day 8 back to Sendai

A rainy day in Aomori, apple is not in season ("Aarrrly" as told by the staff of the tourist centre) so no visit to the apple garden.

Rushing around to get the cd and sport shoes for my friend, which I finally found it in Sendai, the place where we stayed on Friday night and have a good dish of ox tongue...! Department stores in here is killing people with lots of cute items (from phone string to platic bags) and cheap buys. The one we have been to called "Loft" as the same one in the Festival Walk in HK...

The ox tongue texture wasn`t like ox tongue at all. They bbq it and became thick but juicy..

Wish the weather becomes better tomorrow so that we can again go along with the toursit spots other than shoppings (which could cost more and increase loading of the luggages).

2 more days in Japan..

(to be continued)

day 6

In Aomori, at night time, nothing to see but treated myself with a bowl of ramen and beer..

The day in Tokyo was a bit chaotic, trying to find a sport shops but in vain. But we were able to find some little toys shops which stired up lots of childhood memories....

The weather still not looking good in the south, right at the north here seems to be a bit cooler and nice breeze. I have not feel that for a while as in Singapore summer all year through..

Will be heading to some scenic sight tomorrow, the luggage suit was very full and I got myself an extra "red-white-blue" bag in case...

I will not be able online tomorrow, hope things will get settled soon..!

続く...

ps. the hotel we are staying is good and free with internet:
http://www.toyoko-inn.com/

day4

Not all the hotel has internet, you must admit, especially for those in places I never heard of...?!

Well, also run out of time, or too tired to get online..

Kanazawa, a place I stayed 2 nites ago was a small little old town with beaurtiful Japanese garden. The next day we took bus and train to somewhere I forgot, with all those little old villages and little river run across, then took bus to a place called Takayama, where I got to dip in the onsen and slept on the tatami..! It has been quite a long time after...

A night in Tokyo got a cd and tried my first goal on a baseball batting machine [so much fun], and will be out soon tomorrow...

Was raining today in Takayama... nearly all soaked but views not too bad

Wish the weather get well...

day 2

Today I have a choice in the morning to go to the Osaka Castle or another place which I consider more important and significant to go for myself: the famous baseball stadium in japan, Hanshin Koshien Stadium (甲子園球場)!

That`s the place most of the japanese baseball comic or animation or drama will end up and ultimate going to. My friend was so supportive (since none of them are interested or have special feeling on that place).

It was a bit of disappointment as no match was on. The place is also under renovation that part of the exterior are covered with wooden board... But we were able to see the famous leaves covered with the other end of the stadium.

I bought some souvenirs but none of them related to the stadium but the home team Hanshin Tiger which I know nothing much about it....

Saw one of the youtube filming watching a baseball match in that stadium, I wish I could do that sometime...

The rest of the day continue with train and visiting place of interest including petting the dear in Nara, will be arranging in order later..

Early leave tomorrow out of Osaka by Shinkansen... feel the speed then!
Weather is good and hot and we sweated a lot, thank God!

arrived..!

Day 1

Fr Sg to BKK:

A night plane which i had my Burger King in the airport after finished a game of Sudoku in a road show there... The plane gave me another meal which filled me up so badly... There was no movie as it was a short trip. Ended up in Bangkok new airport at 2320. This was a DC100 plane which was small but got an airle seat.

Fr BKK to KIX:

There is a time difference in Thai compare to Sg (Sg is 1 hr ahead fr BKK). So I have to stay in the airport for an hour for transit. The new airport was so big that took me an hour time to walk from the point I dropped off to the point I aboard (surely I wasn:t keep walking straight but stopped for a few shops to check things up which was so $$ ended up I didn`t exchange any Thai Baht!). Up to the plane and started another 6 hours journey without movie agan as they assummed everyone was sleeping..! Ended up did some reading on the news and magazine before closing my eyes. A boeing 777 which provided bigger space ( esp. no one was sitting next to you). Got to KIX at 0730.

.. to be continued

another trip

out of the town till 3-9-07....

Seems to get used to pack things up in the suit case.. same kind of clothings, toiletries.. etc.

Trying to challenge myself for the less luggage I should or should not take. Surely there are something you will need to take along but you wish not use them such as band-aid or medications..

Let's see how the group dynamics would become in this trip.......!

HKG "tea restaurant" in Singapore

Well, they always pretend they imported the cuisine from HK.. but it doesn't taste the same..

The ice Ying-yang I ordered was tasteless..

The only thing to appreciate would be the menu.... good designer and photos.

