The Journey Onward

东京六夜 - Imperial Park

2012-01-25T23:52:00.001+08:00

This is the best I can get out of the Imperial Palace, which is out-of-bounds except during special occasions.

What a clumsy translation!

Green space in the middle of the urban landscape. Reminds me of the old Marina Bay.

Nice place to jog while enjoying the greenery and architecture.

The leaves of this tree look so fake haha. Looks like some spiky moss ball.

Diet Building. Japan's Parliament House.

Yasukuni Shrine (靖国神社). In tribute to soldiers who lost their lives during WWII. Has attracted lots of political controversy, especially when political figures like Prime Minister visits the shrine.

First time seeing a kopitiam-style eatery in Japan.

Sad to say, the food wasn't fantastic at all. The okonomiyaki was so-so and their 'ice kachang' was soooo plain. Just ice and syrup. Not cheap either...felt ripped off. Looks like going to their restaurants is more worth it.

Was pleasantly surprised to come across this festival street while strolling around town. Ate a lot of goodies hehe.

Meiji Shrine. It's a long way in so I only took the entrance.

Japan is also experiencing a strong Korean wave. Who are these guys anyway??

Statue of a loyal dog, Hachiko. The most famous dog in Japan.

The most interesting arcade game I've come across. You can relieve your stress by slamming and flipping the 'table' in front, under a variety of frustrating situations.

Let's watch how the game is actually played...

Frustrated with your family? Try this...

The replay is so dramatic, they even have karaoke haha. You score more when you cause more cash damage.

Frustrated with your bosses and colleagues? Try this...

Frustrated that the groom goes missing during a wedding? Go on a destructive mode...

This game provides more table-flipping situations such as:
- Teacher flipping the desk onto the mischievous students in the classroom.
- Fast-food waiter flipping the counter onto the unreasonable customers.
- Pastor flipping the coffin onto the weeping relatives during a funeral.

Too bad it's exclusive to Japan only haha.

东京五夜 - Tokyo Disneyland

2012-01-20T00:28:00.000+08:00

Went to Tsukiji Market in the morning. This is the biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, and many tourists come to visit the auctions of giant and rare fishes. There are many sushi outlets here, selling fresh produce.

Tried the tamagoyaki (Japanese egg omelette). Oishiii (delicious)!

Welcome to the world of dreams, magic and imagination!

You can already feel the thrill and excitement from the pathway leading to the entrance.

The most beautiful monorail station I've ever seen haha.

This mickey-windowed monorail takes you around the Disneyland resorts (including DisneySEA).

Even the buses cannot escape from the famous icon...

Disney merchandise store! No prize in guessing whether I bought anything or not.

A castle-themed hotel! Frankly speaking, it looks like HDB flats with castle roofs... SG may consider such flat design haha.

From the front, now it looks like some royal residence of the Arab prince...

Gold-plated water cooler that dispenses diamond water.

Main entrance. This is as far as I can proceed without a ticket. =( The Disney Castle can be seen at a distance, but I couldn't get a better shot of it. Although I didn't enter the premises, I could already feel the atmosphere of joy at the outside, with the familiar music playing in the air, and looking at kids wearing disguise hats and headbands.

All these are caught from the UFO catcher! I don't have such a skill to catch all these of course.

东京四夜 - Tokyo Tower (東京タワー)

2012-01-15T01:08:00.000+08:00

在东京铁塔第一次眺望

看灯火模仿坠落的星光

--- 梁静茹《会呼吸的痛》

As usual, I need to satisfy my cravings for tall structures and observatory decks.

The tip became bent during the 311 earthquake but it was fixed I guess.

The 634m tall Sky Tree can be seen at a distance, sticking out like a...sore thumb haha.

Somehow it became misty as the sun set. Or is this a sign of pollution?

Tokyo Bay. And the Rainbow Bridge (top right).

I love watching this kind of sunset. =)

Star-shaped road junction. And a UFO hovers in the sky...

Night falls. Nice twilight colour.

Can't believe I spent almost 4 hours at the tower.

Went to gai-gai after that. Unless I'm trying to kill time, I don't usually have the mood to window shop overseas, though I must agree that Japanese packaging is really really attractive.

I want Mister Donut, not Kebab. (I want Kebab from Europe...)

Ok this is a 'smart' vending machine. When you stand in front of the screen, it scans your facial features and recommends the drinks that you may like. Generally it tends to recommend sweeter drinks for girls, energy drinks for guys. I stood in front and guess what it recommended? Mineral water haha...so clever. *pats machine*. Too bad I don't buy water from vending machines...I drink tap water instead =p

2011 Review (Music) Re-uploaded

2012-01-07T13:57:00.003+08:00

*Didn't expect Youtube to be so clever to detect copyright material so fast nowadays, sigh. My song ranking video last year is still not blocked though. Anyway I hope the videos can work this time.*

How has my taste in music changed for the past year? Let's find out...

My Best Albums of 2011

I decided to change one of the winning albums as I prepared the video pretty early beforehand and at that moment I didn't have much exposure yet to the better album, which was released shortly before my evaluation. That album deserves more in my opinion.

Now to my Top 20 Songs of 2011!

Please access this link...as the video cannot embed properly

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/vC5IkWclzf8/?resourceId=105262004_06_05_99&rpid=105262004

*It may be a little slow, so please be patient. Alternatively you may try the Facebook video*

1st to 10th place!

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/Zif79zc0Y2g/?resourceId=105262004_06_05_99&rpid=105262004

Alternatively,

Every year, people are shocked by my rankings. This year, are you?

Actually my song ranking isn't that deviant lah. There are quite a few songs that coincide with 93.3FM top ranked songs and some DJs' personal rankings haha...

2011 Review (Movie)

2012-01-03T01:39:00.001+08:00

Watched a total of 10 movies in 2011, same as 2010. Hmm I wonder how many movies a Singaporean youngster watches a year on average...

Unlike in 2010 when I didn't watch any Asian movies at all, I managed to 'clock' some in 2011 as my last 3 movies of the year. It's a good balance I guess.

Ok let's take a look at my reviews, starting from the lowest rating. =)

10th: 127 Hours
Rating: 3.5/10

This is like a repeat of two years ago, when 500 Days of Summer bottomed my movie ranking, despite having good reviews from the public. Both movies were generally well-received, rated 4/5 stars on average from publicized reviews. But why that abysmal performance in my personal chart?

I think some of you can start to see the similarities already, just by looking at their titles.

I’m not fond of movies that countdown towards the end, what’s more the countdown timer appears in the title too. And when the countdown ends, there is nothing much beyond that, which basically marks the end of the movie. For a person who enjoys suspense and twist, knowing that the end is coming spoils the enjoyment.

This whole movie can be described in one sentence, which happens to appear in the first paragraph of its Wikipedia entry. I just wanted to check out what this movie is roughly about, and this simple description totally spoiled it. Because the time period appears in the title, people want to know what it refers to, and this means knowing the ending already.

From the time that guy became trapped, I was dreading it already. Partly because it looks pretty painful, and also because I knew what he would eventually do to escape. I wished the gory climax would come quickly. When the climax really came, I wanted to it to end quickly. Where is the enjoyment if you want a movie to end quickly? That explains the rating.

9th: Transformers 3 - Dark of the Moon
Rating: 5.5/10

The ratings weren’t good to start with. After the successful first movie, the second installment was a flop. The third one seemed to be going further downhill. Many complained about how the movie is all about scrap metals in combat, ‘clink-clank’ metallic commotion, dizziness resulting from huge moving objects, etc. For the layman, transformers might have lost its appeal, but among fans it’s still pretty popular. This explains why it remains a box office hit, especially in US where it surpassed other blockbuster installments.

