tokyo myth no2: japan is an expensive place to go

it is bit more expensive then average but it is still affordable.

each of our meals cost from rm15-rm30 (of course we never go into those high end restaurants).

each plate of this yummy stuff cost about rm6-rm14 which i think is the normal price we pay at genki sushi here, no?


above photo by steph
steph's favourite


above photo by steph
why do mcdonalds when we have it in kl. the additional stuff they have on their menu is seriously good. the breakfast and mc pork. the thought of it makes me hungry


above photo by steph
we pay only rm50-80 each for this nice room


above photo by steph
with personal bathroom, im not complaning eventhough it is so small. don't even think of making out here. hehe...

ok besides the point that handiplast cost rm7 for a box of ten. and AA battery cost rm12 for 4. the rest are bearable. all in all i only spend rm4k including airfare and tax. both steph and i actually have rm1k left because we over budget our expenses. well, again of course we shop wisely. i mean what is the point of getting something more expensive then what we can get it back here right? also we only take train and walk except for our last day we took a cab because we couldnt carry our extra big bag on top of what we brought.

conclusion: japan is a shopping haven. both for the rich and not so rich. even if you dont have the luxury to shop, it is still worth a trip. somehow their old and new buildings look equally beautiful. i mean take a look at their boutiques. they are really impressive.

day2: SHIMOKITA, GINZA, TOKYO TOWER

the old

the lane right outside our hotel


kaneji temple, near our hotel






above photo by steph




above photo by steph


above photo by steph


above photo by steph




above photo by steph




the new




above photo by steph


above photo by steph


above photo by steph


above photo by steph


above photo by steph
mac, this photo steph took for me


above photo by steph


above photo by steph
look at the cool changing light display on the chanel building


above photo by steph


above photo by steph
somehow all their lift have sit, i guess for you to rest because you might be too tired, shopping this whole street


above photo by steph
and yes steph will raved all about the gucci cafe, it does look impressive though




above photo by steph

you know she was pretty impressed when she took even photo the washroom


drama of the day








if you notice that none of us was in the photo at the tokyo tower. well that is because i went there alone. yes all by myself. because the smart me decided to go back to work and rest while steph continue to do her window shopping at ginza. i do not have a 3G phone to use in japan, so we made plans to meet at the train station at a certain time to go to tokyo tower. which was plain stupid because the train station has like 5 lines. and so the brilliant me make a mess when i waited for her at the wrong place.

and so this is the drama. we waited for each other for 1 hour. then i decided to ask ppl where i am and i realised i was waiting at the wrong place. so i walked to her line which she told me later she did the same. so i guessed we miss each other just by seconds. yah very drama, like a korean series with background music. so she is not there. i went high and low to find a phone that can make international call but thanks to technology. the number that i thought i remember is wrong by one digit. so i managed to call someone in malaysia but not her.

now, the drama continues, the music still playing on the background. are we fated to meet. so i try to figure my way to tokyo tower. every step hoping to see her. walking that street all alone, getting my own ticket, taking the lift up that tower. circling the place twice and not see her. i finally concluded either she has left or she has not come at all.

so i let my guard down. try to enjoy the night scene. i'm not sure is it the night scene or being right on top of such a beautiful city. not sure is it all the couples around or the fact that i am trying to reach someone and i couldn't. this question about fate came, why certain ppl are given a second chance and some are not. the mixture of it just trigger a little bit of emotions. like i once said under what not to do after break up, it is not good to travel alone. but i guess only for a night will not do me too much harm :)

statement of the day

steph adapting very well to the local culture. touching up in the middle of the street

tokyo myth no1: japanese have small eyes

if you still have this perceptions they have small eyes and look horrible... you are so wrong. they all look so good... i officially name this "the land of the good looking ppl". i don't care it is the makeup or fake eye lashes extension. the girls look hot, and it is not the short skirts. surprisingly, they all look pretty decent. not to mention the tall, tanned, well dressed up cute guys. gosh i need a bib *drool*.

