"It's easy to impress me. I don't need a fancy party to be happy. Just good friends, good food, and good laughs. I'm happy. I'm satisfied. I'm content." Maria Sharapova

ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment
event and reception

I woke up pretty early this morning and went into a Prevention for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse meeting that started at 8:30am and was hosted by the IOM and IASC (They're both really great groups). My friends were there already and so I sat down beside them and listened to the meeting.

It was actually a great meeting and it looked like the AFPs had done a lot of substantive work through collaboration with each other and the UN. It was great to also see that some of the issues and problems that they brought up were actually problems that our office is already proactively trying to solve!

After the meeting, I headed back to work and worked on a bit of a project I was assigned on, had some lunch in my office and then stayed at work until late. 

Other than the meeting, it was a fairly uneventful day at work... That is until the evening.

Oh my god, I've never been to so many events in one night.

Law of the Sea has been going on for
a while and they had some pretty
awesome food for their reception

I was planning on going to the reception for Humanitarian Affairs which was going to be hosted by the Swiss Mission, but I ended up going to 4 different events that night.

The first even was a reception for the Law of the Sea, and interestingly enough, they had smoked
salmon and shrimp (how is that for law of the sea) and a bunch of different foods and snacks.

As we were enjoying the event, a bunch of my friends actually passed by with gift bags from the Dutch Mission. I asked them where they went and they told me there was ANOTHER reception/party being held by the Dutch Mission (Not another DJ
sadly). So my friends and I headed up and man, it was a cool reception. It was, again, in the dining room and the first thing you got when you walked in was freshly made Stroopwafels. How cool is that?! God, they were so good. I can still taste the freshness.

There was (another) open bar with some specially mixed drinks as well as (the normal) wine and other stuff. Outside, there were a bunch of people partying and enjoying the vibes there. They even had a live jazz band playing! All around, people were giving out hor d'eourves and drinks and it was just a fun event. Met up with two of my fellow Canadian friends from the Mission and we just stood around and enjoyed each other's company.

The Dutch reception!

Afterwards, we headed out and got these amazing gift bags that had this thing called a "waka waka power" charger. It is a solar powered battery that runs off of solar power and doubles as a flashlight. It is designed by a Dutch person and for every one waka waka power bought, one is donated to a community that needs it (Mostly in Africa where they do not have as many resources or much access to electricity). 

Man the Dutch dropped a lot of money on this. I know I mentioned this before, but the elections are seriously ridiculous with the amount of money these member states spend. I mean seriously, this money could go back to your own economy or your own social needs. (Although I did benefit from it so I don't know if I can complain that much).

On the other end of the same hall there was a reception for the the Humanitarian affairs segment
. They had a lot of people and hor d'oeurves as well and they had some Swiss Lindt chocolate on the tables everywhere. It was quite cute. It was a proper reception where people were actually standing around and discussing all these different things and different ideas related to the Humanitarian affairs event. 

Earlier on at the Dutch event, we caught wind of another party being hosted. Another Mission, the Khazakstani one, was hosting an event at the Plaza Hotel.

Yes. That's right, I wrote Plaza hotel. The big, beautiful, ridiculously fancy and expensive one in front of Central Park. 

The plaque for the Khazakstani Mission

Kazakhstan wanted a seat on the Security Council. Really Bad.

Oh, in case you're wondering why these missions are having these free gelato, free espresso, free DJ Hardwell, Midsummer festival events? 

In the lead up to the Security Council Voting tomorrow, everyone is trying their best to secure and procure votes by doing all these events. 

Yup.

You know, you wonder who wins after these events, and seriously, my only answer for you is capitalism.

We headed over to the Kazakhstani Mission event at the Plaza where they had rented out the most beautiful and gorgeous Conference room. In the middle and on the sides, there were fully stocked open bars, on the sides were hot buffets with roast beef and roast turkey, potatoes and vegetables and in the back was a dessert section.