I was shivering from the cold halfway into the movie, thanks to the freezing aircon and the empty theatre (the rows in front of me were completely unoccupied, and I was already sitting at the back few rows). At the main climax I became a little bored at all the mindless action. Not to mention the cliché scene of kissing couple right after the fighting has ended.

8th: 一泡而红 (Already Famous)
Rating: 6/10

The style of this movie is reminiscent of Jack Neo’s movies – mixture of English, Mandarin and dialects; extensive use of humour; criticisms on government policies; product endorsement; use of old lady/grandma figure to arouse emotions; happily-ever-after ending, etc.

What’s additional is the internal jokes regarding the media industry and workplace. People who are not involved in the entertainment circle wouldn’t understand as well as those who are. (Eg. getting lost at Radio Gate, etc) Those who have done calefare acting, or have participated in such reality competitions before would probably concur with the happenings in the movie. The insides of the media industry ain’t all pretty.

In one sentence, the story is about a star-wannabe from Malaysia who came to Singapore in hope of entering the acting industry, and finally emerged champion in a star-search competition after a downtrodden path. Like what most reviews mentioned, the plot is a little haphazard with some pacing problems and draggy at certain scenes. I feel that Alien Huang’s character isn’t well-developed enough.
I applaud Michelle Chong for her resolution to produce a movie despite many discouragements. Her impersonating talent is undeniable, but she still has much to learn about film-making.

7th: One Day
Rating 6.5/10

The title is a little misleading, because the story spans more than 20 years, focusing on a pair of ambiguous lovers. However the plot only shows what happened on a particular date every year. They fall in love, get to know other companions, argue, separate, miss each other, come together again etc. This movie further iterates how ‘loose’ Westerners are by sleeping with someone else they just met.

This film also triggers the ‘countdown’ effect, which I dislike. It starts with year 2006(?), jumps all the way back to 1984(?) and begins telling year by year. Naturally the audience will start to countdown (or technically, ‘countup’) in their minds towards 2006. Then something really major happened on that year. The scene is fixated on someone crossing a seemingly safe road (without any cars). Yeah we all expected what to happen next. BAM! A vehicle speeds past and the pedestrian dies. So cliché. Both the driver and pedestrian must be blind. Don’t like this kind of method to kill off a character.

All is not lost for this movie however. There are funny, touching, beautiful, surprising moments too. And I particularly like the scene where they climb up the hill at Edinburgh and look over the city landscape. It makes me feel like going Europe again, especially Scotland.

6th: 星空 (Starry Starry Night)
Rating: 6.5/10

This movie is based on a popular picture book 《星空》 by 几米. Are movie-makers running out of ideas already? Lots of recent hit films seem to originate from published books and novels.

The movie has an imaginative feel. Train hovering in the night sky, origami animals coming into life, lying on the boat gazing at the stars, etc. The plot talks about two kids who are…erm to put it simply, emo, because of their family circumstances, and one day they decided to make a trip to the mountains. I feel like visiting 阿里山 now…

One thing I like about this film is the way it incorporates the concept of jigsaw puzzles. Being a fan of jigsaw puzzles, I was able to relate to certain parts. It also spurred my craving to buy a puzzle (but I’ve no time to assemble it >_<) Not those 1000-pieces ones that can be done within a day of intensive fixing, but those greater than 2000-pieces ones which can take weeks to a month. It’s a long time since I touched puzzles, my hands are getting itchy haha.

5th: 那些年，我们一起追的女孩 (You are an apple of my eye)
Rating: 6.5/10

There has been much hype about this movie since it broke box office records in Taiwan. Before it came to SG, I have already heard a lot about it, such as the cast and music. Even before the official release, quite a few people have watched the sneak preview and all of them gave very good reviews. All these publicity made me feel like watching too.

However it’s not a very good thing when you harbour too much expectations for a movie. It certainly met my expectations, but there was no breakthrough beyond. The bar was already set so high, and there were some minor spoilers along with the reviews and introduction videos.

Another story about ambiguous lovers, with their relationship spanning several years. Quite a lot of vulgarities at the beginning, as well as sexual connotations on erection and masturbation. The plot is quite predictable as there is not much twist. You know the couple is going to get attached and then split again. The only unexpected event that really took me aback was near the ending (those who watched should know which scene I’m talking about haha).

The high school love story is sweet, but I find it hard to relate to my own experiences because my high school life was not very happening. Sigh.

4th: Pirates of the Carribean - On Stranger Tides
Rating: 6.5/10

Despite so many installments produced, I still prefer the first, which really gave me a good impression of this movie and made me continue watching this series until now. Since the 2nd movie, I started to get seasick, struggling to understand what exactly is going on in the plot. Luckily this 4th movie turned for the better.

The plot is pretty simple and linear, like most adventure movies. Jack Sparrow and company search for the Fountain and Youth. When they finally get there, the climax comes, and the movie ends. At least this is much easier to follow than a bunch of pirate-talk, planning some complex conspiracy.

As long as Johnny Depp is still casted in the movie, this series will sell. Mains like Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley can be done away with haha. He is the one who brings all the fun and humour. I like how he seems to be able to escape from any kind of situation, through his agility and eloquence.

It’s expected to have a 5th or 6th movie, judging from his popularity.

3rd: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Rating: 7/10

Without much ado, the movie plunges right into the climax – destroying the Horcruxes and the battle between Voldemort and Harry at Hogwarts. I didn’t recall much of the plot during Part 1, but I could still remember what is going to happen in Part 2. Of course, I think everyone knows the ending already. This actually takes off a bit of enjoyment due to predictability. “Aww come on, we know Harry won’t die” sorta.

The effects were pretty good. Not sure if it’s worth watching in 3D. Plot-wise I think this is better than Part 1, where it felt draggy due to all the slow moments when Harry was wandering in the wild. Part 2 is more action-packed too.

Towards the end the bad guys seemed pretty easy to kill (eg. Bellatrix), and the Horcruxes seemed to become so easy to find and destroy. This is not the film’s problem as I got the same impression when reading the book too. Making a film out of a book is not easy, especially when most people have read it and expect this and that to be covered in the film.

2nd: Kungfu Panda 2
Rating: 7.5/10

I didn’t watch the first movie in cinemas. Only roughly ‘browsed’ through it from streaming sites, so I had a little background. I like how Po the panda always thinks about food, his simplistic way of thinking, and innocence regarding his parentage. Does he really think the goose is his biological father?

This film has its touching moments, despite being an animation. The animals are cute. The oriental music is nice. The visuals are superb. While it has exaggerated scenes to make us laugh, there are also realistic moments like the part where Po is shouting to the Peacock from the roof. There are some aspects of entertainment animated films can provide, which live-action films cannot, or hardly can.

And now I shall announce my Top Movie of 2011...
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1st: X-men - First Class
Rating: 8/10

Hmm since when did I start watching superhero-themed movies? Although the existence of such superheroes is unrealistic (especially the ‘I must save the World/America’ notion), it gives us hope and admiration. “How I wish I could have such supernatural powers like him”… something like that.

This movie tells about Professor X’s and Magneto’s past. Didn’t know they used to be friends haha. (ok I know nuts about X-men story) I like the part where all the mutants gather together and show off their powers, as well as how they help each other using their unique abilities. Not to forget the underlying message of not hiding your true self even though you can’t fit into society.

Some of you may not be very convinced of my top movie. Probably I didn't watch enough good movies this year. I'm still waiting for films like 'Avatar' and 'Inception', which scored almost perfect and perfect rating respectively for my annual ranking.

