Spring

I originally intended to go to Chidoriga-fuchi to view cherry blossoms today, but then I had a flash of inspiration for my souvenir article. I didn't want to lose it, so decided to stay and write... but it seemed a waste not to be outside, so I took my computer to campus and sat under the sakura while I wrote. I only lasted about two hours though. The weather may be beautiful, but it's still rather cold. I got some more phone pictures though.



And this reminded me of Spring in Princeton:

Wish I'd taken my proper camera, but I'd thought you can only take so many pictures of cherry blossoms. Apparently I was wrong.

The road leading into campus (pictures in the previous entry) smells absolutely delicious, and it's really amusing to ride down it these days. Everyone stops in the middle of the road. They climb out of their cars or off their bikes and point their phones (or cameras, if they thought ahead) above their heads. People sit randomly along the side of the road, picnic-ing in the shade of sakura, even if they're sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. This country really does seem to stop and lose all sense when the sakura bloom. If a corner of my mind weren't still a *little* aware of how silly it is, I'd be totally caught up in it. Some might say I am. ^_~ I'm very much looking forward to when the blossoms start falling.

There was this one cherry tree-lined path in Princeton, down the hill from Frist. It was never part of my regular commute. I always happened to use it *after* the blossoms had fallen, but I thought it was the most beautiful thing when that happened... I'm having trouble imagining what the tree-lined road into ICU will be like when all those blossoms fall at once. Magic, I'm sure. ^_^

I'd never much noticed the seasons in Texas. I knew we jumped in piles of leaves in the Fall and that the bluebonnets and magnolias bloomed in the Spring and that the willow tree in our backyard blew fluff into our neighbour's pool in the Summer, but these were things I registered only subconsciously. Summer was my favourite growing up, I think, with its thunderstorms and fresh-cut-lawn-smell. But when I got to Princeton and spring began... the daffodils would bloom first, peeking their sunny heads out even when I still felt cold. The tips of the trees and bushes would suddenly be a bright, fresh green, stark against the older growth, and the soil and trunks of trees would be wet and pungent and black. I loved that, those high-contrast days. Ask Ryan. I don't know how many times we walked to class and I would say, "Oh I love when the trees are dark with wet and the leaves are bright and new..." And he would say, a little annoyed, "I know." ^_~

There hasn't been anything like that here. It's crept in quietly... sort of. I guess thousands of cherry trees blooming at once doesn't seem so quiet, but... they aren't high-contrast days. In fact, this colour palette seems almost the same as the last one - white (or pink so pale it might as well be white) on the trees or on the ground, pale blue skies. This is only the beginning of course, so it may be different once Spring is in full swing, but right now... I think I miss Spring in Princeton.

That's not to say I *prefer* it necessarily. I'm obviously really enjoying this time of year in Japan, it's just different. It's funny though. If you have preconceptions of Japan as a place of subtle, elegant beauty, this is definitely the kind of Spring it should have.

Cherry Blossom Special

Tomorrow I plan to go out to Chidoriga-fuchi, which should be fantastic, but you know... ICU isn't bad this time of year either.







For some *really* fantastic pictures, click here.

Hooray!!

My iPod is fixed! I was all prepared to trek out to the Apple Store in Shibuya and struggle in Japanese and possibly burst into tears, but then I figured I'd do some last-minute searching on the Apple website... It didn't go quite like the directions said it would, but somehow... it worked! Woot!

And Stellastarr* sound much better on my SoundDock than on my iBook speakers. ^_^

Ugh.

I've been having a weird couple days on the social drama front.
I would just like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Communication and Compromise are key in any relationship.

Help!

I'm trying to write an article for the souvenir. I'm having trouble. Open to suggestions. What would you like to know about my life and experiences in Japan? Suggestions so far (from two people) have been:

1. women in Japanese and American cultures
2. nightlife comparisons
3. the time zone gap
4. people (including teachers, classmates, other friends, random encounters)
5. places visited (but not things that one could find in a book)
6. things that have made me think or change the opinion I had before I came

Please email or leave comments with suggestions. お願いします！

Babies!

