I'm Back

I'm finally back from my 2-week break from Melbourne. Arrived home close to midnight, had to take a day off today to rest and unpack. It was really difficult coming home with a heavy heart, for I'm missing him so much already.

Anyhoos, I'll be posting more about the trip later, and rest assured there'll be lots of pictures. Will also show you what I bought ;) This time, I actually came home with a travel journal, jotting what we did for the past couple of weeks, what we ate (and let me just say, I had a lot of different types of food for the past 2 weeks; I'm in dire need of detoxification!), and where we went. His mum called it a mini honeymoon (albeit him working) :p

Stay tuned!

Melbourne - Update

Just a little update while I'm here, lest you folks think I've either enjoyed myself too much or disappeared off the face of the earth.

Three words - Melbourne. Is. Cold. Yep, winter's finally here, and I can't go out without my woolies. We were at Echuca a few days ago, and it was raining, which made it even colder. It was about 6C during the day. Ouch!

Was at Shepparton last week; Tim's doing his rural rotation there. Yeah, it's rural all right; it's downright ulu, man. Two streets, that's it.

Didn't do as much sight-seeing as I did during my first trip here. Didn't do much shopping either (I know! So not me, right? :p). Going to the city to watch Cirque du Soleil's Varekai later. I know it's going to be good, 'cos I've watched their Allegra show when I was in Japan.

Didn't take as many photos as I did during my first trip, but rest assured there WILL be photos ;)

Will post more in detail when I'm back. Till then I'm going to enjoy as much as I can, for I only have one more week here.

Toodles, people!

Leaving On A Jetplane

Will be flying in 9 hours. Gosh, I'm anxious, all-excited ... don't know if I can sleep tonight :p

Anyhoos, will be away for 2 weeks. I will only be able to have Internet access during the weekends., so will update if possible. Rest assured there'll be pictures!

Have a great weekend, y'all.

Japan: Ueno

In Japan, one of my favourite hangout spots is Ueno. It's about an hour 45-minute ride by local train from Takasaki.

A short wiki about Ueno:

Ueno (上野) is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Station and Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Science Museum, as well as a major public concert hall.

On the day before I left for Narita Airport, I spent a night at Ueno. I'd prefer to stay at Ueno, rather than leave directly for Narita town, as Ueno's a lot more interesting than Narita (Narita's pretty much a dead town, if not for its airport). The kiamsiap person in me limits my travels to Ueno to local trains, rather than shinkansen. It costs me 1890yen to travel one-way from Takasaki to Tokyo on a local train, and 4010yen on a shinkansen. You do the math ;)

The local trains are pretty wide; this is to accommodate the growing number of people hopping on as the trains head to Tokyo. Empty seats are scarce as you reach Tokyo. A lot of people prefer to stand by the doors. I managed to snap an almost-empty train, as Takasaki was the train's first stop.

Ueno eki (station) is a very big station, as it accommodates almost every JR East line. Plus it's also a shinkansen station, so you can imagine the number of people who goes in and out of the station every day. Of course, it's nothing compared to Shinjuku eki; 2 million people go in and out of that station every day!

Ueno Park's a lovely place to hang out during spring and autumn, when it isn't too warm. Sakura has already bloomed when I was there, and it was a lovely sight to behold. Unfortunately, the park was packed with people who were having their hanami (cherry-blossom viewing party) there. I love it that the Japanese are really clean; they make sure that all the trash is disposed properly, leaving the park looking the way it did before. Unfortunately, us Malaysians do not practise the same sense of hygiene and cleanliness when it comes to picnicking at the beaches (anyways, will leave that to another time; today's about Japan).

Most of the sakura which bloomed were white, which was okay. It was a pity I did not managed to snap any photos of pink sakura; those are a lot prettier.

The elderly folks love hanging out at Ueno Park. You'll see a lot of elderly artists along the staircase to the park. I wanted to have my portrait sketched, but I did not have enough time.

Ahh tako balls :p

View from the park, towards the station

Another part of Ueno which is really buzzin' is Ameyoko. I wasn't able to take a photo of the place as it was far too crowded. It's a great place to buy fresh seafood (the prices slash like crazy as the day draws to an end), food, and cheap sportswear (you can get a decent pair of Nikes or Adidas for about 2000 ~ 5000 yen).