Semester 7 Overview

2011-12-30T01:21:00.000+08:00

With only 3 less-demanding modules (besides FYP), this semester is supposed to be slack. However I chose to get involved in other miscellaneous activities (mostly Japanese-related) that made my semester busier than expected. This is already my final year in University, and I hope to participate in some fun activities which I won’t get a chance to do after I graduate.

Let’s look at the judging criteria:
Difficulty - Self explanatory.
Workload - Amount of lesson hours per week, assignments, tutorials, projects, self-study required, etc
Lecture/Tutorial/Lab - Enjoyability and understanding

CN4121 – Design Project (Part 1)

Difficulty: ★★
Workload: ★☆
Lecture: ★★
Lab: ★★★

This huge 10MC module is split between 2 semesters. The workload of Part 1 is lighter (about 3MC), with introductory lectures, fundamental training in software and a mini-project. The heavier part, with a more demanding design project, will come next semester.

I feel a little bad for not putting much effort in this module. I skipped lectures towards the end and didn’t contribute much to the project. Much of the work was done during the 2-hour lab session every week. I didn’t bother to spend extra time, nor take further steps in attempting the exercises. Getting desired results from the software can be frustrating at times, but overall it’s rather simple to handle (compared to my FYP software). Though I didn’t communicate much with my lab tutor, I think he is really patient and committed in helping us with our problems, though he’s a little on the strict side especially when conducting the viva test.
The lectures were alright, though I often felt unmotivated to attend and listen. The first lecturer was longwinded, the second was comical and the third was boring…

CN4211R – Petrochemicals and Processing Technology

Difficulty: ★★★★
Workload: ★
Lecture/Tutorial: ★★★

I think this is one of the most useful Chem Engin modules I’ve taken so far. It teaches us lots of practical aspects of the petrochemical industry and the workings of various important processes. Those planning to work in a petrochemical industry should take this module, as it’s very very relevant. It focuses more on qualitative understanding rather than quantitative calculations. The calculations are simple, but applying and formulating them appropriately is difficult as it requires a great deal of understanding, as well as assumptions (otherwise it will be too complex to solve by hand).

This module is taken by one of the most “well-known” professors in the department. Most students tend to shun him, thanks to his initial reputation created during the very first Chem Engin introduction module. However after taking this module, I felt that he is not bad after all. Probably because I’ve become more accustomed to the subject through the semesters and could understand most of what he’s trying to explain.

His questions are nevertheless still on the challenging side. It can be a real killer if you lack understanding on the topic. It requires applying of knowledge beyond the textbook/lecture notes stuff. As an exam tip, he mentioned ”I guess you guys know my style of questions, from tutorials and mid-terms”. I fully agree haha.
There was also an enriching field-trip to Exxon Mobil. Thumbs up to that. =)

JS3208 – Approaches to Japanese Linguistics

Difficulty: ★★★
Workload: ★★★
Lecture/Tutorial: ★★★★

There is no more Japanese language modules (LAJ) left for me to take, so linguistics studies under the Japanese Studies department is the next best alternative to maintain continuous contact with the language. I’ve taken two JS modules in the past semesters and they were really demanding and strict, especially in the project requirements such as referencing and style. However this module is quite different from the other JS modules, partly due to our friendly and understanding lecturer. I’ve heard much recommendations about her from my fellow classmates. Glad I was able to take this module after a successful appeal even though I didn’t satisfy the prerequisites initially.

This module has the smallest class size I’ve ever experienced in NUS, with a mere 10 students. Lessons were really interesting and informative. There were so many things I didn’t realise before although I’ve been studying the language for a long time. This module also made me more aware of the similarities and differences between Japanese, English and Chinese.

Since non-natives cannot learn foreign language through the ‘natural’ way, grasping the technicalities seems to be the only way to improve our sense of grammar and construct appropriate sentences that sound natural.

CN4118R – Final Year Project

There is nothing to rate on this module since it’s mostly OTOT. Like Design Project, this module is split over two semesters, with the bulk of the workload in this semester. I’ll write a complete review about FYP at the end of next semester.

With most of the time spent on FYP, trying to complete my written report before the deadline 2 weeks later, this holiday doesn't feel like one at all. Anyway a new semester is starting soon. Back to mugging...

It's snowing! (VIII)

2011-12-25T11:40:00.000+08:00

The weather is getting cold lately due to the continuous rains which can last the entire day.

Since October, I've gotten caught in the rain several times, and there are many instances that the rain has greatly inconvenienced me. The worse is, it starts to rain when I'm about to leave home. It rains heavily as I tread under my small umbrella, and becomes lighter when I finally take shelter...

Glad that Tanya shares the same sentiments too. She must be equally annoyed I guess.

Let's keep the temperature, but not the rain...

On usual days I tend to kick away my blanket instinctively during my sleep, but these days I find myself snugging cozily under my blanket all night till the morning.

But then I find my sensitive nose sneezing away too...sigh.

I often try to imagine how I would live in a winter country, or countries with temperature significantly lower than SG's.

I think I might freeze from the cold. Or end up avoiding outdoors by locking up myself up at home all day. Perhaps a constant flu will hunt me as well.

Maybe my dress sense will improve too as I'm willing to put on more clothing. In SG I prefer to keep things simple because I sweat easily. I rarely (almost never) wear an unbuttoned casual shirt over a T-shirt.

Office wear will definitely be more bearable under cooler conditions.

How nice would it be to eat hot spicy food when you're freezing cold. A hot bath would be heavenly too. How about exercising and sweating out at the cold outdoors? I've never experienced that before but I suppose it wouldn't be as physically draining as exercising under the hot sun, high temperature. As for swimming, hah...there is a reason why swimming pools in temperate countries are usually located indoors.

No cold winds please...I've enough of that. They are welcomed during the hot summer though.

Almost forget...Merry Christmas to all =)

东京三夜 - Asakusa (浅草)

2011-12-21T18:05:00.000+08:00

Tokyo Sky Tree - Towering high into the sky at 634m. Almost twice as high as Tokyo Tower, and the second tallest structure in the world. Will be opened to public next May. I would definitely want to visit this!

Wedding in traditional costumes

Entering temple grounds

Sensoji 浅草寺. Oldest temple in Tokyo.

Japanese are not very religious actually. They don't visit temples or shrines on a regular basis. Asking them their religion is like asking a Singaporean Chinese whether he/she is a Buddhist or Taoist.

China pavilion?

Feels like I'm in China lol.

Street in front of the temple grounds with rows of stalls selling expensive souvenirs. Souvenirs in Japan are expensive everywhere so it doesn't matter actually.

The famous Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), often seen in Japan's tourism publicity. I was interviewed by Japan's Broadcasting Company NHK here. The interviewer (sounds like from China) was surprised that Singaporeans could speak Mandarin "so well". I still hope I could watch my interview one day.

Ladies' carriage. Should SG trains implement this too?

North Sea Road Chapter 10 - Toya （洞爺）

2011-12-17T12:16:00.000+08:00

Toya is famous for its beautiful lake, with a little island in the middle.

At night, fireworks can be seen at Lake Toya (for visitors staying at the hot spring resort).

No $$$ (I mean ¥¥¥) to take the cruise to the island.

It would be so nice to jog around this lake.

A young volcano lava dome still actively growing. 昭和新山. As the name suggests, it began to form during the Showa period (around WW2 years).

Up up up the ropeway!

We're at the top on Mount Usu (有珠山), but we still have to ascend the steps to the topmost observatory area.

I feel like I'm at the top of the world!

沧海桑田

Wow...what's that ultra-tall mountain protruding out of the clouds?

As this is a live volcano, there are smoke/steam ejecting from several spots.

The caldera. No one knows when it will next erupt.