Maybe it's because the Korean stoneware rice in the food court was quite content for me before..
A cup of wheat-grass favour soybean milk + heated rice.. not bad not bad.

using NDS to play MSN

Some of you may not know what am I talking about and how this technology affecting us..?! ;p

(NDS = Nintendo Duel Screen ; MSN = MicroSsoft Network)

I have downloaded a program from internet called Beup. It runs MSN messenger on NDS which I can able to chat with people with this portable game console..!

Although there are delay messages (depends on network stability) and none of the icon can be used, it works!

This pocket game console might become something I have to bring along whenever I have a trip in the future..?! >_
Better don't get too mad with this..!

link: HtheB NDS Development - the site where the free program can be downloaded

Another attempt in baking.....!

1. So what do we have this time?
And the ingredient is quite simple: 1/4 cup of oil, 1 egg and 2 teaspoon water....?!

2. So simply blended and baked.. we have..

3. Well, this image is not a marco-photo but a mess of burnt cookie..! ;p

4. Still eatable... and texture was quite good, not too sweet as well..





Simple, fast and good taste..! Maybe I should invest something to make a better shape so that it looks prettier..! ^_^

Hallelujah~~ Chance!

That's actually the spell casted by the main character every time he went back to the past in the Japanese Drama: プロポーズ大作戦 - Operation Love (求婚大作戰)

11 episodes is the standard of Japanese TV drama. I get used to this length as you just get enough and fed-up possibly, especially if you watch them continuously, you still have 1/2 a day to sleep! ;p

The story, about a pair of 'green bamboo horse' couple (Ken & Rei) who never claimed their love until the girl get married to someone. Such an old fashion setting must say, but the old tricks still work... especially to audience who want to know what's the difference between them, or they might have similar experience..?!

Alright...! I must admit that without the pretty actress, the show would not be attractive at all. She is 長澤 まさみ (as Rei), the one who played he movie Touch as 淺倉南 (which looks quite match the comic..!)

The story was something like back to the future. The leading actor went to the past and tried to
rectify what currently happened.

1. Regret of the past (further points in pt. 2)
The thing that would stir up most of the audience's resonance as everyone got something in the past which might like to change so to have a better life?! Would that be related to their dissatisfaction of what happen in their current life? The demon did speak something wisdom,' If you hate what the past did to now, why not think of changing now for the future.' (please bear my poor translation >_<). 2. Memory It is one of the thing that could help or could kill a person. It really depends how you treat. interpret it. Rei did treated it precious while her husband just thought of the future which showed out the difference between their thought. Ken just kept blaming himself of not doing things at the right time and was being challenged by the demon that the right time should be now..! 3. Chance Who made it? Fate? Own's character? Timing? 'Do things at the right time in the right place.' is never been easy. I just wondered, for a Japanese hi-school background drama, would there be out of chance that Ken missed to show his love to Rei during the whole school days and up to the point of marriage? Where is the Valentine's Day? How about the Christmas Day? How about the Birthday other than the one with Ken had the baseball player figure and the 20 y.o. of Rei... One can argue that Ken could only went back to the photos shown in the wedding, the other days would make no difference for the situation even he did all things include confession?! Well, I better accept the fact other than argue with the story..! >_< href="http://wwwz.fujitv.co.jp/nodame/index.html">Nodame Cantabile would be more fun to watch.... though it is a purely a comedy originally from the manga.. and it's musical too! (bias ;p)

La Vie En Rose

http://www.edithpiafmovie.com/

Watched the movie in a pretty mini cinema (means the screen is big and seats are about 100), only 1 time slot in a day..

A biograph of the life of Edith Piaf, a legend singer in France. I was expecting a lot of singing and it has, not in a tremendous amount as compare to a musical one.

Would you say is a typical drama in her life: poverty town without mother, bought up at a night club and suffered from sickness, trauma....

The movie was not presented in a straight time-line but different flash back from different places and occasion. I got a bit confusion somehow with people such as the manager and the company and also the partners. But that's not important as the movie was focus on her characters and fate other than anything straight forward.

The actress, Marion Cotillard, possibly will get an award as she shaved off her eye-brows and acted from young to old with the long fully stunned shock scene that made your heart twisted after the tragedy..

The story reminded me one of the singer legend in Hong Kong - Anita Mui, though her life wasn't that dramatic as Piaf (sure there's some movie elements added), and Anita was more health then her perhaps..

