Friday, August 19, 2005
Round the Melting Pot
Quite a day! Let me explain.
I got up early to work out. I ended up running a little late so I skipped the cardio today. I don't want to make a habit of that since I'm still pretty heavy but I know that the cardio exercise isn't the linchpin of my exercise routine; the weight stuff is.
I ran out to the post office around noon. My aforementioned eBay auction ended and I had to ship out the item in question. Did I mention that I received three times what I paid for that silly thing? It's true! Anyway, I sent the card on its way, carefully wrapped in cardboard cut from the package I received yesterday.
What package was that? My digital camera! It arrived Wednesday evening and it's totally awesome. I bought a Canon Powershot SD400, just like I wanted. Coincidentally, it ended up costing almost exactly the same amount of money I earned from selling that card! Of course, Mom paid for the camera which I really appreciated.
Enough about my wheelings and dealings on the Internet. Today I spent nearly the entire day with my friend Scott. For those of you who haven't been reading closely, Scott has been living and working in Japan for five years now and will actually be near the school I will be attending this year.
Scott and I met down in Chinatown around 1PM. We meandered about, without particular purpose, until Scott suggested we go and eat some dim sum. He knew a great place which took a little legwork to track down but it ended up being right on Elizabeth St. It's called Jing Fong and it's a sight to behold! Unlike most eateries in Chinatown, this one is in its very own building. Indeed, in order to reach the dining room you must go up a very long escalator (easily the longest one I've seen outside of the subway). Once upstairs, you will find yourself in a very spacious and attractive dining room. It's big, like a banquet hall really. It's the kind of place I'd imagine Chinese people might go to get married. In fact, I was so moved I decided to break in my new camera by taking a picture:
That's Scott showing off for the camera. Obviously I need a little practice operating this thing. It wasn't nearly as dark as it appears, I just used the wrong exposure setting. Remember, unlike a film camera, I can choose what "speed" to use for each picture. I'll get it working sooner or later; I'm only a third of the way through the instruction booklet, give me some time!
After our incredibly filling meal, we continued our journey around the neighborhood. Partly out of nostalgia, we dropped in on the old Chinatown Fair arcade on Mott St. Like most U.S. arcades, the machines are aging and not nearly as magical as they appeared just five or six years ago. Indeed, most of the games that were there five or six years ago are still there today. I didn't really play anything for two reasons: it would be a waste of money to play any old games and the new ones were all being played by virtual experts. Scott played a little but we moved along.
I don't know how many hours we spent cruising the shops. We stopped at one point for some bubble tea but otherwise we were strolling or browsing all afternoon. When the time came to leave, we simply walked north to the East Village, another neighborhood we used to hang out in a lot (I still do). More browsing was at hand. Eventually we walked up to Union Square where we had a seat on a bench and just talked about life, Japan, Hyde, and even the ways of a Jedi.
What the hell am I talking about? Ehh, it's kind of personal guy stuff that you wouldn't be interested in hearing. It wasn't just sex talk (though we did find time for that), we were talking about real emotional issues. To put it bluntly, I received more sage-like advice regarding my life that I hope to actually follow instead of doing what my instincts tell me. Or maybe I'm confusing my instincts with my impulses.
Funny side note: while we relaxed in the park, a strange girl with a film crew asked us some banal questions for her "project." Nearly all of the questions were about GE and she wanted us to come up with "funny" answers on the spot. This is hard work when her questions are as basic as "What did Thomas Edison invent?" When pressed, she admitted the "project" was, in fact, for GE. What a bunch of egomaniacal jerks. Except her, I guess, she seemed nice.
We returned to the East Village, took a stroll over to Alphabet City and then looped back into the Village again. Our plan was to check out a karaoke bar that Scott had suggested we visit soon. Unfortunately, there was no indication on the outside of when it was open so we just walked around and periodically checked in. Eventually we encountered an employee who told us they open at 9.
Faced with well over an hour to kill, we opted for dinner at ケンカ (Kenka). What a wild scene! It was packed and noisy, but not just because of the customers. They were playing loud music that sounded like patriotic tunes from the war or something. Also, the artwork on display was quite eclectic. We had a clear view of a photo of Hirohito and his wife which was right above some pornographic artwork and what looked like a creepy bondage image of a girl tied up in a kimono. Most importantly, the food was excellent, the menu was quite varied (though I was surprised not to find any yakitori) and the prices were excellent. They serve Kirin Ichiban drafts for only $1.50!! Scott and I drank six (total) with our meals and the check was still less than $30! Go check this place out immediately.
After dinner we finally went to check out this karaoke bar. We were the only two people inside and the prices were quite high. Every drink was at least $5 and there was a two-drink minimum. Singing cost $1 a song. Seeing these costs we decided not to try any karaoke that night and left the singing to tomorrow (Friday) evening.
We weren't ready to stop drinking so we walked around to find a new spot. Scott remembered an old hangout in SoHo so we went on a long journey. Sadly, our half-hour walk ended in disappointment when the spot he remembered was now an Indian restaurant (closed to boot). We grabbed one last drink at the nearest bar and then walked to the nearest 6 train to head home. So it looks like tomorrow will be the big climactic gathering of most of my friends. I will enjoy it!
Today had a sad post-script though. It seems my friend Hyde, whom I met through the "blogosphere," is ending her blog. I will miss reading her stories very much. Hopefully we can maintain our friendship via e-mail during my studies abroad.