View of 昭和新山. As you can see, the dome is still very small.

Mother Nature

Argh...I missed a chance to take a good photo. (The ticket office had already closed)

Actually from the Toya train station, we had to take a bus to Lake Toya, followed by another bus to Mount Usu (for the ropeway). However we took the last bus for the latter journey, and there was no way back. There were no taxis around too (imagine being stuck in some place many times more ulu than Lim Chu Kang). We were about to walk all the way back to Lake Toya (takes around an hour), when we met a really really helpful Japanese who offered to drive us back. Not sure if hitching a ride is common in Japan, but I'm really thankful for his kind assistance.

Rather than just sending us back to Lake Toya, he also brought us to other places of attraction around the area, inaccessible by public transport. He even went further to bring us back to Toya train station so we don't have to take another bus from Lake Toya to Toya station.

I just wanna say 'Arigato gozaimashita!' (Thank you very much!)

Glad to end this Hokkaido trip with such a friendly encounter. This is precisely why I feel like returning to Japan again and again. The attitude of the locals really makes a big difference to a tourist's experience.

And now, back to Tokyo!

North Sea Road Chapter 9 - Sounkyo （層雲峡）

2011-12-10T19:40:00.000+08:00

Some facts about Hokkaido:
- Its size is close to that of South Korea, more than twice of Taiwan, about 100 times that of SG.
- Its population is comparable to that of SG (only 10% difference).
- It has the least population density among the other prefectures in Japan.
- During winter, drifting ice can be seen at the northern sea.

A visit to another hot spring resort. Unlike its name, the place is not really shrouded within the cloud layers.

I wish I've a car to access these scenic sites easily.

Finally reached, after taking an almost empty bus for the nth time in this trip.

The place was eerily tranquil and quiet. There were hardly anyone in sight when we explored around.

远离尘嚣

No more bus! Walked about 3km for 45min to reach our next destination. The beautiful greenery, mountains and rivers were motivations to keep us walking.

A spider came out when we turned on the tap! Eeek!

One of the two famous waterfalls in this gorge. Just like sheets of cloth.

It would be scary if it moves...

Climbed up this treacherous woods to view both waterfalls side by side from the top. It's really really steep! Pant...pant...

Galaxy （銀河） & Meteor （流星）.

Interactive display of the Daisetsuzan National Park in the visitor centre.

The best icecap view I can capture of Daisetsuzan （大雪山）. Can't imagine how spectacular it will be during winter.

Got bear around here...eeek!

Lake surrounded by mountains

Peaceful

Before leaving the resort, we soaked ourselves in a hot spring. Felt refreshed for a while...before becoming sleepy after that...zzz.

North Sea Road Chapter 8 - Biei （美瑛）

2011-12-05T17:17:00.000+08:00

Before we proceeded to Biei, we visited a cheese factory in Furano. Other than its lavender farms and rainbow fields, Furano is also well-known for its cheese and wine factories, as well as sweets and pastry shops. Not very interested in wine, so chose to visit the cheese factory instead. Actually Sapporo is famous for its beer too, but we were not very keen in visiting the brewery haha.

Other than cheese, the factory manufactures dairy products like milk and ice-cream. There were a lot of unique ice-cream flavors available but we had spent enough on snacks that day...

Don't say those residue coming out is what goes into our mouth...

Cow sitting on a cow. Hah!

How cute...mini orchestra figures made of...wood?

Kids learning to milk the cow. Probably going to be their future job...

Cheese around the world! I love certain kinds of cheese (melted ones found in bread and pizza), neutral towards some (hard, block-ish type) and totally hate the extreme ones (eg. blue cheese, rotten-tasting ones).

The best ice-cream cheese cake I've tasted! It's really really delicious! Sweet and melts in your mouth, and has a crispy layer underneath Too bad I can't buy them home.

You all might be getting bored of seeing such photos, but it's really really pretty if you see the real thing with your own eyes.

山明水秀

Just love those rolling hills.

This Biei Station is said to be special because it is made of stone.

Biei is famous for its rolling hills and patchwork fields. However to view all these, private transport is necessary to get around the area. For us, the only way is to rent a bicycle. It's not really possible to walk unless you've tons of time. Having learnt how to ride a bike only 5 years ago, and being able to count the total number of times I've ridden with my fingers, it was bold move to ride a bicycle in a strange land, with the presence of cars and pedestrians too.

But luckily, the roads were really empty. We hardly met any cars. Pedestrians were few too. Could really cycle with ease. The only tough part was ascending the hilly terrain. But what goes up must come down. There was one part where I sped down the slope, enjoying the breeze blowing across my face, and witnessing the breathtaking scenery spreading in front of my eyes. It was really an unforgettable experience.

Reminds me of my previous blog template (if you guys still remember, the 夕阳 one).

Look at the spectacular patchwork (brightly-colored fields) and beyond.

Proud to have cycled through this marvelous scenery.

The silhouette of the mountains is pure amazing.

This is one of the rare times of the day you can look at the sun directly. Its edge appears very sharp and distinct. However it only last for a few seconds. Within a minute, the entire sun sets below the mountain horizon.

夕阳西下

It was a pity we reached Biei pretty late and there wasn't much time to explore the other stunning sights that this town provides. Nature lovers can spend an entire day wandering around Biei.

North Sea Road Chapter 7 - Furano （富良野）

2011-11-30T02:16:00.000+08:00

Furano is my most anticipated destination of this trip. Firstly, this place is the main reason why many people visit Hokkaido during summer. The sights are seasonal and only become prettiest in summer time. A definite must-go!

Secondly, I wish to recover what I've missed in Amsterdam lol.

Rode a special sightseeing train 'Norokko' that only runs during summer. It's open-air and really windy.

Unlike the other regular trains, this one is a choo-choo train that goes chug chug chug. It runs slowly and noisily. (Even its name 'Norokko' has a sluggish meaning, and its mascot is a tortoise) But riding it gives a nostalgic feel, and somehow brings me back to kindergarten days.

We're here! To see lavenders and friends.

This is an unmanned station where trains will stop only during summer. It provides easier access to the lavender farm, which welcomes a huge bulk of visitors during this period.

Look at how small the station is. Just a little wooden platform.

Picture perfect.

Farm Tomita greets us with its blooming rainbow fields, and a sweet melody of Utada Hikaru's 'First Love'.

Glad to witness this pretty sight at a good timing. Mid July is when most flower species are blooming.

五颜六色

花海茫茫

Visitors can walk through the fields and admire the flowers at close proximity. The lavenders fields aren't very pretty close-up because there are lots of bald patches. The bushes are planted too far apart and they are not very thick.

花花世界

My favourite individual shot. =)

These are real??!! (We see too many fake flowers in SG haha)

There are lots of lavender-flavored food and goods here. (Rock melon too!)

Couldn't resist...

My lavender friend needs to learn English.

一望无际

地面彩虹

This pattern looks like a running track. I feel like running up the slope...

七彩缤纷

Sit back and enjoy, and wonder why flowers are so colourful.

开到荼蘼

Although it's all-year-summer in Singapore, it's only in overseas where I get to realise the beauty of summer.

North Sea Road Chapter 6 - Otaru （小樽）

2011-11-26T23:04:00.000+08:00

Otaru is a port town near Sapporo facing the northern sea (towards Russia). It is famous for its exquisite music boxes. Unfortunately when we reached there it was already dark and most shops have closed. Couldn't enjoy the harbour view too.

Otaru Canal. It's supposed to be very pretty during the day and dusk.

The warehouses along the canals have been converted into restaurants and shops.

The sign reads 'Thriller Karaoke'. A karaoke with horror theme. Patrons would probably scream more than sing.