I had eaten so much tonight at all my events that I felt sick. It was the most I've ever eaten I think my whole life and probably the first time since I've come to New York that I've actually left plate on my food (It was a horrible feeling I will make sure never to do that again). 

But the event was amazing, we found a table to put our food and drinks down and got to watch this pop star sing (really well) songs in Kazakhstani and in English and just in general had a really great time dancing.

Fun photo and dancing 

There was an 80 year old lady there as well tearing it up on the dance floor and it was AMAZING to see, my god, I hope I have as much spirit and energy as her one day! 

We danced for a while and then headed out (with these cute gift bags that had Khazak Chocolate as well as a cute little handmade horse (since they are known for their horses). 

We ended up going to the bar for a bit afterwards to talk and sing (to live music) and then headed home... (late - bad idea)

This was not a normal Monday and I'm really glad that because I took the chance to try to go the Swiss event, I was able to experience and attend so many others. I was able to learn a bit more about the UN system and what it's all about. It was cool.

Honestly not how I expected the day to go.

I though I was going to go home early. 

But it's the unplanned days that turn out the best right?

“What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love.” -Jay Z

My window this weekend 

I woke up extra early this morning and couldn't fall back asleep. But that was okay, since I was super excited to go watch some pride stuff! I called some friends and family this morning (since I had what I rarely have - time) and then got ready for the day.

As the morning progressed, the street got busier and busier. There were balloons and floats outside of my window... to the point where the walls looked like they were all different colours. It was quite nice. My friend came over and then both headed over to a friend's to have some chocolate chip banana pancake breakfast with all the works.

Everyone just hanging outside

It was delicious. Some of the Scandinavian girls had brought some pastries and it was quite good. We had a good time talking. But since it was about time for the parade to start, my friend and I headed out to try to get a good spot to see it.

We stayed there for about two hours, joined by two other people and saw some pretty awesome stuff. It was a great parade, you could tell that there was a lot of effort being put into it. 

Fun fun fun <3

But at the same time, I'm also kind of upset because I feel like Pride has also become very corporate. There were many corporations and big businesses there who were supporting pride (and that's great, don't get me wrong) but they were also giving out a lot of promotional stuff. I don't like the idea that pride is being used to sell or advertise these companies...
But I mean I can't complain. A lot of them do sponsor and help out with events for pride, which make them possible.

After the parade, we headed down to the festival where we were hit by a surge of free condoms, lubricant and other stuff. 

Pride flag!

It was pretty intense. We walked around the whole area and I just gotta say, I don't think I've ever gotten so much stuff my whole life.

I even got a t-shirt from Uniqlo for pete's sake! 

It was great walking around, seeing stuff and experiencing how New York celebrates pride. I saw so many colours, and people just yelling Happy Pride! It was awesome.

Pride festival

They had some performers performing karaoke on one side as well as people just partying it up on the street. 

We walked around for a bit more and then headed over to Christopher Street by Stonewall Inn where we caught the end of the parade. We stood there for about three more hours and it went LONG, it was supposed to end at 6 but at 7, we were still there.

We ended up heading back home and for myself, I made some dinner, sat down and watched "Maid in Manhattan" which is an interesting... movie... but cool because the whole thing was filmed a few blocks from where I live here now!

Hahahaha

All in all, a good day to go out and do stuff as well as relaxing with a movie.

Guess this was a pretty short post actually, but don't worry, many pictures will follow!

“Life is an experiment in which you may fail or succeed. Explore more, expect least.” ― Santosh Kalw

I dress fashionably now.

I woke up pretty early today. Seven am early and I couldn't go back to sleep. It was a mixture of the weather just being so hot and sticky and the sun shining in so hard. It was a bit brutal. So I gave up on trying to get some relaxation and sleep and got up and got ready for the day. I got dressed, made myself some dumplings for breakfast, called my mom, finally watched the Game of Thrones episode I missed last week (Since I was so busy every night this week, jeeze) and after all that, it was only about 10:30. I took a break, lied in bed for a bit and then fell straight to asleep. 

My mind wasn't too tired, but, by god, my body was.

