spokesmodeling

NYU Poly ad in the NYTimes 4/17/11 (Education Life section p. 29)

Picture for NYU Poly graduate school brochure April 2011

it's a slippery slope...

Ok so please don't think I am the worst daughter ever after watching this, but I had to post it because it is the funniest thing I have ever filmed and possibly ever witnessed. 

Background: my mom and I have been going to Zermatt for 6 years in a row now for our skiing ritual. The past 3 years we've been joined by Heather, and discovered that not only is Zermatt skiing paradise, but also excellent for the sledder in us all! This video was filmed as my mom attempted to cross a ski slope that the sledding trail intersects and happens to be quite steep to cross on foot. Crossing this ski slope has been a nightmare for my mom for years now, always thinking of what would happen if she were to slip. Last year as we walked through the forest she even collected sprigs of evergreen leaves that she wanted to tie to the bottom of her shoes to give her some added traction while crossing this passage. 

I never expected what would happen this year, and was even more surprise at how my sister Heather reacted!

Monday, back to work.

On Monday, I had planned to go back to STMicroelectronics in Agrate Brianza where I used to work to have lunch with my former colleagues and check out the old stomping grounds. I arrived around 1 pm and was met at the entrance to ST by 3 of my ex colleagues. Not having my badge anymore, my colleague Andrea vouched for me at the entrance and we stated that I was with NYU, seemingly at ST for the afternoon for important business.

We walked through the plant, past familiar buildings and some familiar faces. Once we walked into the cafeteria, I spotted my group of once colleagues, now great friends. Just as if no time had passed at all, we took our spots in the lunch line and started joking around and the guys started playing the classic practical jokes that had been constant between us while I worked at ST. Even the lunch pass that I was given by my colleague Marco stated that I was a representative of Motel Rona, a skeevy motel just across the road from ST that we always used to joke about. Classic!

Lunch at ST is provided by the company, so it's free to employees. Five courses: first course is pasta or rice, a second that's meat based, vegetable sides, water, fruit, bread..! And not like the cafeteria fare you might find in the US either, this food is really tasty.

After lunch we went back to the building where our lab is located, enjoyed a post-lunch espresso and a cigarette, and then went into the lab. It was really great to be back there. I had been a part of the research group when we first opened that lab, and from when we first moved into the lab and were busy choosing new equipment and apparatus to being in there on Monday a lot of work had been done. The PCR device that our team has been developing for the past few years has advanced leaps and bounds since I joined the team 3 years ago, and made huge progress even in the past 6 months. Great job ragazzi!

Aperitivo!

Of the things that I miss most about Milan, I think aperitivo is probably number one. I've written about this before; but briefly, it's a daily phenomenon that takes place in the majority of bars in Milan where you order a cocktail and gain access to a buffet full of freshly prepared treats. Clearly, an aperitivo was in order during my short weekend in Milan.

Maria and I arrived at Yguana early, in order to hold down a table for the 20 or so friends I expected to show up. Yguana has an awesome spread when it comes to the buffet, and the cocktails are served in swimming pool-sized chalices. It's located right in Piazza Vetra, which is just around the corner from the funky/bourgeoisie area of Corso Ticinese and Le Colonne di San Lorenzo. It's like the Williamsburg of Milan, if you will. Hipster central.

Marco and his girlfriend Anna were the first to show up, and the four of us ordered our first round of cocktails. My drink, the Negroni sbagliato (or Negroni gone wrong), is a cocktail that became my beverages of choice while living in Milan. It was invented in Milan I don't know how many years ago in a historical bar called Bar Basso, a Milanese friend once informed me. If you've never heard of this cocktail, you're not alone: I haven't found one bartender in New York who has (much to my chagrin). FYI, here is the recipes for the Negroni sbagliato, and a picture of me and mine from Saturday evening:

Negroni sbagliato

--> The classic Negroni uses an equal part of gin instead of prosecco. These cocktails are usually served on the rocks and with a slice of orange. 

• 3 cl prosecco
• 3 cl Vermouth Rosso
• 3 cl bitter Campari

The evening went on, and friendly faces started pouring into the bar. Colleagues, best friends and their new boyfriends, old friends that were in Milan for the weekend from London and France all filled our table. We hadn't been able to make reservations since it was a Saturday night, but even if we had it wouldn't have helped much because I had no idea that so many friends would show up to share some drinks and catch each other up on what's been going on in the past few months. It was a splendid evening, with my only complaint being that it went by too quickly!