I'm still not very used to eating in small food outlets, which are very common in Japan. You usually sit at the counter seats, facing the cook/chef. It can be awkward not to interact at such close proximity. There is little privacy as the chef (as well as other customers sitting at the counter) can listen to your conversations clearly. So it's difficult to comment about the food, especially if it doesn't taste as good as expected. But the good thing about sitting at the counter is that you get to observe how the chef prepare the food. This open concept means the chef cannot do anything funny to your food (as if we care) haha.

What does this remind you of? Hokkien Mee!

Let's sidetrack a bit...

I find this train cute. Its shape and colour makes it look a toy haha.

Another cute looking train. SMRT should consider designing such train heads.

I understand that they want to provide comprehensive information for the passengers, but sometimes it's a little too complex.

Green Sheet...hahaa...

My first Ekiben (bento bought at train stations, to be eaten during train journeys). Not cheap. Almost S$20 I think. (half of the cost goes to packaging perhaps)

In Japan, bento is an art. (Can you spot a little soy sauce bottle tucked in one small compartment?)

Not sure if I've mentioned before...I ate a bento box as though I'm eating 菜饭, only to realise after eating that it costs about S$40!

North Sea Road Chapter 5 - Sapporo （札幌）

2011-11-22T00:35:00.000+08:00

飞向札幌的班机 抗拒地心引力逃离虚构幸福的自己
五千英呎的空气心渐渐失去重力冷锋过境我们的爱情
- JS 《飞向札幌的班机》（2007）

Sapporo is the biggest urban city in Hokkaido, the least developed part of Japan. Compared to Osaka, Tokyo, Fukuoka and other developed cities, Sapporo is still relatively new. Walking on the streets of Sapporo made me notice how much urban planning has been done beforehand to better integrate the infrastructure, especially the splendid connectivity of underground links.

Hokkaido is a seafood paradise, which boosts its fresh catch and larger-than-normal creatures. Hence seafood restaurants can be seen at every corner. Sadly I'm not a fan of seafood...

This Sapporo TV Tower (resembling Tokyo Tower, which in turn looks like Eiffel Tower) glows like a Christmas tree.

The urban night scene in Sapporo is no different from metropolis Tokyo, except this enticing seafood restaurant.

This is a really really long underground walkway. It connects large underground shopping malls located under major streets. Imagine such a walkway underneath the entire stretch of Orchard Road, maybe extending towards City Hall. Its secondary use as a emergency shelter probably explains the lack of shops occupying the sides.

Odori Park. A long stretch of greenery in the heart of the city.

A green corridor to relax and enjoy nature amongst the hectic lifestyle.

Nijo Market. Known for its lineup of stalls selling seafood freshly caught from Hokkaido seas.

Seafood lovers can rejoice. Crabs are pretty large. Price is relatively cheaper but still expensive.

Had a nice chat with the sushi chef as we were the only customers at that time. He said that there are a lot of Singaporean visitors to Sapporo, but the numbers have dropped since the March earthquake.

现做现吃 =)

Visited Shiroi Koibito Park. Basically a theme park cum factory producing the famous Shiroi Koibito (白色恋人) cookies, cakes, chocolates and other pastries.

Greeted by the pretty garden at the entrance.

This display of flowers only serves to remind me how disappointed I was in Amsterdam.

Both the young and old alike can enjoy this fairytale-like setting.

A little greenhouse with the mountain backdrop.

One of the must-try at the park!

Astro Boy welcomes you!

豪宅 feel.

I wouldn't want to pay too...

I still don't understand how to use it...

Inside the building there is an exhibition gallery displaying collections of Japanese toys from the past. Though I've outgrown toys, looking at them still brings back fond childhood memories.

An ideal kids' bedroom.

The miniatures have a world of their own too.

The shelves are just overflowing with toys and figurines.

How did Astro Boy comb his hair like that?

Snoopy

Servbots...I mean robots.

Never knew Astro Boy is so intricately designed.

North Sea Road Chapter 4 - Noboribetsu （登別）

2011-11-17T04:06:00.002+08:00

Travelling around rural areas by public transport only is not easy. Trains do not run as frequently as metro (intra-city subway). For most destinations the train only comes once per hour (sometimes only once per 2 or 3 hours). Thus it's very crucial to plan the itinerary carefully and adhere to the schedule closely, to avoid wasting precious time by waiting for the next train.

Taking bus is even worse. For less-travelled destinations there are only 3 or 4 trips each day. The service ends pretty early too. If you take the last bus to visit a place, you won't be able to return because the same bus makes its final return trip back to the original point (a loop service). Zzzz.

The good thing is the trains and buses usually arrive and depart on time. If the timing is planned nicely, the itinerary can proceed very smoothly. The bad thing is that we have to keep track of time all the time (eg. how much time to spend at one place) and this makes the schedule rather rigid. And it's very tiring to flip through the bus/train timetable all the time. Many attractions are not very close to the train stations, so taking a shuttle bus is required (and really costly too).

Actually Hokkaido is best explored by car. But we aren't very experienced drivers, so for safety's sake...

Noboribetsu is a hot spring town, and its hot spring resort is quite a popular tourist destination. No $$$ to stay in such hotels though...

'Mascot' of Noboribestu. Why use such hideous devil? We shall know later...

The hot spring resort is always shrouded with mist. Looks like the huge amount of steam released enhances the formation of clouds.

Do you BEAR to sit on them?

阎罗王？！

There is lots of 'smoke' coming from this tunnel. And it's making loud booming noises too. What's that?? Let's take a closer look...

A geyser! It spouts water every 3 hours. We were lucky to have caught this.

Not scared of you =p

This map shows the various hot spring spots in Hokkaido.

A large bath complex. There are 7 kinds of hot springs available, which differ by composition and medical effect.

Hell Valley. Why is Hell so smoky in the first place?

What the Hell.

Hell is pretty isn't it?

Newcomers to Hell must report to 阎罗王 at the centre.

Another gushing geyser! The sign reads 'Do not throw coins into it.' Thanks to whoever invented the wishing well.

The concept of forest fire is so imaginary that it requires inverted commas.

After a long trek, we reached the inner area where we saw more geysers and spring ponds. It also started to drizzle. =(

Looks like a crater filled with hot water.

仿佛进入了仙境

If what we saw previous was 地狱, this one must be 天堂. Rested here for a foot bath. The stream is really hot, but my feet feels energized after that. Ready for more trekking!

I guess it would be much better to visit hot springs during winter haha. Then we can appreciate its warmth.

North Sea Road Chapter 3 - Ainu Village

2011-11-12T01:56:00.000+08:00

Ainu is an aboriginal race of Japan, concentrated in Hokkaido. It used to face discrimination from the mainstream Japanese people. Today, the Ainu people have mostly assimilated within the Japanese ranks such that they are hardly distinguishable. This means their unique culture is also vanishing.

Ainu culture is very different from we commonly know about traditional Japan. Their language sounds very different too. Kinda similar to China and Taiwan 原住民.

大长老

Nice roofs, but no Ainu lives in such houses nowadays.

Cultural performance by a group of vanishing minority.

The typical 'dance-in-a-circle'.

This picture doesn't make you think of Japan right? Haha.

I feel transported back in time...

Handiwork. Clothing, weaves, decorations etc.

Hunting during the harsh winters.

What a fish sees before it dies.

Buy a bear feed and drop it into this pipe. Don't throw rubbish inside ok?

Sorry I don't see a point in spending money to feed you. The park attendants will feed you anyway.

