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Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Japan Spring- Day 2

Day 2 starts off.......

this is when we came down to Kyoto from Arima Onsen.

Pictures from 2nd Day Arima Onsen. 

 

Breakfast.... we had thought to wake up at 8 to watch mochi pounding session.... but overslept and missed it. Not surprisingly =D

This Salmon seen above is cold. I thought it was a cold dish!!! Mana tau...

 

You see that string??? You have to PULL on it to activate the heat/steam. So the dish is heated up like that.

But I smartly ate everything cold. It was only halfway through the meal my dad discovered the heat up method =(

How would we know!!! Normally things are heated up in the kitchen!!!

 

More side dishes during breakfast. As usual, meals are huge esp for kaiseki types

Part of breakfast too. bamboo shoots/veg shavings and some noodles

Tamago! yummy.

 

Fruit and yoghurt 

Refreshing lime juice

 

Greedy me with swollen eyes

 

How on earth do japanese stay so slim!!!

 

 

ooo they even had Mua zhee (mochi in chopped peanuts and sugar) top right of the picture

So they expect us to eat everything including that big bowl of rice!

Lastly

 

Soup with tofu, mushrooms and pork balls heated up mini steamboat style.

 

After breakfast we packed up and left amidst all the friendly goodbyes from the staff. They were all so nice and friendly!!!

Stuffed our baggage into the hired van and slept all throughout the journey to Kyoto. Several hours it was!

We reached our destination, hiragiiya ryokan where we were shown to our rooms and unloaded our luggages. Our rooms were awesome! but more on that later  !!!

We immediately set off to trawl Kyoto for sakura. Since it was a little early for the season, we werent greeted by sakura petals blowing everywhere. Instead we saw a few sparse trees lining roads and rivers with small pink buds =(

Thank goodness the driver knew of some good places for flowers

The behind is peach blossoms!!. But it's like an entire garden of them right in Kyoto Imperial Palace. So gorgeous! We were right in the middle/end of the peach blossom/ plum blossom season. Everyone was out for a picnic/photo taking session with the plum and peach blossoms. 

Gorgeous flowers

 

 i loveeeeeeeeee the downy petals!!!

My mom

 

Yes, when we saw everyone else having a picnic under all the flowers we decided to have one too! Doreen/Derick and Rose went off to get some food and we spread it out on the grass.

 

Noodles, coke, sandwich, am not sure what else there was.

If only the sun wasn't so bright!!!

 

Finally a nice picture =D

After eating

At this point we were wondering if we could ever catch a glimpse of some early, full bloom sakura. Rose suddenly disappeared to look for some sakura and left us clueless as to where she was.

This was while waiting for her to return

 

she was gone for so long ok =(

But then she came back with good news! She found  two"weeping willow" cherry blossom trees =DDDD

Derick sulked in this picture so we made him take a second one SMILING

  

yeah erm... not much improvement either ahem

 

during the long walk to the sakura area, we came across a magnificent magnolia tree 

these huge soft flowers smell amazing! Sweet and soft fragrance.

(actually they smell like soap/perfume...the delicate kind)

 

 

HELLO THERE~~~ <3

sakura~ 

This weeping cherry sort is called shidarezakura. There are many other types of sakura of course. This is one of my favourites!

Gorgeousssssssss

 

Looks like a shower of pink sprays

Nothing beats being there to see it and to actually experience the atmosphere. The gentle swaying of sweeping branches laden with whitish pink, followed by a subtle breeze carrying forth petals from the flowers. It was magical I could almost attest to it!

 

obligatory family photo minus dana (muahahah sweet revenge)

 

Rose and I

 

Organizers for this Japan trip

 

Mom and a sulky derick

=D 

Couple appreciating the cherry blossoms  

While snapping this photo, a japanese couple (yes the same one above) walked past and commented "Indonesian tourists, most likely"  in Japanese.

I delighted in giving them a nice shock when I replied back that we're Malaysian in Japanese

 

mom and dad

Can't get enough of those flowers! Of course they are most gorgeous when they are out in full force in  Kyoto!

Imagine walking down a path lined with pink (Ok so I'm not the greatest fan of pink but this is an exception!)