Here's a snapshot of some of my lovely amici Milanesi from Saturday night!

il rientro

After a quick flight over the Atlantic, I landed early last Saturday morning in rainy London. I don't know if it was the butterflies in my stomach or the lingering suspense of the Swedish thriller movie "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" that I caught on the flight, but for some reason I couldn't sleep. After dashing through the security checkpoint obstacle course in Heathrow's terminal 5 I made it to my red eye flight to Milan, and before I knew it we had landed at Linate.

Instantly, I felt as though I had arrived at home. Rowdy Italians joked around with each other while waiting for luggage and the distinct smell of rich espresso emanated from the airport bar while I briskly made my way to the bus eager to get to Milan.

delicious breakfast, Milano style!

 I had to wait for my friend Maria to finish work on Saturday morning, and to kill time I enjoyed a cappuccino and brioche al cioccolato (which amazingly costs just 2 €) and tried one too many incorrect PIN codes for my Italian debit card, which was then eaten up by the ATM. No big deal, I just had to wait 2 days for the bank to open and 3 weeks to get a new bank card sent to me (anything less would be un-Italian).

Maria met me at Porta Genova a little while later. It's the most wonderful thing reuniting with great friends; even if a substantial amount of time has passed, it can feel like you just saw each other the other day and practically pick up a conversation that you left off months ago. She was just as bubbly and wonderful as she always has been and it was such a treat to catch up on that sunny Saturday afternoon. The weekend was off to a wonderful start!

un piccolo riassunto

Since it's been a really long time since I posted anything of substance on this blog, I think it's about time to give the people I haven't spoken to in a while an update on what my life has been like since last August.

Geographically

At the end of August I moved to the other side of the Atlantic, to New York City. I know I'm from here and all, but believe me, the transition from life in Milan to life in New York was no piece of cheesecake.

Italians from all over Italy will tell you that Milan is a fast paced, hectic, and stressful place to live. To me that simply means that they have never tried living on the island of Manhattan. Milan, in comparison with NYC, is a relaxed, go with the flow, take an hour lunch break and as many espresso breaks as you want, kind of metropolis. Upon returning to NYC one of the things I found most different were the schedules adhered to by my friends and family and their availability to just chill. In Milan, on any given day of the week, I would usually be able to round up 3 or 4 of my friends to meet for a post-work aperitivo: sit down, chit chat, grab a cocktail and something to nibble on. When I tried to arrange this kind of impromptu gathering with my sisters or friends upon my return to NYC, the responses I got had changed from, "Si, certo! A che ora?" to "Great idea! Let's figure something out for next week!" Sigh.

Professionally

I resigned from my position as a research engineer with STMicroelectronics at the end of August, and in early September I was thrown into university with a transition abrupt enough to make me want to pinch myself to make sure I was really in Brooklyn and not in Agrate Brianza anymore. I have started my PhD at the Polytechnic Institute of NYU, majoring in Materials Chemistry. Last semester was full of old experiences made new again, like making friends in my classes and pulling all-nighters at the library in preparation for exams I felt completely unprepared for.

There was one interesting aspect of returning to university that was definitely unexpected.

long time no blog

So it's been what.. almost 6 months since I last posted something on my blog! Horrible. I actually forgot that I even had a blog until I got into a discussion with my internet un-saavy mother last night about why people even have blogs. I opened up mine, and started reading some of my posts to her. I actually realized that what I had written about was kind of entertaining, and that I should pick this up again.

I did stop blogging for a reason, however. This was because my life was in a period of change, and it was stuff that was difficult to deal with in my head, let alone on my public blog. I think I've gotten things sorted out in my head now, however, and I couldn't be happier with where I am.

The last time I posted anything, I was getting ready to resign from my position at STMicroelectronics and move to my hometown, New York City. That was in August 2010. Now it's January 2011 and I have settled back in my old NYC ways. I am no longer a young professional, but now a mature student. I've gone from living in my own fabulously chic apartment in the center of Milan to squatting in my mom's apartment on Manhattan's east side. I have gone from eating fresh mozzarella and tomato caprese salads to bagels and lox.