North Sea Road Chapter 2 - Hakodate's Night View （函館の夜景）

2011-11-06T03:13:00.001+08:00

如果我们能在一起

你的天使会比以前爱美丽

会更美丽就像函馆的夜景

~ 梁静茹 - 《如果能在一起》（2008）

Hakodate is well known for its spectacular night view. It is dubbed as one of the Top 3 night views in the world. Where are the other 2? I've already seen one of them. As for the 3rd one, I've been to the country but didn't get to visit that city. Go figure! Haha.

When the sun was almost set, we made our way up Mount Hakodate.

Ropeway up Mt Hakodate.

Wah why so crowded? Luckily the journey was short.

Sky's still bright. This view is more shiok than the previous observatory tower.

I didn't know Mt Hakodate is so popular to the extent that I can't find a free edge to lean on and enjoy the scenery properly.

I like this pic a lot. Probably due to the azure blue.

Why are there so many people? What are they 'camping' for??

Sky's dark now. There were lots of misty clouds blowing past. And it was really cooooold due to the strong winds.

The mystery of the huge crowd was finally solved when the sky turned dark. I let out a big "Orhhhh...No wonder..." in my mind when I saw spouts of...Fireworks!!! I was totally unaware of this fireworks event when I planned the itinerary to visit here. I guess I'm luckily in some way hehe. The only downside is having to squeeze with the crowds.

After thinking a little deeper, it makes sense now why I had lots of difficulty booking an accommodation for that night haha.

Actually I prefer to watch fireworks close-up. If it's too far, it feel likes watching from TV or video...not much effect.

This fireworks show is different from that in SG, where many are launched at one shot in a quick successive manner. The show, which spanned over an hour, was divided into many segments with their own special themes, such as animals, colours etc. Before each segment was an introduction about the background behind the fireworks, such as which city/organization designed or sponsored it etc. The fireworks were launched bit by bit. Good for audience who wants to sit back and enjoy for a long time. May not appeal to people who likes rapidfire or seeing the entire sky filled with fireworks.

It was really cold up there, and I forgot to bring my jacket. But for the sake of my favourite fireworks, I persevered to the end.

Finale. A big one to wrap up the hour-long show. Yay no mist =).

There was a huge jam after the show ended. Was impressed at how a traffic marshaller went out of his way to show us the direction to the bus stop. Really love their kind of service. ^_^

North Sea Road Chapter 1 - Hakodate （函館）

2011-11-01T22:41:00.000+08:00

We could have just taken a domestic flight from Tokyo, and avoid all the long train trips and transfers. But the most budget flights are nowhere as cheap as those in Europe. If you want to save $$$, you have to lose time...

Outside the train station. The dark clouds were threatening.

Strolling to the mountains in the distance. As if...

How cool. Petrol pump nozzles dangling from the ceiling.

What I like about Japan is they usually have such colourful and attractive visitor-friendly maps at towns and places of interest.

Cutest tram I've ever encountered. It has got eyes in front too! ^_^

Uhh...Intriguing street name (describing Japan's current situation).

Japan and its English.

When you're too lazy to translate.

Finally got a chance to ride a tram, after failing to do so in Europe. Basically it feels like a bus haha.

Visited a star-shaped fort. Reminds me of the star-shaped park I visited in Copenhagen.

Serenity.

A shrine located in the middle of the Star.

Somehow or other the dark clouds cleared, thankfully.

Stairway to Heaven.

I have an obsession with observatory towers and looking from high spots...

...And here I am haha. The fort looks pretty nice from the top.

The foreground may not be pretty, but I like the background a lot.

Nice 'advertisement' targeting people at the observatory deck.

The tour agent said, "The size of Hakodate is like Tampines. Very easy to walk around one." Yeah rite.

That hill (Mount Hakodate) is our next destination. Just waiting for the sun to set.

It feels really great to travel with someone who shares the same mentality as me. Hee.

North Sea Road - Prologue

2011-10-26T14:11:00.001+08:00

Figured that if I don't start writing about this trip now, I'll never be able to finish by the end of this year...

Let's embark on another fun-filled adventure brimming with beautiful scenery and wonderful Mother Nature. =)

The first few pictures below were taken from Changi Airport Butterfly Park. This little corner is only accessible in the Terminal 3 restricted area (after crossing the immigrations). I've departed through T3 quite a few times but never got to visit this park because it is closed at night. Ya, due to mostly night departure flights.

Overview of the Butterfly Park. It is only that small. But come on, the butterflies are small too.

In this park, you can come in direct contact with butterflies. I used to be very afraid of moths when I was small, so somehow I didn't feel completely at ease when I saw fluttering wings surrounding me.

Butterfly 'resting spot', shaped in a butterfly. If you recall your primary school science, you'll know what attracts these butterflies to the flowers.

Lol, I think this is a very artistic picture. Look at how the colours match. He must be a relatively new airport staff.

Being able to see the butterflies would mean that my flight timing isn't very good. Reached my destination near midnight. Rushed to catch the last train towards city centre. Didn't book any accommodation that night. That was really a bold move as we thought we could just wander around the streets until next morning. We believe the country is pretty safe for this haha. But in the end we didn't loiter the streets, of course. It is still a long trip ahead and we didn't want to drain our physical energy right from the start.

Oh I haven't mentioned which country I went, but it should be pretty obvious isn't it? The title kinda tells it too.

And so we found a comic cafe. Comic cafe is where you can rent a private cubicle, which comes with a computer, and read comics at your pleasure, available from the cafe's selection. Comic cafes often provide overnight package too, specially for people who missed the last bus/train and couldn't get home, or people who simply want to spend their night out of home. This package serves as cheap accommodation for budget travellers too.

It's a really tiny (but cozy) cubicle. This is the widest I can capture - I've already plastered myself against the wall.

The comic cafe is really quite at night since people are sleeping. Thus even a little noise can be disturbing, especially when all the cubicles are so close to each other. Used the computer for a while to check mail, FB and chat before trying to sleep. The space is so small that I can't stretch my legs fully even when my head is already touching the wall. =(((

First encounter with a foreign keyboard. It looks similar to the standard one, but I still had trouble typing smoothly. And because the spacebar is too short!!

Couldn't sleep well of course. Left the cafe and made our way to the train station. Another 6 hour journey before reaching our true destination.

This new bullet train is introduced in March. This characteristic dolphin-like nose drew many photographers. The crowd at the platform seems to be just waiting to take pictures rather than passengers.

Some encouraging words to spur the you-know-where region. This train travels across the region and is often disrupted by frequent earthquakes. Thankfully when we took this train back and forth there was no disruption at all.

Passengers (or just curious onlookers) snapping away. The train conductor looks pretty friendly haha. Wait...I'm supposed to board this train, don't leave me behind!

Sadly, all the seats were fully booked when we bought the tickets. Had no choice but to stand all the way. For 3 hours+ OMG.

Interior of the bullet train. Looks ordinary (since this is the ordinary class after all). The First-class seats look better but it is out of bounds to ordinary ticket holders. Oh the seats can rotate as you can notice.

Long journey so BTH. It can take 1 hour between two adjacent stops zzz.

The scenery from the bullet train is not so fantastic, but the train is travelling really fast.

After that we changed to an undersea train. It's like the Channel Tunnel between UK and France, but shorter.

远离尘嚣

Train station and post office combined. How cute. =p

See that hill beyond the sea? That's our true destination.

After 24 hours upon leaving SG, we finally reached where we wanted to, thanks to the poor flight timing and budget considerations.

WELCOME TO HOKKAIDO 北海道!!!

东京二夜

2011-10-20T19:44:00.000+08:00

跟东京一样忙忙碌碌

Now I know why Singapore imposes such strict control on installing neon lights on buildings.