I became an aunt three times over within the span of 10 days: Piya (Mike and Devi Ba in CA) on 12 March, Ayan (Gaurang and Jumi Ba in CA) on 14 March, and Misty (Jumi Ba's brother in Guwahati) on 22 March. My mother's in California right now, so I got some pictures today.

Piya

Ayan


Yay! Babies! (I used to hate them, but then I guess my biological clock kicked in. Not *too* upset about it. ^_^)

Tokyo Anime Fair 2006

Saturday, Phil, Ben, Arron (another of Phil's friends from Leeds who attends a language school in Shibuya and whom I met for the first time Saturday), and I went back out to Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba for the International Animation Fair (also Tokyo Anime Fair or TAF). Phil, Ben, and Arron began the Anime Society at Leeds. They know way more about this stuff than I do, have in general seen a lot more anime, and are much more on top of the news than I am. I felt quite out of my league, but ah well. Their company was enjoyable; I laughed a lot. But about the actual Fair...

It wasn't nearly as big an event as Komiketto (Comic Market) back in December. Komiketto took up the entirety of Tokyo Big Sight (which is, as the name implies, a big space). TAF took one or two exhibit halls. There was barely room to move at Komiketto, lines were out the doors, winding around the building; there was more than enough room for the four of us to sit in clumps on the floor at TAF. Another big difference: lots of males. If you recall, many if not most of the people at Komiketto were females. This was definitely overwhelmingly male. Oh. And there lots and lots of gaijin. I think we saw more foreigners at TAF than I had seen in all my time in Japan so far.

A lot of the stuff advertised at TAF was anime that will begin broadcasting in April. But there was also a huge exhibit dedicated to Tezuka Osamu; another of monitors and monitors playing opening song sequences from classic series; a stall where you could make your own stop-motion animated short... and there was a section for aspiring animators to promote their work. There was also a very tempting shopping area. I would have liked to invest in something, perhaps Fuji's next birthday present, but I'm so bad at making decisions. Anyway... technically pictures aren't allowed inside Tokyo Big Sight, which is why I didn't have any pictures of Komiketto, but people were snapping away anyway. I figured pictures would be good for the blog, so yeah... I broke the rules. For you, my dear readers.

First, just for an idea of the event and venue.

Characters from Naruto (very popular shounen manga and anime; the same one I used for my uchi-mata project first term) and a Bleach balloon.

Advertising "Splash Star," the latest installment of the shoujo "Pretty Cure" anime. (Phil and friends are currently in the process of fan-subbing it.)

Tachikoma-kun! It was very awkwardly placed; I couldn't get a better picture. :-( The Ghost in the Shell exhibit was pretty big. Loved it. ^_^

And the black Mokona (I don't know if it has a proper name) from CLAMP's XXXholic. Who wouldn't want this in their bedroom?

Tokyo National Museum など

Friday I, as I mentioned earlier, went to the National Museum in Ueno Park with Phil and his friend Ben (another student from Leeds who has been spending the year in Singapore). My sister and I had also tried to go to the National Museum, the same day we had sushi in Tsukiji and saw Kabuki, but got there just in time for it to close. It's too bad because I think she would have liked it. We only had time for the main building but managed to see everything in it. The "thematic exhibition" was two rooms' worth of scrolls of "500 Arhats." They were all really incredible - the colour and detail and the imaginative, often grotesque imagery. There was also a room of Ukiyo-e, a few kimono, lots of swords, other stuff. It was a museum, you know. Not amazing as far as museums go, but worth the trip (and the 130 yen students' entrance fee).

From there we went to Ogikubo. Phil and Ben (who is vegetarian) had looked up vegetarian in Tokyo and located an Indian restaurant there called (of all things) Nataraj. While wandering the streets near the station looking for the place, we ended up following this bag with legs.

It was too cute. I couldn't resist taking a picture. Her bag is as big as she is.

