The Girls and the City

"One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in 5 minutes as in 5 years.”

-Thomas Wolfe

We came from the same country, took up the same course, studied in the same school, but never knew each other’s existence until fate brought us here in NYC. Funny how life drew us together like as if there’s no better way to call it but “destiny”. And one mundane Sunday afternoon while we were chilling at Columbus Circle facing the fountain that spouts so loud making the hustle and bustle of the city nothing but a background, we began to talk about how we love where we are. The city just never fails to surprise us no matter how long we lived here (which is really not that long). New Yorkers fascinate us in ways that would take us forever to describe it. Hence, we came up with the idea of putting up a blog about how we love New York.

MEET BETINA. I really don’t believe in love at first sight but when I first beheld New York City, there is just no other way to put it but… well, love at first sight. There’s just something about the city that stirs all that’s within me. Everything is brighter, higher, larger, faster, and depending on how you see it, better. I am a dreamer. Living here makes me dream with my eyes wide open. Impossibility never walks along the streets of Manhattan, only girls with sky-high Manolos. I am full of complexities, just like a subway map to a tourist. I am a pursuer of God, and living in a city like NYC, it’s never easy. I am a lover of fashion. No, I just don’t love fashion, I breathe it. I am a writer in my own world, thanks to this blog and my personal blog for bringing my thoughts to this world. I am all these and more. But more than ever, I’m a New Yorker.

MEET MAE. I am best described as an introvert. I am just a typical girl that you see on the street. Wearing t-shirts, pants, and slippers without even a bag where I can put my make-ups on (just because I don’t have one) defines who I am. Oftentimes I’m satisfied to stay at home and be a total coach potato. But as they say, change is the only constant thing in this world. So, the introvert converted to extrovert; the simple girl became sophisticated. And trust me, I totally forgot that I still have a bunch of potatoes in my secret storage. I love myself more today compared to my “closed world” idea before though.  I should say, now I know how to live my life in a sense that I am free to show humanity the “me” that my Creator designed me to be. In my prayer, I asked God to give me a fresh beginning, I wasn’t expecting much but He gave me the complete package. Yes, I was all that. But now, I’m a New Yorker.

~*~

There’s just so much about New York beyond Gossip Girl and Sex and the City. Hang around and you’ll see how this city taught (and is still teaching) us not just about the facts of life, but about life itself. It’s not about us living in New York. It’s about New York living in us.

For the love of NYC and everything in it,