I got up early to work out. I ended up running a little late so I skipped the cardio today. I don't want to make a habit of that since I'm still pretty heavy but I know that the cardio exercise isn't the linchpin of my exercise routine; the weight stuff is.
I ran out to the post office around noon. My aforementioned eBay auction ended and I had to ship out the item in question. Did I mention that I received three times what I paid for that silly thing? It's true! Anyway, I sent the card on its way, carefully wrapped in cardboard cut from the package I received yesterday.
What package was that? My digital camera! It arrived Wednesday evening and it's totally awesome. I bought a Canon Powershot SD400, just like I wanted. Coincidentally, it ended up costing almost exactly the same amount of money I earned from selling that card! Of course, Mom paid for the camera which I really appreciated.
Enough about my wheelings and dealings on the Internet. Today I spent nearly the entire day with my friend Scott. For those of you who haven't been reading closely, Scott has been living and working in Japan for five years now and will actually be near the school I will be attending this year.
Scott and I met down in Chinatown around 1PM. We meandered about, without particular purpose, until Scott suggested we go and eat some dim sum. He knew a great place which took a little legwork to track down but it ended up being right on Elizabeth St. It's called Jing Fong and it's a sight to behold! Unlike most eateries in Chinatown, this one is in its very own building. Indeed, in order to reach the dining room you must go up a very long escalator (easily the longest one I've seen outside of the subway). Once upstairs, you will find yourself in a very spacious and attractive dining room. It's big, like a banquet hall really. It's the kind of place I'd imagine Chinese people might go to get married. In fact, I was so moved I decided to break in my new camera by taking a picture:
That's Scott showing off for the camera. Obviously I need a little practice operating this thing. It wasn't nearly as dark as it appears, I just used the wrong exposure setting. Remember, unlike a film camera, I can choose what "speed" to use for each picture. I'll get it working sooner or later; I'm only a third of the way through the instruction booklet, give me some time!
After our incredibly filling meal, we continued our journey around the neighborhood. Partly out of nostalgia, we dropped in on the old Chinatown Fair arcade on Mott St. Like most U.S. arcades, the machines are aging and not nearly as magical as they appeared just five or six years ago. Indeed, most of the games that were there five or six years ago are still there today. I didn't really play anything for two reasons: it would be a waste of money to play any old games and the new ones were all being played by virtual experts. Scott played a little but we moved along.
I don't know how many hours we spent cruising the shops. We stopped at one point for some bubble tea but otherwise we were strolling or browsing all afternoon. When the time came to leave, we simply walked north to the East Village, another neighborhood we used to hang out in a lot (I still do). More browsing was at hand. Eventually we walked up to Union Square where we had a seat on a bench and just talked about life, Japan, Hyde, and even the ways of a Jedi.
What the hell am I talking about? Ehh, it's kind of personal guy stuff that you wouldn't be interested in hearing. It wasn't just sex talk (though we did find time for that), we were talking about real emotional issues. To put it bluntly, I received more sage-like advice regarding my life that I hope to actually follow instead of doing what my instincts tell me. Or maybe I'm confusing my instincts with my impulses.
Funny side note: while we relaxed in the park, a strange girl with a film crew asked us some banal questions for her "project." Nearly all of the questions were about GE and she wanted us to come up with "funny" answers on the spot. This is hard work when her questions are as basic as "What did Thomas Edison invent?" When pressed, she admitted the "project" was, in fact, for GE. What a bunch of egomaniacal jerks. Except her, I guess, she seemed nice.
We returned to the East Village, took a stroll over to Alphabet City and then looped back into the Village again. Our plan was to check out a karaoke bar that Scott had suggested we visit soon. Unfortunately, there was no indication on the outside of when it was open so we just walked around and periodically checked in. Eventually we encountered an employee who told us they open at 9.
Faced with well over an hour to kill, we opted for dinner at ケンカ (Kenka). What a wild scene! It was packed and noisy, but not just because of the customers. They were playing loud music that sounded like patriotic tunes from the war or something. Also, the artwork on display was quite eclectic. We had a clear view of a photo of Hirohito and his wife which was right above some pornographic artwork and what looked like a creepy bondage image of a girl tied up in a kimono. Most importantly, the food was excellent, the menu was quite varied (though I was surprised not to find any yakitori) and the prices were excellent. They serve Kirin Ichiban drafts for only $1.50!! Scott and I drank six (total) with our meals and the check was still less than $30! Go check this place out immediately.
After dinner we finally went to check out this karaoke bar. We were the only two people inside and the prices were quite high. Every drink was at least $5 and there was a two-drink minimum. Singing cost $1 a song. Seeing these costs we decided not to try any karaoke that night and left the singing to tomorrow (Friday) evening.
We weren't ready to stop drinking so we walked around to find a new spot. Scott remembered an old hangout in SoHo so we went on a long journey. Sadly, our half-hour walk ended in disappointment when the spot he remembered was now an Indian restaurant (closed to boot). We grabbed one last drink at the nearest bar and then walked to the nearest 6 train to head home. So it looks like tomorrow will be the big climactic gathering of most of my friends. I will enjoy it!
Today had a sad post-script though. It seems my friend Hyde, whom I met through the "blogosphere," is ending her blog. I will miss reading her stories very much. Hopefully we can maintain our friendship via e-mail during my studies abroad.
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The addition of photos is a great touch. Looking forward to seeing more of them! It's nice to know you'll have a friend nearby when you're in Japan.
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