The change in scenery has been refreshing to my senses, and I hope to post more about what I'm up to these days soon! ciao ciao

Milanese yearbook

Last week I went through all the pictures that I've taken during my time spent in Milan in an attempt to pick out the best ones and get them printed. Before I leave I will make a sort of yearbook, where I'll glue in some photos of some of my favorite Milanese memories and ask my friends and colleagues here to sign. Here are some of the photos I dug up!

Amongst my lovely colleagues in the lab at STM

Maria and I in the galleria

Gina, Eleonora, Cynthia, Marthica, Maria and I celebrating
July 4 in Milan representing in red, white & blue

My 26th birthday party at home :)

agosto

I'm probably the worst blogger there is because all these exciting things happen in my life and I never have the time/energy to write about them! That being said, I guess it's better that I'm out living and experiencing all these wondrous things than sitting around blogging them, right?

It's August now, and we all know what that means... vacanze! Well in Italy that's what it means, anyway. Milan in August is a sight to be seen: the city empties, public transport slows down to a crawl, stores close whenever they feel like it, and you can even see the occassional tumbleweed drift down the untrafficked streets.

For me it's just a few more days of work at STMicroelectronics before I resign. It's been a wild ride, but now I'm off to a new part of the world to experience new challenges. To keep everyone in the loop, my August plans are:

• Lyon, France 8/6-8/9
• Stockholm, Sweden 8/16-8/19
• Camogli, Italy 8/20-8/21
• NYC 8/25

Not too shabby I'd say!

The next few weeks will be full of arrivederci s and organizing myself both physically and mentally for my big move to NYC. Wish me luck as I bid farewell to my beloved Milano!

Indonesia here I come..!

Tonight begins another adventure: I'm off to Indonesia to visit my father. Originally I was supposed to meet a VIP (seriously though, very important person) there but due unforeseen challenges (it's just the biggest environmental disaster in history) this encounter will have to be postponed. Nonetheless, I leave for Indonesia tonight and I couldn't be more excited.

The itinerary is jam-packed: arrival Thursday night, Saturday and Sunday scuba diving in Bali, Monday through Wednesday in the rainforests of Kalimantan exploring the stomping grounds of wild orangutans and pythons, Thursday/Friday in Surabaya hanging out with a friend from graduate school who lives there, and then back to Jakarta for the following weekend I imagine. BAM! It'll be a quick and intense trip, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Oh and on the way back to Italy I'll be spending just 1 of the 1001 arabian nights in Dubai, once again reuniting with a friend who I met during one of my travels.

It's hard to imagine what the emotions will be while visiting all these places. From familiar Milan to the jungles of Kalimantan is a long way to go, and the thought of breathing new air and seeing new sights lifts up my psyche, kickstarts my imagination and reminds me of the refreshing fact that the world is really much bigger than my bubble.

-- Sidenote: for those of you who are my friends on Facebook you may have noticed that I've deactivated my profile. I received many concerned emails from friends and family who are so used to following me on fb; some of whom were writing to me with the same level of urgency as if I had just had a lobotomy or something (...it's just a fb account kids!). I just feel like it's too invasive and not really my style anymore. I don't like the idea of staying totally out of touch however, so feel free to email me and stay tuned for stories, pictures and the like which I'll be posting here every now and then. Ta ta!

Stockholm

I was in Stockholm with my mom this weekend... check out some pictures from our trip.

Damsugare, kokosbollar and kladdkaka. Swedish classics.

Mom and I. Also Swedish classics.

On the bridge to Reimersholme at 12:30 am: the sun just dips below the horizon.

Riding the train through Skåne.

The Vasa museum, as seen from Stockholm's archipelago.

The gates to Djurgården.

Stockholm's beautiful City Hall, where the Nobel reception dinner is held each year.

Cioccolata calda

This weekend I'm off to visit my sister in Switzerland and when asked if she wanted anything from Italy she asked me for cioccolata calda. Italian cioccolata calda is a whole different animal from the hot chocolate we're used to in the US. It is much more dense, less sugary and coats the mouth (and the belly) with a rich gooey chocolatey taste. In the US we're accustomed to ripping open a packet of Swiss Miss (complete with those dried-out crunchy mini marshmallows), adding hot water and BOOM hot chocolate, but Italians aren't known for such pre-packaged quick fixes. I've only ever had this treat in bars here and never having seen anyone make it at home I had to do a little research into how it's prepared.