I only woke up at 2 and realized how damn tired I was.

I made a flower pin 

I went out for a walk down the street before heading over to my friend's place and walked over toa break guys) but I caught the tail wind of a few events, made myself my own felt flower, talked to some ladies who made their own hats and everything. It was quite nice! I'm just sad because I was talking to the lady and she actually told me that the event wasn't that well organized since no one wanted to advertise about their event. It made me kind of sad because it was such a great positive event for kids and adults to learn more about flowers.
Madison Square Garden, where they had this very cute Botanist event with flowers. I had apparently missed everything (I didn't even know it was happening, give me

Bread dress.

I kept walking down and walked all the way down to Chelsea market where I just walked around for a bit and saw a really cool exhibit where people had combined their love of food for their love of fashion.

Oh my god, it was perfect. There were dresses and other things that were made OF FOOD. YES. EVERTHING.
BAGEL DRESSES, POPCORN DRESSES, VEGETABLE PANTSUITS,

The market itself was a bit underwhelming, since they had mostly restaurants with very overpriced foods and clothing stores with so much over priced stuff... It was a bit consumeristic for my liking.

I still love St. Lawrence market more. 

Chelsea Market

But it was a very nice market, it had a very old feel with low ceilings, brick walls and crooked floors. It was nice to walk through.

After I was done, I walked over to the metro and hopped on the train to Bedford, where I was to meet some friends to go out to a #Pride event!

I got off, and was going to walk around, but I was so hot and sweaty that I ended up going to a Pizza shop, Joe's and grabbed a delicious, much needed pizza slice. I can see why Joe's is so popular.

I went over to my friend's very early and started watching these videos and this visual album from Todrick Hall and man I gotta say, it was pretty good. Good hip hop, good music, good vibe and just great visuals. I really did love it. And it was done to include the Orlando shooting as well. It was amazing. I listened to it for a solid hour.

With friends! :) 

Afterwards, we and a few more people headed over to Ides Rooftop bar in Brooklyn. There was a huge line up.

I wasn't sure if that was the line up so I asked the security guard if it was the queue for the Posture Pride event we had signed up for and he said "yes, but go talk to the lady over there." I headed over to what looked like the organizer there and asked if it was the line, she said "yes, just come around here and wait here." She pointed right beside the door where there were only 3 people lined up to go upstairs... I got my whole possy to completely bypass the queue.

I've never skipped the whole queue before... It felt good. 

Super cool outside
the bar! 

We headed upstairs on the elevator and went up to their rooftop bar which was packed with a bunch of people! It was super cool, there were two DJ's playing all night and they were both really good! Playing fun music. 

I pulled everyone outside to sit and enjoy the weather and check out the view. 

As soon as we walked around, a table actually got up and left, so with our good timing, we sat down grabbed the menu, cried at the price of the drinks and then grabbed some drinks to enjoy. We sat there and talked for a while, another friend joined us, left and then we chilled for a little while longer. 

Before we left, I went to the washroom, which is completely gender neutral, with walls that go from ceiling to floor and doors that lock. It was pretty awesome. 

While in this line up, I complimented someone and said i liked their otufit, and in return, she gave me a wedding ring. 

Don't worry, not a real one, she was up here in New York for an engagement party and had three wedding rings on her finger.. she gave me one.

It was cool. 

We walked back to my friend's house, and AS PER TRADITION, we grabbed some crappy (not real) Chinese food, ate and drank on her rooftop.

It was a good night. 

I finally got to subway back to New York at night, and I gotta say, there were a lot of people on the train! I even ended up running into a friend. 

#PublicTransitLife, just meant to be.

"You gotta have life your way. If you ain't losing your mind, you ain't partying right." - Young Jeezy

They had a wonderful Carribean choice sing

Another slow day today. But at the very least, I had a meeting about this new project I'd be able to work on. So I did do a little bit of work with that, but I didn't end up going to any meetings today because I didn't want to keep skipping work... even though I'm going to very academic things that are teaching me about the UN and how it works...(although there was also no meeting I really had a particular interest in).

