Two days after my last day of work and just about a month prior to my departure for Paris, I took all my belongings and moved to the heart of downtown Manhattan to spend my last month in New York City. For the first time in my life, I had no job and no responsibility.

There’s a certain fear waking up to ambiguity, and not knowing that today, you will accomplish x, y, and z; there's a fear of wasting the precious time that you've given up so much for (you realize "time (really) is money"); and it's this fear that forces you to get up and really do something.

On Monday morning, I walked around the area to orient myself and explore my surroundings.

Within a 10-minute walking radius, there was Union Square park, my gym (a swimming pool and unlimited yoga classes), an outrageous number of restaurants and cafes (!!!), boutiques, Chelsea Market, the Highline park, and a 2000 sq-ft supermarket next door with literally everything and anything (gourmet cooked and raw) my heart (mouth) desired. I had all the city's resources the palm of my hands, and time, time was finally on my side. I had no excuses not to use them wisely.

And so the first thing I did was go to the rink and skated for four and half hours. About 200 spins and 100 jumps later, my head was spinning and I could barely feel my feet.

I went to the rink again this morning, but decided to take it easy this afternoon. G and I went to Num Pang Sandwich shop in Chelsea Market, where I got a delicious Catfish sandwich (my god was it good). We then took it and sat outside in the sun, people watching and enjoying the sun.

Afterwards, I went to Bourbon Cafe right down the street, ordered a genmaicha (which also happened to be free with my foursquare check-in!!!), and sat there happily sipping and blogging.