day1: SHINJUKU

nothing quite like it
1. interesting architecture with colourful signages


above photo by steph



above photo by steph

2. a whole new way of ordering your food in a restaurant
put in the coins; press for the coupon; pass it to the waiter. this way, you will never get your order wrong


above photo by steph

3. raw egg on rice
yes though i lhad tried and always love cafe cartel's raw egg on cabonara. now i just feel like throwing a raw egg on all my food... yum yum


above photo by steph

4. as mention on the title, the cute guys
so i came out with a great excuse to talk to those guys.

cy: excuse me, may i know where is my city?
guy: *look perplexed but still cute*
cy: *show map and point*
guy: arghh... here... shinjuku south exit. my city... *he shaked his head and smile and thinking very hard*
cy: here, south exit? so my city should be down there. is it?
guy: *smile cutely...* maybe... maybe
cy: *faint faint* thank you very much
guy: hai... *smile*

5. stalls selling food you have never seen before
steph literally stop and buy from every shop we passed by. im not kidding.


6. muji customise bag
even the muji in singapore doesnt have this. we can customise our shopping bag.

above photo by steph

above photo by steph

7. yes even isetan looks different

above photo by steph


8. the ideas on the shop display are just so new and fresh


9. the train experience
non peak hours vs peak hours

above photo by steph

above photo by steph

10. typhoon sweep through tokyo on the day i landed
it lasted only for one day, so it was quite an interesting experience. the area where we were at is not that bad but you can see the panic in our hotel. everyone was surfing the net checking the weather. here is the news. though we reached the entrance of disneyland we decided it is not worth it to go in there. yes, though we were right at the door step. that close.


above photo by steph

above photo by steph

drama of the day
typhoon sweeping through tokyo when im there

statement of the day
"i know ppl always tell me, im so skinny the wind will blow me away. for the first time in my life, i actually believe it just might because i felt the wind forcing my body forward as i walked back to the hotel in the rain" chaiyen

---
that was day1. more day1 photos on my flickr, it just gets better. but for now i need to go back to my work. goodness, it is already 4am

living in a mess

why ppl can't find my house and i wish this will be over soon...


this is the kind of mess i live with...


and this...


and this...


and can you imagine, this bunch of stuff was previously inside my house? so much so i wanted to give anna a call...


(photo previously taken by anna)
"don't need to go kl, that same mess is in my house now"


you would have notice, my door lying outside the house. so where is my door? for the last 1 month or so, i had been climbing into my house through this window. yes imagine, with my heels. laptop bag on my left and hand carry on the right... i look like i was doing circus.


then it got better. i have a sliding door.


this is how it works... my little sister will demo for you. now everyone can come in. the chinese saying goes "the most dangerous place is the safest place" i think it is true.


not to mention my parents bunked in my room for a few weeks because the reno affected their bedroom. i offered them my bed and put up a mattress on the floor. but behold they were territorious. they saw i slept so comfortably on the floor, they took my mattress too. so i was roomless. i went begging for a place to lie my head every night. working midnight depends on the sleeping hour of my tenant. finally i have my room back. i realised it has become a really dangerous place. the morning sun no longer wakes me up. at 11.30am it is still pitch-dark. yahh... because they decided to built another room behind mine.


and expecially now. the scenery is pretty horrible because all the stuff in the living room is in here.

i really can't wait for this whole thing to be over. hopefully when i come back one week later, it will be.