This marks my final post about my trip to Japan. I do hope I get to return to the land of the rising sun one day (not on a long-term training trip, of course, but a couple of weeks would do just fine). For those who are planning a trip to Japan, try the spring or autumn seasons (I strongly discourage visiting Japan during summer as it is far too hot for you to enjoy much). And try the onsen! :)

Japan: Living In Takasaki

A little wiki on Takasaki:

Takasaki (高崎) is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1900. Takasaki is a regional transportation hub due to the fact that its train station (Takasaki Station) is the junction of several rail lines as well as a shinkansen stop. The city is famous as the hometown of the Daruma doll, theoretically representing the Buddhist sage Bodhidharma but in modern practice a symbol of good luck.

After the initial excitement when told that I was going to be sent to Japan for training wore off, I was a tad apprehensive of living in Takasaki for what could amount to a year. First of all, it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere (well, it's NOT Tokyo, that's for sure), and I heard that no one speaks English! I remembered rushing to the bookstore to buy a comprehensive Japanese language help book, and was really nervous when I arrived at the city.

Paddy field near my apartment

I got used to living in Takasaki after a month. It was not as bad as I expected; in a way, it was a lot less busy compared to Tokyo. It was a good thing, as I wasn't too overwhelmed by the mad rush of people unlike Tokyo. Language WAS a problem, as a high percentage of Japanese living in Gunma do not speak English. I had to rely heavily on body language to get my messages across (which could get tiring after a while; you try flinging your arms over and over).

On board the Gururin bus to town

At the city centre

City centre - the Chinese-looking building's actually a Korean restaurant

Still the city centre

Montres - my favourite shopping centre (with Starbucks on the second floor)

I can't tell you much about the whole Takasaki; my bus route only took me to the station (i.e. city centre) and back. I was apprehensive about hopping onto a bus and exploring the city when my Japanese is too poor to take me around. However, it wasn't too bad, as there were quite a lot of shops near the station which were worth popping by. I love scouring for goodies at Montres and Vivre (these are small shopping centres); you never know what goodies you might find. For a higher class of shopping, there is Takashimaya and Suzuran. These malls house designer brands such as Coach, Tiffany, etc. Places like these belong to the "can see, cannot buy" category.

100-yen shop

100-yen shops are a dime a dozen in Japan. Most of the items in the 100-yen shops are made in China, but you do get a fair bit which are made in Japan. I absolutely love 100-yen shops (e.g. Daiso and Can Do) because you can get almost anything you want, and for only 100 yen! I'd visit the 100-yen shop whenever I was in town. I reckon that's where the junk in my apartment came from :p

Matsumoto Kiyoshi

Another favourite haunt of mine was Matsumoto Kiyoshi, a large drugstore chain in Japan. It's kinda like Watson's, but multiply that by ten. This was where I got my low-end to midrange Shiseido, Kanebo and Kose products. There are other Japanese brands of cosmetics and skincare too. Kate and Kose's Visee are sold quite cheaply here. Like I told Paris, these are likened to 'konbini' brands, i.e. you can also buy 'em at convenience stores at Maybelline-like prices. I love this store; my girly needs and wants are often sated here. Hehe.

I have more to tell of Takasaki, but it's too bad I can't include any more photos, as I took very little. There's a whole lot more to see of the city if you have a car. Unfortunately, I don't, thus my 'adventures' were only centered around the city centre.

I hope to return to Takasaki some day. Even though it's not as happening as Tokyo, I did live there for a year, and that meant a lot to me.

Japan: Itadakimasu

I don't normally blog about food, nor post pictures of food, but I reckon I'd give you a glimpse of what I ate in Japan. Oh yeah, it was cheap eating, all right ;)

When I was in and out of Japan in 2005 and 2006, I remembered coming home after every trip, declaring that I would NOT touch Japanese food when I'm home. A lot of people thought it was because I was sick of Japanese food. Quite the contrary actually; it was more of the reminder of the place which I did not like. The food's pretty good.

Japanese food is actually pretty expensive. I would not order sushi and sashimi at a restaurant unless they are paid for by someone else, or if I was in a 100-yen kaiten sushi shop. The Japanese pride themselves in quality, not quantity; sushi and sashimi at restaurants are served in pretty plates, but in a small quantity. An order of sashimi (tuna, salmon and/or squid) can cost from 400 to 700 yen per plate. Many a time, tak cukup makan :p

This is my favourite haunt in Takasaki. I have no idea what the name of the restaurant is (can't read kanji), but I always called it 'the coupon shop'. Food is ordered at the vending machine in the restaurant, where a ticket is dispensed and handed to the waiter. You'll get your food in 3 minutes tops.

Restaurant counters

Grilled beef set with a side of daikon - 630 yen

Another type of grilled beef set with a side of daikon - 500 yen

Such restaurants are very popular in Japan, amongst youngsters and working adults. Food's very cheap (you can get a decent meal for 500 yen or less), and it's suitable for people who eat alone (hence the bar-styled eating area). It worked very well for me as I did not have to interact with the waiters much (I did not have to struggle with the language just to order my food).

