My birthday!!! 😆🎂🎉🎊

Thank you everyone for the sweetest and kindest birthday messages! I just turned twenty. Yes, I turned twenty 23 times and I have no problem with that.

Well, since I'm in a new place and started over a new life, I thought of doing something I've never done. I have never been good at partying so I thought maybe throwing a birthday party was a good idea...... well, maybe next year. Instead, and as every birthday, I just went everywhere and ate like the earth explodes tomorrow. Oh, I was so literally ballooned.

I'm in the middle of turning my life and my music career around in LA. It's a total change. I'm giving a 180 degrees turn. In this age, I finally learnt the importance of never giving up, so I'm pulling a Rocky Balboa in me.

Friends, thanks again!

The biggest birthday gift to myself was to go to my favorite Japanese used book store, Book Off! They happened to do the bargain sale till my birthday!

Book Off in LA!

I went to Gardena which is South of LA and there is pretty big Japanese community in there. I went there for the Japanese used book store and to look for used cars.

In Japan, there is the largest used book store chain called Book Off and they have a shop in New York City. Since there is only one shop in the biggest city in the States, I naturally thought there were no other Book Off’s in anywhere inside of the States and I thought I wouldn’t be able to buy cheap used books like I could in NYC. This is why I was getting 50+ books every time I went to NYC to bring a bulk of Japanese books to LA. After I moved to LA, I found out that there are a lot more Japanese or Japanese-American people living in LA than NYC, so there are actually not one but three Book Off’s in here! Aaaaargh!! I had been sweating so much to bring those heavy 50+ books as well as my big bass from NYC to Boston so many times! Oh well, putting aside the fact that all my efforts were totally meaningless and went right down the toilet, I am glad that I can get cheap Japanese used books in LA any time. I got 26 books today for the start. I’m sure I’m going back there in a few weeks.