I ended up sitting at work, eating the sandwich I had gotten yesterday and just doing some research, chilling at work. 

I had originally planned to go to the Swedish Midsummer festival downtown at Battery Park and the
n the Pride Rally, but then I got this cool invite to go to the Swedish Festival at the UN, so I decided to stay for a bit and try to head up.

Went to this party instead

My friend came up and we waited together until it was time to go. We tried to head up.

We got rejected hard. Even though I told them I had RSVP'd, they didn't care, simply because I had an "A" badge. 

The A badge is interesting. It is also known as a "scarlet letter" here at the UN because you cannot do ANYTHING with it. Constantly have to go through security while everyone else just goes through the normal metal doors, we cannot go to any of the councils unless we're going to the visitor's floor, we can't come in after 6pm or on weekends, and a whole load of other things. We're pretty much seen as bottom of the pile and scum. We don't really work here even though we do all this work. That's the intern life.

Even janitors and those who ring up the elevators and other service members don't get anything past an A badge. It's the worst. However, interns at the other Missions to the UN, are technically

Midsummer Festival

"diplomats" and have a "D" on their badge and are able to get into anywhere in the UN at any time and bring in any person.

Should have applied for the Canadian Mission.

At least we had a back up plan, we decided we were going to go to the "Caribbean White Party" where everyone had to dress in white. We headed over to the party quite early, there were barely any people there, grabbed some drinks and some food and enjoyed while we waited for other people to show up. 

The literal White party

We ended up meeting with a few other people. And here, I met someone quite distasteful.

At one point, I was introduced to someone, the intern at the Mission for the Philippines, who took my
badge, looked at it and then said "oh, you're from Mainland (as though being born in Mainland China is a bad thing? As though I'm directly from there? As though he's better? AS THOUGH ALL THESE THINGS?)." 

The look of shock spelled on my friend's faces reflected part of what I felt - mixed with a bit of anger. I could not BELIEVE he said that to me, with his tone of voice, the condescension and just everything about it. Honestly that has probably got to be the most offensive thing anyone's said to me in a long time, and I've had some pretty bad racial slurs said to me. I could not believe not only the nerve of him saying that but the fact that he thought it was okay. A) It is never okay to assume where someone is from. B) You are not better than anyone else no matter where you are from. And especially after talking to this guy, I could 100% tell that he was NOT better than anyone else. C) Who is raised that poorly and that badly, especially as an intern for a Mission to the UN. 

ABBA cover band! 

I was disgusted and left. I did not want to deal with some bullshit like that. I feel like his existence is
a negative tone on this earth.

Moving on.

We made flower crowns!

It was quite a good time, we had food, drinks and then my friend and I sneaked upstairs to the Swedish event and we made some flower crowns, had some Swedish drinks and listened to an ABBA impersonation band play.

Friends <3

It was pretty damn cool. I'm sad I missed out on the opening remarks as well as the 'feast' but it was
all okay, since my friends and I ended up dancing and enjoying our night regardless.

Afterwards, we headed back downstairs to Carribean White party, where it was lit up, people were dancing and the music by the DJ was good. Some people were really going at it! 

My friends and I danced for hours on end and then headed over to a friend's beautiful and super gorgeous apartment where we played card games and then headed home from the long day - I spent almost 14 hours at the UN today.

"Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them." - William Arthur Ward

Gorgeous report

It's been kind of tough this past week because it's been so slow. But I've tried my best to take advantage of thisinto different meetings and events to try to make up for it.
by going

Today, I did have some work as well as a meeting, which gave me a lot of responsibility and some stuff to research. So I did that for a bit before I headed down to the 2016 UN Drug launch by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

I only stayed for a little while because I knew I couldn't keep going to conferences and media events like that so I left after half an hour (Although it was extremely interesting and I really enjoyed sitting there and listening to them synthesizing and explaining the work they had done, especially because the report itself was done gorgeously in colour) and headed over to a "Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization Conference" which, as I found out, was a lot more boring than I thought. They were just doing a follow-up meeting to a previous DPI/NGO Conference they had had in Korea a month ago.

