5 Months in NYC – Love, A TV Show, and Becoming Okay With Not Knowing What’s Coming Next.

Wow..March 2014 has finally crept up on me, and 5 months in NYC has actually accrued.

Tomorrow afternoon I will be hopping on a plane to come home and celebrate one of my best friends weddings, as well as say hi to as many special people in my life as I possibly can in 14 days.

I know I haven’t been posting personal updates over the last few months, so I thought what better way to share a brief snapshot of what has been going on, then through a trail of images that sum up the madness I have been experiencing!

The last few months have been filled with ups and downs, with the downs predominantly being a result of either freezing to death in this polar vortex, having uncertainty around my work and income streams, or simply missing my family, puppy and friends back home.

Keeping a strong mind and having a strong emotional support network around me has ensured I behave in my normal manner of simply pushing forward and creating opportunities.

Some of the random and/or exciting events to date include:

• Attending a market research study simply to make some cash, and somehow finding myself being recruited by the owner of the marketing/branding company running the group to then help with the re-branding of Weight Watchers in the North America head office the following day.
• Finding an apartment on Craigs List a couple of days after arriving in this city, and instantaneously making a new friend who feels like a sister to me.
• Responding to a call out on Craigs List for chefs who have ideas to host their own television shows, and randomly finding out that the production company was the same one that had worked with my co-author, The Bikini Chef, from my book “The Clean Separation” on her show over in California previously. This resulted in a pilot being filmed (in which I am definitely not the chef, but am a host), and the pitching process taking place, in which one network has already said yes..this story is definitely yet to be completed!
• Meeting my gorgeous new boyfriend Jason (who no surprises, is a new york born and bred young man), who provides me with daily opportunities to have to pinch myself at how amazing life can be.
• Strengthening my relationships with many of my wonderful colleagues, who I now call my good friends, and who I respect and admire from the bottom of my heart.
• Attending as many conferences as possible that relate to fresh food, healthy products, as well as the restaurant and food service industries…and almost always on a media pass to ensure I can relay back as much information as possible through my social media accounts.
• and finally..through the beauty of technology, taking part in a couple of hugely successful and very exciting campaigns for my clients back in Australia, both with SunRice + Body+Soul, as well as with Wonderful Pistachios, that I could not have been prouder to represent at the time.

…So with all this in mind, hopefully the below pictures help you feel a part of this crazy adventure, and if nothing else, provide some light entertainment from over here in NYC!

Now for a VERY long plane ride back to Melbourne,

Until my next post,

TD x

My new home, Greenwich Village, has this great “garden” Washington Square, literally steps from my doorstep.

One of the many conferences I have attended as part of the media over the last 5 months, this was the NY Fresh Produce Conference – Famous chefs showing young chefs how to utilise healthy fresh ingredients to make amazing tasting dishes!

Super Bowl week in NYC this year = a trip to super bowl boulevard in the freezing cold one evening for free live entertainment!

Halloween at Thompson Square Park doggy parade! I found a Riley look a like…too cute!

I decided to randomly play MC at a fashion show held at the Dream Hotel that one of my friends was organising.

Thanksgiving..orphan style! For those of us without family..we created our own!

Peter Lik, my favourite photographer, has a gallery in Soho. I cracked an invite to a party they were hosting and had them put up “beached”, the image I have above my bed in Australia, just to “take me home” for 20 minutes…amazingly calming!

Filming the pilot for my new TV show with top chefs! Definitely an amazing experience thus far!

Out at Rosa Mexicano for Restaurant Week with my good friends and boyfriend. When I get passed freezing to death, I do sometimes literally need to pinch myself re. just how fun life can be in this city.

Polar Vortex..this was on my birthday in January. I would like to think this winter has been a test to my character and to see if I can really hack living in this city.

Polar Vortex freezing over the Hudson..sight for sore eyes!

Valentines day up at the highest roof top bar Manhattan has to offer that opened that night. WHAT A VIEW!

View continued!

NYC city skyline rooftop bar with a view

Cocktails in this city are never ceasing. Hold the sugar syrup appears to be a relatively common line in my dialect!

NYC rooftop bar with a city view on Valentines day…still WOW!

Free popcorn appears to pop up at a lot of bars, both the nice ones, and the basic ones..as a dietitian, I would like to say, it could be a lot worse!

My perfect birthday celebration evening with my boyfriend at my favourite restaurant Buddakan

My sweetheart, Jason.

Awesome USA friends and new family made here in NYC

Great new Aussie Friends made right here in NYC

World Tennis Day at Madison Square Garden watching Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic…standard Monday night, right?

World Tennis Day at Madison Square Garden watching the exhibit match before the main event…standard Monday night, right?!

World Tennis Day at Madison Square Garden watching Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic…standard Monday night, right?

One of the many editorial contributions I have provided over the past few months, this one was for Fernwood Womens Fitness Magazine throughout Australia on the benefits of using omega 3’s for fat loss.

Ethiopian cuisine in NYC – part of my new mission of trying a different cuisine each week and making my way around the globe (even if literally from this one island!)

We did a switch, Eli is from the USA and we met when he was living in Australia, now we have a roles reversed!