monopolyMICHELLEmanipulativematrixmorning

AYF

2010-03-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

I have waited 6 months already, what's the big deal of waiting 21 more days?

I did what I am good at in the interview - I goofed up! Sheesh! At least the results will be coming out between 1-21 days. It will put an end to the agonising wait!

A reminder to self : my chance is 0.091.

I need a back up plan!

generation gap

2010-03-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

Teenager's Lingo -

Cher instead of Teacher

and

Cuse me instead of Excuse me

Once Bitten Twice Shy - this principle did not work for me

2010-02-17T04:42:00.000-08:00

crappy judgement while navigating a curve, coupled with overconfidence. During last christmas, I crashed into the barrier while skiing down a slope. During end Jan this year, I crashed into the barrier, seperating the bike track from the canal. Damage - 7 blue blacks due to my own stupidity. Lesson learnt, never speed while biking on unfamiliar territory not matter how confident you are. Slow down while navigating a bend and break when you see an obstacle infront!

lady's finger

2010-01-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

Question: How do you get ladies fingers?

Answer: You kill the lady and cut off her fingers

*ans from a 3 year old boy

dreamland

2010-01-12T19:28:00.000-08:00

It is nice to be labelled as a Golden Girl

Location

2010-01-10T03:39:00.000-08:00

Background: My colleagues and I were invited to a first month celebration at redhill and we were trying to locate the block. We were at 75C, when we asked a resident this question

Question: Excuse me, where is block 75B?

Answer(resident): Even though I have lived here for many years, I do not know where is block 75B.

FYI - 75B was just round the corner

Balance Diet

2010-01-10T03:36:00.001-08:00

Question: Why did you buy the iphone, when you already have a blackberry?

Answer: Because I want a balance diet by having apple and blackberry everyday!

*answer given by the joel :P

Additional Vocab

2010-01-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

I have not heard the term Modesty panel till today. What does it mean?

Complimentary from Wikipedia:
A modesty panel is a thin board of wood or metal that is attached to the front of a desk, drafting table, electronic organ, or similar item. It is intended to shield legs, ankles, or feet from view in a variety of circumstances. The panel provides privacy for the person seated at the desk or organ, as it covers the upper part of the legs.

Added a new term to my limited vocab list:)

My Pursuit - Happiness

2010-01-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

2010 will be the year which I will pursue activities that will make me happy. I realised that there is no point drawing up a NY resolution list which I have no will power to keep.

Childhood Romance

2010-01-03T03:12:00.000-08:00

A Childhood Tale

My cousin has met a fine young lady, who is one head taller than him, who told her parents that she will marry no one none other than my cousin. Even the prospect of going to a different primary, secondary, pre-university and university, did not waver her conviction that he was her chosen partner for life - "I will find him and then marry him". Such childlike faith. Over the christmas period, my Uncle and Aunty had a "dry run" wedding dinner rehearsal with their "future in laws" During a dinner party at the "bride's house", the "father of the bride" jokingly added that this resembles an engagement party 20 years down the road between the two families. And what he likes about a chinese wedding is that the groom's family has to pick the tab! It will be a fairytale ending if both of them end up together. Lets just wait and see how their puppy love story unfolds as they begin a new journey in a new school after Planet Montessori http://www.babyplanet.com.sg/about.htm

hello 2010

2010-01-03T03:08:00.000-08:00

What will the next 6 months hold?

solitude

2009-12-27T00:29:00.001-08:00

When you can't help feeling like an alien on familiar ground, it is a nagging feeling within telling you to move on.

my secret love

2009-12-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

I have never and will never try Glue sniffing

So I am not too sure whether it will make me Happy

But I do know that

These smells make me Happy (:

1) Freshly Brewed Coffee

2) Air freshener at the Esplanade

3) Air Freshener at the Airport

my secret love

2009-12-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

I am a "Sales Girl"

I secretly love sniffing out good bargains during sales

10 mins in a Mini

2009-12-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

I managed to hitch a ride from a neighbour, in my favourite car yesterday - Mini Cooper (: other than that nothing out of the ordinary happened in my life:(

what's next

2009-12-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, I experienced 20 - 30 hours of the life of being a Producer. It was very stressful and challenging yet it brought me to an exhilarating high - my masterpiece was completed at 10.20pm on Mon. The draft proposal has been submitted. We shall see whether a door opens from here.

Trust

2009-11-29T03:47:00.000-08:00

Stupid Me

I wasted a month submitting my XXXXXX filled with errors

I know I am out of my mind to submit an application for a programme which I have almost zero chance of getting in. I will be a laughing stock, if I post up the picture of what programme I attempted for! Yes, I was a brainless fool to even try ... considering I didn't even get a second upper and I do not have a power packed resume!

Crazily, I submitted an application to be an english teacher in a foreign land

Sometimes when I embark on such decisions, I don't really know what is the state of my mind.

All I know is that He knows and I got to trust,

I believe everything will be perfect and beautiful in his timing (:

I can't bake BUT she can

2009-11-09T04:40:00.000-08:00

You won't know how much you can achieve, until you encounter a challenge! You will be surprised at how capable and creative you can be(:

Task 1 : Oct 2006 : A girl cake

Thumbs Up!

2009: Nov 2009: A Horse Cake

Triple Thumbs up!!!!

it is now

2009-10-28T06:32:00.001-07:00

It Is Time to uproot and move along!

***

2009-10-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

I feel you slipping out of my life and I am not doing anything about it!

my soul is dead

Princess Stunning

2009-10-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

Office Junk

A.K and I have been trying to figure out what is the feminine version of

Prince Charming

Princess "what"????

So I came up with

Princess Stunning

Since my favourite word is Stunning!

The Magic of Make Up

2009-07-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

I asked Sa this question: Why should Ladies use Eye Liner?

After thinking for a while her reply was, remember when we were younger we used to outline our art pieces with a black outline pencil? That resulted in our drawing becoming more striking and attractive.

A face is like a canvas which needs to be filled with a little bit of colour to brighten and highlight our features. A young lady usually looks more attractive with make up than without! With the exception when she over does it :)

6 working adults

2009-07-24T01:46:00.000-07:00

After being grounded in Singapore for the past five months, I finally left on a jet plane. I was part of a 6 working adults team heading to Siem Reap for the much needed Rest and Relaxation! Other than the nasty air bubbles in the ears and ear ache, it was quite comfy travelling on Jetstar. Leather seats was a consolation for the lack of leg room!

Once you land in Siem Reap International Airport, you will be welcome by a villa looking structure, which sets you in the right mood for a laid back time in the city. The hands of clock felt like it was crawling slower than normal.

For 3 nights, Molly Malone's Guest House provided the roof on top of our heads. The Link -
http://www.mollymalonescambodia.com/guesthouse.html

Thumbs up to the Location, Room & Fresh Towers every day

*If you are not a cat fan, be wary of the house cat, as it has a tendency to follow you into your room! It didn't jump onto our beds but there is not guarantee that it won't jump onto yours!

* You can arrange with the Guest Inn for a mini van to take you to and fro from the airport and to the tourist destinations for a fee.

It is highly advisable to catch the sunrise at Ankor Wat however in order to do so, you need to purchase the ticket for that day the evening before. To those sleepy head out there, I will let the pictures speak to you so you can decide whether sacrificing those few hours of sleep is worth it :)

The many stone faces at the Bayon Temple

Most people recognise Ta Prohm Temple from 2001 Lara Croft Movie Tomb Raider. Unlike the other two temples above, this temple has not be restored and it was surrounded by massive trees which enveloped the structure. The temple ground is strewn with weathered rocks from the crumbling structure.

Watching the sunset is equally beautiful as watching the sunrise and the perfect spot to catch the sunset is on the top of Bak Heng mountain. One piece of advice: Bak Heng mountain is not just a spot to catch the sunset but also a spot for perverts! So ladies do not wear short skirt or dresses to climb the structure.

Here is a highly recommended activity to do in Siem Reap, even if you are on a shoe string budget - Quad Bike Riding! Being Quad Bike amateurs we opted for the easiest route which was a 17km stretch. The route consisted of dirt tracks which was fairly smooth aside from the occasional pot holes! With our bikes we travelled through the country side, past padi fields and even sped down the highway. It was an Adrenaline Rushing affair speeding down the highway, with the roaring of the engine and the wind sweeping our skin!

http://www.quad-adventure-cambodia.com/tours.aspx

One advice, skip the fanciful restaurants along pub street & skip the roadside stalls opposite Molly Malone. Instead go for food loaded with salt, msg, germs and dirt sold by vendors with pushcarts along the road side. Yummy! However don't expect the food to come cheap, we paid $0.75 usd for this plate of noodles!

An Awesome Article

2009-07-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is Adrian Tan's speech at the convocation of students (class of 2008) at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (NTU).Adrian Tan is a litigation partner at Drew & Napier LLC.

LIFE AND HOW TO SURVIVE IT

I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address.It's a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation.

I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one.She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living.She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator.Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are.I make my living being disagreeable.
Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home.That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men:when you've already won her heart, you don't need to win every argument.
Marriage is considered one milestone of life.Some of you may already be married.Some of you may never be married.Some of you will be married.Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You're done learning.

You've probably been told the big lie that "Learning is a lifelong process"and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters' degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on.You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers.Don't you think there is some measure of conflict of interest?They are in the business of learning, after all.Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they're wrong.

The bad news is that you don't need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone.That may come as a shock to some of you. You're in your teens or early twenties.People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people.But I'm here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy.We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long.We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless.There's very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup.

Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.
Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years.Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you'll have another 40 years to go.Four decades in which to live long and prosper.
Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they're 50, 40, 30 years old.Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation.They would be very disappointed that they didn't meet their life expectancy.

I'm here to tell you this.Forget about your life expectancy.
After all, it's calculated based on an average.And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family.You are told that, as graduates,you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you.And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people.I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them.

And you don't need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life's a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it.Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it.Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment.Your degree is a poor armour against fate. * Exactly.

Don't expect anything. Erase all life expectancies.Just live. Your life is over as of today.At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look.This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.
What does this mean for you?It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free.
Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do.
By its very nature, it is undesirable.

Work kills.The Japanese have a term "Karoshi", which means death from overwork.That's the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways.If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there's nothing left.A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

*** There's a common misconception that work is necessary.You will meet people working at miserable jobs.They tell you they are "making a living". No, they're not.They're dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful. ***

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free.The slogan "Arbeit macht frei" was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps.Utter nonsense.

** Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort.You may never reach that end anyway.

*** Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play.Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again.You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often.Soon, that will have value in itself.

*** I am enjoying my job.. not 100% of the time, but most of the time.. as compared to office work.. I think I would be much happier continuing this job.....

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator.I enjoy it and I would do it for free.If I didn't do that, I would've been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction - probably a sports journalist.
So what should you do?

You will find your own niche. I don't imagine you will need to look very hard.By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do.In fact, I'll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions.By this time you should know what your obsessions are.If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.
Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession.

Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm.If you don't, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication.To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth.I'm not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things.The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth.Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating.

There is also great skill.Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences.It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it.That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror. *

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth.I now say this to you: be hated.

It's not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you?Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many.That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated.In fact, it's often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one's own convictions.It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions.Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average.That cannot be your role.There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself.

Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn't say "be loved".That requires too much compromise.If one changes one's looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.
Rather, I exhort you to love another human being.It may seem odd for me to tell you this.You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false.

Modern society is anti-love. We've taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings.It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise.Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance.It is hard work - the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits.There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness.In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way.We learn the true worthlessness of material things.We celebrate being human.

Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person.Despite popular culture, love doesn't happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor.It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming.It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.

You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.
You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated.You are not doing it to be loved back.Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone.You either don't, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology.It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don't work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

You're going to have a busy life.Thank goodness there's no life expectancy.

ktv

2009-06-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

After my first attempt at KTV with my colleagues, during my internship in 2007. I decided never to step into the lounge again as I can't hold a tune. I found the whole episode a waste of money and time. However never say never as I found myself in a KTV Lounge for the second time! Two years have passed since my last attempt at the mike, however nothing has changed. I can't sing and if possible I rather not hold the mike! They tried everything to hear me sing, 1) more alcohol, in hope that I could relax 2) Singing with me and then stopping 3) Playing old schools songs... blah blah. I tried to sing, but even though the song was a familiar one, I always forgot the tune midway! *Blame it on my goldfish memory! It didn't help being uber self conscious as the three girls had beautiful voices! Through the years I realised friendship is about accomodating, I love their company and that made up for the not so enjoyable experience with the mike! Young ladies and a gentleman shall we go dancing next time???

Revelation

2009-06-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

Suddenly it occured to me

Education is the only route out of my poverty!

reflections

2009-06-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

I often ask myself, if this glass is my job will I see it as half empty or half filled? The day that I start seeing it as half empty, is the day I ought to leave. That is when I have reached the peak of my learning curve. Now I see it as a filled glass of dry Lemonade! A thirst quencher!

YOU + ME = ACQUAINTANCE

2009-05-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

I guess I was right from the start, both of us will be no more than acquaintances. C made this comment - friends have the tendency to take an interest in each other, however we seem to have developed mutual indifference towards one another. There are people who I meet who will only remain hi-by friends and you just so happen to be one of them.

