NYC Travel Day4

Hey, these are what I've got at the thrifty shop yesterday.

Today, I'm going to cross the Brooklyn Bridge by foot.
Umm, summer breeze from the river makes me so happy.

Street, oh no, bridge vender. I almost bought it...

Hi Brooklyn Bridge, here I come !!
For me, this was so NY-like.

Going to DUMBO !! This is one of hip areas in NY these days.
Let's just hang around !!

Speaking of Brooklyn, most of you guys picture this shot, don't you? I was really happy that I could take the pic with a school bus. Lucky.

Why don't I stop by?!

This was FANTASTIC !! Love it here all !!

Music played in the shop was also great.

And the sounds were so comfortable.

I wish I had a LP player in my crib...

I walked back to Manhattan again with eating extremely cream cheese filled bagle.

In Japan, normally it's considered rude and some people find it disgusting, but I like eating with walking, actually.

What's wrong with that ?

Isn't it nice to enjoy food and scenery at the same time, just like being on board of dining car?!

On the way back, I dropped off at Bleeker's street

and bought what I'd wanted.

It's WESC headphone !

I know there's an outlet in Tokyo, but it's smarter to get it in the States because of the exchange rate these days.

I finally understand how to use this verb, "curb".

NYC Travel Day3

I joined a half-day organized tour for listening to gospel music at a charch in Harlem.
Taking photos is strictly prohibited during the worship.
So I don't have any of it.

You might know I sometimes get emotional so easily and this was the time.
I have no idea on how to put the right words for my feelings. but my eyes were watering, listening to sacred songs. And I was humming with them as you could imagine.
I could do that without the lyrics since the same phrase were repeatedly sang.
A piece of cake for me, doing this everyday on my commute, hehehe.

Honestly, and personaly, I don't think being religious is always good, but people here seemed to be proud of what they believes in, what they do every day. That impressed me.

The chorus members were all men.
Speaking of gospel, you picture big mamas singing so vigorously and emotionally.
So I'd like to see a mix or women only next time.

After having a quick stop in front of Apollo theater, we were headed to a famous charch.
I don't recall the name of it. Because my curiosity were put only in Harlem.

Here are some weird pics in the charch, but I love them.

Found a squirrel!! It wouldn't run away even when people get closer and closer.

The tour was finished at Hilton hotel in the Midtown.
No interest for here. Even must-go (maybe...) museums don't attract me.
I crossed the bridge by the subway and got to Williamsburg, where Damian gave me amazing vibes last night.

Looks like you might be able to find an amazing gadget, doesn't it?!

Umm, every single shop is tempting for me.

I wish I had a record player...

Even trash boxes have one sense.

In the shop, there was slope (idk how to call in this industry) for skateboarding.

It's embarrasing to say, skateboarding is one thing that I'd been trying.

Don't say, "No way, Jose !!" It's true.

According to the map, there's Brooklyn Beer Brewery near here and they open the door on weekends.

Umfortunately, I didn't have time for visiting there. Why don't I try Brookly beer here in Tokyo.

I know the place serving it in Shinjuku.

I bought converse shoes here with only $16.00. Cool !!

"The G-spot does exist!" "Have you found yours?"

I promise you, Williamsburg, no, I swear,

I'll visit you sometime soon !!

NYC Travel Day2

Goooooooood morning, NY !! (Just like "Good morning, Vietnum xD)

Now you understand why I said everything was equipped.

Rice cooker !!

At the last trans-Pacific travel,

I was totally exhausted and I learned the lesson.

Japanese food would work for reducing travel fatigue.

So, I all the way to brought some rice, miso-soup and packed salmon this time around. And I was right.

Umm, it's a kind of cliche, but let me say this ...

how come does it taste so much better

when you eat your own food abroad?!

My biggie event, which is exactly the reason what brought me here, starts in the evening.

I was headed to downtown in the morning just for hanging out.

Coming back to the condo and having a little break,

I left Manhattan for Williamsberg, Brooklyn!

Once I came out of the town from the subway, I fell in love with here.

No skyscraping buildings, no cloth giant chain stores, but looking nice and cozy cafe, restaurant and the second-handed shops of any kinds. Love them!!

There was already people's stream runnnig, leading to the venue.

I just joined and followed it. On the way, I spoke to a black guy, asking the direction.

