Time in Winnipeg
journal
profile
tagboard
affiliates
archives
Monday, January 5
a belated happy new year from new york 5:53 PMIt's already 5 Jan now that I'm writing this - haven't had internet access till at the Vancouver airport, hours before embarking on the long restless trans-Pacific flight(s) back home. I'm hoping to do up a brief recollection of the past few days right now cos I know I'll be quite bogged down by work the moment I touch down; I even did LTM work for Prof on New Year's Day for TA workshop! So yep.. these will prolly be the very last of "Wini in Winnipeg" I guess, since I don't usually blog in Singapore and had only set this up for exchange. Haha.. I'm kinda relieved actually, cos maintaining a blog with utmost perfectionism is admittedly tiring at times. :S
xx
New Year's Eve
Looking back now I'd say I didn't know quite how to feel visiting New York City for the 2nd time in 2 years; it felt strangely familiar yet weirdly different. I felt as though I'd visited most of the significant must-sees in the city already, and that reliving them didn't feel too real nor excitable as it would be for my friends. Still, it was great that I managed to see the Statue of Liberty for real this time round, meaning not just seeing a 10cm figurine from afar in Battery Park. Haha.. the last time we came it was getting dark and the ferries weren't in operation anymore so we could only make out the Statue in the distance. I'm really glad we went to Liberty Island on this trip! :)
The lines were crazy that day, I think everyone wanted to make their New Year resolutions in front of the Statue or something, haha. We actually had to queue for about an hour in the cold - New York's winter is unusually cold this year too. But we did make a silly mistake in underestimating the weather, cos we forgot that America uses degF instead of degC, so we'd thought "0 deg" was definitely bearable but it turned out to be rather chilly! Roar.
I really loved the Statue of Liberty somehow, especially after learning about its history. Everything on the Statue is significant - her torch resembling truth and light, her crown revealing her divine status, her broken shackles on the ankles a sign of freedom, and her stride to symbolize her striving forward towards greater things. We were greatly in awe and respect of this beautiful and melancholic National Monument.
Wall Street and Ground Zero, the crash site has had "improvements" since the last time I visited! Oh yes, we even "prayed" in Wall Street and tolong-ed that the market will turn for the better for us to-be graduates. Haha. Regrettably though I didn't find Wall Street as nice as the last time; the streets were crowded and many constructions and roadblocks present, prolly in light of the holiday peak period. So it just felt really squeezy and we weren't able to take nice pics without interference, bleah.
New York Stock Exchange and St Patrick's Cathedral
Empire State Building, the one where King Kong climbed atop and wreaked havoc, haha
Times Square Countdown
Many contend New York to be the place to spend New Year's Eve/Day for its iconic and highly-anticipated countdown at Times Square. And yes, I'd say it was quite an experience, but it wasn't all that easy nor fun either. For one, people usually head to the area about 10-12 hours before midnight (!!!) itself, just to chope their places and ensure they get to see the heart of the action. But of course we weren't prepared to stand in the cold and wait for so long (you can't even leave the area to pee or anything else your spot'll be gone), so we tried my friend's strategy - to wait around the area by hanging out at some random cafe/restaurant, then run in when the barricades are released near midnight.
Yet things weren't so simple (the policemen got smarter). The "ball-drop" - typical of New York's annual countdown - was rumoured to be on 42nd Street, and the police'd sealed off the whole Times Square area and limited it only to VIPs or people with reservations. They kept dissing us and told us to move on to further-away streets in the cold, streets that were a whole 15 blocks away! We had to jostle with hordes of people and were consecutively refused entry into every single barricade.. rah. So yea, it really wasn't that enjoyable at all. But that night we persisted, and after a prolonged period of defrosting in a cafe we finally sought to brave the cold, eventually wedging past a barricade at 59th Street (yes thats damn far away); there was so much pushing we really didn't know where we were going. Haha.. but at least we got into Times Square and did our countdown somewhere in the area, though we never saw the ball itself la, heh.
The policemen were really excited to have their pictures taken with us too.. haha,
The huge mob of people pushing their way through! To the right is the iconic ball on-screen.
We love our funky specs..! Happy New Year everyone!
Of simple blessings
Earlier I'd mentioned not knowing how to feel about visiting New York yet again, so I'd sought to venture out on my own on New Year's Day. I figured it might be nice to see places I didn't see last time, or to re-explore and relearn what I've previously experienced, roaming the streets of a "dream city" on the first day of the New Year itself.
And really, on hindsight I must say it was a really enjoyable day revisiting Broadway and Times Square (despite the area being superbly crowded and pushy) more thoroughly and carefully. It was undeniably a day to myself amidst the travel fatigue; a day where everything was set to my own pace and I achieved whatever I wanted. Yet more importantly it was also a period of self-reflection and revelation, where I thought about things and issues and took a step back to appreciate a slower pace of life, rethinking over my goals and wishes for 2009. I must say I have many ambitions for myself in this coming year; no doubt it'll be a tough term ahead but I do perceive it a challenge, yep.
And I guess I really ought to be thankful for what I've got; many people literally dream of visiting New York but have never done so in their lives, and who am I to comment about boredom when I'm accorded such a privilege! So yep, I dispelled my reservations, maximized my time in the city and counted my blessings. Along the way I also talked to some New Yorkers and Taiwanese, and even got my favourite Fossil watch strap fixed at a store! Haha. The only thing I prolly regret is that I never got to watch a Broadway musical the 2 times I visited - tried getting seats to Mamma Mia but they were fully booked. :(
Profile
Reach me!
Wini’s pfingo number: 31501405
Call me at only local (Singapore) phone charges when I’m online!
Mail me!
Winifred Lim
Arthur V Mauro Residence, Box 436B
120 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 6B3
Canada
About me
You are an enthusiastic innovator, always seeing new possibilities and new ways of doing things. You have a lot of imagination and initiative for starting projects, and a lot of impulsive energy for carrying them out. You are stimulated by difficulties and are most ingenious in solving them. You can get so interested in your newest project that you have time for little else. Your energy comes from a succession of new enthusiasms and your world is full of possible projects. Your enthusiasm gets other people interested too.
Your feeling preference shows in a concern for people. You are skillful in handling people and often have remarkable insight into the possibilities and development of others. You are extremely perceptive about the attitudes of others, aiming to understand rather than judge people. You are much drawn to counseling and can be inspired and inspiring teacher, particularly where you have freedom to innovate. With talent, you can succeed in almost any field that captures your interest.
A difficulty for you is that you hate uninspired routine and find it remarkably hard to apply yourself to sometimes necessary detail unconnected with any major interest. Worse yet, you may get bored with your own projects as soon as the major problems have been solved or the initial challenge has been met. You may need to learn to follow through and finish what you have begun, but are happiest and most effective in jobs that permit one project after another, with somebody else taking over as soon as the situation is well in hand.
Hearsay? Say here.