The restaurant was in the basement near a yoga studio (heh). It was pretty big and nice actually, and the food was good. Phil had his first mango lassi and enjoyed it. The pakora were better than I've had in most Indian restaurants (i.e. they were more like my mom's). I had saag paneer, which was kind of weird in that the paneer was cut in triangle instead of cubes. Ben said that's how he normally has it. *shrugs* But for the good smells and decor (I especially liked all the drawings of beautiful Indian women), alas, the rice was Japanese. When I'd been in Texas, Trey and I went to Asian City for lunch, and I complained about the rice not being Japanese. And here we were at an Indian restaurant, and the rice was sticky. It was just wrong. Ah, well.

On another note, I got confused placing my order, because obviously the name of the food was Indian. So I'd order one thing then follow it with "aru" (Assamese) instead of "to" (Japanese) and then befuddle myself trying to straighten it out, and ended up sitting there in silence with a confused look on my face while I thought, which would prompt the woman taking our orders (who was Indian) to just ask me in English. Poop.

Forgotten images from Texas

Sticky Laroo, who gave us company while Brett dissertated and I hemmed the sleeves of his kurta.

From the October trip - Mother and Tigger cooking up a storm in the kitchen at the new house.

Brett playing bass. The pictures on the bookcase are (from left to right) Julia and me in Vegas; Lev, Ryan, Julia and me from Vegas; Brett, Arden and me.

Oh those crazy British

Going out for the day, but I leave you with this. Guess what they mean! (will post answers later)

First some jokes...

1. W: I'm from Wales and I have A pigs and B sheep.
S: Well, I'm from Scotland and I have X pigs and Y sheep [where X>A and Y>B].
E: Well, I'm from Pickering.

2. What's the difference between a buffalo and a bison?

Now some vocabulary...

1. Removals/Removing service
2. Washing up liquid

First one with correct answers wins!

Signs of the Season

1. This morning I read this. Then


2. Phil, his friend Ben, and I rode in a train car in which every single poster was a splash of pink - different views from all over the country. And then


3. Leaving the National Museum in Ueno Park, we saw the following:

Yes, these are camera phone pictures of people taking camera phone pictures of cherry blossoms (occasionally each other too). I have been waiting for this since I got to Japan... not just the cherry blossoms. I mean, they're nice, yes, and I'm very happy to see them (just ask Phil and Ben), and I'm sure it's going to be absolutely *incredible*, but no, what I was really waiting to see was the nationwide enthusiasm for cherry blossoms.

Isn't it nice to live in a country with four seasons?

Tough on keyboards

I've had this iBook since May(?) of 2005. I have rubbed off the T, most of the I, most of the E, and about half of the N. There is also a visible "bare" spot on the spacebar, whiter than the rest. This happened to Omaris, my previous (Dell) laptop as well.
Is this normal? Or am I rougher on my keyboard than most people? Do I have high-friction fingers? Or are they extra-greasy? Ugh. Maybe I just spend way too much time on the computer.

Google

I googled myself today. If you use "nickname+last name," you get two results, which are actually the same thing. If you use "real name+last name," you get a page of results. They're related to 2D and Assamese stuff, with a little bit of juggling and other Princeton activities for good measure. It's weird, nothing about Kalaa or Computer Science came up... except for SPE. Y'know, I don't remember ever telling Brett about SPE, but he always brings it up at the most random (embarrassing) times. Did he google me? o_O Anyway, the point was that, I read the webpage again. I sound like an idiot. (To be fair, I still sound like an idiot.) But it'd be fun to try to get that program to work. I wonder if it's still intact on Omaris... of course I don't have the memory or power to make it work anymore, but, if I did, I might go back and fix it. And then I could say I did *some*thing with my CS degree.

More time-wasting tactics for Spring Break

Pick ten bands and answer questions about them afterwards.

1. Portishead
2. R.E.M.
3. Tool
4. Ambulance LTD
5. A Perfect Circle
6. Dixie Chicks
7. Cake
8. Pedro the Lion
8*. The Flaming Lips
9. Radiohead
10. Primus

*I'd meant to choose "bands," not one-person... things, but I'd already answered all the questions, so I went back and answered the 8s a second time, substituting 8* for 8.

