NYC gaijing...

I find myself feeling quite different from those in my immediate surrounds recently. I have been feeling the need to slightly revert into the abyss that is my computer, my life, my thoughts. I haven't written recently as often, which is always the first tell tale sign that I need to.

All in all, I have had a dope weekend. Sleep calls my name, but my creative literary juices are flowing and I may have to start this week with a little less rest than expected. I have learned a lot about people this weekend through watching, and mainly listening. Some people are becoming more comfortable with where they are, and others are already mentally living somewhere else. Not to say one is better than the other...just different and I think quite telling of how the next few months are going to really change.

Friday night, after learning of MJ's death (which will have it's own video/blog installation soon) a group of us decided to head to the beach to relax and watch the sun go down. We sat for hours, speaking about travels, goals, lack of sex, etc... As usual, for some reason, George and I got into our own personal epiphanies and philosophies on life. This always happens when we get together and I love him for it. He doesn't know how much he challenges my views by merely asking, why? I love it because it reaffirms the love I have for the things I want to achieve. I have definitely had pointed moments in conversation that will be memory benchmarks when I look back on this journey. Friday was mellow.

Saturday I slept the day away in prep for the bartending that night. Missed out on the festivities of Northern Lights due to work obligations but damn I had no idea what I was in store for at Shame. Shame is the after hours spot. The only other time I had been there it was pretty empty. Little did I know I was walking into a hip hop dance showcase. The dance teams were dope and seeing Japanese artists sing R&B songs was at times laughable but cool as shit. I felt like I had a piece of my home and my culture in this outer Universe that is Japan. It felt amazing to dance to the music that I have personal connections to. To see these Japanese faces singing along to my favorite hip hop tracks was humbling. Music is the Universal language. It brought me together with emcees, dancers, and Djs that live in Japan but find me to be some oracle having arrived from it's birthplace, the Bronx.

There's always a bit of "swag" (I hate that word) that a New Yorker emits. Here, they rip it out of you. The see my skin, touch my curls, dig my style, mimic my accent, and love me. They truly love me for a second. For another second I love them. Saturday felt like a gift was presented to me. It was the demographic I have been searching for to help build my business. It was the assurance I needed to know that I need not run away from Niigata. Even here, there is a bit of home...

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards."
Vernon Sanders Law