Running your own race

2009-05-16T02:00:00.000-07:00

A reminder to self:

V1:
When one is caught in constant struggle
And Life seems to be spiraling down and endless dark tunnel
It is difficult to remain hopeful,
With pressure and expectations unmet
A challenge to believe one can overcome, the battles in our path
Often we do not realise
That those who overcame their circumstances
Are ordinary Men and Women like us

V2:
As we fix our eyes, on other's lives
Jealousy consumes us like fire
A seemingly perfect life is what they have
It makes us green with envy!
Could it be just face value?
So do not judge the world with rose tinted lenses!
As each of us are unique and special,
We can be winners in our own ways!

V3:
Dreams are building blocks to greater heights
So cling onto your dreams with all your might
Work on your dreams even during the test of time
Even when all odds are against you
Do not give up!
Take a leap of faith and keep believing
In a possibility,
that your dreams will become a reality!

Chorus:
So do not compare, do not despair
As each of us have our own struggles
We can be victorious in our own ways
Just as long as we run our race
And not someone else's race!

if only a kind soul out there can do the melody for me (:

Blue Sky Day

2009-05-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

Duvet Day maybe a little tedious to implement in the Company so how about Blue Sky Day? This means allowing your employees to leave the office around 5.30-6pm, so that they can see the Blue Sky! Therefore at least once a week, they will be able to have dinner with their families. I am thankful that it is Blue Sky Day everyday in my company!

Tame Tongue

2009-05-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

F and A made this comment

Whenever you ask Him for Patience

He won't give you patience

He will give you ample OPPORTUNITIES to practice patience.

Last night I asked Him for a tame tongue

And I was given the opportunity to mind my language

HOWEVER

When I was behind the wheel, profanity just kept spilling out!

Incredibly disgraceful, I need to wash my mouth with soap!

D Day

2009-05-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

The coolest leave which I heard some employees in certain companies are entitled is called Duvet Day! so out of curiosity I goggled that term and I found this:

Just for laughter: A periodic table duvet. BTW laughter is good because it is free of preservatives!

What is a duvet day?

duvet day means taking a day off work when you ‘just don’t feel up to it’. You are not ill, you don’t want to lie to the boss; you just need a day in bed!!

By having a duvet day every leap year, starting from “29th February 2008”. http://www.duveyday.org/ has been encouraging employers to allow their employees to stay at home, as this could help the environment by reducing Carbon emissions for that day by up to 80%!

As of today, there is only 1028 days left to the 2nd Annual Duvet Day! Bosses and HR Practitioners, take the hint, you don't have to wait until the next Duvet Day to implement such a policy in your company!

a visit to two museums in two days

2009-05-02T06:28:00.000-07:00

While my peers were MUgging, I spent friday and saturday at the MUseum with my MUm! I bought a joint ticket which enabled us to view the Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum!

'Peranakan' means "child of" and it is used to refer to people of mixed ethnic origins. The museum clarified my misconception of that term. There are other communities of Peranakans other than Peranakan Chinese, such as Jawi Peranakan and the Chitty Melaka!

I enjoyed the museum in Hong Kong, which provided a rich audio and visual feast for visitors both young and old! Many of the exhibitions were interactive and therefore it made learning enjoyable.

I was quite disappointed with the ACM as there was a lack of interactive exhibitions! There were many articles on display however many of the exhibitions had lengthy text explanations, which not only bore me to death with its dryness but made my eyes super tired! My Mum is a history lover and she found that museum pretty alright! So to each his own! The Peranakan Museum was somewhat like the museum in Hong Kong, therefore I enjoyed myself inside it! Even though I am not a true blue Peranakan however having the privilege of being part of SCGS has made me love their culture. The beautiful peranakan designed tiles along the walk ways, which made our school unique! The spice garden, dancers/girls in kebayas to celebrate festivals, peranakan dishes being taught during home econs... simply beautiful!

a poem

The world of the Nonyas

I enjoyed this poem!

SCGS taught us to be KIM GEKs, a pity I have lost that quality!

I have become too babaric!

The Elusive Son

I love this

even though it is behind a glass panel

A picture speaks a thousand words

Kudos to the artist!

"It has in its theme the once common desire among peranakans for sons to carry on the family name. The awkward plight of the mother is echoed in the stiffness of the composition"

[caption from the peranakan museum ]

celest, this picture is for you! You should buy a book stand somewhat similiar to this one. It should have adjustable angles so it can hold and support soft cover books too! You can put it on your lap so you can rest your book, turn the pages with one hand and eat with the other :P

Miniture Qu'ran Cases which is used to store the Qu'ran and worn for protection and blessing

This brought a smile to my face! Found this slogan stuck on the monitor screen in the museum!

Guess what are these?
The answer:

This is a picture of a Karo woman wearing heavy silver Padung Padung earrings. Note how one end is secured to the headress and the other is threaded through the ear.

[text from the acm]

Ouch

I won't want to put that through my ear holes!

You + Me = Friends For Life

2009-04-19T04:39:00.000-07:00

Whenever I hang up the phone, I always end up feeling worst than before, cause it makes me miss you even more.

Thanks for lighting up my Life

Leave Increment

2009-04-19T04:08:00.000-07:00

A random comment made by my colleague on the Ways to increase my leave:

(1) Get Married this year + (2) Get Pregnant this year

choices

2009-04-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

" There are many people living heaven on this earth and they call it marriage and many people living hell on this earth and they call it marriage." [Choices]

may you date with discernment and find contentment and happiness in whatever you choose.

Life

2009-04-08T01:18:00.000-07:00

"To live a life dictated by the pay check is not exactly a life"

[Rich Dad Poor Dad]

So do not limit your life to the dollars and cents of your pay check

It is not worth it being a slave to the rat race

as we will never be contented with our pay check

May you live a life of no regret

One of my Short Term Goals:

To sign up for Japanese Lessons.

considering that I am a mega procastinator

I feel so accomplished to strike that off my goal list :D

work

2009-04-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

I was "baptised" into the working world, by being bitten by my new pair of heels on the first day of work! Just a random thought: A year has 52 weeks and if I minus the public holidays, sick leave & annual leave, I would have at least 46 weeks of work! I wonder how many cycle of 46 weeks must I work in my lifetime? Dreadful Thought! I am taking my first baby steps into the workforce and I am childishly thinking of when can I retire! I realised that I am no longer a super woman! I cannot survive 5 consecutive late nights! I am growing old and I need at least 8 hours of sleep!!

"Root" Pet

2009-04-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

A Ginger Rabbit

naturally formed by nature

I am going back to School

2009-03-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

Just 2 more weeks and I will be a productive member of society!

At least that will curb my sleepy head routine

It feels like I am going back to the days as a student

Dreadful early morning wake up calls!

I will be attending the "School of Hard Knocks"

will be going down tomorrow to sign on the dotted line

Being a Klutz,

I really need all the wisdom & favour to keep the job for at least a year

Friends out there do send a flower basket or card to Wish me Luck!

My Address is :

X XXXXXX XXXXX

Singapore XXXXXX

just kidding

家

2009-03-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading a book about an analysis of Japanese Culture and Society titled Japan - through the looking glass by Alan Macfarlane.

Some excerpts from the book from the section People:
"The full period of full adulthood, attained very late according to the Japanese ideas, is short."
"A child is only half an adult at 15, 80% an adult at 20, and becomes fully responsible at about 28."
"Having gone through 5 of the 12 year cycles of life, at 60 you retire and become a child again, with all the freedom that implies."
"Childhood is wild, loose; the middle part is contained and restrained and selfless. In old age and retirement you are free and unconstrained again."

My Household contains of A Child, A Soon to be Child and a Soon to be Adult :P

what will your choice be?

2009-03-02T05:09:00.000-08:00

sakura tea

2009-03-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

I missed the Cherry Blossom Season both in BJ and Japan yet I managed to catch sight of a blooming cherry blossom!

Not on a tree but in my cup:p

Awfully Gorgeous

Life is a "Beach"

2009-03-01T06:25:00.000-08:00

Life is a "Beach" - stealing this off Mr S's nick!

It carries with it dreary and grey moments

Life is a Gamble

I do not know whether I can afford the stakes I am playing?

I do not know whether I can bear the consequences I am taking?

Yet I am giving the Game of Life a chance!

i shot my golden chance

2009-02-24T03:22:00.000-08:00

I wanted the job so badly

But I made a mess during the interview

What The Heck !

so now I am waiting patiently for the email

to tell me I am not IN!

怀念北京

2009-02-09T07:13:00.000-08:00

My encounter with Beijing was like Alice in Wonderland! A cultural city, a gem for this cultural junkie!

There is a saying "不到长城非好汉" which can be translated as He who does not reach the Great Wall is not a true Man!

the water cube and bird's nest

About a month after christmas and during CNY. It was a queer sight to see decorated christmas trees still lining the road which seperated the water cube and bird's nest! It was more weird to see a string of firecracker hanging down from the christmas tree! I wonder was the tree purposely left there to create an art piece of fusion where East meets West? hmm...

I wonder how the Emperors of both the Ming and Qing Dynasty reacted in their graves when they found out that the ground of the Altar where they used to worship the Sun God has been defaced and turned into badminton courts!

Goldfish hidding Spots in a pond which was excavated in Yuan Ming Yuan (Old Summer Palace)
Much of Yuan Ming Yuan has been destroyed and the originial splendor and grandeur of the palace is mostly left to the power of your vivid imagination as you stare at a blank piece of land!

I assumed that all chinese mansions were all single storey. My perception was changed when I entered Prince Gong's Mansion!

The top of the Hill in Jing Shan Park gave us an Bird's Eye view of the Forbidden City!

Lama Temple

When we think of the type of buildings in the Forbidden City, Ancient Chinese Architecture comes to mind! Well this building is an exception (:

I found it extremely cool when I discovered that the Forbidden City,Drum Tower, Bell Tower and Jing Shan Park were build along the same axis!

The White Dagoba

北京

2009-02-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

My friends and family members have asked me how I spent CNY this year. Though a little late, the answer can be found in this post!

Headed for the busiest temple fair (庙会) held at Ditan on the first day of CNY!

I spotted this and I felt that it was worth mentioning! When I looked at it, the term peseverance came to mind! It was awesome seeing children only 1/3 of my height, attempting to scale the 'mountain' to reach the submit in order to retrieve a toy!

A performance at the Temple of Heaven. It showed how the Emperor used to worship the Heaven to ensure good harvest in the upcoming year. I couldn't help but over hearing on-lookers commenting that the 'Emperor' looked ugly! A check using google of Emperor Qianlong's and Emperor Kangxi's younger day's pictures showed that they were NOT drop dead gorgeous! So if a handsome actor was used, wouldn't that have compromised the accurate reflection of the practise? Anyway Beauty is in the eye's of the beholder and to me he looks alright!

Fireworks set off by civillians! For four nights (including new year's eve) I feel asleep and was woken up by the bombing sound of fireworks! In the beginning I was awe struck! I was captivated by the fancy designs! Then like a child who became tired of her new toy, the novety wore off! A quick change of emotions to annoyance! I do not fancy being awaken by bombing sounds at 6 am in the morning!!!!

哈尔滨

2009-02-02T06:29:00.000-08:00

Yabuli（亚布力）

Paid 180rmb to take the cable car and chair lift to the top of the mountain!

snow bed

the wonder of colour that brightens up a dull and dreary world!

Nature's Beauty and Splendor that can never be replicated by Men!

哈尔滨

2009-01-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Sun Island （太阳岛）
For the sake of convenience, many people advised us to catch a cab to the Island! Being the leader of the Ella Cheapo Club, I decided that we should catch the Bus! *the only drawback is that loose change is needed!

Bus - damage to wallet (approx 10rmb)
Taxi - damage to wallet (>10rmb)

A price which we had to pay for taking the bus was that we had to walk 1.5km in to get to the site of the snow carving exhibition! The reward - erm... slimmer thighs???

When there is Demand, there will always be Supply! Consumers desire New Nightlife Venues! Satisfy your customers and the cash registers will be ringing non stop, if not your business will flop! ! Ice Bars have been popping up around Asia, to add a cool relief to the swealting tropical heat! I rekon unless I hold my wedding ceremony in an Ice Bar back home, I can't imagine my Rents stepping into one! Till I have saved up enough dough to bring my parents to the Ice Hotel in Hokkaido. Here is a snapshot of Mum experiencing a preview of what our future trip to the ice hotel might be!

I love the Beautiful Montif design on the wall

A 3D Life size village carved out of snow!

We visited the Ice Park on Sun Island. Replicas of well known landmark buildings could be found in it. For 1 1/2 hours, I found myself trotting around the globe and visiting famous spots around Asia, The pacific and Europe at a cost of JUST 75rmb! If only they were the real thing!

哈尔滨

2009-01-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

Mum and I took a train and headed northwards to 哈尔滨 (Haerbin)! Aside from the fact that the 10 hour's train ride felt like we were living in a smoke chimney and we had two VERY unsociable teens in our cabin, the whole ride was alright. Frigid Cold Air & Slippery Floor & Snow greeted us at 哈尔滨火车站! Apparently there is no designated Taxi Stand at the station and passengers had to go to the main road to flag a cab. Yet that night many cabs were just satisfied with dropping off passengers and speeding off into the darkness! So two tired ladies sought the help of a helpful policeman to 'rescue' them out of the situation.