What was the first song you ever heard by 6?
Depends on how you interpret "by." When I was 15, Tiffany Lucas and a couple other girls on the Linnes trip to Europe liked the Dixie Chicks. So the first I ever heard of their music was Tiffany & co. singing There's Your Trouble. At the time I was determined not to like or listen to them. Though I'd never heard them, from the billboards and adverts I'd seen, I'd decided they sold themselves with their sexuality, and I didn't approve.
Later I went to see my friends in the school choir's pop show. Some girl I didn't know performed Cowboy Take Me Away as a solo, and I liked it without knowing it was the Dixie Chicks. Afterwards I mentioned it to Sanjeet, and he said Without You was good and sent it to me. So that was the first Dixie Chicks recording I actually heard.

What is your favourite album of 8?
I only know two actually, and I think they're quite different, but It's Hard to Find a Friend probably has the greater percentage of quality songs.
*I feel like a poop. I can't answer this very well as I only have Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and related EPs and a couple other random songs... but I suspect that The Soft Bulletin, from which The Spiderbite Song comes, is very good.

What is your favourite lyric that 5 has sung?
Of course this one would end up being about APC... Too hard! So I'll just say that I will never forget when I saw them live in 2003, and Maynard said, "I Rose, I Roared aloud here, I will, I am" (from Rose). The song had never struck me before, but that night, at that show, with those words, and his voice... *sigh* I was crying and smiling and laughing and trembling... It was a spiritual experience. I talked about that concert for weeks afterward.

How many times have you seen 4 live?
Twice, including my first time to Coney Island. ^_^

What's your favourite song of 7?
The Distance. I know everyone knows and loves it and it was way overplayed but... I just... really dig it. And I will never forget how they played it between bells over the PA on the ninth grade campus.

What is a good memory you have considering the music of 10?
That trip to Europe again. David Sutherland, the violin-playing football player, was one of two most-desirable-bachelors on the trip (the other was Josh Adler). At least two girls were trying to hookup with him. I saw him as a big brotherly type, and one day in the van listened in on his headphones... He was listening to the Brown Album! I was thrilled because I'd first heard Primus on the Nightly News (back when the Buzz played decent music) but had no idea who they were or how to find them. It was his brother John's (who was not on the trip) cassette tape, and he lent it to me for the next week or so. David was a real sweetheart. Wish we'd kept in touch.

Is there a song of 3 that makes you sad?
Sober, particularly when I see the lyrics in an away message.

What is your favourite lyrics that 2 has sung?
Nightswimming - "I'm pining for the moon."

What is your favourite song by 9?
Anyone Can Play Guitar.

How did you get into 3?
Fuji. He introduced me; we even went to a concert together in the fall of 2001. But I didn't really know or have any of their stuff until later, through Darren and APC.

What was the first song you heard by 1?
Wandering Star.

What is your favourite song by 4?
Anecdote.

What is a good memory you have concerning 2?
The first cd/album/music I chose and bought for myself was Monster. It was a huge step for me and my musical development and a very serious and conscious decision. I'd seen What's the Frequency, Kenneth?, which I liked, on MTV plenty, and then one day I saw Man on the Moon for the first time, some kind of special they were doing. It blew me away, so I asked my sister about them. She said something like they were a quality band who were unafraid to explore their sound, and I decided I would buy an album next time I got a chance.

Is there a song of 8 that makes you sad?
Are you kidding? The Bells, The Well, oh, the whole of It's Hard to Find a Friend. But it's a beautiful sadness.
*Do You Realize??

What is your favourite album of 5?
Thirteenth Step. Their music really develops and the sound becomes more "the band's," and the album itself is much more cohesive.

What is your favourite lyric that 3 has sung?
AEnima - "Fret for your figure and fret for your latte and fret for your lawsuit and fret for your hairpiece and fret for your prozac and fret for your pilot and fret for your contract and fret for your car it's a bull. shit. three. ring. circus sideshow of Freaks."
With Tool and APC, yeah, the lyrics are good, but it's really all about how Maynard sings them.

What is your favourite song of 6?
Long Time Gone.

Fuji is good for something

Men, women, the internet.

