have one :)
Getting to the ferry, you'll need to take LIRR and a taxi. Driving is also an option but for most New Yorkers (who don't drive), it's easier to take LIRR - taxi - ferry. Approximate travel time: 2+hours. So opt for an early start or staying over night if possible. I've done it either way, and never complained about the travel, for it was always worth it.

Plan:
Most practical case scenario: going early in the morning, and coming back to the city the same day.
Expensive case scenario: staying at one of few hotels.
Best case scenario: staying at friends' house with a separate room.
Ok case scenario: staying at friends' friends' house wherever you find a place.
Scenario for party animals: partying all night, and getting some sleep in the morning on the beach (done by many believe it or not).
Most creative case scenario: staying on the boat (your own or new friends which could be found very easily:)

Either way, do it at least once this summer. Have fun!

One of the many little streets that take you to the beach. Walk time is 7 min.

Don't be surprised to see deer. They are Fire Island's legal residents!

It's worth it!!

Beach in the am. Best time as it's quiet and peaceful

View from one of the restaurants

As one ferry leaving the island another approaching it

Windows

It's with utmost honesty, I confess I am not a shopaholic. I do most of my shopping online, or accidentally. For me, it's never a plan, or idea, or any sort of thought-thru action. But I have to tell you, there is one store in the city that gets even my "Wow". I can never pass by it without musing over their window display. In my opinion, it always is a fashion statement. Always progressive, always creative. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Bergdorf Goodman, in all its creative glory.