I ended up leaving there and went downstairs to grab some lunch. Low and behold, there were some

UNNGO conference

sandwiches, which I grabbed and some soup as well.

Afterwards, I came back up to the office, helped read some reports, did a bit of research, enjoyed my job shredding (which is actually quite soothing if you let it be). 

At around 3, I asked if I could go to the closing ceremonies for the Global Compact Leadership event, which was all the way at the Mariott hotel at Times Square (google how long it takes to get to Times Square from the UN. It's a stupid amount of time). 

I ran. Well, speed walked, and then ran part way. 

Closing ceremonies for the GCLeadership

I finally got to the conference, headed up the fancy elevators (you actually have to press a button outside the elevators of the floor you want to go, it'll tell you which elevator to go to and then that elevator takes you straight to that floor. There are no buttons in it.

I was able to listen to the last two closing speakers before it was over. My bad. But it was totally worth it! I got to hear Jan Elisson, who is the Deputy Secretary General, speak and talk about the power of the future and the importance of everyone coming together to work for the sustainable development goals to make a better tomorrow.

Cute gifts

It was great. 

Afterwards, as I was leaving, I grabbed a little gift bag with the sustainable development pin (which
is super cute and also like $4 at the gift shop) and my friend, who I had met the night before, also gave me one! So I gave the extra to a coworker.

I ran back to work, did pretty much nothing as there was nothing for me to do, and walked down to the ECOSOC chamber and watched an awards ceremony for a bit before I headed down the stairs again and met up with my friends to go to the first ever UN Interns Association meeting for New York.

It was in a UN building (obviously) and it was quite small but it was nice to be there! I met a few new people and talked. 

Afterwards, we all headed over to the Intern bar, enjoyed some drinks, met some new people and just had a good time.

"Climate change is destroying our path to sustainability. Ours is a world of looming challenges and increasingly limited resources. Sustainable development offers the best chance to adjust our course." Ban Ki-moon

Breyer's Ice Cream party

Today was another slow day. I tried to put around and find some work to do (without any luck) and around lunch time, I headed out, borrowed my friend's monthly MTA pass (since she wasn't using it) and hopped on a train to Madison Square Park , where they were celebrating the 150th anniversary of Breyer's ice cream.

When I got there, the line up stretched for eons and ages. The line was actually too long for me to bear with so I left and headed back to work. 

Dropped into the
Global Compact
summitt

When I got back to work, it turned out I had just missed the deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia's
arrival. The UN, so exciting right?

I did a little bit of work, entered in some data and other stuff and then headed down to the General Assembly room (my first time visiting there and I got to be at a conference meeting where Ban Ki-Moon was the Keynote speaker!) for the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit! If you think that sounds fancy - let me just tell you. It is.

I ended up getting there a bit late (but before they started) and the place was PACKED. Like, I mean packed. People were even sitting behind people (in the places where interns usually sit, behind the delegate) and I ended up having to go all the way to the very top and very last row and sat down beside this very

The reception afterwards

cool guy who was talking to me the whole time.

We talked a bit about his business and how he is trying to educate girls through online technology. It was pretty interesting hearing about it.

When the Compact started, I was pretty surprised, it was not what I expected. I didn't realise it, but the Global Compact stuff was all about businesses running their businesses along the lines of the Sustainable Development Goals. It was amazing to see how innovation these companies and businesses went through to follow the SDGs. I heard some really great speakers tonight and really enjoyed the passion and combination of both making money and making the world a better place. I was quite impressed with the fact that everyone was not just driven by money, but driven by making the world a better place as well. Great way to try to run a business. 

I was impressed by the speakers, the clarity and for some of the speakers, it was the youthfulness. It was quite impressive to see. 

They had fashionable
sustainable trees 

One thing that makes me so happy about today's event was that businesses are shifting from this short-term greed to make money all the way to an environment where there is this long-term need to be sustainable and take care of the world. It is absolutely wonderful to see this happening, for the future of both my generation and the generations afterwards. 

