New Year's Eve in Times Square

Well, today is a special day not just because of the numbers (1/1/11), but also because it feels like the first day in a few days that I can just sit around at home and not do anything.

I woke up really late this morning and didn't do much all day except clean my bathroom and the downstairs bathroom. I didn't even go for a run outside! Guess I'm just exhausted from yesterday.

Friday morning, 31st December 2010, Ashley and I left home in snowy Pennsylvania for New York City.

We got there with an hour to spare so we went off to Little Korea nearby.

Ended up spending half an hour in this little shop where Ashley bought a pretty white hat and a cute teddy bear hairclip.

Later, we found ourselves in this newly-renovated Korean foodcourt.

Quite a cool experience. We ordered our food at the individual stalls, paid at the cashier next to the front entrance, got these little vibrating tags, which we then redeemed for our food again at the stalls.

It sort of tickled me to see an angmor chef behind the counter with a Korean chef cooking Korean food.

Ashley's food turned out really tasty. My beef donburi tasted just like hers. This is now my second favourite place to eat in K-town!

I actually didn't plan on eating all day because I was afraid that I'd need to go to the toilet sometime before midnight. For the New Year's Eve balldrop, there are no public bathrooms or porter potties available anywhere nearby. Also, if you leave your spot before the ball drops, chances are you won't get that spot back.

The police were already swarming the area at 13:45 when we got there.

I was busy taking pictures as usual.

But so was everyone else with a camera haha.

We saw boxes of New Years Eve party props lining the streets near Times Square.

There were already people crowding to get the best viewing spot possible. Each year Times Square gets almost a million people at the ball drop event. This year was no different and people like us who want to get a prime viewing spot have to be prepared to queue from lunchtime to midnight.

And of course we end up in the crowd next to Russians. I love picking out random Russians! This patriotic couple is from a city near Moscow.

Poor Andrew had actually met us in New York City for the ball drop but because we got separated early in the day, he went home instead. Only Ashley and I had gotten into a pen that we sort of illegally smushed ourselves into. Andrew didn't get in in time and the police officer stood by the hole in the barricade to make sure that no other people could squeeze in that way.

There were many TV and neon boards up with countdown clocks. Each one of them a rather discouraging reminder that we still had a long time to go.

Can you believe that they actually scan every individual before they enter a viewing pen? That's a lot of people to scan! See the crowd behind Ashley? They're not even anywhere near the entrance of the pen and will probably have to stay by the side of the street for the rest of the night.

Once we were in, we ended up, yet again, next to Russians. This time they were from Sochi and didn't speak English at all so it was really the first time for me that I've had a really smooth full-blown all out conversation solely in Russian without any English explanations of words. It was SO MUCH FUN! At that point I felt like there really was a point to learning this language after all.

We were later moved to a different viewing pen closer to the ball drop. The crowd was so tight that I didn't really have to walk. Ashley and I had to lock arms so as not to get separated with each other and we just sort of drifted with the crowd in the direction we were being pushed.

Finally drifted into a spot where we could stand.

The sun began to set on Times Square and the roads had already been closed. At this point we've been standing in the same square foot for about two hours.

Many people brought their dinners along. I wondered why they'd do that because if I ate dinner, I'd definitely want to go to the toilet afterwards. Guess I'm just blessed with a hyper-efficient digestive system.

There were people looking out on us from buildings. I wasn't sure if I wished I were there with them in their comfortable spot or if I preferred to be right in the crowd where the action was.

We were also standing next to the MTV studio where they were having a bash with the infamous Jersey Shore crew. They kept coming to the window and fist-pumping at the crowd.

There were also three guys who periodically took their shirts off to yell at people (especially news reporting crew) and sing New Year songs. I waved right along at the camera, hoping that perhaps my parents were watching on TV.

The blue balloons were in high demand but I was quite disappointed that they weren't the kind that you could beat against each other to create a thumping sound. They were just regular rubber balloons.

Each time a news reporter came by, the crowd went crazy. People would push on me from all directions just trying to get their face in the camera lens.

Watched the Backstreet Boys and other performers like Ke$ha do the same performance four times because the first three times were just rehearsals. By the second time round, I was kind of tired of the routine and got bored. I realised that the organisers of the ball drop weren't really interested in entertaining the crowd. Their real interest lay in making advertising money on TV because that's who they're really trying to please.

In all, the wait leading up to the ball drop didn't seem very well-organised. The loudspeakers didn't seem to work and they kept replaying a few songs throughout the night. You could just tell that they didn't give two hoots about the people waiting in the streets.

Many came prepared with their own props.

There was also a live wedding ceremony which they performed in front of the whole of Times Square. I'm not sure if it was broadcasted on TV, but they made it clear that this was also another advertising stunt.

What stood out to me however, was that the pastor who presided over the wedding spoke from a biblical perspective. As he read the "love is patient, love is kind" part of 1 Corinthians 13, I couldn't help but get goosebumps as a hush settled over the city.

The Bible says that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than a double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). As God's Word rang out against the vast sea of neon signs, materialistic voices and the debaucherous music was stilled, I knew that the evil spirits trembled as the presence of the Almighty God went forth. It gave my spirit great refreshment and strength and I prayed right along with that pastor. I knew too that there were probably a handful of Christians that I must have been standing somewhere in the crowd too, feeling like they're the only ones who are not buying totally into the hype. I stood there and I praised God for touching my heart even in a spiritual wasteland.

Each hour seemed to take forever.

To be honest, the whole night seemed to slowly pass on like a blur of noise and squeeziness. It was altogether an attack on the visual sense. People were tired, cranky and anal-retentive (literally). Ashley was right to point out that New York seems to bring out the worst in people. It was right near to bringing out a bad part of me but I prayed through it and God delivered me!

The New Year arrived like a recess bell. The whole crowd was in uproar and there were couples kissing everywhere. Even more obvious was an undercurrent of relief where people could finally leave their spot and go on a treasure hunt for a toilet.

About a tonne of confetti was released over Times Square last night when the ball dropped.

The floor was really a sight to behold.

Once it was over and Ashley and I were done screaming and taking pictures, we took off for the train and got back to the car as soon as possible.

Our search for a toilet near school was futile so we went to the Jersey City Diner where we could also get some supper.

Ashley's french onion soup covered in cheese.

My overpriced Belgian waffle with sausages. This alone cost 7.45USD!

Compulsively ate an eclair for dessert and regretted it soon after.

By the time we got back home in Pennsylvania, it was almost 05:00 in the morning. I had to take a nap halfway because my eyes were dying on me throughout the drive. It was brutal and I had to keep singing songs to stay awake. Fortunately, the nap really helped and as you can see, I got home safe and sound.

That concludes my activities for the last day of 2010.

This year's experience in Times Square is probably going to be a once in a lifetime deal for me. Never again do I see myself spending New Year's Eve by standing and holding my bowels for eleven hours!

I had to take a look through my pictures for 2010 today. What I saw really gave me a pleasant surprise. The person I saw at the beginning of the year compared to the person now is like two completely different creatures. I cannot even begin to describe how much transformation I've undergone, not just spiritually, but also mentally, emotionally and physically.

Because this whole recap on 2010 thing looks like it will be another long post, I will save space and make it a separate post.

La la la!