Here's a recipe for classic Italian cioccolata calda:

• 1/2 liter milk 
• 100 g dark chocolate (<70 % cacao)  
• 50 g sugar 
• 10 g potato starch 
• whipped cream

Melt the chocolate, some of the milk and sugar together in a saucepan at low heat. When the chocolate is melted and the mixute looks homogeneous slowly add the rest of the milk while stirring. Add the potato starch and stir well. Remove from heat one it has reached the desired density. (If you want it really dense you can add even more potato starch to thicken the pot..!) Pour it into the cup and add the whipped cream on top. Sprinkle with cocoa powder on top and voilà!

Stealing back my stolen wallet

I have to give it to them; it was indeed a nice try. Had I not heard my lipgloss fall to the metro platform floor and had my lightening quick friend Maria with me my wallet would be lying in a heap with hundreds of others in some gypsy camp right about now.

This is how it went down: last night my friend Maria and I were on our way to catch the red line metro from Loreto. I pull out my wallet, tap it to the sensor at the entrance of the metro which sounds off a buzz and allows me to pass through the turnstile. I place the wallet back in my purse which is hanging over my shoulder and saunter down the stairs to the platform blabbering on with Maria about this or that. Once on the platform I hear something fall to the floor, and turn around to see my lipgloss lying there. As I reach down to pick it up Maria asks me if I have everything else from my purse, and when patted down with my hand I realize that my wallet isn’t there. Maria, who has been the unfortunate victim of several metro robbery attempts, starts telling me that the two 20-something girls who are standing beside us watching me have taken my wallet. I say to one of them, “Apri la borsa!” and she voluntarily opens her bag wide and I don’t see my turquoise blue wallet anywhere. Maria assumes the worst; that these girls quickly snagged the wallet and have already passed it off to an accomplice who made a run for it. I noticed that the girl had a second bag, under her other arm, which she was holding close to her body. I demanded that she open that one too, and went to grab it from her. As I held the straps of the purse I saw my wallet squeezed between the bag and her body. At first she tries to hide it from me but I grabbed it.

Just a regular Tuesday.

Creation from last night: Tigerkaka, or Marble cake.

While I was experimenting with cake my roommate Valery decided to try out a new lemon-y cocktail on me: lots of vodka, lemon juice, and lemon snaps. Wow! It made for a spectacular Tuesday evening at home. Enjoy the photos!

Let's not forget this morning: I made my first latte macchiato! It turned out deliciously well. Excellent way to start the day!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

"People who photograph food and display the pictures online"

I read this article a few days ago and think I'll start doing this on my blog. Some of the food I eat here is so beautiful I think it deserves to be showcased. Will especially be posting photos of baked goods and other dishes that I cook myself. This will also be neat to do when I go to Indonesia!
Check out what people are doing in the following NYTimes article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/dining/07camera.html?scp=1&sq=pictures%20food%20&st=cse

Let me start here - some photos of Swedish SEMLOR that I baked a few weeks ago for mardi gras.

Swedish chef

I think my love affair with Milan is ending. We've had a great run, made amazing memories together and fallen in love over the years. Recently however, upon returning to Milan after skiing in the Swiss alps with my mother and sister, I realized that I might be moving on from my relationship with Milan. We just seem to be growing apart from one another.

In the past few months I have applied to a number of PhD programs in the USA and Canada. After a slew of rejections (I received my last rejection letter about 2 months ago) things have been suspiciously quiet on the PhD application front. This has given me plenty of time to make myself crazy with all the "what ifs?" that are swirling around in my head. So what if I'm not accepted anywhere? At this point I've already given my 3 months notice to my landlord and we've even found new renters; expected to move in the first week of June. Will I stay in Milan, even if my head and heart have already moved on? Or should I move closer to my family in New York, even though I don't have anything solid lined up there? Believe me, it's not an easy desicion.

I've recently been toying with the idea of changing careers (please don't tell my mom, she'll kill me). Yes being an engineer is rewarding and I love the work I do but there are other options and I have other passions which I might find just as much pleasure pursuing professionally. For example, I might want to try my hand at being a pastry chef. Baking has been a hobby of mine for a long time, and with positive feedback from friends and colleagues I've been motivated to consider this as an alternative to chemical engineering... I mean afterall, they are really similar: selection and preparation of just the right ingredients, mixing components in precise quantities, heating to a specific temperature for just the right amount of time to permit a chemical reaction to occur, and ensuring the final product comes out just right.

