New York City

The city that never sleeps, or, as Carrie Bradshaw put it, the city of endless possibilities. It is indeed, all of the above and more. It is a city of its own, and no other can even come close, not even Tokyo. The tall, tall buildings, the traffic, the crowds, the noise, the pollution and the shopping, are all very overwhelming. So this is NYC, a city that I have heard so much about and a city that I have always wanted to visit. It feels like I am in another world altogether, certainly a different one from the one I am so familiar with called Melbourne.

Being here, everything seems so far away and nothing seems to matter at all. I s’pose there are enough distractions. Not even the horrendous episode down in Houston, not even my credit card max-ing out due to all the expenses that work owes to me, not even my small, dingy hotel room in SoHo, and sad to say, not even the fact that May and I seem to have a barrier between us being apart for a fair bit of time now. Still, I don’t wish to be here forever either. Such is the dilemma I am having at the moment. I have no strong desire to settle down in any particular city, not even Melbourne, not even Singapore, the two cities that I have been calling home up to this stage of my life. I am fascinated by New York, but not charmed. Maybe I am not suited to live in such a big city after all. But having said that, I would still love to be back here again, especially in autumn, which I can imagine that it will be really beautiful.

I have seen and done much in this city so far. I have been up on the Empire State Building (great view), saw the Statue of Liberty (no big deal), walked down 5th and 6th avenues (my definition of shopping paradise) and rode in big, yellow taxis. I have spent an entire afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (it was a really pleasant experience), took many touristy pictures at Times Square (reminds me of Tokyo), strode down Chelsea (being checked out heaps) and most significantly, had the cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery, made famous by Carrie Bradshaw. Afterall, Sex and The City is what drew me here in the first place. I have, I reckon, paid my dues as being a single and fabulous tourist in the Big Apple.
















And this, being the last leg and last day of my big American trip, has of course, led me to sum up a few things about myself. Having worked for a couple of years and having several failed relationships later and most significantly, having lived in Melbourne for a while now, I seem to have mellowed out majorly but have gotten surer of myself in the mean time. I am also no longer afraid of being alone in a foreign city and meeting strangers. I have learned to keep an open mind and accept things as they are and no longer feel so bitter or irritable when things are not going my way. I don’t necessarily have to state my point so firmly or to make my presence felt always. I almost don’t mind giving in and making compromises at times.













I am perched on a high chair on a rooftop bar drinking Stella looking over to Madison Square Garden and down at the busy streets of Joe Louis Plaza. It is a beautiful day, perfect temperature and brilliant sunshine. I am going to say goodbye to this amazing city tomorrow. Till then, I will get another pint, smoke a coupla more ciggies, and head off to Times Square to catch Sheryl Crow and over to Serendipity to get their famous frozen hot chocolate.

It will be a long flight home. Twenty-eight hours in total in the lay-over in LA. Chatting with the locals re-affirmed the distance. So yes, I will be back in Melbourne to re-connect and re-emerge in the ups and downs of life, as well as the beautiful and shitty encounters of my life down under. I am missing my friends already. I hope they miss me too.

So maybe America has hardened May up while Australia has soften me out. There is nothing wrong with that I s’pose, everybody changes. I am not embarrassed at all, because I am certainly not weak. I have been through a lot yet I am still alive. I just hope May will have a good vacation back home with the friends we share, because I still think they are a swell bunch of buddies, despite whatever has happened.

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So here I am in a cab leaving NYC behind me now. This is the beginning of my long journey home. Mariah’s Shake It Off is on the radio now. I am in her city now, listening to her song. It is kinda symbolic, as I finally made it to NYC at a time that she has just made her comeback. So after surviving one of this city’s infamous jams, JFK is finally in sight. Oh, I see an SIA plane over there. I almost feel homesick for a split second. But home for me now is Melbourne, and my work is there and there are still many other things to take care of.
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So we are finally taking off, going from the east coast to the west. For a moment, I almost forgot I am still in New York. Really, after seven airports in just two weeks later, every airport feels the same to me, especially so when I am in America, where every airport is ever so functional and sterile.
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Survived 3 hours on this flight and another 3 more to go, oh God. I certainly have too much Julian-time this trip. Even when I had May with me, I still feel pretty much alone. So maybe distance and different experiences between two people do play a detrimental role. It is beyond my control, of course. All I can hope for is that it will not have a lasting, malignant effect on our friendship.
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There is an interesting yet depressing article in this month’s issue of GQ magazine. It is about the man mistakenly killed over the London bombings. Seven bullets were pumped into his head. It saddens and infuriates me at the same time. Stupid, f***ing police, going all edgy and paranoid. F***ing pigs.
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Munching on my bag of M&M’s now (which has miraculously lasted through three different states now) made me realized that I didn’t really load up on the sinful food this time round, which is usually a major part of my vacations. Maybe it is due to a lack of appetite due to constant lack of sleep, or maybe I lack a partner-in-crime. In fact, I almost threw up after forcing down the huge-ass frozen hot chocolate (I still don’t get the oxymoron in there) at Serendipity last night. So I reckon I must have lost weight, with all the walking done.

Maybe this trip can be summed up as one big “movie trip”. From staying at Melrose to visiting Mulholland Drive, and from Hollywood to Beverly Hills. Went from Seattle to the Empire State Building, and having gone from Magnolia Bakery to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. to Serendipity Café. So maybe, afterall, there is a meaning and a certain depth to this trip, and I am liking it already.