It is very promising and gives me hope. I just *hope* that by the time I am in the same age range as these people, massive corporations like Shell and Enron will also embrace this idea of sustainability and making sure everyone is okay.

The Global Leaders compact went very overtime and by the time they were finished up in the GA conference, it was time for me to go up to the Global Combat Reception in the dining room.

Man was it packed with people there! It was super cool (also I totally slipped in without people noticing, it was great, since they wouldn't give me a name badge because I'm a "student"). The food was delicious and all of it was vegan made and sustainable. We had cookies, cupcakes, pasta with avocado sauce, guac sandwiches, salads - and I gotta say, I didn't even notice that there was no meat. It was just good. The chef who made this stuff owns a few

Presentations, such as
one on susintability
and fashion 

restaurants called "By Chloe" and has won competitions worldwide for her cupcakes (which were so bomb). She's actually quite cute (she's tiny and her voice is very high pitched) and seems like a really nice person (though I'm sure in the kitchen, most nice people turn into nightmares...). 

We then were welcomed into the session, listened to people network and talk about their businesses and then even got a fashion show all about sustainable
fashion! It was quite cool to see all the articles of clothing on people, knowing that it was made with sustainable clothing that won't harm the earth.

At around 7 (which is when the event was supposed to end), I ran off to go to Brooklyn to meet up with a friend who was hanging out by the park and we rushed to Brooklyn.

We had no idea what to expect and what was going to happen.

Literally. 

My friend had messaged me earlier in the day asking if I wanted to go to a concert she had won tickets to. She was also told that people have no idea who is playing and they also don't know where the venue is until 24 hours beforehand. 

Vegan food by Chole!

#Liveinthemoment

When we got there, it was in a venue called "VanMoof," which is actually a really cool Dutch bike store, selling roadbikes, locks et al. to bikers. It was actually quite a nice venue. It had a very hipster vibe to it.

All around the floors were people sitting down with blankets (we had a yoga mat), chips, snacks and drinks (alcoholic ones too). We sat down and the place was small enough that we weren't too far back, sat around and waited for the show to start.

And what a show it was.

SofarSounds Venue

The emcee started off by explaining the story of SoFar Sounds, stating that it is is a musical movement, hosting intimate concerts in living rooms around the world. 

It all started off with this person who was tired of going to concert venues where people were just drinking, smashing their bottles around and not even listening to the music. So with a few friends, sitting in their living room, they invited local artists to come play. The rules were to turn off your phone and not to talk. Just to be there in that moment. 

And Sofar sounds was born (Sofar stands for "songs from a room"). And it's reached over 200 different cities! Including Toronto :) 

I had an amazing time there, sitting and listening to the music without people all around me being obnoxious or annoying. I could hear the music clearly.

Our first act was a beat-boxer who had been beatboxing and making "human noises" since he was a kid to make music. The second act was this duo called "Sleeping Lion" and they're quite powerful and our third and last act was this jazz/blues/funk kind of band. 

"+ Gentrification"

They were all amazing and just having them sing and perform was just such an honour and a pleasure to experience - especially in such an intimate setting. Usually, with Sofar Sounds, they only take about 125 people (MAX, my venue probably had 30 at most), but there are sometimes over 1000 applicants (you can also buy tickets). It's hard to get tickets and it's hard to be one of the few. They usually only have people who are new or haven't been there in a while go into the crowd.

As for the performers and the artists, they aren't usually famous, rarely so, they're usually indie bands or artists who are trying to play and make it on up in the world.

It's a pretty damn cool idea and I'll have to try to find more of this stuff in Toronto.

Afterwards, we both headed home in our respective directions and I went home to sleep. 

"If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity." John F. Kennedy

International Day of Yoga

Today was another day at work. One of my projects is put on hold for now so I've been kind of just reading about the UN, different career paths and other stuff ... not too much to do actually. 