My first experience at a Maid Cafe. If you can't stand cute things you shouldn't enter. I wonder how the maids are able to keep themselves so 'high' throughout.

Errr...mouse? Dog?? Sometimes Japanese decorate their food too much...

...until you don't really bear to eat it. What's with all the cutesy heart shapes?

One of the most prestigious university in Japan - Tokyo University. It looks pretty ordinary from appearance (a typical European-style architecture) but compared to NUS it seems a notch better.

The famous Red Gate 赤門 of Tokyo University. 'If you walk through this gate, you'll get good results' kinda superstition...bah.

和 Media 有缘??

2011-10-06T01:23:00.000+08:00

This time I made it to the Taiwan media...

Ok lah, only the pronunciation made it through. It sounds really weird to hear a famous TV personality saying your name in such clear diction.

If only I could sing that well too haha.

---

Anyway here are the videos that reported on the work we did in Tohoku:

焦点 discusses about the difficulty in reconstruction efforts.

前线追踪 covers mainly on the students' feelings towards the volunteer work at Rikuzentakata.

Unfortunately the rest of the 90% of the trip (where we visited places of interest and enjoyed ourselves at local festivals) was not covered as it is deemed to be 'inappropriate' at this moment of time.

Probably in the future, when Japan has more or less recovered, the footage might be dug up and shown.

I understand most of my blog readers aren't very interested in what is going on in Japan, but hope my coverage about the trip will give you an insight to how Japan is coping and their road to recovery.

Watching such a long youtube video isn't very appealing either. I know most people just watch to witness my presence, but sorry to say that you won't be able to spot me at all unless you have really sharp eyes. At least my 'weird' voice can be heard for few seconds...

My duty in publicizing this trip is more or less done. Whether to visit Japan or not in the near future is up to you. Personally I admit that biasness plays a part. I chose to go Japan because I study the language and appreciate its culture. Let's say the same incident happens to other countries...like Korea (touch wood, just hypothetical), I would avoid visiting the country say the same thing like "Why risk my life by going to the country and getting myself exposed to radiation and earthquakes?'

That's the sad fact of tourism.

和 Media 有缘 (II)

2011-09-28T17:18:00.001+08:00

This is one exceptional event I'm deeply involved in, which received lots of media coverage. Thanks to the trip, I was able to come in contact with the media crew, experience the feeling of being interviewed, play a interpreter role etc. I am also surprised at how selective they are in editing the footage/information. Out of everything they shot during the trip, only 10% or so made it into TV programmes. Out of everything I replied during the interviews, about 10% made it to public. Haha.

Pre-trip article in Straits Times.

Corresponding coverage in 联合早报.

Video clip from NHK (Japan's major news broadcasting company), showing us at the Inauguration Ceremony held before the trip.

My debut appearance in Straits Times. (not counting the person with exact same full name who occasionally writes to the forum page)
The origin of Mr Ng. (actually I haven't turned 24 yet lol...)

I think it's not very appropriate to reveal the 'behind-the-scene' matters here, but what I can say is: News articles can display certain bias through the kind of words used. I'm actually taken aback by how 八卦 and straightforward, as well as how hardworking a journalist can be. Anyway the online article link has many negative, not-very-nice comments...

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_709333.html

It's very easy to get cynical over such publicity.

Almost got interviewed by 联合早报. They took an individual shot of me, then no follow-up haha.

We appeared in My Paper 我报 too! With more colourful pictures.

Yay I have a solo picture in a Japanese news website Jiji (时事).

焦点's story on reconstruction efforts in Rikuzentakata.

After a more international 焦点, here comes a more gossipy 前线追踪.

Portion of my interview reply. Voice only. The sentence looks a little ungrammatical, because the '就' is added into the subtitles from nowhere haha... Prior to being interviewed, I was telling the crew that I only need to say one good punchline, to save their efforts of editing. They insisted in doing a 'full interview' anyway. And well indeed, only that 'line' made it.

Hungry and Cute

2011-09-22T11:14:00.000+08:00

More pictures to share with you all:

Sign reads 'Beef tongue stick'. Still can stick out tongue and smile somemore...

You need a roulette to decide which bin to throw your trash into.

Mr Samurai will grant your wish by hacking and slashing.

Hungry Ghost Festival

Feeble attempt in planking (when you don't wish to get your face soiled in asphalt)

Such meals really test your decision-making skills (in deciding which order the dishes should be eaten).

老大来喽！

Another of those utensils/crockery-filled set meals. I really pity the dishwashers.

Sendai-style ramen, from a food court. Don't let the chilli on the spoon fool you, it's not that spicy actually.

大宴会 indeed. First time having a meal in such a grand setting, in a large dinning hall meant to serve more than 100 patrons.

Few problems: 1) The centre is obvious, but is my 'side table' at the left or right? 2) You sit facing someone at the opposite row, but the distance is too far to interact. Feels awkward. 3) The entire row is continuously lined with these little tables. Not possible to cross to the other side without walking all the way to the ends. And no one in their right etiquette will lift their legs over the dishes. Well, there is a simple way to overcome this though.

No, this is not a zoom-in of my previous photo. Look, the set is different! This lavish spread is my breakfast!! (on the following morning)

Off to Tokyo with Pikachu!

A big thank you to my fellow teammates for making this trip so enjoyable! (by the way the beer bottle I'm holding was an individual portion, but I could only finish barely 1/3 of it. There wasn't enough bottles to go around, so I actually deprived some people from drinking...oops)

宁夏

2011-09-15T11:21:00.000+08:00

Besides all the hustle and bustle, we had the chance to visit cultural relics and experience the serenity of Japan. In the country of rich culture and long history, there is much more to feel and explore. Not to forget the mountainous backdrop painted with lush greenery.

Nice little shrine

Japanese shrines usually sell these charms, which make good souvenirs. But not cheap at all.

Drop a coin in and pick a fortune slip. So many types?!

May the 伊達 spirit be with Sendai & Miyagi Prefecture

The 伊達 samurai gang comes to life. They really know how to 耍帅 leh.

Uniquely Japanese Gate.

What's up with this pillar?

People are sticking coins inside the cracks! (free cash for looters)

When we saw this pasture at one of the universities we visited, everyone got excited and started to run around like kids, taking jump-shots, owl-shots, or whatever-shots. The Japanese students must be thinking: Are Singaporean kids so deprived of such nature?

In the morning, we were greeted by this wonderful view when we drew open the room curtains at a hot spring hotel.

Picturesque.

Sendai Airport (仙台空港)

2011-09-08T23:08:00.001+08:00

Sendai Airport was devastated by the tsunami on 3.11.

This is how it looks now. Normal operations have resumed.

Though the halls are still a bit sparse.

The tsunami came from this direction - the sea visible beyond.

The restaurant has been closed since that fateful day. Rearranging the display properly seems to be the least of concern.

Words of encouragements from the Japanese, along with cranes and flowers.

Towards recovery!

和 Media 有缘

2011-09-01T11:31:00.001+08:00

This '缘' seems to be limited only to Japan. In my past 3 trips to Japan, I've encountered experiences with the media, both SG and Japanese.

The 1st time, 2 years ago, our activity was covered in a Japanese newspaper.

The 2nd time, upon reaching Tokyo from Hokkaido, my brother and I were interviewed (in Chinese, through an interpreter) by Japan's broadcasting station at a tourist spot, regarding how tourists feel about going to Japan after the tsunami/nuclear crisis. I was not able to watch the programme from SG since I did not subscribe to NHK Channel. But I think I spoke pretty well considering it was so impromptu and some of the questions were really difficult to answer. (I'm thankful that watching Channel 8 news helped me in using the appropriate terms and vocabulary haha)

As for the 3rd time, in Tohoku, Mediacorp followed my group all the way throughout the trip, so I might be captured a lot in the video clips.

