do you know where you're going?

sometimes, it's a swoosh.

other times, it's a zoom.

most of the time,

it's a lot of clickety clack.

it's a system all on its own.

one foot in front of the other.

always one foot

in front of the other.

now stop.

do you know where you're going?

stop, look and listen.

usually, i'd say seeing good-looking european tourists would be the highlight of my commute. but in all honesty, street/subway performers always make me halt, watch and pay attention.

last night when i was taking my cousins from california around the city, we happened upon a couple of really amazing drummers, using plain ratty tubs as instruments. the beats, their passion, the audience getting lost in their energy--i couldn't help myself. these are the things i NEED to stop for in the hustle and bustle of new york. no matter how insane their performances are or how fast their music is, a good show always slows down my rush.

this is what it's all about. that look of being lost in the moment (click on last photo to enlarge), i must say, is enchanting. i'm actually a lil jealous--i struggle to think of something i feel THAT strongly or passionately about. and i admire them for putting themselves out there like that for people to judge. but i guess that's what comes with the love of the art.

hoboken swoosh. just do it.

i sometimes wish i were living in hoboken instead. it makes life so much easier. easy and cheap (almost half price down from what i'm paying to take a slow-ass bus to get into the city) access into the city by path train. and getting to philly is so much faster too via secaucus junction. and it already has it's own nightlife as well. i don't have to go so far for a good time. AND happy hour lasts from 6pm til midnight most of the time.

but you guys know i have the most random reasons for liking certain things. and i think the best part about wanting to live in hoboken is that, coming from or going to philly, i have to pass through the secaucus junction. and they have a lovely waiting area. i love the sound of the train schedules. it swooshes like the train schedules at grand central station, without it being overcrowded.

bag lady. or man.

the only thing i HATE about the morning rush is that when people end up standing on the aisle in the bus, they forget common sense and consideration.

i'm trying to get my 30 minutes of extra sleep here. put your bag down! it's in my face, jerk!

whooosh.

i was at the ny penn station on friday night, waiting for my train to philly, sitting against one of the posts in the middle of the waiting area. and i swear, this has to be the best part about the wait. as different trains go by, a new set of people come and go.

the conversations are interesting. and the expressions on people's faces draw me into a trance. i always wonder where people are heading--if they're coming or going. what goes through their minds as they wait for the train? do the dread where they're going or do they go with an excitement for arriving at their destinations? who's waiting for them there? who/what are they running away from?

and as i sit there, i also get my time to ask myself these questions. where am i headed? why am i going? who am i running away from? or who am i running to ( :-) )?

there's something calming about being in the middle of the rush. i feel like it's such a purging of the soul. and i'm almost convinced it helps with clearing my head.

be kanye now

i saw an ad for this on the 7 train to grand central this morning.

i understand the "be kanye" pills "may cause awesomeness, increased appeal, the cool factor, jaws to drop, heads to turn, heightened sense of style and rhythm, and your carpets to turn red", but seriously, do you actually want to look like.... THAT?

now if it were denzel washington, that'd be another story.

when in rome...

tourists--they're either really annoying or completely adorable.

today i was waiting in line for the m42 to port authority with a family of french people. i enjoyed their conversation, even though i didn't understand a single word. there's something about the french language that just swoons and sweeps me off my feet (though for all i know, they were probably mocking my child-like features donning a UN staff ID).

a few minutes later, the bus arrives and as we were getting on, the french lady taps me on the shoulder and asks me if the bus goes to... ready? ..."grungtra station."

"sorry?" i ask her to repeat.

"grung *garbled mumbling* station," she says.

at this point, though i probably knew the answer to her question, i didn't want to keep asking her to repeat what she was saying, for fear of looking stupid. i just say, "i'm not sure. you might want to ask the driver," and get on.

i look back at it now (about an hour and a half later), and i'm flooded with scenarios of how else i could've approached the situation.

if i weren't in such a hurry, i probably would've taken the time to mouth off stations in the area. "grungtra?" "grunda?" "grand central station?" oops, my bad. that could've been it.

if i were completely heartless though (which i secretly wish i were sometimes), i probably would've said, "you french people, you refuse to help us out in your country if we didn't speak a word of french, yet you expect us to do so when you're in ours even though you refuse to speak english?! sorry, i don't feel for you."

i'm not THAT mean though. in fact, when i found my seat, that's when it registered in my head that she might've been asking for grand central station. though by the time i decided to go back outside and ask, the bus was already pulling away.

in any case, as the bus was pulling away, i look back and see they were walking in the right direction, at least. i mean, come on, midtown manhattan has to be the part of new york that's easiest to get around in. i hope they found "grungtra" station. some people might find it annoying and frustrating to not understand them, but i'm actually cheering these tourists on.

did i mention her son was cute? ahhh.. yes, THAT is the part i love about tourists.

hey, i'm a tourist too! we can be tourists together...

haha.

wearing hermes' sandals

so i've got lil wings on my feet. and i'm playing messenger.

here's to bringing you some of the most random incidents i see or hear during my commute or travels. cheers!