We parked ourselves as JinJiang Inn (Sophia Plaza) for three nights. Having read online about the horror stories about cabbing around Haerbin. Minimising cabbing was a top agenda on my list! The location of our hotel was within walking distance of many major sightseeing spots so it was great being able to see the city on twos instead of fours!

Zhaolin Park - Disney was the theme of the Ice Festival there.

There is a night and day pricing for entry into the park and a china student pass is extremely useful as it enables you to pay half price for the ticket! A Mega Saver especially when an Adult ticket is around 120-150 rmb! *I feel like kicking myself for not taking advantage of my student pass to tour the country! A little too late to regret :(

erm... another chinglish error? (:

Life Size Sculptures : visitors of the park could climb up/down or slide down them

Castle from Aladdin

ship from Pirates of the Caribbean

I was captivated! The whole sculpture was roughly three to four storeys high. There was an in-built lift and escalator and a mega high slide! Awesome!

erm ...not for a scary cat like me

北京

2009-01-18T07:57:00.000-08:00

Clara's Hostile Shawl

"attacking its victim"

北京

2009-01-18T04:54:00.001-08:00

It has been slightly over a week since the Missus of the Heng Family has arrived. Since then I have been living a life of a Part Time Tourist and Part Time Tour Guide! Before my mum's arrival I had a schedule drawn out, I spent a long time revising and perfecting the itinery and on the day of her arrival I felt I was ready to Host her! Yet on the second day, my so called 'perfect' schedule had to be thrown out of the window! We were not going according to plan! We were spending longer at the attractions, & we were visiting attractions which I didn't plan for! So a piece of advice if you plan to visit BJ. Be Flexible as there are many hidden gems around they city just waiting to be discovered! go FREE and EASY - be Flexible Regardless of Every activity scheduled Everday & Enjoy And maximise your Stay, nobody is chasing You away:)

北京

2009-01-07T01:23:00.000-08:00

Limited Edition Bra of 08, costing 359rmb!

Will you buy it in 09?

北京

2009-01-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

I said Goodbye to 2008, by junking out my favourite pair of Jeans which has been with me for the past 6 years. Found a rip on it on 31/12/08! I counted down to 2009, by watching Mulan 2 and I found my favourite Disney Prince!

General Li Shang

北京

2009-01-06T03:40:00.000-08:00

Just one month and I will be Home. Considering that my wardrobe has been revolving around 7 long sleeves top, I am looking forward to having a full wardrobe! Christmas and 2008 has gone and now we are into 2009! Clara joined us during the Festive Season and she brought along jelly beans, jelly bears, home-made cookies and foreign chocolate for the both of us! What a treat!

Our first adventure together was a day trip to Silver Fox Cave in the Fangshan District! We had to catch a bus from 苹果园 to the Cave . Do not be deceived by the name 苹果园, there is no 苹果树 there! There may not be 苹果树 there, but that area is famous for pickpockets so do watch your belongings! The bus came every 1 1/2 hours, so we spent slightly over an hour waiting for the bus! If you plan to go to Silver Fox Cave be prepared to be harrassed by touts while you wait for the bus. Clara was so irritated that she turned to one and said this 你知道你多么烦！像乌鸦一样kwa kwa 的叫!

our 导游 who followed us all the way to the cave and back to the main road to wait for the bus!

Silver Fox Cave is none other than a Limestone Cave, with various limestones formations inside with fancy names accompanying them! The highlight of the day The Silver Fox

We missed the earlier bus, so we ended up waiting for slightly over one hour for the bus! This time instead of Vultures hovering around us looking for prey. We were surrounded by a couple of 黑车, confronted with the prospect that we might have missed the last bus and we were stranded almost 80 over km away from BJ City! Darkness was creeping in, the temperature was dipping to below 0 degrees and we were v v v v v cold & hungry! Not exactly a nice position to be in!

Our little misadventure at the Ski Resort! Clara fell off the pulley lift and I resembled a cartoon character crashing into a wall, when I crashed into the Padded Barrier! We had this bright idea to take the ski lift up to the expert slopes, even though there was a sign warning us that Beginners should not get on! Upon arrival at the top we realised that there was no other way down aside from skiing down! After the dreadful fall, I kind of lost confidence and I didn't trust my skills and ability to be able to navigate the sharp bends and steep slopes! Safety nets surrounded the edge of the cliff, however I was not confident that the nets could save me if I crashed into them! Erm.. in the end after deliberating for about 1/2 hour, I managed to get down. I bid farewell to the ski resort by leaving my bum imprint on the snow for the very last time!

We decided to try Ice Skating on the Lake at HouHai. Being novice skaters, it was hard to find our centre of balance as the ice was so slippery. The task was near to impossible so we gave up attempting to skate after 5 mins and traded our skates for a chair skate! So we spent Christmas Eve chair-skating around the lake!

clara gamely agreed to try deep fried insects with me and in my opinion they were simply delicious!

北京

2008-12-14T06:27:00.000-08:00

S for Saturday and Sichuan Kids

Project Love (a nickname coined by me)

it is a bi-monthly project run by local varsity students and international volunteers. To find out more about this proj (Sichuan Orphan Development Programme) or other volunteering opportunities in Beijing do log onto :
http://www.bicf.org/

click on ministry teams

followed by BICF Impact Centre

what does Family mean to you?Pure Coincidence that we all have asian features! The Team of international Volunteers from different parts of the globe!

"So long, farewell it is time to say Goodbye"老师再见

Children are a precious gift. They Need C-Care, H-a warm Home,I-Individual Attention,L-Learning opportunities to grow,D-Discipline,R-Respect,E-Encouragement,N- Never-Ending LOVE (which is the theme of this programme: to teach them about love)

ONE

TWO

THREE

cheese

北京

2008-12-07T20:37:00.000-08:00

The Grossiest and Yuckiest Substance my Housemate flushed down the Toilet Bowl since I arrived!

Rancid Pumpkin Soup

北京

2008-12-07T05:17:00.000-08:00

Our Latest Warming & Defrosting "Machine"

北京

2008-11-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

Lack of ideas of what to wear for CNY, here are some ideas :P there is still slightly over a month to tailor such an outfit!

北京

2008-11-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

Sharp Contrast
Autumn VS Winter
No Cars VS Cars along the side of the road

北京

2008-11-27T21:55:00.000-08:00

Snapshots around 北京

shadows

北京

2008-11-27T21:08:00.000-08:00

In all started with a comment made by my housemate that she wanted to eat pizza. I gamely agreed to bake her pizza! So the pizza led to crepe suzette which led to scones which led to bread ( my bread CMI - it tasted bitter and heavy, it simply did not rise!) I burnt the base of the pizza on my first and second attempt, on my third attempt the base was almost perfect! But now She is sick of pizza so next up will be stove top cookies!

北京

2008-11-27T20:35:00.000-08:00

Panjiayuan
Antique Market

Have A Guess(from the above picture): What item above made both women and men , stop suddenly along their tracks to squat down and take their time to carefully examine their prized possession before paying for their purchase/s? If you are thinking it is a piece of jade or an antique or a pearl or a piece of jewellery you are wrong! The item was a Walnut

An old 北京 craft - a cat made of mud and cardboard! When you pull its tail it will make a high pitch cat sound!

北京

2008-11-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

Laughter is a good medicine for Exam Stress
Just for Laughter
Chinglish Signs

have fun reading them
and the chinese signs :)

i posted up chinese signs cause I found them cute!

北京

2008-11-07T02:19:00.000-08:00

I spent Halloween at 后海, we didn't doll up in Ghostly Garments but one of the highlight's of the night was that both of us tried 臭豆腐. The pungent stench could be smelt like 10 meters away! It smelt like a mixture of dung and rotting rubbish! The main difference between the two stalls is that the one with the blue signboard serves pan grilled black bean 臭豆腐 and the one with the red signboard serves deep fried 臭豆腐! After a while your nose will get used to the stench and queuing for the beancurd becomes a less smelly affair! We found 臭豆腐 quite delicious, tasted like normal tofu, aside from the fact that your mouth will smell like 臭豆腐 after :( So this is a must not eat if you plan to go for a date, unless you are dating 臭豆腐 owner's daughter/ son :P

Someone drew this on the wall!
Even though I stood there staring at the rack for like 5 minutes I still could not figure out what exactly was on sale. Hallowmas?? What did that mean?

A stall was set up to help passerbys with their Halloween Make up!

Community Dancing at Hou Hai, as long as you have two feet, do join the crowd, it is quite fun!

北京

2008-11-02T23:58:00.000-08:00

Apparently it takes close to 3 weeks for mail to reach BJ instead of 1 week as what the postman told S! Thankfully the package was not lost in transition! Mr S told me not to think that the dress was manufactured in China :P Anyway as it is winter, it is difficult to find a piece made of so little material!

北京

2008-11-02T19:02:00.000-08:00

Marcus said that he wanted to show me around his Home City so he decided to bring us to 798! This is one of his favourite hunts! 798 is a Modern and Contempory Art's haven. With many small galleries, cafes and restaurants it is a beautiful place to hang out! We were racing to against the hands of time to complete the galleries. Too bad we lost, as much of the area was left undiscovered! I will be back soon, this time with a book!

北京

2008-10-30T07:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween

* picture courtesy of my housemate who carved this out in 2007

北京

2008-10-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

my first washing experience

She decided She had enough of piling stinky laundry

Diligently She decided to wash her clothes
Meticulously She separated the Light from the Dark
Easily She packed them into nets
Mind Boogling She connected the pipes to the machine
Quickly She loaded the machine
Cautiously She pressed the start button
Frustratedly She wondered why no water was coming out
Impatiently She sought her housemate's help instead of figuring out herself
Happily She heard the gushing of water
Automatically She shut the lid and the machine started rumbling
Routinely She took out the load to dry
Gleefully she *THOUGHT had fresh smelling laundry
But Alas two days later she realised that absentmindedly She forgot to add WASHING POWDER!

北京

2008-10-22T02:52:00.000-07:00

S : for Saturday, Sunday, friend from Singapore and Summer Palace

I finally caught sight of the bird's nest! We got lost trying to walk to Li Qun Roast Duck Restaurant and so we decided to take a "trishaw." The driver took us through a dark alley of a Hutong, which freaked the both of us out! V's room at the crowne plaza which got raided and messed up by me!
The olympic slogan - the chinese words are super meaningful! Reverse Bungee!

A periodic wedding in a modern setting, held on the driveway at Crowne Plaza!

北京

2008-10-21T00:44:00.000-07:00

F for Friday and for Fragrance Hill 香山

Every year around mid Oct, there will be an announcement in the papers to say when the leaves will be turning bright red. During that period many will head to 香山 to catch the fiery red leaves!

In Singapore, we have the "Monkey God Tree" at Jurong! At 香山 there is tree which according to the locals resembles a "tiger"! Rubbing the "face of the tiger" is suppose to bring good luck!

The newspaper news was a little inaccurate as we hardly saw red leaves!

non law abiding citizens!

Lucy said this shot made her look like a fish blowing bubbles! But I found it uber cute!

After a 1 1/2 hours hike we finally reached the submit and we were greeted by hundreds of human beings! The submit was packed to the max and filled with people having picnics!

Paid 50 Rmb, to get down within 18 minutes and to reward my tired body! Instead of climbing down and taking another 1 1/2 hours!

北京

2008-10-19T04:26:00.000-07:00

I have hit the double 2 （我又老一岁...）

朝鲜打糕 as My Birthday Cake

my birthday was a quiet affair. There was school in the morning, I had no candles, no birthday song, but I spent the day having two meals outside with my housemate.

北京

2008-10-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

My housemate makes highly amusing statements!

A couple of Nights ago, I went into her room and she said that my clothings reek of Smoke!
I smelt my jacket and I made a random comment that I smelt like I just stepped out of a disco!
After a couple of second, she said "yup you just came out of the Kitchen Disco"!

Yesterday we went into a chinese snack shop and she came out with a scone. She made a comment that she was snacking again and that she was bound to grow fat. After a while she added, "I don't care as I am already fat!" Then after keeping quiet for a while she said this, " If anyone calls me fat, I will tell them I am stocking up fats for the winter so I will be warm!"

北京

2008-10-13T02:33:00.000-07:00

I have been in BJ for close to a month and I decided that it was time to venture out on my own. Partly because my Housemate was busy with her Thesis but also as I am more familar with the transportation system, so less likely I will be lost. ）On a Sunny Saturday, with her instructions on how to get to the Drum Tower 鼓楼 in my notebook, I decided to visit that spot. My main motive of going to 鼓楼 was to buy Mooncake Molds from a baking shop in the vacinity but the indecisive me decided to put that purchase on hold despite spending 30 mins in the shop staring at the molds! I could not decided whether their cut was deep enough! I decided to use the remaining time before sun down to explore the area.

五颜六色的狗

可爱还是丑

让你决定

Bridal Couples = Mini Celebrity of the Day

caught sight of tourists taking pictures of them and with them

人山人海，多么热闹！

Dare Devils on Bikes

Not a Law Abiding Citizen!

If you are interested in Bars do visit 后海 at night. It is known as a Bar Street.

北京

2008-10-06T00:53:00.000-07:00

I saw this slogan on a random girl's shirt this Morning -

I love Naked

【我不喜欢穿衣服】

(My translation is rotten but it kinds of sums up what it means)

GOSH

It totally does not make any sense!

Looks like both the Designer and Wearer are both clueless about the Meaning!