---
ppl hate renovation but when it is over they will enjoy it. ppl hate the jam during road extension, but when it is over that road will be smoother. short term suffering for long term good.

emotional

i had plans lined up the whole day so i cant sent her off to the airport. but i know no matter what, i need to drop by to give her a hug. she was the ever consistent figure since day 1 i stepped into church.

she faithfully fetch all of us early in the morning to church.
she was also the one that guide me through my christian foundations patiently.
she gave me the guidance and the room to do the many things i was passionate about.
she is one of the few which i believe never misread my intentions.

she is my cell leader, my pastor and my friend.

i didn't say much because i don't know where to start or what to say. i just gave her a hug and jokingly continued 'kay, you grow up already... you are leaving the country'. she immediately start laughing and crying all at the same time. i just smile helding up the emotions. she had done very well recently getting us girls to meet up again. and honestly i really fear for a moment without her around if we will still. anyway the whole 10 mins thing by the roadside was just pure emotional...
---

then i went to meet a friend that i used to be really close with. the whole journey driving there, loads of bitter sweet memories flooded my mind. but i refused to think more about it and i just prayed for the best out of it because chances like this doesnt come by often.

so there i was at bsc and behold im surrounded by big framed up 1957 new straits times. i just can't help but read from one to another.


the words were so magical... so not-like-our-boring-formal-newspapers-today.


i'm sure he knows God. 'In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful. praise be to God, the Lord of the Universe and may the blessings and peace of God be upon his messengers.'


a humble man 'In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful, Tunku Abdul Rahman.., Prime Minister of the Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, with the concurrence and approval of Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Malay States do hereby proclaim and declare on behalf of the ppl of the Persekutuan Tnaha Melayu that as from the thirty first day of August, nineteen hundred and fifty seven, the Tanay Melayu comprising the States of Johore, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan Trengganu, Perak, Malacca and Penang is and with God's blessing shall be for ever a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of the liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its ppl and the maintenance of a just peace among all nations.'


as a singaporean, i do not know what to say.

after reading up a few i felt overwhelmed putting myself in the shoes of those present on that day. i have every right to fell that God really orchestrated malaysia independence day. whether it is the God fearing man tunku abdul rahman or the prayers of the early missionaries. it must had been a beautiful moment to live to see that day come.

there was this ad that goes... "Txxxd tie, the tie for the day (this historical day)." it makes me feel like it was really a long awaited day. and eventhough the ppl might not have much money, they still might just use the little they have to buy a tie for this big occassion. and so i went on a guilt trip for treating the day as another public holiday but at least at the end i felt really thankful for this country and our forefathers.

anyway the brunch turned up really good. it is only about 1.30pm. i think it is enough for the day. over emotional day.

mr bean says: time flies when you enjoy yourself

why 3 weeks seem like forever. when i just can't wait to go for my holiday...

i wrote this, a few weeks ago. time flies and now i can verify that. because yesterday i caught myself panicked and excited at the same time. gosh, 5 more days. im totally not ready to go for my holiday. i had been a sleeping partner all throughout. taking for granted steph that totally plan the whole itinerary, accommodations and did all the research. yes literally sleeping partner. because i still can't pronounce any names on the JR route. i cant remember where im going on which day... but who cares, im sure i will enjoy myself. looking at some photos and links she sent me, im already so thrilled.

now a great list of things to do:
1. finish my FHM oct issue
2. finish my parkson pavilion booklet
3. see my chiropractor
4. download all my work stuff for HELLO! (right, im going to TRY to work there, yes if not i might be fired hehe)
5. backup all the stuff on my laptop
6. tidy my cabinet so that i can get my clothings sorted out to pack
7. print out my itinerary and plan my daily budget and plan my what-to-wear
8. prepare my currency convertion chart, easier for me to shop hehe... (my only homework, i better do it well)
9. pack, did i say pack... goodness im stress because all my clients will be in panic and desperately seeking for my attention the next few days since they know im leaving. better start packing. for all i know, i dont even have time at home from mon to wed.
10. be excited, i guess. lalalallallaallaalall... honestly, i never believe i will ever go to japan. the part i was most excited is, i never try really hard. then it makes you wonder why sometimes what you plan doesnt happen and what you do not just happen.

---
"So don't be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble and fall, because most of the time the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you'll get everything you wish for. Maybe you'll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you. The road is long and in the end, the journey is the destination." Whitey's time capsule message, OTH