 

Grabbing the sakura branches for a photo

 

 

Not sure if I was allowed to grab them like that to take a photo

But after we were done taking photos, the Japanese couple decided to follow suit and took photos at the exact spot and with the exact pose that we did HAHAHHAHAA

Quite funny since while people from around the world would want to copy the Japanese, these Japanese couple copied a bunch of Malaysian tourists.

Then again there's Tadashi who knows more about Malaysia than me -___-"

We walked around looking for a place to eat. Derick needed some meat ==D Ventured into some place nearby hiiragiya ryokan. There were small shops, Nishiki Food market, Isetan, takashimaya on one of the main roads.

Good arrangement *sly smile*

 

I'm proud of this shot!!!

Inside the katsudon place we ate at

 

At the food market where we bought some Japanese snacks to bring back

 

The lantern spells "Yakitori" and hangs outside a small eatery

I have no idea what this is, but I like how this picture turned out!

The lighting is pretty and the stick divider is a nice touch

Then we returned to the Ryokan for dinner

Our room! (mine, doreen derick and Rose's). So huge isn't it? It's one of the party rooms apparently

The bathroom.... I didnt take a photo of it... cuz it was dark and i was scared HAHHAHAHA

It basically consisted of an ofuro and shower, and wooden stools to sit on while you wash yourself. The clean, fresh scent of pine and sandalwood was very strong I remember.... plus our shower gel/shampoo etc was made up of those things.

Another thing I noticed of these Ryokans.... there are fresh flowers everyday. In many forms of ikebana (flower arrangement). I loved how detailed and meticulous everything was in the Ryokan.

Derick playing his gameboy. The paper shutters beyond him and the table actually slide open to reveal a large wide screen TV.

Yes, this and the garden is also a part of our living space. =D

Beautiful!

 

This is the Nakai-san (attendant) who attended to us the whole trip. She's really nice/cultured/well-mannered

In this photo, she is setting out our dinner. Mom and dad join us in our room for dinner. It's strange to eat in the same room you sleep but it's normal in Japan? Doreen loved it too I'm sure =p

 

Seated for dinner.

Our menu for the meal... as before, the entire list is served to each and every one of us

 And so the parade of food begins:-

Pea soup, peach cocktail, yubu (i forgot the rest)

 

Some sashimi

 

some more seafood

 

grilled seafood

 

 

soup and rice

 

can't remember!

 

Fruits

 

Again... I almost exploded after eating.

Me and derick with one of the flower arrangements in the room

 

The Nakais setting out our futons. We get to watch this time!

 

Fluffy futons!!!

Sooooooooooo nice and fluffy I love it!

 

Doreen again flew onto her futon after they were done. The pillows too were nice and plump. Love how everything is nice, downy and cloud-like!

 

Mom and I in our yukata provided by the Ryokan. You can wear this to lounge about and sleep?

 

and the overcoat.... hmm i forgot what it's called

 

In the garden with our geta

After this Doreen, derick and i just hung around, transferring pictures and watching movies on Doreen's laptop

End of Day 2 


Monday, June 22, 2009

Japan Spring 2009 Day 1

I know I only just finished blogging about last year's Japan trip. But I wanted to write about this spring's Japan trip so I'm gonna hold off the Canada entry til after this~

My family and I planned to see the sakura this year. Rose was supposed to organize it, but things didn't go as planned so I had to ask Tadashi for help booking the Ryokan and stuff. He pulled through amazingly amidst all my panic.

The morning I was supposed to fly off to Japan I had the last minute nerves, you know the anxious feeling you get "What if the ryokan is not booked where are we gonna stay....Is my Visa properly done, what if I'm sent home after the long flight there??"

ya la paranoid ok! At the Japanese immigration, they stopped a woman travelling from Malaysia because she didn't have a Japanese visa (seeeee I'm not paranoid for nothing!!!)