If the t-shirt read - I love Naked Men then at least it will make more sense :P

Golden Week has ended! Lazy Me has to go back to school

北京

2008-10-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

welcoming Late Autumn with open arms

北京

2008-10-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

Friday - My A-Z Day

Capital Museum

*If you are interested to enter the Museum for free, you need to log onto their website three days in advance to reserve your tickets. It is on a first come first serve basis as there are limited free tickets available. Not all the exhibitions can be viewed with the free ticket. If you have a student pass the tickets are 15 Yuan each! Regular tickets are 30 Yuan each.

Sunlitun

merlion

A - A Couple of Drinks

B - Bar At Sunlitun

C - Capital Museum

D - Daiquiri (strawberry)

E - Exhibitions

F - Food (Beef Burger and Chips)

G - Grasshopper

I - Icy Cold Weather

J - Jugs of Ice

K - Killed time at Starbucks

L - Lovely Company

M - Macdonald's Coffee

N - Nancy

O - Overly Full

P - lǜ dòu bǐng (Pastry)

Q - Queued at Museum (30mins)

R - Rushed for the Last Train

S - Smoke Dungeon

T - Took a Cab to Guomao Station

U - Unusual Group of people

V - Vast Variety of Items

W - Wholesale Centre

X - 'X'pensive Meals

Y - Young at Heart

Z - Zhang Xiang

北京

2008-09-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

Nanluoguxiang

文宇奶酪店
Telephone No: 64057621
Opening Hours: 12pm to till everything is sold out, which is usually within 2-4hours! Be an early Bird, in order to catch the 'worm'
Location: Enter the Gates Nanluoguxiang Hutong and walk straight for about 15mins. The shop is to the left of the main street.

Being a typical Singaporean, when I saw a queue outside the shop, I also stood in line and it was well worth the wait for the 双皮奶酪 with 红豆 on top. When my housemate flipped open Time Out 北京 only then did we find out that that is a famous shop (: The custard tasted light, milky and eggy, Lovely! Sadly now with the Milk Problem, I have to put this 'Indulgence' on hold!

北京

2008-09-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

Wangfujing

Olympic Sculptures

Night Snack Street
Opening Hours: 4pm-9pm

Note : Do not buy the Candied Fruits from the first stall at the start of the street! Nearing to closing time, in order to get rid of their sugared fruits, the salesmen will squat on the styrofoam boards which they previously stuck the fruit sticks into! Totally Unhygenic!! (the men in the pic are the guilty culprits)
Pau with Straws
Thirsty! Anyone interested in Coloured Sugar Syrup?? Think Twice! Take a look at the cup filled with Blue Liquid and Bubbling "white foam". In order to attract passerbys to his stall, the stall owner threw in a couple of pieces of dry ice into the cup! I saw him selling a cup filled with liquid bubbling and erupting like a "mini volcano"! A Health Hazard! Incredibly Deadly!

Fear Factor!

I caught sight of a couple of billboards in a caffe along the sidewalk of WFJ. A collection of the various flags from around the world was printed on them. I was flabbergasted! Can anyone tell me which country that flag belongs to? Or is it just me who can't recognise the country of the flag?

北京

2008-09-25T02:09:00.000-07:00

1) Within 8 days of my arrival, I broke my "I am going to be a vegetarian in china" rule and I broke my housemate's vegetarian rule too! I did it by dragging her into a Hong Kong cafe on Monday! she had wanton mee:P We went to a foodcourt last night but as there was no vegetarian food so she had no choice but to share a bowl of mushroom chicken noodles with me. I have been eating meat for four consecutive days in a row and I have hit my Meat Quota! I am sick of meat so I am off meat till the end of October!

2) The weather is a little cranky, it has taken a huge plunge! The temperature has dipped! I am wearing five layers and it is only late Sept!

北京

2008-09-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

Just for phie, practise makes perfect! One day you will no longer be using pre-mix to bake a cake/cookies/brownie! You will be baking everything from scratch and who knows you might open a bakery in the future!

i miss everyone back home

北京

2008-09-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

I need to SPICE up my Life.

Introduction to my life in BJ

1)Packed Buses

2)Pollution

3) Corridor leading to my house. The corridor freaked me out when I first arrived. I told my parents that it was the perfect place to shoot a horror movie! Everthing was Pitch Black as the solo light bulb on my floor's landing was not working. When we turned the corner, suddenly that light bulb came on (it has an auto sensor which will be switched on when movement is detected for only 30secs) The structure of the building is old and run down therefore the yellowish light gave the floor an eerie feel.

北京

2008-09-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

I am no longer an unproductive member of society skiving at home but a student! I am currently enrolled in the Language Class in ×××. I am a Lone Ranger in the class as my classmates are all from Korea, Indonesia and Turkey! It is quite embarrasing having studied 中文 for 12 years however my standard is way below theirs! A couple of them even have the BJ Accent! I am hoping that at the end of the 15weeks programme I will have a slight accent! The only means of communication I have with my classmates is 汉语! One good thing about being in the class is that I am 'forced' to use my Mandarin. A drawback of being the ONLY Singaporean there is that I have only my shadow to keep me company during lunch breaks! The school is too tiny to have a SSA unlike Beida. The locals and foreigners are extremely cliquish among their own nationalities so it is extremely hard to weave my way into their tightly knitted circles.

One thing which I dislike about school is that smoking is allowed along the corridors during break. The students are Heavy Smokers! It is quite sickening because the Smoke will drift into the classrooms and will linger inside for a long time. It gives me a huge headache!

To my utter dismay I have a 5 days school week. I have 3 full days and 2 half days! My half day is equivalent to one lesson for 1h50mins! The Lessons are similar to our secondary school Chinese lessons. We have 课文听写, 作文, 听力 &口语, additional to that we have Business Chinese基本商业课 & 中国文化课! Gag me! I am interested in the last two modules, the remaining modules I find them a little too dry!

Standing in a Sardine Packed Bus ranks high on my least favourite list here! I hate being jabbed as they try to squeeze their bodies past you without a word of ‘请让开’ or ‘对不起’! There is something which I cannot comprehend logically. It is Mid-Day and the bus is stifling hot, yet majority of the beings in the bus refuses to open the window, even if the bus is filled with a sourish over choking smell of smelly sweaty bodies! They ‘enjoy’ sitting in a stuffy bus in the morning than let in the cool morning breeze! When my friend tried opening the window, the person sitting next to the window gave her a chilling dagger glare!

I anticipated cool weather when I packed my suitcase. I didn’t pack in any shorts. Upon arriving I realized that the cool weather will only set in a month later! I am suffering in my jeans during my afternoon sessions because the School is weird! Ever since they installed Aircon into all the classrooms, they disconnected the fans! They did a slipshot job, they cut the wiring of the fan but left the fan there! To save on their electricity bills, they do not switch on the Aircon even when the classroom feels like a greenhouse! I am melting in the classroom!

A thought crossed my mind. I wonder what are the

China

student's thoughts towards foreigners flooding their school?

I admit defeat – I am a Lousy Domestic Goddess! I have a high tendency to undercook my vegetables. I only know how to stir fry vegetables! It has only been a week and I am sick of my own Chinese cooking. I need to find new vegetarian recipes. I am trying to come out with more westernized dishes! Last week I ate Tuna Fish Pasta! I ‘forced’ my housemate to eat it! Once every month, she has agreed to eat fish with me! Can tomatoes are very expensive here, I resorted to making my own tomato base! This week I will be making tofu burger. Will update about its taste and load up pictures of it(:

Weekends are deeply treasured! My second weekend in BJ has ended and I have yet to discover the city! Will be spending Golden Week in BJ, hopefully I can do more sightseeing then!

北京

2008-09-15T04:13:00.000-07:00

My room in Singapore is near to the Airport, therefore I tend to fall asleep to the sounds of planes flying in the distance .

My room in BJ overlooks a flyover with roads under. The symphony of honks and vehicles passing by puts me to sleep! The traffic is never ending even during the wee hours of the morning and my alarm clock is the rumbling of the vehicles!

Back to school - registion Tomorrow ! Dreads! That means I must be up at 5am, so I can prepare breakfast, bath and reach the bus stop at 6.30am! I used to complain about the time and distance I had to travel from home to clementi, but now it is even worst! To get to sch it will take a 1 1/2 hour bus ride - it is the easiest way. Due to the morning rush hour there will be no seats! This is incredibly devasting news for a train and seat lover.

北京

2008-09-13T22:56:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Middle Kingdom (: Landed safely in BJ! I flew Dragon Airlines and it was the first time I encountered a cabin crew asking for donations for a conservation project over the flight announcement system!

I would label the Middle Kingdom Experience as a Marriage Preparation Course! It is a challenge living with a housemate - especially when both of you have your own quirks and annoying habits! It is extremely trying when your housemate - is messy, forgetful, demanding, a complain queen and has a temper & character of a spoilt little girl! (that's me :P) Learning how to wash the clothes, planning what to cook and budgeting the finances is a huge headache! Hopefully I will develop some "wifey" qualities here.

The dishes here are extremely Salty, Oily and MSG loaded! I used to complain that sgp's hawker food was too salty & oily for my liking but now it is even worst here! I really miss my mum's cooking! If you can't recognise me when I am back, you know the reason!

To sum up my 24 Hours - I experienced a fight along the roadside, went to the wet market, my best buy of the day was 8 peaches for 11.40 yuen = slightly abt 10 cents for 1, ate MSG & Oil soaked meals that I have set my mind on cooking my own meals : gg to bring homecooked food for lunch everyday, rode on the transportation system and I am still not used to stuffy carriages with no aircon and poor ventilation. I ate a mooncake filled with lotus paste mixed with pork floss and I tried dishes which I have not tried before like vinaigrette chinese cabbage - the sauce had a saltish and sourish taste!

2008-09-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

my dad says :

My life

is like a Black Board with a long list of To Dos but very few are erased off!

My Time

is like rubber: extremely elastic and very stretchable, Punctuality is a Mega Problem

Sadly it's true

Japan

2008-09-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

Tokyo

Observatory of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings
Address: 2-8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Opening time: 9:30-22:00

My favourite cafe. Even though they seperated the non smoking sections from smoking sections. However the smoke drifts up to the 1F as the 2F is not enclosed. The irony is that hp usage & dogs are banned in the caffe, but shouldn't smoking be banned as smoking is more damaging to health?

food glorious food :) I miss japanese food, it beats eating chinese food!

The JR Trains in Tokyo city are uber cool. There is a computerised screen located in the carriage, which will inform commuters on the weather conditions in Japan, which lines are out of service and which door to enter and exit from.

I love this dessert & fruit shop located at the underground shopping centre beneath Tokyo Station

someone carried the matching bag to suit my brown pair of crocs:) narita express- double decker train to the airport!

My luggage has a 'blue blue' - sa told me the kiddos in her class call their blueblacks, blue blue!

Japan

2008-09-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

Day 25-26 - Miyajima

We stayed in YAMAICHI BEKKAN and we totally regretted it!

I booked it because I thought that it will be a traditional ryokan but we were in for a mega disappointment!
The exterior of the building was extremely run down and the interior was even worst!

The only traditional aspect of it was the futon, the soba husk filled pillow and the lack of an elevator!
We had to carry our luggages up 3 flights of stairs! It had a western style bathroom!

Charges are calculated by pax -7500yen + 5% tax not including breakfast or dinner! We ended up paying around around $300 for a room, which could only fit 3 futons and had hardly any room left to open our luggage!

We took a ferry across from the mainland to Miyajima and many sailboats dotted the sea! If you are holding a JR Pass the ride on the ferry is free! The ferry timing is frequent and the ride takes around 15 mins! From the ferry you can catch sight of the Floating Tori Gate!

We went to the Handicraft Centre and we walked into a class of young aspiring bakers! They were learning how to make the traditional spongy cake! A majority of those sold in the shops had a maple leaf shape. I bought one which was filled with custard to try and I didn't really enjoy it! The cake was pretty dense and heavy and the filling was yucky!
Itsukushima Shrine

A big huge rice scoop on display. Becareful of deer poo poo! Do guard your belongings as the deers love to "steal" tourist's maps or anything they can get their mouths on! All thanks to ignorant tourist who keep feeding them all these junk! Roasted Oysters - totally not my cup of tea! Tried the green tea ice cream near the ferry terminal. The stall was on the mainland side. The name of the shop was Padre and Madre or something along those lines! The ice cream was just average, as the taste of the green tea was very weak, but I loved the mini waffle scoop which came with it.

We took the last gondola to the top of the mountain, though it was a little hazy but we managed to catch sight of a couple of islands in the distance.

I loved it when the tide retreated as it gave me the opportunity to be upclose and personal encounter with the massive tori gates. One of my favourite pastime whenever the tide retreats is to hunt for "Lalas" along the sea bed! This time was not exception and I realised I had not lost my skill! The mud will make the underside of my finger nails a little grubby however I do enjoy digging as it is therapeutical! It took me about 10 mins and I was the proud owner of a hand full of clams! Being a good citizen, I decided to return my findings back to their rightful owner!

my feet were sun kissed! Croc Tan - awful or nice?