Honestly, I was looking for someone to enjoy the live with

and I was quite sure that he would go.

His appearance clearly said so, wearing Jamaican T-shirt and accessory.

I was chichatting with him and his buddies

while lining up for the entrance.

The line was freaking long somehow and they were enjoying ganja. So Jamaican?!

You can see Manhattan over there. It was beautiful moment, the John was unacceptably dirty, though...

The performance was totally VIBES!! I danced like crazy all through the live, surrounded by pot here and there.

I wish I had iPhone or a cutting-edged digital camera.
People seemed to be taking pics and recording as they liked.

Mine was totally useless, S**t !! This is the only thing that I disappointed.



Damia~~n, you so cool !! It was worthwhile.

I was intoxicated with your almost-ground-reaching dread hair.

NYC Travel Day1

Long before I flied to NYC this time,
there was one thing to be fixed firmly.
It's where I'm going to stay in Big Apple.
I happened to locate it on the Internet
and now I realize how lucky I was...
This was the best ever in my trips around the world.
Everything that I need was perfectly equipped,
even some that I've never expected to be.

12 hour-flight was OK, but the access to this condo from Newark was more exhausting that I had imagined. Actually I was beat when I got here. But I had something planned that night.
That blew off my tiredness. It's off-broadway musical, " NAKED BOYS Singing!" !!

Don't you get this wrong !! Yes, it's literally "NAKED". They didn't put on anything.
You wanna try? Just come and visit NYC.
This is what you can never see in Japan, but here in the U.S. That's why I've got the ticket.

There was one hot guy among 5 and I gave it a thought all through the show, like, what brought him here? Is it his real job to make a living? Is this truely what he wants to do? and all that. Of couse, gazing at his what-you-know... Hahaha.

Summer cut

My little sis is trimming Chikuwa for surviving this crazy summer,
which I don't think so though...

Mother

"I shouldn't have rented this, it's gonna be a torturing- 2 hours or so to reach the end title credit. This was honestly what I felt in a couple of minites just after I started watching.

It was a scene of a middle-aged woman standing and singing alone in the middle of nowhere.
She looked partly emotionless, absent-minded, sad and scared, but some other part, silently angry.

It's quite natural that I have no idea what it means since this is very beginning, but at least it was too weird and I didn't think at all that I could immerse myself into this film, at first...

Do-Joon (Won Bin) is somewhat mentally challenged young man.
Because of that, he's slow and quiet, like he has some difficulties in expressing himself.

His mother, who is a widow, manages to make their living by selling medical herbs and doing unlicensed acupuncture.

She dotes on her only son so much. They sleep together on a single bed from time to time.
It's impossible, frankly, it's disgusting, even considered Do-joon is a bit handicapped.

Yes, he's mentally disabled, but this is not so serious enough to do such a thing.
It seemed overprotective to me, but as the story goes, I take it as a meaningful scene shows unconditional motherhood. One of metaphorical scenes for the film.
Umm, no, it might not be the right word to describe. The truth is, I no longer feel the way as I first felt.



One day, a high school girl is found dead.
With only circumstantial evidence placing Do-joon near the crime scene, the police jump to the conclusion that he did it.

His defense attorney is unreliable and the police trick him into signing a confession including a long jail sentence, taking advantage of Do-joon being challenged.
Now Mother is convinced that she's the only one who can help him and prove his innocense.

Scouring around the town, it is revealed the girl's life is salacious.

With this fact, Mother investigates farther on.

The course of unraveling, actually, I was a little distracted. Typical me, hahaha !!

For some reason I'm not good at criminal investigation drama.

I usually half-way understand.

But I understand more than half this time around, hehehe.

I'm not going to tell any more details. Because it's going to be a spoiler.
Last several ten miniutes are so impressive !!

Especially one phrase Do-joon makes to his mother, my heart almost stopped!!

It's NOT exaggeration. This made me revisit if he was genuinely mentally disabled.

This is one of the best films I've ever watched this year, totally !!!

Won Bin plays Do-joon so well.
In the film, Mother and her neighbor woman say Do-joon's baby deer's eyes are so adoreble.
Yes, Won Bin's eye are just like those. Cute.

After watching the DVD, I desperately like to know more about this film and I bought this magazine. Also I even read a novelized book.

I'm going to watch this again, anyway.

And I'm looking forward to his next film, "The Man From Nowhere".

Please release sooner !!