So the trip was 4 nights and 5 days long (for me, my dad and rose) to Kyoto. Mom and siblings left  a day early as the small kids had exams (HHAHAHAHAHA). I flew to Osaka airport from Singapore and met my family there in the airport (they landed an hour earlier). From there we took a van to Taketoritei Maruyama, Arima Onsen.... prob about 2-3 hours drive from Osaka airport as the place is in Kobe. I chose this place because they have private hot springs!!! Don't have to go to the public onsens and see everyones privates! And I can take towels into the bath with me =D

 

The itinierary:-

18 March 2009 - arriving Kansai, Osaka at around 7am
                           [transfer from Osaka to Arima Onsen]
                           
                            Accomodation: Taketoritei Maruyama
                           
 
19 March 2009 - (around noon) Check out from Onsen Accomodation
                         - transfer from Onsen to Kyoto
                         - Kyoto city sightseeing
               
                           Accomodation: Hiragiya Ryokan
                           
 
20 March 2009 - Kyoto and vicinity cities (including Hemehji and etc) sakura sightseeing
                           Accomodation: Hiragiya Ryokan                    
 
21 March 2009 - From Kyoto to Kansai Osaka

 

Turns out we were too early to see sakura T____T. BUT we were able to see the plum blossoms which normally come out before the sakura.

 

It took us a nice long hike up and down pebble paths and longkangs (just because they were easier to walk in ok!!)... on high heeled boots....

when we FINALLY reached the place i dropped my humongous camera bag in a corner and went picture crazy.

My mom's pretty here right??? =D

Plum blossoms have a really really sweet smell and are shaped like small rounded buds.

 

Aren't they pretty? like a froth of pink bubbles. I'm quite proud of this shot too! Still learning how to use my camera.

There's the pink variety and the white ones

 

My photo taking skills not bad ok!!  nyek~

The area was quite high up overlooking the town. Arima Onsen itself is full of slopes and hilly paths

 

Gorgeous!!!

Mom and dad

 

 

taken with flash.... came out differently even with the harsh sunlight

yeah we took a LOT of photos to compensate for all that walking/hiking uphill just to see the plum blossoms!

more blossoms against the blue sky shots. Was super hot and sunny that day without a cloud in the sky.

 

the next few shots are us with the cameras....all trying hard to take nice shots

me with my canon 400D

Derick with my oh so awesome blinged camera... canon of course

 

Doreen gan with her 40D

Mom with my camera.

Taken with Rose's Nikon

 

mother and daughter hiao

HAHAAHHA

hot and sweaty and bothered with the bright sunlight.... and that the sunlight was not falling at the right places. You know when the background is nice you'd also need some nice sunlight positioning to make a nice photo?

The sunlight wasn't shining right that day T_________T

 

We got a Japanese passerby to take a photo for all of us.... I wonder why I didn't take out my tripod... after all I already lugged it all the way =(

 

Derick washing his hands/mouth at a nearby shrine.

Then we walked down to look for lunch. Had lunch at a small restaurant.

And let me tell you it was so good I forgot about taking a picture til I finished eating!

 

Kurimu soda (cream soda) was the bomb !! like the Lime and Vanilla popsicle I used to have when I was younger.... but nicer! So refreshing after the hot and sticky trek.

 

The tempura ebi was yummy too! While tempura is normally crispy, this one had more egg in it and it turned out so well!  

Therefore the picture of the shell only instead of the whole thing before I greedily devoured it.

 These orchids were so pretty they looked fake!

These too! but they were 100% real. I know cuz I felt them up =D

Walked around summore, went into souvenir shops and bought a few souvenirs, and Japanese snacks to try. Then we spotted this!

 

woo hoo! free hot springs to soak your tired feet in

we had to buy some cheap towels nearby to wipe off after we were done

was so darn hot!!! my feet felt like they were gonna explode

aren't these dogs cute!!! we spotted them twice while walking around arima onsen

 

 

me exhausted and waiting for the bus to take us back to the inn.

  

got into a bus full of old people. I think that Arima Onsen is where people go to when the retire... predominantly silver haired people!

Back at takotoritei:-

They served us plum tea and mochi

the plum tea had gold stuff in it. Was so gross !! Sour but ... gross... I dunno la! ahahahha it's just strange

 

mom gobbling the snack.

After which we were led off to pick the yukata of our choice. To use in the inn of course, not to take away unfortunately.