Who knows, I might be the next Swedish chef!

2 ships passing

Yesterday after work I went to the central train station in Milan, the elegant and imposing Stazione Centrale, to buy a train ticket to go visit my sister in Switzerland in May. I walked up the stairs from the metro and to my surprise right in front of me was a very familiar face, that of my first love. For about a year and a half of my time spent living in Milan I was paranoid that I might run into him; and if I did, what then? Would I make a run for it? Or look straight past him with cold and unforgiving eyes? Or greet him as I would any old friend with a big hug and a warm smile?
As it turns out, after all that time has passed, my reaction was the latter. We had a chuckle at the chances of running into each other in such a busy transit point at rush house, I accompanied him to buy a train ticket, and we embraced and shared a quick kiss before he ran off to catch his train.
He went his way, I went mine.

TGIF

My Friday consisted of this:

Woke up a little before 9 am. Got dressed, at 9:30 am went downstairs where my knight in shining armor was waiting for me on his white horse.. and by white horse I mean scooter and by armor I mean helmet. The 2 of us drive to Stazione Centrale; this weekend we're going to visit Anais in Lyon and we had to buy train tickets. With 2 round-trip tickets from Milan to Lyon totaling close to 300 € we decided we'll drive it instead.
Leaving the train station we head over to my favorite bar to have an Italian breakfast of café macchiato, or an espresso stained with just the foam of a cappuccino.
After breakfast we split up, with an embrace, a smile, and a "buona giornata." He buzzes off on the scooter and I hop on the metro to head down to the Porta Genova area to make a stop at the best enoteca I know around here, Bottega del Vino. This store is filled with so many delicious wines, some of which I have the pleasure of recognizing with fond memory. I pick up 3 bottles: a Pinot Grigio by Livio Felluga, a Nebbiolo by Pio Cesare, and a Barolo. A sign behind the register read "Compri 2 bottiglie di vino e ti regaliamo un bicchiere gratis" or buy two bottles of wine and we'll give you a free wine glass. I walk out of the enoteca with my bag of treasures, 3 bottles of exquisite wine and the free glass.
Walking up Corso Genova I reach Oasi del Gelato and I can't help but to go in and get an ice cream. Today was one of those lovely late summer days; still warm enough to wear a summer dress and walk around eating an ice cream cone. Today it was lemon and raspberry.
I continue to walk towards the center of town, stopping when I reach Chiesa Santa Maria Presso di San Satiro. A few weeks ago I was told by a Milanese friend that there is an architectural secret inside this church which lies behind a gate, hidden on a small side street off the busy Via Torino. Apparently it only catches your eye as you walk up the central aisle of the church. Curious as I was I asked him not to tell me the secret, I wanted to discover it on my own. Seems as though today wasn't the day though; the sign outside the church told me it was closed, I had come right in the middle of their modest 11:30 am to 3:30 pm (Italian-style) lunch break.
I passed Piazza Duomo, quickly glancing at the magnificent cathedral but not venturing into the tourist-filled Piazza itself. Tram 1 came clunking down the street, I got on and was on my way home. Made a quick lunch of a frittata and insalata caprese, hopped on my bike, and headed down to l'Università di Politecnico where I had a meeting in the afternoon.

And that was my Milanese Friday.

Kladdkaka

Here's a recipe for Swedish kladdkaka or "messy cake". It's delicious when it's slightly undercooked and should be served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 150 g margarine/butter
• 3 dl sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar (or slightly less of vanilla extract)
• 1 dl cacao powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 dl flour

Melt the butter in a pot, stir in the sugars and the cacao. Add the eggs, flour, and vanilla, stir until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a sugared pan and put in the oven at 175 °C for approximately 20 minutes et voilà!

Vacanze estive 2009

Just 15 more days until vacation!
Here's the itinerary:
August 14-16: Chamonix, France





August 17-22: Havana, Cuba

August 22-23: Montreal, Canada

August 23-September 3: Mattituck and NYC, USA






Buone vacanze a tutti!