Two lists

Things I missed about Japan:
1. Accessible by bike!
2. Conbini (convenience stores, but oh so much more)
3. Onigiri
4. mass transit
5. Japanese
6. Moca The Cockerel
7. Chopsticks!

Things I didn't miss about Japan:
1. All the red tape
2. Unsmiling faces
3. Skirts skirts skirts
4. with heels
5. on bikes
6. Men who check their hair in the rearview mirror of their motorbike a dozen times in the short time I'm sitting on the bus waiting for it to move

ただいま！

It's 20:23 right now. I got back (to my apartment) about an hour and a half ago. I left the house in Humble at what would have been 23:30 yesterday. What is that? My brain is working rather slowly right now... Anyway, the point is that it's a long trip with little *real* rest, and my parents plan to call tonight. It's only 5:25 Sunday morning for them right now... Think I can make it?

We had chicken fried steak for dinner yesterday. 'Sfunny. When I lived in Humble, I never went out to eat with the express purpose of eating chicken fried steak, but now it's one of those things I crave when I'm in town. *shrugs* Anyway, I must have gained 5 pounds while I was in Texas. Oof.

Hmm... maybe I'll read or play sudoku or... maybe I'll just... have a short nap.

One more

Turns out Devi Ba had a baby (girl) 12 March.
Hera, Piya, and Devi Ba.

Babies, Bas, Mahis, and more

I forgot!
Jumi Ba had her baby (a boy) March 14th, noonish, California time. Yay! I don't think anyone has talked to her yet; we assumed she'd be tired yesterday. But now I'm a mahi (mother's younger sister - cousins are siblings to us) a second time! Exciteen. ^_^ Devi Ba's due soon too, I think.

With all the confusion over my sister's name, I thought it might do to explain to those readers who don't already know (two of you?) Assamese "titles" (the ones I know anyway). Spelling is approximate.

Baideo - Older sister (often shortened to "Ba")
Bhindeo - Older sister's husband
Bhonti - Younger sister
Dada - Older brother
Bou - Older brother's wife
Bhaiti - Younger brother
Mahi - Mother's younger sister
Moha - Mother's younger sister's husband
Mama - Mother's brother
Mami - Mother's brother's wife
Khura - Father's younger brother
Khuri - Father's younger brother's wife
Pehi - Father's younger (?) sister
Peha - Father's younger (?) sister's husband
Jethi - Mother's older sister; Father's older sister (?); Father's older brother's wife
Jetha - Mother's older sister's husband; Father's older sister's husband (?); Father's older brother

Correct me where I'm wrong, Dad.

Cops and Llamas

We went to the rodeo Saturday. It was fun... and a pretty good deal too, as it was only $20 each or something. We got there about 3pm and were able to see tie-down roping, team roping, bareback broncos, bull riding, barrel racing, etc etc. Not bad for Brett's first rodeo... and I hadn't been in a while either. Seemed a much bigger event than I remembered. Lee Ann Womack was the act that night. Not very impressive. Decent voice, bad songs, terrible acoustics. From Reliant Stadium we tried to make it to the pig races, but just missed the last one of the day. :-( Stopped in Reliant Center. Dad eagerly went into the petting zoo after Llama; I followed with Camera; Llama came after Camera.

We'd hoped to see the Mule Pull (we had no idea what it was) so headed over to Reliant Arena. We didn't catch the Mule Pull, but we did visit the llamas and alpacas as they were being fed and bedded down for the night. I'd promised my sister pictures of llamas, specifically Brett and me with a llama for her desktop, but this was about the best we could do. A nice lady lent us Athena the Alpaca for some souvenir photos.

The next morning my mom produced more stuff she'd brought back from India, including a Kurta Paijama for Brett in a nice shade of red. I was told to change out of my pjs for pictures with Brett, so I pulled out the sari Deepa had given me. It was a rush job, messy pleating, and I have ridiculous bedhead, but I think it's a cute picture anyway. Complete with my mother's shoe in the corner.