Japan

2008-09-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

Day 22-24 - Hiroshima

We stayed at the World Friendship Centre. Here is the link: http://wfchiroshima.net/

Do make advance reservations to avoid disappointment. The accomodation has only 4-5 rooms! We paid 3100 Yen/pax/night and we got a private room and breakfast! The breakfast table can take up to 6 guests, so it gave the guests at the centre a chance to interact with each other.

futons are very comfortable and they are much nicer to sleep on than my own bed!

When you stay at the WFC, the directors of the centre can schedule a personalised Peace Park Guide Tours and with advance notice can arrange for first hand accounts of Hibakusha.

Peace Park Tour + if you have the time do visit the A Bomb Museum

Would you pay $54.60 for a beach float? Those "clothes" on the hangers are not children's clothes, but hand towels! Lunch at Kenkichi - Italian Dining Kitchen.

violet purple sky (: The beauty of the setting sun.

Leading up to 6/8, many activties are held along the river, in memory of the fateful day the A Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. We managed to catch one and it was amazing! Many of us did not go through WW2 and we came from different countries. Yet as our hearts and voices united to sing Amazing Grace, I felt a strong sense of peace inside! Strangely I have not felt that peaceful for ages. The moonlight and spotlight casted an eerie glow on the Bomb dome! Dinner at a ramen restaurant recommended by WFC! - one thing good about WFC, is that the couple in-charge of the place compiled a list of good and reasonabley priced food around the hostel! All you have to do is choose the restaurant!

Japan

2008-09-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

Day 21 - Nara

The highlight of the morning, I caught sight of a granny playing scissors, paper, stone with her grandson! Awwww so sweet!

Spotted this sign: Amusement - catch user emotion! ha ha It was the name of an Arcade.

Popped into a Lattice House in the Estate! The attraction is FOC! It reminded me of a peranakan house - as the house was narrow but deep!

UJI City

*TO COMPLETE YOUR JAPANESE EXPERIENCE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU SIGN UP FOR A TEA FACTORY TOUR!

I signed us up for a green tea factory at Marukyu Koyamaen. If you are interested please go to the website to register : http://www.marukyu-koyamaen.co.jp/ The whole trip gave us a chance to encounter the warm hospitality of the Japanese and the tea plant was no exception! In fact the tour was superb and exceeded our expectations. A driver from the plant picked us up at Uji Station and drove us to the plant. When we reached the plant, the VP of the plant came out to receive us, despite his busy schedule. After showing us a video(in english) about the tea making processes, He brought us on a tour around the plant. This was to explain the processes seen in the video and to clarify our doubts!

A covering of straw is used to reduce the amount of incoming sunlight during the growth of the new shoots from a tea plant. The leaves are seperated from the vein, waste and excess straw. Granite stones are cut to exact precision are used to grind the leaves. During the process, light is prevented from entering the room as the grounded match hates light!

At the end of the tour we were treated to a bowl of Matcha (we were taught how to make it) and some sweets! Best of all the tour itself is free of charge, but if you are language bound like us, the plant can hire an interpreter for your group for 1000yen.

Japan

2008-09-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Day 17 - Kada

Took the private line from Wakayamashi Station to a Kada. The fare was slightly above 300yen! Kada is a coastal town, if you are interested in the Sun,Sand and the Sea, do alight two stops before Kada and you will have direct access to the Beach!

Interesing things I spotted in Kada - 1) an alchohol & battery vending machines! 2) self painted zebra crossing!

we visited Awasguma Jinja it is about 30 mins walk from Kada station to the shrine. Do ask the station master for a map or it will be quite difficult to locate the shrine. The shrine is a photographer's paradise as the ground is littered with a wide collection of ornaments, dolls, statues, masks, figurings.

we had enough cash to get me a car on the spot :P

Lunch inside wakashiyama shi station, one of the cheapest walls we found! Just for 300-440 yen, you can get a bowl of noodles and rice!

A Must Try is the vending machine at wakayama station. It was so cool! There is a wide selection of Hot or Cold drinks to choose from. We tried the ice coffee and the most interesting part was that after the choice was made, a video will be shown to show you how your coffee was done - from grounding the beans, to pouring the milk into the cup and topping it off with shaved ice! Then the machine's window will open and viola your drink is ready! The product - a decent tasting cup of coffee. The coffee was freshly brewed with bits of grounded beans at the bottom! It is unlike the vending machines back home which only gives us instant coffee!

From Wakayama Station we headed to Mt Imose which is an islet, featuring a tiered pagoda and a covered water viewing deck. The view overlooking the water is stunning when you climb to the top. It takes about 1/2 an hour to walk there.

Directions: Walk straight from the station to the main road. Turn left and you will walk pass a ski shop and furniture shops along the way. Walk down to the junction where you can see Mos Burger. Turn Right, cross the bridge and continue straight. You will walk pass a huge supermarket along the way and cross the second bridge. At the end of the road, turn left and hopefully you can spot the islet! *Btw stuff in the supermarket is much cheaper than Osaka and there is a Daiso there!

Day 18 - Himeiji Castle

A picture of a collection of crest symbols of the Lords who lived in the castle. Due to the lack of exercise, climbing to the top of the main building of the castle felt like a physical challenge! We visited the mannicured gardens adjacent to the castle and they were beautiful! I wished we went during Autumn or Spring as they will be even more gorgeous!

An Amusing Restroom Promotion sign! Please use them without hesitation! The heavy rainfall dotted the train's window with pokka dots as it waited in the station. The train ran at rapid speed and it dried the window almost immediately!

Day 19- Nagoya

a cute advertisement for a tanning studio in Nagoya!

[natural white -> flesh colour -> brown beauty -> black king ]

A value for money Tempura Set from this shop at the basement of Sakae Machi Building in Nagoya Central

Nagoya is a modern architecture and starbuck paradise! I spied with my little eye, an office worker taking a short siesta during his lunch break in a departmental store!

Day 20- Kobe

we arrived in Kobe way before 10 and we saw the habour awaking!

Kobe Beef at Kikusui recommended by a Local

from Sannomiya subway station walk to Kitanozaka Avenue. The shop is at King Stone Building, opposite the Benneton Store. Enter the Butcher Shop in the picture and head to the second floor.

I found one word to describe the whole experience OIISHI

I fabulous recommendation!

Next we went to Sumiyoshi Station

The area is famous for its Sake Breweries with at least 9 of them open to the public between 9am-4.30pm. Most of them are free and have a museum to showcase the brewing processes. We visited Kikumasaemune Breweries. There is a river running through the town and towards evening you can catch sight of children playing in the river and residents fishing.

Japan

2008-08-29T08:52:00.000-07:00

Day 14 - Osaka

Headed to Kuromon Market where I saw a Master who could gut an Eel in about 20 secs! It was morbid! Don't stand too close or you might receive a shower of bloody water! Watching the whole process is not for the faint heart! First a nail is knocked into the Eel's head to fasten it to the chopping board. As it struggles, the master will slice it into half to remove the bones and the internal organs. The Eel is then washed in a tub of bloody water! Freshly gutted Eels are placed on the grill and cooked till golden brown! This store had a v v long queue when I was there so being a kiasu Singaporean, I could not resist joining the queue! It was well worth the 15mins wait! It was cooked to perfection - tender and fleshy the best Eel I have ever eaten!

Opposite the Eel shop is this noodle shop - what attracted me to the shop was the hand written recommendations on white cardboard outside it! The food in the shop was just average and the recommendations are a little overrated! What is worth mentioning is the Lao Ban's enthusiasm towards his customers and winsome smile! When you sit down, he will ask for your country and will show you recommendations written by your fellow countrymen! After you finish your food, he will ask you to write a recommendation for his shop if you found his food good! Though he will stress that there is no obligation however his friendly disposition will make you willing to accede his request. If you see the sign in the picture - now you know who wrote it!

Headed to the sennichimae doguya suji.

This shopping district is filled with speciality stores to fulfil the needs of aspiring/current restaurant owners! Doesn't the food look so yummy??

This is Daylight Robbery! Look at the OUTRAGEOUS Fruit Prices! 41000yen for a Watermelon! Or 420 yen for a single Mangosteen! A pair of dead looking Rambutans costing 525 yen! Imagine paying 980 yen for a Papaya! If only I can set up a tropical fruit shop in Japan, I might be a Rich Lady :P

Day 15 - Kyoto
the charm of Kyoto keeps drawing me back!

Headed to the Flea Market at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine held on the 25th of every month. It was a much smaller version of the one held in Toji Temple and 98% of the stall holders were the same as those I saw in Toji Temple's Market! Unless you have alot of time to spare, the time spent at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine Market can be spent elsewhere!

We tried Ghost

Location: It is a few doors down from Ippodo but on the opposite side of the road! If you are unsure how to get there- just ask the staff at Ippodo!

Note: the shop is closed on Tuesday!

A nice place to go to satisfy your sweet tooth! Black Coffee with Cake a superb combination! The only drawback is that you have to stand and eat the deserts!

Kyoto Tower

Tenjin Matsuri Festival in Osaka - 25th July

Pictures outside Tenmangu Shrine of the land procession heading to the Okawa River. The parade started around 4pm.

We parked ourselves at the bridge which had a crane stationed on the grassy patch beside the river! When the Shrines and the Drum arrived at the river, it was lifted onto the Barges by the crane! * The Bridge provided a clear view for us to watch the loading of the Barges - as they were being filled by Human Beings (performers and public) or Sacred Items. However there was a trade-off as we could not catch sight of the fireworks from this bridge! This is the wrong Bridge to be if you LOVE fireworks!

I had a bird's eye view of the barges and the people on them reminded me of an army of Ants as they were so tiny! We caught the fireworks from the train :)

The barges sailing down the river with the beautiful setting sun as its backdrop!

Day 16 - Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

Nearest Station: Hankyu Ikeda Station

Open from Monday -Sunday from 9am-4pm

If you want to attend "The Chicken Ramen Workshop" reservation is required. It is 90 minutes and it cost 500 Yen for Adults. Reservation Hotline : +81-727510825

No Reservation is required for "My Cup Noodle Factory" It is available from 9.30am-3.45pm. There price is 300 Yen per serving. For every 300 yen we slotted into the vending machine we would get a nissin cup. Next we had to sanitise our hands. We could personalise the cups by designing their exterior. We spun the wheel so that the noodles was compressed at the base of the cup. We could customise our cup noodles further by choosing the toppings and soup base! I found that CHEESE is the weirdest topping we can add to the noodles! The cup will be sealed and plastic wrapped!

Visited a replica of the Father of Nissin Noodle's shed. We tried cup noodles designed specially for JAL in the cafeteria (udon,soba& ramen) I felt that the udon was the best among the three cups. The noodles was just a thicker and flatter version of maggi mee however the soup base closely resembled udon soup base in the restaurant.

Priority sitting, Women Only Carriage and An Interesting Invention for the Wheelchair Bound! These some some cool things what I noticed in the train stations around Japan! I could not stop staring at the machine! It had a conveyor belt system at the bottom which aided the machine in its smooth descend down the steps. The machine had a platform which could be elevated so that the station master could transport the passenger down the flight of stairs without him/her falling off! Absolutely Awesome!

Japan

2008-08-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

Day 12 : Kyoto

On the 21st of every month, Toji Temple Market is held at the Toji Temple. The market starts at 7am and ends at 4pm! If you classify yourself under the category of bargain hunter, it is advisable that you go to the market earlier as "the early bird catches the most worms!"

The flea market sells second hand kimonos for as low as 500-1000 yen. Do inspect the pieces which you are planning to buy carefully as most of the kimonos have moth holes and some of them have their sleeves ripped off! Bear in mind that it is very difficult to remove the yellowish stains caused by age. Do leave a tag on how to remove them if you managed to get yours out because mine kimono is still stained after washing!

There are different kinds of kimonos for different seasons. If you are young and unmarried please buy a brightly coloured kimono, with huge prints. If you are thinking of purchasing an autumn kimono, make sure the sleeves are long enough to touch your calves! If you all have not heard my sob story, I have bought 2 Lao Zar Bors kimonos :(

We headed off to Ippodo Main Store for Tea in the Kaboku Tearoom, to learn the art of brewing a perfect cup of tea!

A brief intro from the website about the Tea House: Located in the heart of Kyoto, Ippodo Tea Co. has been providing the highest quality Japanese green tea for nearly 3 centuries. Drawing on nearly 300 years of expertise in blending, Ippodo is famous among its patrons for providing a high quality taste that is consistent not only throughout the year but from year to year.

Further information can be gotten from the website : http://www.ippodotea.co.jp/en/about/index.html [in english]

Address: Teramachi-dori Nijo, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-0915, JAPAN

Opening Hours: 9am-7pm (Mon-Sat), 9am-6pm (Sun & holidays), closed during New Year Holidays

For dinner we tried Tsunamichi: Country Style Handmade Soba and Udon

the menu is written in japanese and the owners do not speak english. The easiest way to place an order is by pointing at what other's are having or pointing at the dishes in the showcase outside the shop.

Address: Kyoto-shi Kita-ku Kitaoji-dori Karasuma Higashi-Hitosuji Kita-iru

Access: Alight at Kitaojiekimae Bus Stop, walk straight in the direction towards the golden pavillion and turn down the first side street(left hand side). The shop is 2-3 mins away from the Bus Stop.