 

Mom on the cart before being wheeled off to the lift. HAHAHAHA

Parents' room

 

Which had its own onsen. The silver hot spring.

 

and a kotatsu! which I never tried in the end

 

Pretty Japanese lady explaining how the onsen, dinner and breakfast works.

I just realized how strange that sounds... how dinner and breakfast and the onsen works? dont u just go and eat and splash into the hot springs? In Japan I guess things are a little more meticulous and orderly.

 

our room! And here's how it works... in the daytime the tables and seats are set out like this. Then when you go off for dinner, the employees will come shuffling in to put the table and seats away and set out your futons side by side.

 

dressed to go to the hot springs

omg... doreen gan is my height....almost! omg !!!

     

next to the silver and gold springs

Arima Onsen has two kinds of springs: One is called "Kinsen" because the water is colored yellow-brown from its iron and salt. The other is "Ginsen," which contain radium and carbonate. The water of Ginsen is colorless.

one of them is supposed to be good for backs too but i forgot which 

mom and doreen sitting beside the springs after a soak. Strange la it's an open onsen. Half of it is covered the rest is open air. Behind the onsen in a forest of bamboo i think. Mom was a bit paranoid someone would be watching hahahaha

 

blood circulation kicked in after a (Very HOT) soak in both the silver and gold baths. relaxing too

 

at dinner with our yukata.

It took us all so darn long to get into those yukatas! we were wrapping them up wrongly and tying the obis into weird knots! In the end we had to ask for help from the receptionist and a lady, skilled at kimono dressing, came up to our rooms to help wrap us into the yukatas.

 

doing the kawaii pose while waiting for dinner to be served

 

this is ony crazy long list for dinner ok. It's not that this is a menu where we choose what we want to eat... it's a menu where everything on this list is served to you! 

strawberry wine. on a mini cart. So cute right??? and so delicious! Strawberry wine is the best wine ever!

And I love the eye for detail here.

 

see??? everything is so perfectly placed. This is Kaiseki.... healthy food... REALLY healthy food

sometimes abit too healthy =D

 

sashimi served with loads of greens. I thought it was weird at first but i fell in love with it after that. Now when I  buy sashimi, i buy alfalfa sprouts to go with them. 

 

tempura... served with salt??

 

beef.... which I threw over to Derick to eat since he was having difficulty with the healthy food. He only eats pork cutlets when we go for Japanese... never the raw stuff.

 

And you dump it into the pot to cook =D so cool *raves more about japan*

 

and more strawberry wine

 

am not sure why they served the rice last... and I'm not sure what that bowl beside the rice bowl contains... slimy stuff... I wonder if it's natto all blended into a paste to trick us into eating it... it didnt taste bad...it was just slimy

 

at this point i was about to burst

family in yukatas

The japanese girls love to put their hair into huge buns at the top of their heads. While theirs are nice and neat and plump, mine is just messy!! It's a mystery how they always look so good!

 

Back in the room.... futons laid out all ready for us to sleep. Doreen flew onto her soft downy comforter.

I shouldnt be worried that it'll be cold during winter, because there are heaters in the room. I loveeee these futons!!! So nice and fluffy!

 

Doreen and rose.

By this time we were all soooo sleeepy... it was already around 10-11 ish. But mom and I made another trip to the onsen while my dad soaked in their room.

Gold springs

 

That's all for day one!


Friday, June 12, 2009

On the flight home

On the flight back home to KL, I trudged my way through the narrow aisles .... as ungraceful as ever with two bags in tow. When I finally got to my seat, I found out that the passenger sitting beside me was a little girl of no more than 9-10 years old. 

3 things occured to me.... firstly, that I may probably hit her with my trolley bag while hoisting it into the overhead compartment.... secondly, she was travelling alone (I confirmed this later when some of the crew members escorted her out of the plane to the immigration)....and thirdly the little kid was occupying the aisle seat while I occupied the window seat.

This little girl quietly got out of her seat without me even asking her so that I could dump my handbag onto my seat and fling my trolley bag up onto the oh so out-of-reach overhead compartments.

