Beauty in Numbers

I finished a book. I couldn't stop reading.

The title is "博士の愛した数式(Hakase no Aishita Susiki) which means "doctor's favorite formula".

Teenage Dirtbag

I went to coffee shop to kill time. I brought my laptop and listened music in my laptop randomly. Sudden a long forgotten song started. This song was in a movie I watched when I was a 2nd year in university. The movie was a stereotyped school happy-ending love-comedy and I don't think it was big hit, but was still my little favorite movie. I had forgot about this for long time, but the heroine from this movie was the person I wanted to be. Yes, I can't and don't want to be a blonded beauty. Where my favorite part of her was she rocks but knows how to enjoy her life without money. She took a boy to a dating and show him that they don't need money to have fun. I was teenage and had no money when I saw this movie.

I didn't care about this song that time, but 2year later my boyfriend at the time gave me a MD (haha). This song was in that songs he chose for me and I loved this song. He also told me the song was in the movie and I was surprised because that was the first time to find a person who watched the movie!

Hmmmm...then I'm listening this song again today. This song reminded me my teen days. Phew... it was a good day indulgging in reminiscences. Let's check the movie...I think the title was 'Loser'.

Japanese Great Man in United States

I organized my pictures in my laptop. Then I found a picture from NYC visit. This picture is portrait of Sakamoto Ryoma. I found this picture at Brooklyn museum. I was almost cry when I found this. I was surprised him being in Brooklyn, NY! How he came to there? Most Japanese admire him and how many American know him? I am one of who adore him. Surely he is a xenomania. I can tell. He tried to smuggle himself to United States. He was the first Japanese wore pairs of boots instead of sandals and got ringworm on his feet. He carried a gun with him despite his sword technique. But why are you in Brooklyn museum?

If you were a Japanese you must know him and admire him. I read him in novel, textbook, TV proram, manga, everywhere. He was born in 1836 at the end of the samurai period. He was a son of merchant in Tosa domain where class discrimination was strict. He made a big effort on Japanese modernism. Japanese goverment those days were closed our port from other countries (I mentioned before), but he inclucated that the goverment'd better open the port up otherwise Japane will be colonized by western countries.　He also said it was unavoidable to overthrow the Shogunate for this aim. So he had many political enemy and was fugitive for most of his life. He was assassinated on his 31st birthday. Although he couldn't see the ports opened to other countries, there was Meiji revolution next year and Japan has never been colonerized.

The text behind him is telling (I guess) "spirit of hero went into dream." Have a good dream, Ryoma!

Ready For Christmas!

Snow covered on ground last Saturday. We have snowing today again, now every thing is white. Okay, cyclorama (new word from theater class) is perfect for Christmas. From last weekend, everyone in the United States seemed to get ready for Christmas. I saw several cars went by with pine tree on its roof. This is not familiar in Japan. I also noticed the houses and stores decorated with illuminations in my neighborhood. My friend told me that 'winter is dark and cold which make us sad, but we have a most brilliant holiday that's remarkable.' That is true! I don't like snwing, but I love illuminations against snow. I will decorate our house this evening with my host family. We will put a tree, a wreath, lightings. We have lots of to do. Then we will be ready for Christmas!

New York, New Hat, New Jacket

I visited my friend in brooklyn this holiday weekend.
I walked around Manhattan last time I visit, I stayed in Brooklyn most time this visit. My friend showed me many place tourist don't go. Hip!! Taking subway and walking on streets is the New York life for me, it makes me feel myself like a city girl!

Day 1 (Thu) : I arrived at airport around noon on Thursday. Because it was Thanks Giving day, most stores were closed and my friend and I have nothing to do that night. So we decided to eat dinner out at italian restaurant (not turkey) and checked out some DVDs and watched it. I was bored little and thought it was not special thing of New York life nor Thanks Giving at all, I can do same thing in Minnesota...but he told me this is the thanks giving day. Okay okay, I can go around New York city next day......went to bed early.

Day 2 (Fri): I woke up around 7 and went woke my friend up to go out.....but he told me nothing is open till 10 and he went sleep again. So I decided to read book waiting him. Bored again. Here is tip 1; New York is late city. Don't go sleep early. Don't wake up early. New Yorker have only two meal a day...brunch and dinner. Well, I couldn't stand anymore and managed to bring my friend out from his apartment around 10 and we went to eastvillage in Manhattan and see our friends and branch. Then, no restaurant was open! My friend was right! Everybody were looking at me and 'See? New York is late city'...sorry, but I was so excited being in New York city. Well, my friends are good New Yorker so they found a restaurant was good, thank you! Then they took me to CBGB store, I didn't know that but CBGB was a famous music club and Ramones played first act there. Ok! I got a T-shirts! Then two friends needed to wash jeans so we said bye bye to them and headed to MoMA. This was second visit to there because I can tell MoMA is my favorite museum in the world for now. I can live there and sleep in front of Sleeping Gypsy. But we left Moma of course and walked to Eastvillage to see laundry-finished-friends again and have dinner at Indian restaurant then went to drink Sake.

Day 3 (Sat): I woke up early again, I don't know why. Maybe I was still excited being in New York. So I waited my friend to wake up again. Bored again. I should have gone out by myself. Why I didn't think about it? Anyway I waited, it seemed forever. And I waited till my friend woke up around 11.
We went to Williamsburg that day.
I waited my friend finishing his DJ work till 4am. I slept

Day 4 (Sun): At last I learned to sleep till noon. Now I can be a New Yorker, right? And ate out brunch (like New Yorker), walked around Park Slope. I enjoyed brown stones and small shops on the streets. We went to free market in his neighborhood. My friend bought a sock monkey for me. Because I told him my favorite thing lately is sock monkey. He (sock monkey) is a typical sock monkey I imagined, in jeans.

Day 5 (Mon): Woke up 4 in morning. It was the return day to Minnesota. I took plane from New Ark. Nornal days started...sad. But I will be back soon, New York! Because I fell in love with you, New York city!