In Ueno, my favourite restaurant's Tenya, which is a popular tempura and tendon franchise. I was introduced to the place by my Malay colleagues, who frequent the halal restaurant. The tempura's pretty cheap, and you can get a decent tendon for only 500 yen. My favourite's the cold udon with tempura.

Inside of Tenya

Can't really recall how much this cost me; I think it was 680 yen

The next photo was taken at Ameyoko. I don't really know what the guy's making; it looks like a batter of vegetables, possibly bits of dried shrimp, and topped with an egg. Apparently, it's real popular, and he's been featured in many magazines and newspapers.

I can't resist putting the last photo of this entry in. I had McGriddles in McDonalds (Narita airport) for breakfast, and it was absolutely delicious. You have the usual bacon, egg, cheese and sausage patty, and instead of using regular buns, they use pancakes instead. Yummm ...

McGriddles value meal (burger, drink and hash brown) - 440 yen

Itadakimasu!

Japan: My Apartment

So I'm back from Japan. This time, it was only for five days, compared to my previous long stays. Instead of putting all the photos and stories in just one entry, I figured I'll break it up to several posts to make it a little more interesting. Easier for me too, hehe.

The objective of this trip was to pack up my personal belongings and finally vacate the apartment I was living in for almost a year. It was quite a sentimental moment for me, because I have no idea when the next time I'll be going to Japan again would be. Also, being away for 10 months really put me in the awkward position of clueless communication with the Japs. My very-feeble Japanese did not seem to work, and the English-speaking Japs had problems communicating with me too, as they too have not spoken English in a long time. Massive chicken and duck talk, I tell you.

Anyhoos ... I thought I'd start with the packing for this entry. After living in the UK for three years, I managed to pack up to 5.5 boxes (the other 1.5 belonged to an ex-boyfriend) of belongings to send home. That's bad, right? I stayed in Japan for less than a year? My items came up to SEVEN boxes!! When I was packing my stuff, I was like, how the hell did I manage to amass so much junk??

Before I show you how messy my room was when I was clearing out my stuff, I'll just give you a short tour of the area.

This was where I lived, in a 1-bedroom apartment not far from the company. Mine was the second room from the left. For some reason, the Japs call it a dormitory, not an apartment. It's definitely an apartment on its own; we don't share kitchens, bathrooms, etc.

The thingy on the left is the sensor where I wave my key (which looks like a small round keychain. It does not resemble a key in any way. Too bad I forgot to take a photo of it before checking out) to open/lock the door. The thingy on the right has a hidden camera inside, where I can monitor who's at the door from inside the apartment. It also works as an intercom. Cool, eh?

This was how the apartment looked like when I was in the midst of packing. Yeah I know, it was really messy when I was doing the packing, but in actual fact, it was quite neat and tidy :p

The ladder leads to a storage area for luggage, and bigger items. Initially, I thought I was supposed to sleep there :p

The small table's actually a kotatsu. I did not layer it with linen and duvet, even during winter, as it traps dust and dirt. Used it as a normal table.

I slept on a futon on the floor. Yep, no bed for me.

After my stuff were cleared out, I felt pretty melancholy looking at the empty apartment.

Quite a big walk-in closet, actually. I definitely want one of those when I get my own place.

That's it for the apartment. Bear in mind that not all apartments in Japan look like this. I was actually staying in a pretty high-end one; the rent's pretty high compared to my friends' homes. Most apartments are smaller than the one I stayed in.

Houses in Japan are very expensive. You either work for about 30 years to finally get your own landed property (mostly built from scratch; you buy the land, and then build the house), or you rent for 1/3 of your lives. Standard of living is high everywhere, notably higher in the cities.

Goodbye, oh gorgeous apartment. I'll miss you *sniff*.

I'm Home

Just got back from Japan. It was a real tiring trip, what with the packing and all. Pretty sentimental one too, since I don't know when my next trip to Japan would be. Still, it's good to be home.

Will post photos from the trip in my next few entries. Sakura just bloomed in Tokyo, so it was a real pretty sight. Stay tuned.

Off To Japan

Leaving for the land of the rising sun tomorrow. I'm almost done packing; well, there's only so little to pack anyways, since I'm practically bringing an empty bag there to pack my stuff home.

I will have little access to the Internet (yeah, isn't that shocking, being in the land of technology?!) for the next five days. Won't be updating my blog, but if possible, might drop in a line or two on Twitter, so stay tuned. I heard it's still pretty cold in Japan. Time to whip out the woolies!

Have a good weekend, folks.