I was thinking then that this girl had nice manners. Then as I proceeded to sit down, I asked her if she would like to switch seats so she could have the window seat (which is what is considered a prime seat for many people like my younger siblings). Instead of mumbling an "ok" or "no" with shy, downcast eyes (or maybe in some cases, snottier replies!), she looked me straight in the eye, beamed and said "It's ok".

I don't know why but I was pleasantly taken aback by that wide smile. Certainly didn't expect it. When the flight attendants handed out the health declaration forms to us, the kid took out a neat, black planner with her passport details, ticket and handwritten travel checklist  all nicely tucked into the folds and pockets in the organizer. She then slowly and meticulously filled out the form. I on the other hand, scrounged around haphazardly in my bag for a pen, the ticket stub and my passport which were scattered among other items in my bag.

During the flight she took out a book to read... Daddy Long Legs.. which brought back memories of Enid Blyton's weird and wonderful tales that I used to devour. The little girl had on a face mask, was neat, organized, well-mannered, really cute, and precocious on top of everything.

Despite all that I was reminded of her age when the plane went through some bad turbulence and her hands, one of which was clutching her book, grabbed at both her armrests... she was obviously scared though she didn't utter a word or a single cry.

Looking at this little girl, my maternal instincts started raging and I realize that I do want to have children. And now I'm hoping that I might have a daughter that's just like her.


Thursday, October 23, 2008

Japan day 5 - KYOTO!!

  

Hohoho~ long time no see blog! been busy but HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! It's the year of the Ox =D

Went to take shoot fireworks... as in take photos of the fireworks.

Camped out under our tripods for 6 hours near the merlion on NYE. Luckily Melvin jom place otherwise we probably wont be able to get the shots that we did.

I was the noob one there with my kit lens. Melvin and Edmund had some really good lenses T____T

Luckily I managed to borrow a tripod beforehand otherwise I wouldnt have been able to shoot anything at all.

My first shot =D

a wide angle would have done wonders T_________T

rambutan! 

this is how hell looks like *nods head*

I'm only putting up the acceptable ones so not many here

this is my pride and joy!!! looks like fairies doesnt it!!! It's my clearest, smoke-less shot

 

edmund, melvin and I celebrating our first fireworks shoot. Edmund is using his wireless remote.

 

The hellish journey back home. This is Cityhall MRT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wanted to finish off the Japan trip =D after all these months I left it sitting under "drafts"

 

alice got bullied

 

yeah! matching pyjamas!!

hello kitty on top of that.

it's getting more and more comfy now =D wish i bought more.

ACBC !!

 

awww miss you aliceee!!!

next day... woke up early to go to Kyoto. The day I've been waiting for!!!

But my goodness I got a shock at the Shinkansen prices. Seriously.... few hundred ringgit to Kyoto one way. Burnt a hole right through my pockets.

 

 

In the shinkansen

where all of us ended up snoring away. so tired!!!

dana and chryseis

 

 

This is gonna be a long picture post.

 

 

outside the shinkansen. desperately trying to open my eyes. Chryseis and Dana are smart.... wear sunnies

 

Not sure if we were veryyyy hungry or too unsure of where to have our lunch. So we just went into the first decent looking restaurant we went to (while still in the station).

 

The food was average la

 

Tempura udon?

 

And we took pics with this statue of a Geisha!! Just in case we don't get to see any in Gion

 

Kyoto!!! Less city-like than Tokyo. I love it!!!

 

in the cab on the way to our first destination: Fushimi Inari Shrine

I chose the destinations we were to visit in Kyoto

My choices were:-

1) Fushimi Inari Shrine - Because it looked sooooooo gorgeous in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha. The rows and rows of torii. Red and glowing

2) Gion - I secretly harboured hopes of nabbing a geisha to take a photo with. Or even better dress up as one and take photo, like tiong, iming and chekkie did! Looked so fun!

3) Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) - Another scenic location. Beautiful...

me in the front.... for the purpose of paying the taxi driver each time T_______T

is that all I'm there for huh huhhh???

 

we're hereeeee

in front of the entrance of the shrine

 

There are some basic manners that we need to observe while at shrines. First, we need to bow deeply and make ourselves presentable in front of the Torii, which is the gateway to the shrine.