Day 13: Kyoto Central Wholesale Market

We reached at 7.30am and they were cleaning and closing up. If you are interested in the Tuna auction do arrive at 5.30am to catch the action! I missed the Hustle and Bustle of the Auction but I arrived in time to see them slicing the huge fish! This market is less commercialised as the Central Wholesale Market in Tokyo, therefore this place is a gem if you do not want to meet hordes of photo crazy tourists! One drawback is that if you are thinking of having sashimi on top of rice for breakfast, I am sorry to tell you that there are no eateries to cater to your growling stomach! One consolidation is that towards closing, you can buy a piece of tuna for as low as 1000 yen and the fishmonger will gladly slice it for you. (I got about 15 as-thick-as-my-thumb slices for that price and now I am swearing off tuna) Becareful of the food transportation carts and Do not step on the wooden crates as they are used to push fish! We have traffic police to direct traffic on a congested street, they employ policemen to direct the food transportation carts!

We had lunch at Cocoichi: a japanese curry shop. It is located near to Horikawa Marutamachi Bus Stop. I was fascinated by the menu in this restaurant as you can 1) adjust the quatity of rice. For eg: a normal dish consist of 300g of rice. If you want to reduce the amount to 200g, it will be 50yen less the base price. If you want to increase it to 400g it is an additional of 100yen above the base price! 2) You can adjust the spice level. The regular level is hotter than the japanese curry sold in the supermarket! To change the spice level an addional 120yen is needed! Note: unless you really love hot and spicy food, I suggest that you do not alter the spice level! 3) You can add extra toppings into your curry! There is a lady's set which comes with a choice of drink.

A highly amusing notice I spotted in Gion

Gion -

I spotted many paparazzi frenzy wannabes! 6-7pm is the best time to spot a geisha along gion. Often when a real geisha/maiko spots the tourists, she will either quicken her pace and disappear down a side street or she will look down when she walks past you! If you spot any who are being followed by a group of girls, or by a photographer or who gladly smiles for you. There is a high chance that she is not a real geisha/maiko!

Along the main streets with the Yasaka Shrine behind us, we spotted this make shift shop! When we spoke to a local who was queuing for it, we found out that this shop's speciality is sweet rice balls and they are a favourite among the locals! She told me that the shop name is called Miyoshiya and that her son can finish 10 riceball sticks at each sitting! Though I cannot finish as many sticks as he does but I can easily gobble down 2 stick! The rice balls are SHIOK, so do try them when you are in Kyoto!

This shop's speciality is in green tea products. I was attracted to this shop because during the Gion Matsuri the queue for this shop was extremely long! I have no idea what the name of the shopis , neither do I have the exact address or location. If I remembered correctly it is along the left side of the main street with the yasaka shrine facing your back. We tried it & We loved it(: I heart the desserts (:

Japan

2008-08-27T01:11:00.000-07:00

Day 9 : Kyoto

*Do buy the Kyoto one day bus pass for 500 Yen if you plan to take more than 2 trips by bus. Each trip is 220yen! The ticket can be purchased at the tourist information centre at Kyoto Station.

We went for the Kyoto Imperial Palace Tour.
The tourguide started the tour by telling us that interestingly we came in through the slave's gate and who knows in the future we might enter from a different gate! The paintings of the cherry blossom, crane and tiger, represented 3 different rooms in which nobles of different ranks in the past were ushered into. The cherry blossom room was for the lowest ranking nobles while the tiger room was for the highest ranking nobles. At the top right hand corner is a famous painting which depicts a poem competition and sake is floated down the river on little boats as a reward for the first person to complete the poem. Below it is a picture of the emperor's schedule for the year! The palace roofs are nailed together using wooden nails and the palace achitecture is a mix of old and new. With the old sections having wooden floors and the newer sections having tatami mats and sliding doors.

To attend the tour a permit needs to be obtained from the Imperial Household Agency : https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/

Next we popped by Nashinoki Jinka - which is at the East Side of the Imperial Palace.
Opening Hours : 9am - 5.30pm
Address: 690 Somedono Teramachi Dori Hirokoji-agaru, Kamigyo-Ku, Kyoto City.
Ask the locals(especially middle age ladies) if you are lost. They should be able to tell you how to get to the Shrine.
The picture with all the bikes outside shows the entrance which we entered from.
What is so special about this shrine is that there is a famous spring located on its grounds. The spring is the only one of the three famous springs from former times which is still in operation! It is believe that if you rub the tree infront of the spring you will obtain love <3>

We had lunch at Honke Owariya a 540 Year Old Soba Restaurant
Here we experienced something which we have not tried back home! After we finished the soba, the waitress came round with a pot of hot water in which the soba was boiled and told us to pour the water into the dipping sauce and drink it up! It tasted like salty, spicy soup!
Here is the webpage in English : http://www.honke-owariya.co.jp/
The location is near to the imperial palace, so it is a good rest place to stop for lunch or dinner!

Last stop - Golden Pavillion

Day 10

Arashiyama & Kameoka
Getting there: Take the JR Sagano Line to Saga Arashiyama

Take my advice try not to go to Arashiyama in Summer, unless you LOVE the Sun! The mid-day sun makes the land too hot! Instead of strolling through the lush hilly region and enjoying the scenary. My day trip there felt like a race! Instead of racing against time we were racing against the morning heat! The heat was simply unbearable! I am used to hot weather as I am a true blue born and bred tropical girl but even with the umbrella as my shield the heat was a killer!

while walking to Togetsukyo we caught sight of the Locals fishing!

First stop Togetsukyo - A Wooden Bridge, you might want to consider visiting the temples on the hill at the end of the Bridge!

I tried Shinpschijaya (Cherry Blossom Rice Cake Ice Cream) from the shop right across the Bridge. It is easy to identify the shop as it has 5 life-size plastic cones outside it! There is a first and last time for everything! That was my first time trying Shinpschijaya and that will be my last time! It has an acquired taste and even after I finished the cup I still did not acquire the taste!

Next we stopped at Okochi Sanso Villa. From the top of the hill it gave us a spectacular view from its grounds. If the weather is not too cloudy, according to the sign board, you should be able to see Kyoto Towers! We didn't manage to locate Kyoto Towers but we spotted a Geyser in the distance.

Next to the villa was a path that lead us through the Bamboo Forest and I spotted a craftsman who folded bamboo leaf grasshoppers for a living! Here is a snapshot of a happy elderly couple who are the proud owners of four bamboo leaf grasshoppers!

Next Stop off to JR Kameoka Station.

When you arrive at Kameoka Station, do visit the hot spring information centre at the station to enquire about the timing of the hotel bus to Kameoka Heights Hot Spring. The service is free even for non staying guest! The Hot Spring cost 600 Yen and you can purchase the ticket from the reception!

For first timers here is a little advice, so you won't make the mistakes I did! Find a locker to lock your clothes and put your shoes on to the rack! Don't be a shua ku like me :P and wrap yourself in the huge towel to enter the hotspring area! Do wash your body & hair prior to entering the hot spring kindly bring only a small towel in. Do not stay inside for too long or you will end up looking like a wrinkled prune and you might get a headache from the heat! Trust me no one will look at you, unless you stare at them! What you have they have, so they won't look at you! If you want smooth baby skin it is well worth the experience!

* do bring your own towel to dry yourself if you don't plan to purchase a towel there!

* make sure you do not miss the last bus or you will have to pay for busfare back to the station!

web address: www.kameoka-heights.com

A beautiful colourful bus stop at kameoka! Hair Clips in your son's hair, how will you react? Trust me it is the in-thing, as I remembered that terence used to paint his nails black and wear a hairband then :P

Day 11 - Hikone Castle

A Technological Exhibition in the Castle Grounds! The Dino is so adorable! It is extremely sensitive to touch, so when you carry it and pat it, it will go to sleep! It is just like a pet, but it is more obedient and hassle free!

the Main Building of Hikone Castle. Visitors are allowed to climb to the top, but do becareful as the steps are very steep, so cling on to the sides! It is a good physical work out! By the time I reached the top I was panting and I felt a huge relief when I reached the ground!

The Mascot of Hikone! When the Mascot came out the crowd went wild. I could hear both children and adults alike screaming Kawaii! Not only was the mascot a hit among the young but also a hit among the matured crowd - I caught many of them lining up to shake its hand!

The Gardens

We caught sight of the new Mascot of Hikone! Did you???

The Locals recommended this restaurant! It is called KIYARA. It serves Ohmi Beef, which is the beef the region is famous for. The restaurant is along the castle road. Upon entering the curtains, you will find seats lining the pathway. Even if there is a queue, enter the restaurant and inform the waitress that you want to join the queue. She will hand you a clipboard for you to write your name and the number of people eating. Then wait in line for your turn! She will call you when it is your turn! You must try Sukiyaki there!

Headed to Ogoto Station for the free hotspring foot bath just outside the station! It is open from Mon -Sun, but do reach before 5pm or the bath will be shut!

Japan

2008-08-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

KYOTO

15-17 July : Gion Matsuri

[One of the 3 Greatest Local Festivals in Japan]

Origin of the Festival: While Kyoto was the capital of Japan in 869, the whole city was sticken with plague. The Emperor dispatched his special messenger to Yasaka Shrine to pray for the immediate end of the terrible plague. 66 Halberds were erected to represent the 66 provinces in the country. It was generally believed that the spirit of the Brother of the Sun goddess in Japanese Mythology was enshrined in Yasaka Shrine. This spirit was said to have unusual powers to combat the plague. The spirit was transferred to several sacred carriages and carried in the middle of kyoto. As a result the terrible plague disappeared and since 970, the people of Kyoto made it a rule to celebrate this festival every year.

Day 6

We booked an apartment from Japan Stay Club. Before I decided to use that agent, I searched the net for reviews about that company. However I hardly found any! Here is my review about the agent. Many of us are often worry about the Reliability of the agent which we want to book our accomodation from. This is heightened by the highly publicised online credit card scams. We are often wary when a full pre-payment is necessary to secure the apartment!

In order to secure an apartment by JSC, full payment by credit card is needed prior to arrival. Above the rental fees advertised on the website, there are additional fees(cleaning,insurance and misc). After Booking two apartments from JSC, I can safely say that the company is 100% Reliable. The apartments I rented were clean and spacious (it beats staying in a squeezy hotel room) Their locations were very convenient and easy to locate. Interior was exactly like the photos featured on their website. Maybe we were just lucky, leave a tag if you disagree!

Here are some interesting features in the apartment. It came equipped with a butt washing toilet, a mini tv in the bathroom and an underground freezer. I loved how the apartment was structured so as to achieve maximum space maximisation.

We decided to explore our neighbourhood and we stumbled upon this shop. Drawn by the newspaper write up outside the shop, we decided to give it a shot.

This Restaurant specialises in Pork! It is a small family business, with only about 7-10 tables. We tried the sliced ginger pork, pork katsudon and deep fried mince pork in mash potato balls. Each set came with a bowl of rice, pickles, miso soup and above that warm hospitality by the owner. Despite his limited English, he used the plastic replicas in the showcase to explain the dishes offered in his shop. He made an effort to strike a conversation with us, while we waited for our food. Our conversations were often halted by our limited knowledge of each other's native tongue and our self consciousness concealed behind laughter. He came round occasionally to check whether the food was to our liking and bid us farewell with numerous bows. His personalised approach in dealing with customers and yummy food was what made this restaurant worth mentioning. Website:www.tonkatsu-yamanaka.com [it is in Japanese] however the map, the address and directions can be obtained from it. At Kyoto Station, you can show the details to the staff at the Tourist Information Centre and they will readily translate it for you.

Opening Hours: Lunch: 1130-1430 & Dinner: 1700-20:45

We headed to Yasaka Shrine to enjoy various traditional japanese performances from 3pm onwards.

The Japanese are proud of their culture and costumes! The summer heat did not deter the Japanese from wearing their Yukatas. Majority of the Young and the Old came dressed in it, which added colour, excitement and ambience to the festival. It was a common sight to see members from the same family coming in similar prints. This is unlike our Chinese Festivals(CNY/Mid Autumn Festival/Dumpling Festival...) in Singapore! Hardly anyone wears our traditional costumes back home! Many youngster find the traditional garments too hot and unfashionable. Those who still wear them are a rare but dying breed!

I am guilty too as I do not have a traditional chinese costume! I have 3 kimonos and a set of Nonya Kebaya in my cupboard but not a Qi Pao or Cheong Sum inside! Maybe it is time to get a Cheong Sum ?

While on display, some of the floats can be entered by tourists.

one of my favourite picture - the reflection of the lighted latterns at the front of the float through a mirror along the road side!

Byobu Matsuri: Screen festival 14-16 July

It involves houses along the route of the procession. Local residents open their front doors to the public who can view family heirlooms on display. These items have been handed down through generations.

Gion Bayashi : 14-16 July

In the evenings from 6pm-11pm, the streets are close to traffic and the area is swarmed by locals and tourists. Gion Matsuri Chant from the floats fill the air and food stalls, drink vendors and game stands line the roads. At dark the floats decorated with festival latterns are lighted up.

A Beetle is no longer low maintenance creatures !

I spotted an interesting game stall. For a price, a lot could be drawn from an enclosed box and the number on the lot indicated the number of beetles that you will get! What attracted my attention was that the beetles were fed jelly! At the bottom left corner, is a picture of a beetle eating jelly! FYI the jelly can be purchased from Daiso at 100 yen/packet. They come in a single flavour or mixed fruit flavour.