Beautiful Down Under

Note: My longest post by far, with lots of photos and words. As you can imagine, it took me a very long time to come up with it, as I had to pick my brains to remember the names of the places we went to. This post is also dedicated to the boyfriend (read on, and you'll see why), whom I'm missing very much.


October 20
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Arrived in Melbourne with much anticipation, for I had not seen the boyfriend in over a month. And he was late! Well, only about 5 minutes (he had to park the car), but I was kinda expecting someone to be actually waiting for me, rather than the other way round (sorry babes, I couldn't resist :-p). Anyways, it was so good to meet up once again, and we went for a light supper before heading to his place. He was so sweet; he surprised me with a box of a dozen long-stemmed pink roses (which also came with a bag, a small box of Lindt chocs, aromatherapy oils, and a small sachet of potpourri), waiting for me on the bed.

Awww ... ain't that purdy? Thanks babes! (yeah okay, the rest can stop rolling your eyes now ;-))


October 21
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This was the first day of our road trip. Honestly, I've never been on a road trip where I do not sleep more than 50% of the way (those of you who know me well, would know that I always sleep in the car during long trips). I guess the company makes all the difference, eh? ;)

Stopped by Torquay for breakfast, and then on to the Great Ocean Road. I have to say, the vastness of the beaches was simply astounding. The strong, but beautiful waves hitting against the shore, the beautiful clear waters, the sound of the ocean ... it was as though time stood still for us.

In between the drive, we stopped the car by the side of the road many times, no thanks to the country bumpkin who saw the lovely vast beaches for the first time (okay, Penang beaches just don't cut it compared to this, k?). I ooh-ed and aah-ed every kilometre along the beach.

Finally reached Port Campbell, where we saw the very majestic Twelve Apostles (I actually have a photo of the Twelve Apostles from National Geographic as my desktop wallpaper; I never expected to actually SEE it). It was certainly worth the many-hours drive just to see it (babes, I knew you were tired already from all the driving. Really appreciate you).

It certainly was a very long drive, to me anyway, and we had to catch the last ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento, so we had to grab a very quick takeaway lunch at Port Campbell. Thank God, we managed to get to Queenscliff about a half hour before the ferry arrived. Took the opportunity to walk along the nearby beach (and take more photos!). The ferry transported us (and the car) over to the Mornington peninsula. Parked the car, and went up to the deck to enjoy the lovely albeit cold breeze. We managed to catch the lovely sunset :-)

As usual, my usual clumsy self always manages to get me into a bit of trouble.

Jammed my hand with the restroom door aboard the ferry. Had to ice it up a bit, and yeah, it hurt like hell.

Stayed at the Whitehall Guesthouse in Sorrento, which was, like, a student hall. The rooms with ensuite bathrooms were all fully booked, so we stayed at the smaller ones instead, where we shared a common bathroom at the end of the hall. It was like walking down memory lane, staying at a place like this, tip-toeing up the staircase, having breakfast with other "students", reminiscing of our student days in Dundee. It was pretty cool. Certainly a beautiful moment to remember ;-)


October 22
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After a good, hearty breakfast, we headed to the Point Nepean National Park. Point Nepean is a highlight of the Mornington Peninsula National Park. Once the site of a quarantine station for immigrants, and later home to a military fortress, there were a lot to enjoy from the maze of tunnels, lookouts and fortifications, to enjoying the coastal scenery and panaromic views of the Bass Strait, the Rip and Port Phillip Bay.

Okay, how obvious was that that I totally plagiarised the last paragraph from a travel site? :-P I can't help it if I can't remember the names of ALL the places I went to; it's the moments that count, and THOSE, I remember like it was just yesterday.

Anyhoos, we spent quite a bit of time at the Point Nepean National Park. Next to the lovely stretch of beaches along Great Ocean Road, this has got to be the best view of the beaches ever. The water was so clear, you can see the green and red seaweed bobbing along. Well, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves, eh?

There are four main lookout points at the national park - we started from the visitor's centre, Gunner's Car Park, Fort Pearce, and up to the Point. We took a train-thingy (well, it was carriages joined together by hinges, pulled by a heavy-duty truck, what else would you call it?) to the Point. Since it was an hour's wait for each stop, the boyfriend decided we should walk down instead. That was like, 4.5km! Okay, that might not seem a lot to you, but I was like, dying out there! (Yes, dear, I was!) And it did NOT help to have bloody flies all over the place. Seriously, you'd think we were back in Penang or something. We had to break a short branch of leaves off the shrubs and use that as a fly swatter.

"Seriously, woman, how difficult is it to walk 4.5km?! Lord, gimme strength!"