As for the Kurta, Brett and his friends seem to be excited by it. He'll be wearing it for the next Head Set show. ^_~

Last night we hung out with his old college roommate Calvin, who is currently at Baylor Med and living in Rice Village. We had French for dinner and House of Pies for dessert. Calvin was a lot of fun, even if Houston is not. Hope Brett wasn't too bored while he was here. It was nice to have him. Now he's sitting in the plane waiting to take off; it's been delayed an hour. Once they do take off, I hope it's a much more pleasant flight than the one he took to get here (the worst/most turbulent the pilot had experienced in his 40 years of flying).

My dad drove us to the airport and dropped us off while he looked for parking. I walked in with Brett and watched him go through security, then walked out an exit to look for my dad. I was afraid I looked suspicious without baggage, walking out the entrance for departures. I got even more nervous as I noticed a cop looking at me strangely... and then he stopped me.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Uh well, I'm meeting someone. He's not here yet." I started calling my dad's cell.
"So someone's dropping you off?"
"Uh actually I dropped my friend off, and now someone's coming to pick me up." My dad picked up the phone and asked who I was talking to. "A police officer," I told him. We arranged for him to pick me up downstairs, and I hung up.
"So you're not flying off anywhere?" the cop asked.
"Oh... no."
"Good. Then maybe I could take you out sometime."
I laughed nervously as my mind went "What?!" "No," I said, "you couldn't."
"Why? You married?"
I laughed again. "No, but the friend I just saw off is my boyfriend."
"Where you from?" he asked. I told him I grew up right here. "No, where are you originally from?" he asked. I hate these questions, so I grinned and said I was born right here in Humble. He laughed and said, "Let me rephrase that. Where are your ancestors from?" So I told him.
"Ah yeah. I love your accent. I mean, you have it a little bit... your parents probably speak The Language at home, so I can hear it a little in you."
I was rolling my eyes on the inside.
"So your boyfriend... is he coming back?"
Arrrrrgh!!!
Luckily someone came up to him at that moment, and he had to go. "Aww you know, it's a shame. I would have loved to get your number. You've really got it goin' on."
*snort*
But because he was a cop, I felt like I couldn't do anything/be a jerk to him. Nice to know I've "got it goin' on" but... Don't like when people make me feel that way - nervous, suspicious, guilty... Not fair.

Changes

My mother brought me new nose rings from her trip to Guwahati - one stud and one ring. Being Indian, they're gaudier than I'm used to, but they're not *that* bad. The stud is (or should I say "was") a small gold flower. The ring is just five stones in a row, simple but shiney. Having never had a ring before, I put that in yesterday to try it out. It was much easier to put in than studs are, but I'm not sure I like it. I don't have a very "Indian" nose, and I think maybe it looks bad. My mom likes it. My dad hates it (though he hates my piercings in general). I can't decide.
Anyway, today I thought I'd try out the new stud, so after my shower, I took it out of its little box and leaned toward the mirror and struggled to find the piercing (Indian-made piercing jewelry is always thicker than I'm used to) and succeeded in

dropping the brand new gold stud down the sink.
Fabulous.

My mood was saved however by my hair, which is in the process of growing out and which I no longer brush or comb... or do anything else for that matter. Hair maintenance now consists of washing and towel-drying. Bigger and messier.

And here a picture from the Juggling Show, 25 February. Julia and me, with Geza and Sean's arm in the background.

And here the super-cheap guitar Brett stripped and I then hastily painted last summer.

I spent today reading a bad fantasy novel from my bookshelf. I think I always do this when I come to Texas. Will always have a soft spot for fantasy, I guess. I should read something more substantive probably. Oh well.
I also spent a fair amount of time at the piano - scales, old music, new music - even pulled out music from my voice lessons the last two years. And I released the Sarlaac, the beautiful bass guitar my friends pitched in to get me for my 21st birthday that I have yet to learn to play. I tried to drill an E-Major scale for a while, and now my fingers hurt.

On one hand it's fun to be doing this, keeping busy with things I (in the case of piano and voice anyway) studied in the past. On the other it just reminds me of how I'm not really good at anything. I feel like such a poser.