We had a short working group meeting today - super short, which meant that my time wasn't too taken up and then a coworker and I went outside to check out the stuff that the Permanent Mission of India was doing to set up for International Day of Yoga! They had set up this huge platform for people to perform and teach yoga on and on the lawn right outside the UN were hundreds of yoga mats. 

I passed by the tables and the Mission staff gave me a t-shirt, hat and a yoga mat, telling me to come back and enjoy some yoga outside with them during the lunch break! It was super cool of them. The idea was to promote Yoga as a way to achieve peace and sustainability. 

From the Mission of India :D

I went back up to my cubicle to work on a little bit more stuff before lunch time rolled around and headed back downstairs, My coworker and I dropped by the yoga session for a bit, but they were not ready yet so we dropped by the Delegate's Lounge (who was pretty stoked to say "she's with me" [since I can't get in there with my intern badge]) because the Italian Mission was giving out free gelato AGAIN! It was great. I don't think I've ever been happier.

Line up for Gelato

The line up was insane but it was totally worth it. 

I got two portions since she didn't want hers.

I'm going to get fat. (x_x)

We went back downstairs and watched them exercise as I guiltily enjoyed my gelato (and felt the weight drag itself onto me, I mean a moment on the lips, a lifetime on my hips, right?).

All these flavours

We went back out as they were finishing up and they ended up giving everyone these delicious vegetarian lunches with rice, polenta, pretty much a little bit of everything! It was so delicious.

I really do have to commend the Permanent Mission to India. They put so much
thought, effort and invested so much money into the very successful event. I think everyone was very happy about it. I was impressed. They had actually started setting up for the event the day today and I knew take down was going to take just as long.

Sitting in the ECOSOC

I went back to work for a little bit longer and then headed down to an event I was very excited for and had RSVP'd for over a week ago: It was the first Commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. I mean I wasn't excited for the day or that the day even existed, but I was so pumped to go listen to what the UN was doing and the Human Rights advocates there.

When I got into the ECOSOC chamber, I tried to sit as far in front as possible without sitting on a seat that was reserved. I got a pretty good seat I'd say.

The agenda and the
cool hashtag

The report on the Elimination of sexual violence in conflict was provided to everyone (along with these neat pins that said "Stop Rape in War") so I flipped through it for a bit. 

As I was sitting there listening to the speakers, I felt such a great swell and sense of pride from the bottom of my stomach for the UN and all the work that it is so desperately trying to do. People always blame the UN for this and that and call it inefficient, but without the UN, where would we be now? Where would the status of our human rights be? 

And to say that the UN is useless is to undermine the hard, diligent work of
thousands of people here-and that's not cool. There are a lot of people here who are very hardworking and motivated - To say that they aren't working hard enough is to say that the work that they are doing, the experience, education and everything else they've amassed is not good enough. 

The actress from
the Walking Dead!

That's insulting.

I really enjoyed the event and I got to hear Ms. Danai Gurira, the actress from Walking Dead (as Michonne) and screen writer of "Eclipse" speak! God it was amazing. She opened up with a piece from her play, in character with the drama and everything and it was so silent in there, you could have probably heard a pin drop. 

When the meeting was done, I waited in line and got a photo with her and left.

Panel for the movie, Life, Animated

I went back to my cubicle to eat something I had left in the fridge and then headed back down to the exact same ECOSOC chamber (which was filled up) to watch the pre-screening of "Life, Animated," a beautiful film about a boy living with Autism and how he expresses himself through his passion of Disney.

It was one of the most touching and beautifully done films I've ever seen. I highly, highly recommend watching it when it comes out because it is just such a great way to take a look into the mind of a boy who lives with autism and a family that accepts and loves him for it.

Owen Suskin :D

It was great. Just 10/10 and it made me cry at some points (no spoilers here).

I actually got to meet Owen Suskin, the star of the show, along with his parents! He's quite a nice guy, very willing to do photos and is just so friendly and warm. It was great to see him.

Afterwards, headed home and enjoyed!