Before I came to Melbourne, I promised the boyfriend that I'd go jogging with him (yeah, it's his thang). I have SO TOTALLY fulfilled that promise after that albeit-fly-infested-but-totally-gorgeous place, babes. Tee hee hee! :-)

The next attraction in mind was the wineries. Can't remember the name of the winery he brought me to, 'cos we were a bit late for lunch, and there was a big party going on inside. Anyhoos, we drove back to Arthurs Seat, had a late lunch, enjoyed the gorgeous view a bit, and then headed to our next destination.

It's been quite some time since either of us have been to a hot springs resort, so we thought we'd check out the Peninsula Hot Springs.

Pretty up-class, really expensive (AUD35, if I'm not mistaken, compared to the 500yen onsens I've been to in Japan!), but veeerrrryyy nice. It stinks of sulphur, but that's expected. You know what I found funny about the hot springs? It's not that we had to wear our swimsuits to the pools (the Japanese bathe walk about buck-nekkid in the changing rooms, and bathe in the nude), but that the ang-mohs are pretty conservative about undressing in the locker room. I'd think that they'd actually be far more open than the Japs! Anyways, we tried the various temperatures of the hotsprings - 37C, up to 42C. Very relaxing indeed; the boyfriend didn't want to leave! We went home pruned and very relaxed :-)


October 23-25
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Finally headed to the CBD. I was on my own those few days as the boyfriend had to work. Did a LOT of shopping, which is weird, because I thought it would be really expensive, given the exchange rate. It's actually not that bad, if you don't go to the big stores. The streets offer plenty of small shops where you can get really good bargains.

Met up with May, who leaves in the city. She took a day off to go shopping with me, bless her. Although I'd say that she bought a lot more than I did, tee hee hee! Anyway, it was a lot of fun, catching up and all. Shopping was at South Yarra, where she introduced me to her favourite shops and stuff. I'd say it was so much fun till I developed leg pains from walking too much! :-P Anyways, yeah, we had a really good time, catching up and all. Thanks May!


October 26
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The boyfriend took a day and a half to bring me to the pretty-but-touristy-hence-pricy Phillip Island. Yay, another road trip! Yep, by then, I was really starting to enjoy our road trips, because this has got to be the first time where I do not want to go to sleep immediately when I'm in a car!

We stopped at San Remo before crossing the bridge to Phillip Island. Took some photos, camwhored a bit (tee hee hee!) before we made our way to Phillip Island. First stop was to check in to our B&B (Holmwood Guesthouse). It's a quaint little house in Cowes, which had three rooms; all the rooms were decorated of different themes. Ours was The Toile Room, supposedly French, but I thought it was really English! Anyhoos, it was simply gorgeous, really romantic, but really pricey too. Given that the island only thrives on its touristy activities, you can imagine how overpriced everything are (more so for me).

First stop was The Nobbies and Seal Rock. It's like a point, at the edge of the island, where you can see the beautiful rocky ocean, and Seal Rock's this rocky area further to the sea where wild seals lay about (you need to take a boat out to view the seals properly, which we didn't). Very beautiful place, but totally, TOTALLY ruined by the crazy amount of seagulls circling the area. It's like being in Malaysia, but you get seagulls instead of crows. These are vicious birds (I think so anyway), which simply crap about anywhere they please. We were very lucky to not get hit, but a few of the tourists around the area got 'bombed' pretty badly.

We managed to catch the sunset at The Nobbies, which was simply gorgeous. On a side note, I've seen a sunset (nor sunrise) anywhere before, and I managed to catch it TWICE in Melbourne. It was such a sweet moment for us, which was cut short, because we had to make a dash for the car before we get 'creamed' by the birds, hehe!

We didn't visit the Penguin Parade as I thought it was ridiculously expensive to pay $17 per person to crouch in the cold, on the beach, to wait for a group of penguins to come in from the sea. Anyway, we were really blessed to be able to see a couple of penguins hiding under the walkway when we were at The Nobbies :-)

Dinner was at Harry's On The Esplanade, which was a pretty posh seafood restaurant. The fish was simply fantastic, and I'd recommend anyone to try if you're ever at Phillip Island. Pricey though.


October 27
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Coming to Australia, it would be real sad if I did not even see a koala bear, eh? ;-) Thus, we made a short trip to the Koala Conservation Centre. The koala bears are very cute, but boy, are they LAZY! Apparently, these bears sleep about 20 hours a day! The boyfriend enjoyed likening himself to one, that he'd love to sleep 20 hours a day too. Tee hee hee!

We didn't do much on that day, just drove around the island a bit, before we headed home.