Second, we need to wash our hands and mouth at the Chozuya to purify ourselves.

i forgot what we had to do here....hold the scoop with your right hand , pour water into the other hand, and drink/rinse mouth with water before placing it back

Attempting to follow instructions

 

Not sure how well we followed instructions haahhahah

perhaps we should have watched how the others did it first!!!

I love all things japanese =DD

Handling the big camera is always tricky.... I need more tips

 

our "4 princesses" picture HAHAHAHAHHA

*shudder*

I loveeeeeeee Kyoto!!!

 

Dana is so aware of the camera

When we pray, we need to throw a coin in offering box.  After throwing a coin we need to ring the bell, and bow two times, clap two times and pray. After praying we need to bow again.

I think we were deciding on the coin to drop into the box. Apparently a certain coin is better. Forgot already. This is what happens when you leave something too long and come back and try to blog about it.

See those ribbons at the back?

 

 

You pull on them to ring the bell. So cool!!! 

 

I think this is where ppl write their wishes on paper and then tie them here.

 

took lots of pictures while looking for the spot that I wanted =DDD

 

 

love this photo  of dana and chryseis

 

sigh~ don't you think it's so pretty!!!

finally! almost reached the area

 

THIS!!! people.... THIS!!! is why I chose fushimi inari shrine. it's because of all this red glowing passage

the path split into two but we weren't keen on walking the whole way

I think it's absolutely magical

The... year ? I don't knowwww!!!

  

Have you ever watched Memoirs of a Geisha before?

 

This is the place where Chiyo-chan runs through at the very end of the movie. Sooooooo beautiful. Of course, it looked much bigger in the movie than it did in real life, cuz it was a child running through it after all how could I forget T____T

i'm gonna come back here some day when my camera skills are better!!! 

but.... so many mosquitoes... i got bitten T____T

 

 

exiting the place.

 

Next stop! We hopped onto a cab to Gion!

I think it's quite obvious why I chose the place.... I harboured a secret agenda to see a geisha up close. To be entertained by one is way out of budget

 

Entrance to some... i honestly have no idea haha 

 

Traditional houses, entrances, name plates

I was intrigued by everything.

Yes we were on a mission.... to find a geisha and some museum or show which was closed or not running T___T 

 

I don't know what I felt back then.... like being transported into a Jap movie or back in time.

Now if only Alice were wearing a kimono

 

this is one weird shot. wonder who took it ~

 

 

 

 

hello obachan in kimono =DDD *stalk stalk

Where there are more women donning traditional yukatas/kimonos, complete with the sash, tabi socks and slippers and paying respect to different houses, bowing dozens of times before leaving each place.

We fulfilled our mission to take photos with a geiko/geisha (or at least people who are dressing up as them)

 

sighhhh~ they're costumes so pretty! and the accessories... and obi sash

long obi sashes are for 

 

mmmm.... we caught a maiko!!!

but i have a sneaky suspicion that she was just a girl dressing up as one

 

but anyway! mission geisha targeting completed! albeit a little cheating was involved.

Feast your eyes on the most magnificent puff ever!!!! this one is goma (black sesame)

We found the store tucked away in some random corner while we were in Gion wandering about, lost.

 

Alice and Chryseis's bag

Sisterssss!

 

hello sweets =D

 

i forgot what flavour she took... green tea?

Sitting at the front of the taxi.... to pay the cab fares T_________T SOB !!!

WHY MEEEE~

Gion - geisha targeting accomplished. Next up. KENKAKUJI!!! *Golden pavilion* I somewhat remember going there when I was younger.

 

On the way to Kenkakuji ~ Kyoto is chock full of scenic buildings, shrines and history 

Dana and the ... admission ticket?

alice with hers

 

omg this Chriseis had to stick it on her forehead... chinese vampire style

 

me and mine. yes i'm devoid of creativity.

 

 

This was where we paid 200 yen each to swing the log to hit the bell. And pray/make a wish. Received a postcard each =D

 

It was fun hehehe~

Leaving the gigantic bell to search for the main attraction... the gold temple itself.