1) I walked into a temple and I spotted this automated wood figuring in the showcase, with a face and body that closely resembles a cow(i think... correct me if I am wrong). It is a fortune telling machine! Once money is inserted, you will have the chance to select the aspect of your life that you want your fortune to be read. The figure will then pick up a scroll using its mouth and drop it through the chute for you to pick up. 2) If the Mos Burger Promoters back home had to dress like that, I really wonder if anyone will take up the job? Would you? Yes you read correctly, I spotted this power ranger lookalike promoting mos burger! 3) Beer Promotion 4)Queues of teenagers lining up not for Hello Kitty but for the Neo Print Machines! After returning back home, together with 2 of my primary school friends. We blew a total of $16 to take two rounds of Neo Prints! Majority of the shots were thrashy and ugly but fun factor was 100 %! A money wasting not so cheap thrill which we plan to repeat every year!

*Check out our macho men cupcakes :D (tagline thought up by Essy)

Day 7

Headed to Heian Shrine in the Morning and along the way we spotted a petrol kiosk with pumps that hung from the ceiling. To pump petrol the pump attendants will pull down a pump and insert the pump into the petrol tank! Next we visited Kyoto Museum of Tradional crafts (Fureaikan) Opening hours is between 9am-5pm and admission is Free of Charge. The address: Kyoto International Exhibition Hall Miyako Messe 1st Floor Basement, 9-1 Seishoji-cho, Okazaki, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City. Access: Kyoto City Bus to "Kyoto Kaikan/Bijutsukan-mae"Subway Tozai Line to "Higashiyama".

Our next stop was the Path of Philosophy. We started from the side nearest to Ootoyo -Jinja. The path was extremely difficult to locate and despite repeated attempts of getting directions from the locals we kept getting lost! Fortunately we met a foreigner who guided us to the path! *My advice is that you should first visit the Ginkakuji Temple. Start the Philosophy walk from the side nearest to the Ginkakuji Temple and end at the Ootoyo Jinja. After which you can consider going to Lake Biwa Canal Museum and Kyoto Museum of Traditional Craft (Fureaikan) and lastly to Heian Shrine.

Sights along the path. The houses in Singapore are built from bricks, therefore using wood to construct the exterior of the house was something which I was not familar with. When I saw the wooden structure, it reminded me of the story of the three little pigs:P A painter along the banks of the river. A shrine which you should visit along the path is Otoyo shrine!

Who said only Human Beings can fish? A cute sight, Daddy Bear and Kiddo Bear Fishing!

Ginkakuji Temple

Love at first taste, the first time and I was hooked (:

Bamboo growing at one side of the hill and Pine at the other side. The view from the top!

Headed to Yasaka Shrine to catch the ancient court dance performances!(6-10pm) When we arrived at 5.30, the front seats were all filled even though the first dance started at 7pm. The dances were accompanied by bamboo flutes, small & big drums and cymbals. Most of the stories depicted fights between good and evil and how good often triumphed over evil. One of the story which I watched was a slow dance by a goblin who was used to represent sickness (eg:fever) and how good triumphed over the illness!

The finale dance is a MUST SEE! It is called Big Snake!

A picture of it can be seen below! The snakes represents the river. Heavy Rain caused flooding and the river killed many people.The story shows how the good monk fed the "snakes" wine and thus made them drunk and managed to kill them in the end! Hence putting an end to the flooding.

Day 8

We arrived at the junction of Kawaramachi Dori and Shijo Dori, diagonally across from Hankyu departmental store. It was a fabulous spot to catch the parade. We arrived at 7.30am even though the first float was scheduled to cross the intersection only around 9.45am. Do bring a mat as standing for 2 1/2 hours is not fun! We happily past time by breathing in exhaust fumes from the passing vehicles as we waited for the procession to start! Blame it on our in-built kiasu syndrome!

The Main Float : "Naginata Boko" Float. At the present time it is the only float that features a child. High up the front of the float is a Naginata(long sword) which is a replica of the one made by Munechika. The sword is swept from side to side as the float moves along, sweeping away disease and evil!

The wheels are turned using wood strips, water and human labour.

Lunch at Mikoan : a vegetarian restaurant!

Opening Hours are from 17:00-23:00 on weekdays. 12:00-23:00 on saturdays and 12:00-20:00 on Sundays and Holidays.

To find it go down Teramachi from Shijo, the lane is beside a departmental store. You will pass a Japanese Fruit Shop on the left. Their fruits only come from Japan and their prices are reasonable. If you are looking for fruits in Kyoto, do patronise their shop! Look out for Mikoan on the right

Below are pictures of the exterior of Mikoan! Hopefully with the pictures you are able to locate it as I do not have the address.

The disassembling of the floats after the parade to ensure the spirits of disease that have gathered are not released.

we managed to catch sight of the Mikoshi Procession at Yasaka Shrine at 6pm. Do not worry if you cannot catch it there as the Mikoshi Procession also goes to the town centre and you can catch it there too!

Japan

2008-08-23T00:11:00.000-07:00

[Bullet Train Pointers]

1) The Bullet Train leaves on the Dot, so do arrive at the platform about 15 mins before departure!

2) Seat Reservations can be made for the Shinkansen (non-smoking/smoking cabins) at the JR counter at the various stations. If you happen to miss your train or you want to board an earlier train, but have no time to reserve seats. You can hop onto an earlier/later train, but you are only allowed to seat in the un-reserved carriages. If the train is too packed(which is often during rush hour), getting a seat maybe difficult and you have to stand all the way. So do try and reserve your train seats in advance.

3) Do not ever lose your JR Pass!

4) Food & Drinks can be consume on board. Similar to a flight, the train stewardess will come round with her push cart filled with light snacks and drinks for sale! Bento Boxes and Drinks can be purchase from the station itself.

5) Maximising your JR Pass: 1) use it for the stretch between the Airport to the city (Eg: Narita to Tokyo station and if possible from Tokyo Station to Narita) 2) It can be used for the Loop Line in Osaka and Tokyo, however it is only limited to JR trains and JR stops. I feel that the JR Pass is more useful for the loop line in Tokyo than in Osaka. However if given an option I would rather buy a one/two day pass to use on the subway and to use the JR Pass for travelling 3) Long Distances - especially on the Shinkansen!

Japan

2008-08-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

Graduation Trip to the Land of the Rising Sun

"A Month Long Expensive Gym Package"

10th July - 5th August

TOKYO

Day 1

Arrived in Narita in a groogy state, as I hardly slept on the flight! Was a walking zoombie through customs and only finally at the luggage department did it hit me that I was finally in Japan!

Some Advice on what to do in Narita Airport

1) If you are planning to use the Airport Limousine Bus to your accomodation - do buy the package which includes a Tokyo Metro one day free ticket - cost 3100 yen! It is much cheaper than buying the airport limousine bus ticket and Tokyo Metro one day pass seperately

2) Do buy the Tokyo Metro Open Ticket (valid for 2 days ) at the airport, if I am not wrong the price is a discounted price as compared to the price you pay outside the airport. It cost 980 Yen from the counter in the airport!

3)Exchange your Japan Rail Pass and Book your Japan Rail Seats in the Japan Rail Office in the Airport. * You can tell the counter staff when you want to activate the pass and it need not be activated once you have exchanged it!

We stayed in the Akasaka Weekly Mansion

direction to the apartment: [this is based on memory so it is a little messy and sketchy]
Take the Airport Limousine Bus to ANA Intercontinental Hotel Tokyo,
With the hotel behind you, look across the road you will spot a golf shop.
Cross the road using the underpass outside the Hotel
Take the small street beside the Golf Shop continue upwards
You will pass many restaurants along the way
You will also see an office building with a security post outside
continue on and you will find a convenience store [Popura]
Turn right after the store go down the small alley lane(:

If you are lost just ask around as majority of the Japanese we encountered were extremely helpful! One even showed us all the way to the Weekly Mansion, even though it was out of his way! That was my first encounter with Japanese Hospitality!

The toilet reminded me of an Airplane toilet as it was so so tiny! There are no non smoking rooms in the weekly mansion, so the strong stench of lingering smoke in the room gave me a mega headache!

Headed off to the Tokyo Imperial Palace

Do remember to apply for a permit at http://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/order/index_EN.html [Imperial household agency application form]

Access will be denied without a permit!

Day 2

First Stop Kagurazaka District

get out of kagurazaka station

Decided to take an early morning walk around Kagurazaka District and this was what I spotted when I walked down an alley off the main road! It was a residential stretch but I spotted 1) A clothing shop 2) A photo studio 3) A clinic. In general there is a level of trust in the Japanese Society! I experienced it first hand when the lady boss of the clothing shop left her shop unattended for at least 5 mins or more when I was browsing through the racks of clothings outside her shop! I doubt I will see this happening back home in a sleepy neighbourhood district!

Wandering down, I saw a Multi Storey Carpark - where cars were given the same privilege as human beings - the chance to take a Lift! A rare sight back home!

"Peek-A-Boo" this gate would have gone un-noticed if someone didn't open it and walk through it. It is just big enough for a human to walk through, it is not a dead end but a passage which cuts to the street behind the main street!

The smell of burning charcoal was what attracted me to this push cart. It is found along the main street of kagurazaka district ( on the left side when you head towards Iidaibashi district) I simply love grilled seafood! The scorching hot summer heat did not deter me from trying it! I tried the fish and it was grilled to perfection! I also tried a string of scallop on a stick andthey were tender! Price Ranges between 400yen to 600yen.

Crossed the road and we found ourselves in Iidaibashi District, walked straight and we found this really cool shop. Finally I could give my speckys a "bath", free self cleaning specs services for up to four people at one go! The machines were set up outside the shop and tissue was even provided for you to dry your specs! Absolutely Awesome!

Some interesting signs used to promote businesses in the district! 1) Have a weird sounding name - "Hair Cook Pit" 2) A Mascot - tooth, toothbrush and toothpaste foam! 3)If you have a clothing shop some distance away - use a mannequin and doll it up and sling a sign around its neck to show the way to your shop!

Rest Stop Veloce Coffee [one of the greatest gem I found on my trip] and it was just few doors away from the entrance of Kagurazaka Station ! *A MUST TRY - Excellent Standard of Coffee for the Price! A value for money chain!

The metro subways are extremely easy to navigate - there is board within each carriage with arrows and lighted up squares to show which direction the train is heading and which is the next stop!

Off to Ogikubo District!

Bicycle Parking Attendent [ I am not joking ]

Bicycle Parking Lots [I am not joking ] enlarge the picture if you do not believe!

Dual Storey Carpark for Bicycles

If your tummy starts rumbling you might want to consider trying this Yakitori Stall beside Ogikubo station! The negative point is that seats are only available if you order alcohol to go with the yakitori! If not you have to stand and eat, but plain water is provided (f.o.c) to accompany your meal! Correct me if I am wrong but I think this store only serves yakitori!

Obviously Yakitori was not enough to satisfy my hunger! Headed to Ebisu District for Dinner! We tried Kazuki, found along the main street in Ebisu District! This restaurant specialises in Ramen! The noodles were chewy and cooked to perfection - they were not soggy and overcook! The soup base was just right - not too salty and they were generous with their beansprout!

Last Stop before we retired to Bed. We got off at Kamiyacho Station and walked to Tokyo Tower!

We didn't queue to go to the top of the tower, as I found another building that could give me a nice view of tokyo's night sky line too but the only difference is that it is F.O.C :) will write about this in my future entries

Day 3

Headed off to Asakusa, nearest station Asakusa Station

First stop we went to view the exterior of Asahi Breweries Headquarters Building [the picture on the top right] - The structure represented a beer cup, with beer foam on the top! However when left up to imagination the Beer foam kind of reminded me of a parsnip or a chillie! What do you think? [ the picture on the bottom right ] - is a designated smoking area for the area! So listen up smokers that is the spot which you should look for, as you are not allowed to puff while walking along the street!

Next stop headed off to Sensoji Temple, Asakusa Shrine and Nakamise Shopping Arcade. No fancy storefronts, no extra manpower, no fancy machines, just an old lady running a one woman show selling vegetables along the path of Nakamise Shopping Arcade. A huge contrast from the typical stalls found in the Arcade!

I tried Kibidango - which is small round balls on a stick from a shop in Nakamise Shopping Arcade. The balls were sweet but not overly sweet, had a sticky, chewy and elastic texture that kind of reminded me of cheese strings which connect the pizza to your mouth after bitting!

My initial plan was to head to Kappabashi Market, however we encountered a detour along the way and we stumbled upon a Summer Bazaar at Kappabashi

Anyone interested in Chilled cucumber for 100yen?

I tried the cold jelly with soya sauce and vinigrette dressing with seaweed flakes on the top. Street food it is suppose to be cheap but ironically it is not! Here is my honest view about street food in Japan- they are a rip off! When I went to the supermarket I saw the same combi for just slightly over 100 yen while I paid 350 yen there! This is a post Japan post, so trust my words about street food! Even when I visited the summer bazaars in Kyoto and Osaka, the street food there were simply overpriced! So take my advice, go to a side alley away from the main bazaar or a permanent stall somewhere else, you will find that what is offered is more value for money!

Japanese Kids are Adorable! I loved the prints on their yukatas - so bright so cheerful (: I tried on a summer kimono but it just didn't suit me! Might look better in a cheong sum! At a tiny little nook, I found a little boy playing in a blown up swimming pool and he happily grinned at the camera. I wonder how he felt? Maybe like a star as I was not the only one taking pictures of him!