By the way, I have yet to see any kangaroos though. Drats.

That night, we met up with May in the CBD for dinner. The boyfriend brought along his best bud, whom I introduced to my best bud, whom she introduced her bud to us too. It was pretty funny. Anyhoos, the five of us met up for dinner, and had a pretty good time.


October 28
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Shopping day for me and the boyfriend, just to get last-minute gifts and such. He brought me to Knox City Shopping Centre, and also to Chadstone, where he *ahem ahem* got me a very gorgeous gift. Thanks babes, I absolutely LOVE it ;-)


October 29
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The day I left for Malaysia. Sadly, the wonderful holiday had to come to an end. I was feeling real shitty that day, to think that the next time I see him again would be in February '07. Can't remember the time I cried that much. Although I left Melbourne with a really heavy heart, I bring home with me beautiful memories, which will last a lifetime.

Dear, I had such a wonderful time with you in Melbourne. It was heartbreaking to leave. I'm so glad that we got to know each other more during the awesome nine days which we had together. Can't wait to see you again. Love you.

Sa Wa Dee

I actually drafted this post AGES ago, but never got around to publishing it because I can't be arsed to put the pictures together. For photos of my trip to Bangkok, check out Bea's blog).

**********************

As promised, a post on the lovely, wonderful Bangkok.

Anyways, Bangkok was absolutely fantastic! Shopped like crazy, that's for sure. Didn't get to spa though, cos it was THAT time of the month (it's a well-known fact among the cousins that whenever something fun crops up, I'll be surfing the crimson wave. Argh), but went for 2 lovely, Thai body massages (only 400 baht for 2 hours, very cheap!). Now, in case you didn't know, I'm bloody ticklish around the feet, and when the masseuse so much as touched my feet, I'd be jumping out of the massage bed. The masseuse had to tell me to relax so many times, it's not even funny, especially when she totally kneed me in the ass! I'm shocked at how intimate the massages were, and I'm not even a man. It's no wonder why these massages come with a lil' sumthin'-sumthin' if you're willing to pay for more.

The shopping was fabulous. I came back with 6 pairs of shoes. Okay, a pair of heels and 5 pairs of flip-flops (not those which simply go 'pik piak', okay? The nice, beaded ones). When they come at, what, 50 baht a pair, how can you resist? Also bought a lot of tops and skirts, which are 199 baht each. Imagine how much they overcharge here. Tsk tsk tsk.

The shopping and eating would not have gone so well without cousin Bea's friend's mum's help, who lives in Bangkok, and can speak amazing Thai (well, amazing enough to bargain almost everything for me in Thai *grin*). I also bought a dress for my friend's wedding in September, for 1500 baht. It's simply gorgeous; thank God I found something like that in Bangkok, as I was going to buy a RM400 dress which I saw at Gurney Plaza, Penang, if I can't find anything else! Also, Bea had her dress made to order, in less than 24 hours. These people are amazingly dilligent and quick, and the handiwork's really good too. So, ladies, if you want to get your evening dresses custom-made, don't go to those fancypants boutiques which you see in Bangkok, just head over to MBK (Mah Boon Krong). There are a lot of tiny 'lil shops which has tailors who will make anything to order. Best of all, you can bargain to a better price. Look better for less, how's that? *grin*.

The best (okay, one of the best) thing in Bangkok? Boots pharmacy. It was like, coming home, when I saw Boots pharmacies in Bangkok. I simply loved Boots when I was in the UK, but could never buy much, because everything was so expensive. Bea told me that most of the toiletries and stuff in Boots are manufactured in Thailand, thus the low prices. I was like a little girl in Disneyland when I entered a Boots pharmacy at Siam Square (I stayed at the Novotel Siam, which was in Siam Square, Bangkok), wide-eyed, excited, and ready to try everything on. Within my first hour in Bangkok, I managed to snag quite a few items, for about 500 baht. That's, like what, RM50, for more than 6 items? There's no way on earth I can do that in the UK. Plus with the promotion going on then, buy 600 baht of Boots products, and get a free gift worth 300 baht, I was in heaven *grin*. Ahhh ... all these talk about Boots is really making me want to go back! Needless to say, I brought a LOT of Boots stuff home.

As for food, I think I've renewed my liking for tomyam. Seriously, the tomyam in Malaysia is NOTHING compared compared to the very delicious variety of tomyam in Thailand. Malaysian tomyam's either too spicy or sour to be tasty, which is such a waste. Oh and papaya salad (som tam) is simply delicious (I've developed a serious liking to som tam). We had the opportunity to eat at the famous Somboom Seafood restaurant in Bangkok, thanks to Bea's friend's mum. Had the restaurant's famous crab curry. Yummy!

