My last responsibility-free weekend

Two days ago I left for an impromptu trip to NYC to see family members there, help out with their moving out, and roam around Chinatown for some good bánh bao.

I don't get why people like that city sometimes. Yes, there are many major perks, but the cons are just too much that I personally cannot live there. I mean, what's my opinion matter anyway? I'm from NOVA! It's way cleaner in the suburbs and there's an actual diversity here (that's very well blended).

I don't mind a one-day trip to Chinatown NYC, though. I do like getting really good food for reaaallly cheap. I just never feel safe, though, because I'm not Chinese and it's obvious. Heck, I'm a TOURIST. It's one thing to be a non-Chinese walking through Chinatown, but to be carrying a bag-full of two weeks worth of bánh bao as well is like wearing a tee shirt that says "Yes, I will accept crappy service with a side of mockery." That doesn't go for all streets in Chinatown, but it's what I feel through most of the area.

After Chinatown I separated from my parents to stay with my cousin in New Jersey, and I had a lot of fun the next day. We had lunch at Mitsuwa Marketplace and to those of you who are really interested in Japanese food and lifestyle, have lunch there. 
In New Jersey Mitsuwa Marketplace, when you enter the building the size of Costco, you see first the food court. Each kiosk is really one in the same but of different specialty dishes.

photo by yummyinthetummyblog

 I don't speak or understand one bit of Japanese but from what I saw, one kiosk had ramen dishes, another had rice dishes, one for smorgasbords and so on.

 I ordered my first cold tempura soba from this kiosk and now all I want to eat is soba. Okay no, all I want to eat is noodles. I have been craving noodles this whole summer, but not Vietnamese rice noodles or anything my tongue is familiar with. Anyhow, lunch here was perfect and I'd love to go here again and maybe every week. Now if only I could stand the pollution enough to live in New Jersey.

Another great thing is that beyond the food court is a supermarket with loads of Japanese everyday essentials. Y'know, like Giants, but in Japanese. Literally. I could not read anything. I understand numbers, and a pretty woman's face on cardboard advertisement which told me "SKIN CARE".

My history with Japanese skincare products is short, and isn't even worth bragging about. Some four years ago my mom ordered some DHC products from their mail-in catalog one day and bought me their Balancing Lotion and made my skin look and me feel great. Blessed was I that day because I found a shelf for DHC products in the skincare aisle! It was the only product line written entirely in English! I was feeling a bit cheap when it came to shopping there because I had spent $8.80 on lunch and didn't feel like handing over any more bills. BUT, I decided that day to end my search for plain facial cleansers that would not break out my skin any more with DHC Cleansing Foam. I was looking for their Washing Powder but it wasn't there so I settled for this, which is still great. After two times using it I know I'll be using this for a while and buy it again when it's out. 

Now, as I finish up this blog post and also my IB HOA IA and IB Eng summer assignment, I'd like to take a moment to say this: I am a high school senior, and I'm scared shitless.