Bored... At Home...

Nothing better to do now, most of the Fridays I am at home. Including this one. Actually, there are a lot of other things to do, like cleaning the house or cooking dinner for myself (meat is still thawing). So while wasting away doing nothing, I have decided to do a little blog.

This week has been crazy, somehow stressed and it seems I am out every other day. Which is good, thus I don't understand how is it that I still feel bored when I have only a few precious days alone at my home.

Monday was out helping a friend move to New York. She's got an apartment in Brooklyn and stays at another friend's house in Jersey City temporary. Initially I thought my job was simple, drive to Jersey City to pick her up and go to Brooklyn. Did not know that her assets were in Staten Island. So after sending my colleague back home, I drove to Jersey City to pick her up, which by then was already around 7 plus. I then realized that her assets were in Staten Island, New York. The plans changed. I had to drive to Staten Island to pick up her stuff, then drive over to Brooklyn. The problem was that all this has to be done via Manhattan.

The journey began. It took almost an hour from Jersey City to Staten Island because of peak commuting time in the evening. Thanks to GPS and a little sense of direction I reached Staten Island without losing my way. The traffic was crazy at Holland Tunnel and within Manhattan itself. I also realized that toll charges going into Manhattan is just another form of extortion. The worst happened when I did not realize and went turned in front of a howling fire engine, in Manhattan. Guessed my friend probably stopped breathing when she saw me do that. She probably have never done it in her 10 over years of driving.

Yet, I had the chance to see the other side of Manhattan from Brooklyn. Simply breath-taking. It was near, yet out of Manhattan as you drive along the high and bridge. It was there when I realized why New York is so charming. It really is very beautiful and such a sight too see.

Finally reaching Staten Island, I managed to catch my breath from the exciting drive at her aunt's house. And we are off again after her stuff went into my car. This time, the drive was much shorter but the toll charges were still expensive. We finally reached her new home in Brooklyn, a loft made out of and old warehouse, with many similar ones around the neighbourhood. It looks like a place for artists and musicians and different from the rest of the so many houses I have seen in New Jersey and Manhattan itself. The place was torn down, but the inside is absolutely cool. Super big living room (probably a dance studio hall size) with tall ceiling, open style kitchen, a spiral staircase leading down to the rooms (though I must admit I don't like it for the fear of breaking my neck or leg). Decorations are definitely artistic, scribbles on the wall and a big flat screen television mounted on the wall. Regret not taking photos of it. It's well worth the effort and I hope she can leave comfortably, in a city where she dreamt of living in for so many years.

So, to give a little visual of my adventure on Monday. Origin A is my workplace New Jersey, Destination F is my home New Jersey, Destination C is somwhere in Jersey City New Jersey, then Destination D is Staten Island New York, Destination E is Brooklyn New York, then back to my home, F. A total of 59.8miles according to Google's calculation. That's 95.68km of drive. Not bad for novice driver. I figured that I must have driven more miles than any of an average 3-week Singaporean novice driver.