So there ya go, 4 days of just shopping, eating, and relaxing. One of the best holidays I've had in a long time. No strict schedules nor itineraries to follow, no rules, etc. Amazing Thailand indeed. Bea, I've had a fanta-bulous time with you. Possibly the BEST shopping buddy ever! *grin* We've GOT to do this again. And soon!

Going Home

Finally, after 3 grueling months in Japan, I'm going home. I'll be leaving Narita Airport at 10.30 am tomorrow. I can't wait.

There are so many things I wish to do when I'm home. Exercise, affordable shopping, movies, catch up with old friends, etc. But one thing at a time, yeah? Firstly, I need to get my ass to Ueno this afternoon (half day at the office for me. Yay!), get my last minute souvenir-shopping done, and then I'm off to Narita early the next day. And after that, we'll just see how things go.

I can't even think properly now. I'm so excited!

I'm Back

It's been a long break. And time really crawls when you have nothing planned for a 10-day "forced" break. The only time I left Takasaki was last Wednesday, when I went to Asakusa with a few friends. It was only a day trip, but it was certainly more fun than staying at home.

Other than that, it was Takasaki Station, IT Plaza, wee bit of shopping, and home. Oh yeah, had a blast sleeping over at my friend's place too (actually she just lives a few doors away from me, but what the heck, it was more fun doing a DVD-marathon of X-Files reruns with a girlfriend anyways). Man, she sure whips a mean nasi goreng *grin*.

You know what the sad thing is? I'm actually glad to be back at the office. More for the free Internet access than anything else, really. My mind's too saturated with thoughts of going home to be able to concentrate on work.

One more weekend, and I'm home. Counting down the days ... ticketty tock.

Golden Week Hiatus

Will be taking a week-long break starting tomorrow for the Golden Week holidays. It's more of a forced hiatus than anything else, because a break here would mean total boredom unless I spend the money to go somewhere. Unfortunately, I have nothing planned for the break, and it's going to be a huge test on me to try to survive without Internet access for a week.

I'll try to get to an Internet cafe during the week (if it's not closed, that is *fingers-crossed*). If you wish to reach me, do drop an email to my phone.

Of Okonomiyaki and A So-So Movie

Lookit what my friend made me for lunch last Saturday.

Homemade okonomiyaki! How sweet. Totally unexpected; I went to her apartment to give her her share of the white radish we bought together, and she told me to hang around a bit, cos she'd make me okonomiyaki for lunch. And it tasted just like the real thing! Fantastic cook, bless her.

The Producers was not as good as I expected. For the love of me, Matthew Borderick CANNOT sing. Neither can Uma Thurman, although she wasn't really singing, more like speaking the words to the song. The songs were repetitive (can't even remember how many times the song "I Wanna Be A Producer" came up), and the set was just bland. The only saving grace was Nathan Lane; the songs were a little repressing, but he managed it well. I came out of the cinema with a slight headache and disappointment, my Jappy friend came out singing praises (literally) about the movie. Eh.

The Weekend's Here Once Again

Ahh ... the weekend's a-coming once again. Looking forward to 2 days of relaxation. Work's been absolutely crazy for the past week. Starting to panic that we cannot finish the design in time to go home. It'll be a cold day in hell if I'm to stay past end of May.

Anyhoos, going to watch The Producers with my Jappy girlfriend tomorrow. Guaranteed lots of shopping too. What can I say, the love of shopping is back. Then a Sunday of cleaning the house, laundry, all that jazz.

Yep, it's going to be just another ordinary weekend.

Hanami Weekend

Last weekend was hanami all the way with friends, and also my section colleagues. Last Saturday, my Jappy boss organised a hanami BBQ party for our section members at Kannonyama Family Park. The weather was rather lousy; it was raining the first hour, sunny the next, rain again ... you get the picture. Our food was burnt, wet, burnt again ... ish. Still, we had a great time.

There was this HUGE trampoline thingy at the nearby playground which I simply had to try out, and that was so much fun. Yeah yeah I know, being one of the very few adults on the trampoline, I probably looked like an idiot snatching jumping space with 'em dang kids, but what the hell, it was bloody enjoyable. Fell down many times, as I couldn't seem to keep up with my balance. Still, good stuff.

Sunday was pretty much walking about town to check out the remaining sakura trees still with their blossoms. There was also a sakura festival going on, but we were a little too late; most of the food was already sold. I managed to snag myself some yaki manju to share with a friend.

Believe it or not, that's a longkang (drain)

'Tis a pity that most of the lovely blossoms have now fallen, leaving nothing but just plain cherry trees. Oh well, till next year then.

