Heh, it’s a little quieter in the apartment now without Vyanne around. She likes to have the television on and we’ve been watching the Food Network on the cable tv that comes with the apartment. It’s interesting to see what you can do with food and the many different ways you can flavour it.

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Sort of a quiet Sunday. Was planning to go out a bit but my laptop flaked on me (and it’s working again now) and it was kind of cloudy, not that it would rain or anything, but I seemed contented to just stay in and chill. Was a little directionless today and other than trying to score goals on my DS, didn’t do too much else.

Not sure if it’s overwhelming, to pack up everything and just leave NYC. I don’t have too much, but I need to do an inventory check to ensure that I can fit everything into my luggage. I’ve learned from prior experience to not accummulate too much junk. I see things scattered around my apartment, I just need to figure a way to get everything packed, if not they get thrown out or mailed back, whichever is more convenient.

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Just looking forward to spending a week at home with family and meeting up with old friends. Want to get a new pair of glasses, and hold off on that haircut until I get back. Heh, hair is getting unruly and I know I look much better trimmed, but I just prefer the barbers in Malaysia. They do a better job at a fraction of the price.

Want to make another photobook of pictures from what I’ve experienced over the past year. I have plenty of pictures to review and will go through the print by print process again. I enjoy making things, from writing short stories as a kid, to doodling, drawing pictures as I grew up, to writing cryptic poetry from all the angst I had as a teenager, or building websites to just flex that artistic mind. Now I’m just happy making pictures. Heh, want to make some coffee table books as gifts. It’s an ongoing thing for me, just finding time when I’m in the mood to do something like that. I sort of envy people who took up photography during the film days. I wonder how it’s like smelling chemicals and fumbling in the dark to wash photos and see it develop before your very eyes. There’s too much instant gratification these days, where you take it for granted as you snap the picture and just check to see you framed it right. One used to need to expose more carefully in the past while these days you can get away with most things just using your computer to edit the colours to your liking.

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Everything starts from somewhere. Said to Vyanne the other day before she left for Malaysia that I’d be back in 35 days. A year ago it was 365 days. We just want things to go our way to make life a little more certain, as otherwise we’d be worried about what might be. At least time is constant, and if you can wait it out, you know that something that should happen will come to past. So there it is, me looking forward to going back, since a long time ago. I’ve finally managed to reach the finish line (well, almost) to this long chapter in a life on my own in one of the largest, most dynamic cities in the world. Heh.

Had this today on a warm spring day with Vyanne just a couple of blocks near where I live. It’s a medium rare burger with a white cheddar on a toasted/buttered bun with fries and aioli plus ketchup, it simply tasted yummy. I like gourmet burgers that are well done, they just taste so good. The restaurant is called Marco & Pepe (M&P as it is known).

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So last Sunday we experienced Central Park in it’s spring glory. Managed to meet up with Vyanne for lunch on occasion and she’s hooked on this oven baked pizza near my workplace. It has this nice crisp to the base that makes it so tasty. Heh, been eating out quite a bit in NYC, having French as Les Halles, which was average. We had American BBQ styled food before going to watch Wicked on Broadway. This musical is pretty modern, so the effects and props are pretty stunning. The story is based on the Wizard of Oz and it ties up odds and ends on why certain events happened. I quite liked the performance of the leads and it’s something pretty different. I sort of picked this Broadway musical to watch due to it being featured on Ugly Betty as well as Kristin Chenowith (from Pushing Daisies) having performed as Glinda in Wicked.

Besides eating, we also managed to roam around Brooklyn a little and I can only imagine how beautiful the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens will be in a month’s time when the flowers all start blooming.

I have seen tulips but none as varied as these.

Brooklyn is a little less crowded and hectic compared to Manhattan, but you feel a sense of community here as we walked along shops and restaurants. The neighbourhoods blend in well, from residential areas to shopping areas, you don’t feel suddenly out of place. There were kids selling lemonade, which I’ve only seen on television. It’s something you don’t get elsewhere. Also walked past a landmark building built in the 19th century, you could see the walls were built of planks and not of bricks in the later designs. Also walked across the Brooklyn Bridge with Vyanne. Heh, it’s quite an experience, taking in the view of Manhattan from across the East River.

On Friday we managed to look through parts of the Museum of Natural History. I was there a month earlier but didn’t describe it much. The place is definitely painstakingly put together as you have large painted backgrounds to depict landscapes and environments the people are in.

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Heh, another 30 odd days before I’m back in Melbourne. It’s all been finalised, and I’m really looking forward to going back. NYC is nice and all, but without familiar faces, the days just seem like clockwork. You get used to a cycle and you don’t go off the beaten path too often and that’s what I miss about life back in Melbourne, where things can vary from day to day. Melbourne may not have grand museums or great bridges or vast landscapes to see, but I’m happy with the company. That’s what’s most important.