New Year in New York

Fortunately, I could spent new year night in New York city! Who in the world doesn't know the countdown event at times square? world's most famous new year's event! I went there just to look how many people gathering the place around 2pm. It was mistake. It was messed up there, I couldn't find end of crowd. Everyone around me was trying to move somewhere, so I pushed away like a stone in big stream. Everybody had their destinations but nobody knows how to get there. Lots of police (wo)men surrounded us to tell directions and make barｒicade. I've never seen such a bunch of cops with guns, I was scared little. But somehow their face looked pleasant. Maybe They were excited to join the biggest event in whole year. It was lucky that my friend and I didn't lost from each other. After satisfied looking up the building the new year ball come down and taking pictures to proof I was there on new year's eve, we found burger king for the restroom and went to downtown to join different countdown event. Seeing polices occupying many seats at burger king was funny!







Where we went to count down is the restaurant-bar called 'Rodeo Bar'. Firsttime coming into the bar, we couldn't have a table so we had to wait standing for 30 minutes. After three bottles of beer we could have laptop-sized table for three perple. They have a space for bands to play. Several rockabilly bands played that night. I saw the balloons covered all ceiling on the bar to celebrate coming new year! It was so beautiful! And we had a lots of peanuts as a anack and I put shells back into the same basket they serve, then my friend told me 'You've gotta throw the shells away on the floor'. What? Do I need to make mess? But I looked around me and found the big mess! By hte end of the night the floor looked like chicken barn and I heard clacking sound everywhere.

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!