Of Sushi, Shopping, and a Spooky Movie

Ever tried breaking a record? Nope, not vinyl, although I think we should totally get rid of those. I mean, who the heck plays them these days? And please, they do NOT sound better, despite what all you "retro" people think (retro's just another word for old-fashioned. And no, do NOT get me started on that).

Ah, but I digress. I was talking about breaking some sort of record, you know, Guiness BOR, Malaysian BOR, etc. That's what we tried doing on Saturday. The company had some sort of mini fund-raising festival, and one of the main attractions was "making the longest sushi". Apparently, the Japan BOR's record for the longest sushi was 110m in length.

The gym was crowded that day, with company employees and their children joining in for the fun. We managed 120m that day. Still, I didn't think it was that big a deal, as I didn't see anybody from the media that day. Which is weird, cos these people have the media at their feet for almost anything out of the ordinary, or conventional even. Oh well, there goes my chance on being on Japanese national TV.

After the festival, my friends and I went shopping, at this place called Shimamura. It sells really cheap clothes. I bought my springwear there, which was like, 700yen for a light pullover, and 2300yen for a jacket. What a steal (unfortunately, on Sunday, I bought a Morgan purse from Takashimaya which was on sale, but cost more than my shopping combined on Saturday. Guilt trip!).

We went back to our respective homes for a bit, before meeting up again for dinner, and a movie. Watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I was totally against the idea; one, I do not watch movies like this at the cinema, and two, I do not watch movies like this. Period. Majority won (well, one of them wouldn't watch Brokeback Mountain as I suggested, cos surprise, surprise, homophobe!!), and I couldn't talk them out of it. Anyways, that movie scared the shit out of me; I couldn't even leave my bed to pee that night. Geez.

On a lighter, and totally different note, I just got promoted. Ahh, it's been a good week after all.

Beautiful Sakura

Sakura, 桜, is the Japanese name for ornamental cherry trees, and their blossoms. It's a well-known and ubiquitous symbol of Japan, and has been celebrated for many centuries , thus taking a very prominent position in Japanese culture. The sakura blooms and usually fall within a week, before the leaves come out. The Japanese celebrate that time of the year with hanami (cherry blossom viewing) parties under the blooming trees.

People flocked Ueno Park on 25 March 2006, to view the blossoming of the cherry blossoms. Dad and I happened to be there last weekend, and managed to view the lovely sakura trees along the park's pathways.

It was quite cool to see the people picnicking along the sides of the paths, having snacks, chatting, and enjoying each other's company. Some were even playing the guitar, and singing.

There were several types of sakura trees. Unfortunately, its names are lost on me, who do not know how to appreciate its uniqueness, other than being able to differentiate between the different colours of the cherry blossoms.

Still, my personal favourite's the pink ones.

Tokyo DisneySea

Tokyo DisneySea is pretty much a land of many lands. This theme park attracts a more mature demographic compared to the young 'uns (but believe me, there's no less of 'em friggin' kids up and about everywhere), due to the picturesque landscapes and architecture. The younger generation (God, that makes me sounds so bloody old) prefers Disneyland due to the abundance of thrilling rides and attractions compared to the ones at DisneySea.

An entrance ticket to DisneySea costs 5500yen (adult fare) for an all-day Passport. This enables one to ride and see any of the attractions for free at the park. Unfortunately, this ticket does not include meals, and most importantly, the gorgeous souvenirs which could ultimately burn an even bigger hole in the pocket compared to the entrance fare. Yep, trust the one who spent about 8000yen JUST on souvenirs, and they're not even for me!

The Mediterranean Harbour would be my favourite land of all, as it resembles a southern European port town. Whether it's strolling the streets of a fishing village, or riding the gondola through the canals reminiscent of Venice (okay, fine, I stole this line from the website, but hey, it's true), you cannot help but sigh at the sheer romanticism of it all. I once compared a photo I took at the Mediterranean Harbour with a photo of the real Venice, and believe me, you CANNOT spot the difference (that is, if you manage to take the photo at DisneySea without any Japanese at the background making peace signs).

I'm not really sure of what to say about the Mermaid Lagoon, other than I can't really find something to fancy there. A tad too juvenile for my tastes (incidentally, this is the section where you find the most girls at). I used to be (I stress the word USED) quite a fan of the cartoon, The Little Mermaid, but mostly because I wish I had her gorgeous, albeit totally fake, red luscious locks. By the way, I managed to take a photograph WITH the very gorgeous Prince Eric (and no, he was not a statue or soft toy), so if you wanna check it out, drop me an email. Or maybe I'll just send it to everyone to drool over.