Piaf picked one of the songs from the solider with theme on 'No regret'. That's possibly what she had been living for.

further readings:
http://www.oui-blog.com/zha/archives/002590.html

Vietnam trip 1

3 things, well 4 things to thank God about the trip

1. The missionary
I was being picked-up by a HK missionary working who has been working in Hanoi for 3 years..! I contacted her in less than 72 hours before the trip through a friend. The response was quick and indeed she helped me to buy train ticket to Sapa at the same night after I arrived Hanoi. It's always feel warm when so one wait for you at the gate... But the hospitality and the info the missionary passed to me was precious and useful (indeed, she got friends from time to time going there and even got her own tour info print out).

2. Train ticket
First the one to Sapa, which is 9 hours to from Hanoi. I tried booking with agent, they said it was full. With the help of the missionary (I think 90% local don't understand English) and the extra train on that night did follow my own itinerary and schedule. Amazing!

3. Before home
a The zip
The night before my dad and I was on the street, bargaining with the motorcycle driver about the cost of taking 2 people back to hotel (ya, 3 people riding the motorcycle together!). I wasn't aware but then found my waist bag was 2/3 zipped open. A girl with covered face and a cap was walking back to her stall (she was looking after a stall on the street floor). I had no evidence that she did the zipped-out job but felt totally angry about the situation. The thing in the bag was indeed my film camera which I would be shocked if I lost it...

b. The boarding pass
As titled, I don't know what happened.. I just couldn't find my boarding pass when I lined up to board the plane... I ran around the small airport waiting area, the toilet, the 2nd floor after I went thru all my bags... Ended up the airline staff bought me out of the custom and printed another boarding pass to me. I was the last one got into the plane and be seated... No penalty as an expat I saw out of the check-in counter which he only carried a photocopy of a air-ticket which the airline refuse to recognise it as a formal document. I was so lucky to lost it inside the waiting area then...

4. The father
We met in the hotel as I am too lazy to pick him up from the airport (took at least 1/2 hr and US$10 to get there from the hotel). We had a good time in riding motorcycle and touring around the place. The funny part is, he still enjoyed trying different things and still got the strength to do a lot walking with me... remain as a good travelmate!

Thanks Dad! ^_^

happy birthday Singapore.. on 9th August

Patriotism...
It's the national day of Singapore and people said the day never has heavy rain affecting the show at night...

Shows, esp those outdoor with mass of people, starts becoming like a competition between nations to nations... Would the Olympic be something better? or more idea came out from imaginations that could be true like flying in the air as David Copperfield.?!

A show off of power and technology, and more things behind other than a simple celebration.

ps. thank God for safe arrival from Hanoi, will share more later on. ^_^

waiting for train back to Hanoi fr Lao Cai

Thank God... it's a long walk and long wait today...

The trip in Sapa was good, did a bit of trekking by myself... though the weather wasn't that fine with little drips of shower. So I would think the photo might turn out bad... anyway, I don't have the cable to upload the photos in here, this small little boundary town between Vietnam and China... called Lao Cai (means old street).

The second day, which means today, weather is hot, no rain and I have been to the famous Bac Ha market... I am not a great shopper, so not much things I bought from the tribes but interesting to see some animal selling there.. horses, buffaloes, pigs and even dogs (for what purposes I do not know...!).

Food is still good here, no reaction after consumption yet though I haven't tried any high risk stuff on the street...

The hassle right now is to wait for the train to come. Travel agent might be link with the hotel, which the hotel would say tickets are fully booked... So scary. And then you have no choice to rush to the railway station since you have other activities to do on the day. I also tried to buy the ticket immediately from the railway station after I landed but no luck, they said they could not pre-sale ticket...

The rule of the game is: You got a receipt from travel agent and then they will send someone at some time (2 hours before the train departed) to the entrance. All people got the receipt will wait for unidentified object to appear and get your receipt exchange to a train ticket... By that time you know how much the travel agent earned since the price of the ticket is printed and you exactly know how much you have paid before for sure...! Ok la, not live as a local, could not save that kind of money...

A miracle has to mention in here: by chance I met a friend's friend who came here to work... in a missionary. She greeted me when I arrived and assisted me to bought the ticket to Sapa by train at last minute (as you know how difficult to get one as mentioned above). Her ministry is meaningful and I shall introduce it some time.

will be continued... or until I am back..!? ;p

Redang's photos uploaded

IMGP4510
Originally uploaded by Cheuk Wai

Uploaded some photos in flickr taken from the trip to Redang, have time have fun. ^_^

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bli/sets/72157601105363970/