There's also a silver version named Ginkakuji... but they  never got around to covering it with silver.

  

Gorgeous isn't it?

 

alice

Photobucket

chryseissss

    

This picture is one of my favs. me, alice and chryseis

This was taken by Dana as you can see, since she's not in the picture

 

<3 I'm sooooo coming back here again

 

I love this pic toooo

Taken by Alice 

All of us. Wonder if we would have seen autumn leaves if we came in autumn instead?

 

here comes captionless pictures 

 

After we had our fill of the main structure, we trudged up the path behind it, along with the rest of the visitors.

It led up to this hut selling fortunes and charms

I think that moss covered place is where people used to wash themselves after using the toilet? (I DONT KNOW!!!! aliceee can you remember what you translated for me!!!???)

 

Chryseissss don't fall innnnn~

 

 

Bought one charm. I've forgotten what's it for though. Dana and I bought a pair for my parents too

 

 

Try your luck throwing coins into that little stone basin.... I swear you'll never get it in -_-" *grim*

 

this pic of chryseis is so cute =D

 

yeah we clambered all the way up. Slippers are the best!!! Esp during the summer when you need to walk a lot. Forget about sneakers!!! They're way too hot!

  

 

 

I should have blogged about this immediately after the trip..... can't remember all the little details now.

  

hello bag =) come to momma ~ *gleam*

  

as you can see, the most pariah looking slipper is mine

awwww i miss everyone 

Waiting for the shinkansen... which cost 13000 yen one way. Two way ticket goes up to 26000 yen. Which is 260 USD. For a two to three hour train ride each way.

My pockets felt so.. soo.... empty as you can imagine =(

 

 

The rip-off shinkansen tickets

 

alice went wandering off while I got hold of the tickets. And she found a pastry shop!

Look at all the creations!!!

 

Strawberries seem to be a predominant feature in Japanese foods.... along with melons and peaches

 

macaroonSSS on.... i'm not sure what type of fruit is that... is it a fruit?

 

More strawberries and whipped cream. Chocolate pocky-like sticks 

Now this is interesting.... oranges? peaches? blackberry, cream...

look at all thatttt *droooolll* so pretty!!!!

We rushed back to Tokyo in time to collect Alice and Dana's blinged mirrors.

Yes, they bought simple cheap mirrors, and took it to a "bling" shop where they stick on the diamantes for you, in the pattern of your choice.

This is Dana's. ahahhaha

 

alice's... sorry, the lighting is terrible

Oh I love me so much *preen*

 

Do this if you want to wrinkle up faster

 

 

Forgot what this was T_____T

Yummy!!

 

I love Japanese style spaghetti where they add half cooked eggs on top. and wafu cream sauce!!!

 

 

=D

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To be continued. I know this is a SUPER backdated post but oh well. No time la T__T and I'm rusty

 


Sunday, October 19, 2008

T____T saaaaaaaaaadddd

I've been neglecting my blog lately hahahaha. Ooops.

Been busy .... and distracted. Blogging normally eats up about two hours.

Lately on holidays and even on weekends, I've been waking up at seven or eight. This happens even when I sleep late, at about 3 or so. Of course I make myself go right back to sleep. Wake up for what!

Is this the result of working life? That the incorrigible pig in me gets an automatic wake up call from my own internal clock. how can!!!!

Besides that, I feel extremely lonely. Put aside the fact that I stay with my grandmother and aunt. It's the fact that I don't have anyone my own age to communicate with and relate to. In university, everyone was more or less the same age, we could still chat and talk, we were still more or less in the same campus area . It was so comfortable and blissful. It was also very enjoyable in college where/even though  everyone was lumped into one area and couldn't really move too far from the college due to boarding school restrictions.

But now? I don't know. it doesnt make things better that my friends are mostly in the uk.

Maybe it's cuz i miss uni life. I miss how things were before. I miss my independence. And I miss the cold weather. The hot weather here makes me so tired

And I'm still unfamiliar with a lot of things.... so it doesn't help. I'm doing my best and will try harder to familiarize myself, but for the time being...

 

I feel awful



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baby, talk to me....you know you want to

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