Julia's parents can be reassured that I have not lost weight, according to the bathroom scale, nor have I gained any. But I have been steadily losing muscle-tone since high school, since I stopped dancing and doing push-ups and crunches regularly. All the more obvious now because I am wearing the old clothes that stay in Texas, most of which bare the no longer "cute tummy" Hank told me I had when he pierced my navel four years ago in Chicago.
I'm so vain.

New York, New York

Sunday, 26 February.
After finally sleeping at 7am, I woke up around 1pm. Brett and I went out for a breakfast of eggs and sausage and a walk. The sky was deceptively blue; the wind was biting cold. Who cared? ^_^
That evening we met the band, Brett's parents, and Brett's aunt and uncle at Sammy's for Brett's birthday dinner. It was as wonderful as ever. The vodka was flowing, the food kept coming, Brett made me stand in the middle with him for his birthday Hora (I don't know how to spell anything "Jewish" so bear with me), and the singer dedicated "New York, New York" to Japan. ^_^
Man, I love Sammy's. Jordan, Brenda, and Michael had never been before and were, I think, floored by the experience (particularly the live entertainment).
Brett and I returned to the apartment and watched Mulholland Dr - my third time, probably the thirtieth for Brett. It really is a great movie (and only becomes cooler the more I understand about it).

Monday, 27 February.
Brett and I went to "The Bean," a new coffee shop on Orchard. We sat down with our drinks (no, I had chai, not coffee) and pulled out our computers to work. Then who walks in but Momus, the techno sensation from Tonic, renowned in Japan and college radio stations across America. He wasn't wearing a skirt or the bag over his head, and there was no Japanese girl in tow, but we're positive it was him. (I was hoping to blog about it while sitting there, but the last entry was already getting too long.) Perhaps he had a gig that night, because he had a big suitcase with him. He sat at the table next to us. We made no conversation, unfortunately.
I sat in on a Head Set rehearsal that evening, which was a lot of fun. I took a few pictures, but mostly just watched and listened (with heavy-duty-shooting-range-type-ear-muffler-things on). It was really cool to be able to watch them actually *work* on music together. And of course I think they're all adorable in their own ways.
After rehearsal we caught a train to Long Island. Brett's parents had dinner waiting for us... and pictures of 11yr old Brett. ^_^ After the steak and brussel sprouts and wine, we goofed around some, chatting and watching bad tv, then went to bed - hyped up for the...

Tuesday, 28 February.
Hockey game! My first. Brett and I just lolled around the house during the day. I patched a ridiculous hole in his pants, and we checked out the guitar body I painted last year in the hopes of selling it. But when his dad got home we headed for the Nassau Coliseum. Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders. The Isles were only 6 points behind the Habs for the last playoff slot, so we very much wanted them to win (even though a Canadien, Long Island native Mike Komisarek, bought us our tickets). Unfortunately it wasn't a great night for the Isles. Huet (Canadiens' goaltender) was really on; we were down 5-1 at one point, very depressing, and then Satan came in the third period with two goals (so at least it ended respectably). I'd never even watched a full hockey game on television before, so it was really exciting, if a little overwhelming. And on top of it being a cool game (and I'm not just saying that for brownie points), I really liked the local feel of it - the ice girls, *every*one in an Isles jersey, the hecklers even. Rockets basketball doesn't feel like that anymore. One of the things I really loved about the game was the *sound* - the skates, the puck on the ice, the puck hitting the backboards, the players crashing into each other... there were moments when these were the only sounds in the stadium. God I hate how they play music nonstop through Rockets games these days.
After the game, we gathered with all of Komisarek's other fans to greet and thank him for our tickets. There was even a field trip there from his junior high school. One kid was begging him to sign his forehead. It was really cute. I doubt Mike remembered me (having only met me once), but I was still really grateful. They were decent and quite expensive seats... even if he is a millionaire.

Wednesday, 1 March.
So now I have to write a paper. It's already the morning of the 2nd in Tokyo, so I guess that means I only have 'til 10am tomorrow to submit it. *eep* Tomorrow I'll meet Darren for dinner and juggling, and Friday I'll go to Princeton. Every day I think it's my last day in New York, but I still have until Monday! That's so reassuring, but I know it'll be here before I want it to be.