It is common to find non smoking signs like the one above painted on the road, to remind smokers not to smoke while walking!

What is a bazaar without the GAMES?

Fishing for balloons/mini crayfish or fishes! Try it if they are your cup of tea

Fishing for balloons/mini crayfish or fishes! Do try it if that is your cup of tea - Do not be self-conscious despite the fact that your neighbour beside you might be 1/4 of your height! My definition of a grown up : An overgrown and oversized kid! So no worries you won't really stand out :P

We ran into A Traffic Awareness Parade at the end of the street!

Walked to Ueno Park and among the foliage I saw blue tents on high ground at various spots in the park. If you were wondering what they were, they are shelters for the homeless in Japan. Do respect the privacy of the people residing in these tent as I am sure you won't like it if an endless stream of people continuously peep into and video your house right?

Headed off to Ameyoko

Near to the stores selling Fresh Seafood - especially Fish, I spotted a store selling my favourite custard fish- simply delicious - soft and fat and not overly sweet!

Zoomed off to Ginza: a shopperholic's haven for designer goods (:

To not qualify as a window shopper - you just need to bring a couple of credit cards, wear a comfy pair of shoes, be an impulse buyer and have the willingness to spend on anyting that has caught your fancy, no matter how expensive the goods can be!

They were selling the I-Phone in the Apple Store

Day 4

We woke up early to go to the Nogi Shrine Flea Market (5.30am -3pm) and it were such a disappointment! There was only about 10-15 stalls set up along the pavement leading up to the shrine and a majority of them sold antiques! One highlight of my visit was that I spotted a couple bringing their 100 day old baby for blessing. When you step into the grounds of the shrine, there was a slight feeling like I was being trapped in time. The hands of time felt like they were at a standstill! It felt very peaceful, with the birds singing and the crickets chirping!

Next off to Design Festa Gallery! An artsy haven!

Address:

<> 1st & 2nd fl., 3-20-18, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
<> 1st, 2nd & 3rd fl., 3-20-2, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 11:00 - 20:00

Nearest Station: Meijijingumae Station.

A Picture of the exterior of the structure is featured in the centre of this collage : with connecting metal rods painted in bright red and grafitti covering the whole face of the building. This Building is simply hard to miss! Super Funky!

Budding artists could rent a room at this place to display their wares!

Dorothy, the Tin Man, The Lion and The Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz - crafted out of clay!

Futuristic Stroller? What do you think?

Walked to Meiji Jingu Shrine and the Forested Gravel Path provided a cool relief from the swealting mid day sun! It took about 10 Mins to walk to the shrine and I caught sight of Japanese Wedding Procession walking through the grounds of the Shrine! Was caught up in a shutter clicking frenzy as I tred to capture the two love birds with their wedding entourage and admire the beautiful kimono which the bride wore.

I spotted a group of youngsters dressed up in their gothic cosplay outfits just outside the path leading to Meiji Jingu Shrine. I noticed that many of them will trolley their stuff there and will doll up on the spot. They reminded me of caged up zoo animals, as the tourist will surround them and busily snap pictures of them. Ask them nicely and most will be willing to pose for you or with you (:

Yoyogi Park - a mega happening place on a Sunday!

When I was back Home, I only heard about the dominant cosplay culture among the teenagers in Yoyogi Park, so I really didn't expect to see matured ladies dressed up in puffy skirts and many Elvis Wannabes swing dancing to Music from my Parent's Era. I love oldies and I was tempted to sway to the music! My two left feet were the only thing which was hindering me! It goes to show Many of us are still "Young at Heart" no matter what age we are (:

If you love performing and have the vocals, you should consider singing along the Road outside the NHK Centre! Who knows you might be even talent spotted (: Even if you are tone deaf and feel your singing is only confined to the bathroom, I am sure you will enjoy the countless performances by many young & talented street performers. Many tried to out-sing and out-win the other performers with CDs sales and audience support - though some only managed to with lukewarm success! Taking the first line of William Shakespeare's passage - "All the world is a stage" just with their own mikes, portable sound system, banners and musical instruments - they formed their on little stage and had their own mini concert! I noticed that having charisma helps but having the advantage in the looks department is a major selling point!

Yoyogi Park Flea Market- if you love trendy teenager's clothings at a bargain, this flea market is the place to be. I spotted some stall owners selling their used clothings for as low as 100yen/ piece (:

Headed to this cafe in Shibuya for tea. Having a pea brain memory, I can't seem to remember the exact departmental store which I found this cafe. So if you do come across this cafe, do leave a tag on my board to tell me where it is located! Your contribution is greatly appreciated!

I can't stop raving about the fruit tarts in this cafe! It was a sunday so the place was very packed but trust me the tarts were well worth the wait! Being packed had its advantage which was the fruit tarts were not stale. Demand leads to Supply: so a continous stream of freshly made fruit tarts were often brought out from the kitchen to satisfy the long queue of customers.

We tried a Fruit Tart with cherries on the top - which was filled with chocolate cream and cubes of chocolate sponge cake in between. Simply Sinful! The Frozen Berries fruit tart had a vanilla custard filling - Absolutely Mouthwatering! I ordered the Blended Coffee, thinking that I would be getting something similar to the ice blended coffee in Starbucks. However Blended Coffee to them just meant Black Coffee with Ice :)

I decided to walk to Shibuya from Shinjuku to walk off the fats, I just piled onto my bulging frame! However it was a Big Mistake! It was such a long walk that my ankle and knee ached when I reached to Shinjuku. So please do not walk, just take the JR Line. It took us close to an hour to reach there, by then it was almost closing time for most shops (closing time is around 8pm) so bought a bento box for dinner! Do head to the supermarkets around 7.30pm, as nearing closing most stalls will start slashing the prices for their bento boxes and it becomes very reasonable!

To satisfy my Sweet Tooth - I bought Pierre Hermes Macaroons - found at the basement of Isetan in Shinjuku. I tried three flavours - wasabi, chocolate & olive. Wasabi - the paste had a tinge of Spiciness. Chocolate - the paste was just right, not too overly sweet with a sugared kum guat in the centre. Olive - the paste had no olive taste!

Day 5

Being a lover of second hand shops, we headed to Shimo Kitazawa. It is a treasure trove for vintage lovers, a lovely place where you can spend hours wandering through the various shops searching for pieces resembling those found in your grand ma's wardrobe! If you are about to attend a Retro Party or just want to jazz up your cupboard with pieces which flatter your figure, Shimo Kitazawa is a place to go. The damage to the wallet is about 4000 yen for a decent find, however some of the dresses do go for 2000 yen so depending on your luck you might be able to find a nice dress within your price range. Or if you are bitten by the "green bug" and championing a cause on the need to recycle clothings. There are a couple of thrift shops there and I am sure you will be able to find something reasonable and within your budget.

I did not come back with a truck load of vintage finds, but I came back with tons of shots of artistically painted shop shutters.

Next we headed off to PARSONA O 2: which is an underground High-Tech Vegetable Patch located in the Otemachi Nomura Building in Tokyo District of Otemachi.

Here is the Address : B2F Otemachi-Nomura Building 2-1-1 Otemachi Chiyoda-Ku Tokyo

Opening Hours from 11am - 6pm (Monday to Saturdays)

Getting There: Alight at Otemachi Station and follow the signs to Otemachi Nomura Building

After touring the Rooms, there is a Relaxation Space - a Nature filled Therapeutic Area, where you are invited to sample the lettuce grown in the underground patch!

There are 6 different rooms with crops, herbs and flowers cultivated under different conditions. 1) Lighting( Light emitting diodes (LED), Metal Halide Lamps, Artificial Light) , 2)Methods of growing (Soil/Hydroponics) 3) Temperature ( Hot or Cold)

Next up headed to Akihabara. It is not only a die heart electronic gadget fan's paradise, but also famed for the growing number of maid's cafes in the area! Thinking of buying a Maid's Costume Akihabara is the place to go. With many shops offering a wide array of cosplay and kinky costumes, you will be simply spoilt for choice!

Beware: there is a Cover Charge upon entering the Maid's Cafe, there is a Time Limit and the cafe's have their own terms and conditions! For Example @ Home Cafe charges 500 yen for an hour, everyone must order a drink and a maid will entertain you during that period! Photography is not allowed! Mai Dreamin charges 1500yen for 90mins to play games with the maids, however they do not offer main courses! Initially I wanted to go to a Maid's Cafe, however I realised that it may not be worth it as we are LANGUAGE BOUND! So it will just be wasting our money and time!

If you relish the experience being served by sweet young ladies with huge bambi eyes, kawaii voices and smiles. Dressed up in short pomp pomp skirts, an apron like the one above and being treated like a KING then do try out the Maid's Cafe.

NEXT UP off to KYOTO

2008-07-06T05:47:00.000-07:00

LOVE the world needs a little more of it

2008-06-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

The rainbow stayed long enough for me to snap various shots of it but disappeared when I was about to "follow" it to see if I could find my pot of Gold at the other end! Looks like I need to work to earn my keep! There is no other way out!

2008-06-14T22:33:00.000-07:00

It was not too long ago when I heard the words "Pens Down, Please stop writing!"

I have been dreaming of this day - The last exam of my school life, since I first entered University - My exact words :" I can't wait to get out of school, cause I simply hate the course and school to the core! I am in the Wrong degree & Wrong School! "

I thought I will be filled with jubilation, have the temptation to jump up and down the exam venue, wave my hands in the air and shout YAHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I was partly restrained by the image conscious side of me, who did not want to be labelled as a lunatic/ weirdo - SGP is so tiny, weird news travels even faster than a bullet train in Japan! I was partly surprised that when everything ended, in place of jubiliation I was filled with much regret!

I feel that Uni Life is a little Overrated![ I bet many of you will disagree with me ] It is not compulsory to fill your Resume with countless prestigious internships or various CCAs/competitions & attend those parties/bashes [plaster those fake smiles on your face and act like you are having the time of your life] just to build up your "NETWORK"!

for three years:

I never participated in any school activity,

In fact I hardly explored the school!

{ I was only familar with the canteen &

how to get to the lecture theatres & library!}

Was a sleeping member in Odac for two months,

Other than that I never joined any cca.

Made many wrong choices in course selection!

I often got really pathetic grades!

The non "tahanable" acquaintances,

Outnumbered the friend/s I made!

Hated canteen food to the max,

But ate it to hush the rumbling of my empty tummy!

Hated the stinky toilet even more!

Drove to school once - for my last lesson!

Coordinated my timetable in such a way,

that I had 1,2,3 free days in yr 1,2,3 respectively!

An Internship for the E********! - the company i met made it bearable!

A short summary of my 3 years!

For many Uni Life is the most enjoyable time,

of their whole school life,

Maybe for others, but definitely not for me!

A Relief from the stinky & mundane life I had in Uni: Grateful for Summer Breaks and Free days!

Yr 1

Went for my maiden backpacking trip to Darwin

Was very Home Sick - called back everyday

Was Silly, didn't buy a calling card

Chalked up a huge phone bill!

Returned with an overweight baggage

Filled with Sweets & cocoa powder for friends which I found could be bought in SGP! [dumb right]

My Cloth Baggage was cut!

Heading off to Vietnam next with my family

Travelled from the North to the South

Came back with huge conical hats!

And a huge love for Viet Food (:

Only regret was not buying their traditional costume

S told me that she paid $8 for it,

so when the tailor wanted to charge me $12 for a tailored set

Being narrow minded I insisted of just paying just $8 for it,

when my bargaining power didn't work ,

I didn't buy it!

AND it was not the MILK Fruit Season

Yr 2

Went to the UK alone,

Had a Memorable Experience!

Was a dumb idiot again

I forgot to buy a calling card,

Chalked up an even larger bill than the previous time!

This time my luggage lock was cut at Heathrow on the way back!

Went cookbook crazy there,

as it was so so so so much cheaper than Singapore

carried home 4 cookbooks!

Under-estimated the weather,

brought shorts and sleeveless and too many tops

ended up buying 2 jackets as I was freezing!

Lost my fleece even before I wore it,

dropped it without realising I dropped it

thankfully they were kind enough to send it back to London!

Helped out at C**

An eye opener!

Joined Salsa - found out from there I had two left feet,

Took Spanish - together with my partner, coined out weird, idiotic and absurb phrases which were quite lame but highly amusing! Realised that I didn't have a flair for the language!

monopoly*MICHELLE*manipulative*matrix*morning

AYF

generation gap

Once Bitten Twice Shy - this principle did not work for me

lady's finger

dreamland

Location

Balance Diet

Additional Vocab

My Pursuit - Happiness

Childhood Romance

hello 2010

solitude

my secret love

my secret love

10 mins in a Mini

what's next

Trust

I can't bake BUT she can

it is now

***

Princess Stunning

The Magic of Make Up

6 working adults

An Awesome Article

ktv

Revelation

reflections

YOU + ME = ACQUAINTANCE

Running your own race

Blue Sky Day

Tame Tongue

D Day

a visit to two museums in two days

You + Me = Friends For Life

Leave Increment

choices

Life

work

"Root" Pet

I am going back to School

家

what will your choice be?

sakura tea

Life is a "Beach"

i shot my golden chance

怀念北京

北京

哈尔滨

哈尔滨

哈尔滨

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

北京

monopolyMICHELLEmanipulativematrixmorning