Looks like I'm being interviewed right? Haha nope, I played as an interpreter. Now I realise interpreting from one language to another can be really tough! In fact I found it harder to translate from Japanese (listen) to Chinese (speak) than vice versa. Sounds counter-intuitive right? Haha.

This time I'm really being interviewed! (after rejecting once) What a unique place to be interviewed - inside a bullet train.

Not very related but I guess it's something to do with 'media'. This huge poster appeared in Natas Fair. I was there but didn't see it (I must be blind lol). What made those pictures so special is that it was taken by someone who followed my group, so I actually appeared in quite a few pictures. (don't know if you can see from this resolution)

So where did all the Channel 8 stuff go to? The answer is...Tonight! 1st September 2011, 10:30pm, Channel 8, 焦点 (after 晚间新闻). Tonight's programme will cover our trip to Tohoku. This programme is not available through Xinmsn, so don't miss it! (if you want to see what I've done in the trip, as well as my interview =p, provided it's not cut away lah haha)

I'm just praying it won't show me dancing in the festival lol.

新传媒记者Servbot报道

Sendai Tanabata Festival (仙台七夕祭り)

2011-08-31T01:02:00.000+08:00

This is one of the most famous summer festival held in Japan. Its characteristics are the hanging of colourful decorations, ranging from small to very big ones, and well-wishes written on slips of paper.

Not the actual day of festival yet, but preparations are already up!

Attended a session on making mini-decorations. We made a purse, and I think mine (at the bottom right of pic) was really ugly. The folds at the edges were creased and non-uniform.

'Tutorial' on the meanings of each type of decorations. They even gave a set each to everyone as souvenir. =)

Outdoor tentage for writing wishes, then hanging on the strings provided.

I realise I've been making the same old wish for the past 15 years or so. (But they did come true! Haha)

Jellyfish-like decorations can be seen everywhere.

In Japan, there is always room for cuteness.

I didn't know Japan is such an open country...

In this span of few days I've become a camwhore like the rest. =p

Rikuzentakata (陸前高田)

2011-08-23T12:58:00.000+08:00

The volunteer work at Rikuzentakata city (陸前高田市), heavily devastated by the tsunami, was one of the main purpose of the trip. Having seen lots of images and videos from the media previously, the sight of the destruction did not come as a shock, but I could feel a tinge of sorrow as the bus drove through the area. It can be pretty depressing to witness how a city is wiped out just like that.

Volunteer centre where we collected our work tools and did admin matters. There were quite a few volunteer groups from overseas too.

It reads 'Rikuzentakata City Disaster Volunteer Centre'

All set for volunteer work! Actually these PPE (personal protective equipment) is a little overkill. But I appreciate how the authorities prepared all these PPEs so that we won't get hurt. The nails, wooden/glass/ceramic shards, and dust from the debris can be pretty nasty.

Everything still looks pretty green and fine just before entering the affected area...

...Then scraps of vehicles come into sight.

As you can see, most of the debris has been gathered into heaps, showing how much the clearing work has progressed since.

Most of the area is still waterlogged with sea water. Pumps are probably needed to drive all these brackish water out.

Everyone is working hard to clear the debris, for an upcoming event.

These are some items we have recovered from the soil, including certificates and other belongings. Generally only those with names can be returned to the owner. Those without have to be thrown away. I dug up things like computer parts and mahjong tiles.

This notebook was dug up from the ground. The content looks so familiar. Probably belonged to a university math/engineering student.

We dug up this stubborn tree stump! =)

Being situated at higher ground, this little temple remains safe from harm.

The area in the foreground is where we worked. That served as a carpark for a small-scale festival which was held 2 days after. Yes, the locals were still determined to hold the annual summer festival here despite the rubble, showing their strong spirit in recovery.

You may read more about the festival here:
Japanese Town Reunites Around Festival
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903885604576490212437843194.html

I hope to see a new Rikuzentakata a few years later. =)

Morioka Sansa Odori

2011-08-17T23:35:00.000+08:00

It was my first time witnessing and participating in such large-scale dance festival/parade. What's more this was experienced in a foreign country, which added to the thrill and excitement.

This festival was held in Morioka（盛冈）, the capital city of Iwate （岩手）Prefecture, which was greatly effected by the March earthquake and tsunami. Hence this year's summer festival holds a special significance, in the sense that it gives the people hope and spirit to recover from the disaster.

These performers on standby are always ready to pose whenever they see a camera aimed towards them.

What's a festival without food stalls? Yea it was extremely crowded.

Among dozens of stalls at dozens of crowded streets, I spotted my favourite Japanese food - Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki!

This dance parade is similar to Chingay, but then, I've never watched Chingay live before. Thus it was a refreshing experience.

You can't escape the concept of cuteness in Japan.

As the sky darkened, brightly decorated floats started to roll out. Most had motivational messages written for Iwate.

Black spotted among the performers! (I also saw a mother carrying her baby on the back while dancing)


The main parade event is over, but the public is welcomed to dance along with the performers.

Of course I took the opportunity to dance along too. Took quite a bit of courage to upload this video, so don't laugh at me hor.

This must be one of the rare moments when I dance in public without feeling much embarrassment. As all of you might know, I'm pretty stiff and robotic when it comes to dancing. But the heightened atmosphere at that time really made me enthusiastic in joining the dance. It was also a rare chance to immerse totally into dancing without getting bothered by public's eye. I gradually became unaware that there were so many people around me, and my eyes stayed glued at the dancer in front as I tried to follow the steps.

Even after repeating the same steps 20 over times, I was still unable to catch the flow. Just as I was getting the hang of it, the music and dance steps changed haha...

富士山上

2011-08-14T00:50:00.000+08:00

I finally got to see with my own eyes the most beautiful icon of Japan on my 4th trip there.

Mt Fuji can be easily spotted on the flight to Tokyo, about 15 minutes before landing.

Of course this is not the best view of Mt Fuji from so high in the sky, but I look forward to visiting it in my next trip, or maybe the next following one.

Anyway I am disappointed in ANA. The service was fine, but the seat was so uncomfortable. The seats cannot recline at all, and the leg space is very narrow. Totally couldn't rest well for both overnight flights, though there was a really fun game that kept me occupied.

曲终人散

2011-08-10T20:59:00.001+08:00

All the fun has officially come to an end for me. It's time to get back to school and start working on my FYP. This is undoubtedly the best summer holiday I've ever had. I wonder if my graduation trip can be any better than this...

The moment my final exam paper ended last semester, I flew off to Europe. And now, I have returned from Japan just in time for the start of the new semester. Really stretching the limits of my holiday haha.

There are many many things I would like to share regarding both my trips to Japan, but I'm really busy these few days. For the time being you can read my NUS blog about the Tohoku Ambassador trip. I'll fill up more details and photos in this blog soon.

Link: http://blog.nus.edu.sg/servbot1/

Thank you very much, Japan.

Probability

2011-07-31T22:42:00.000+08:00

东京一夜

2011-07-29T00:42:00.002+08:00

节电中。繁忙街头比往常暗。

人潮汹涌，源源不断

宅男天堂

Europhia Epilogue: Return to the East

2011-07-18T12:00:00.003+08:00

With that, my Europe trip comes to an end. (Yeah finally!) Took KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) direct flight from Amsterdam to Singapore. The flight was very empty and thus I was able to lie down on three seats in my row by lifting the armrests. Many passengers did the same too. Had the best sleep I ever had on a flight haha. Because of this time passed pretty quickly too. Didn't bother much with the in-flight entertainment, as it pales in comparison to Air France. The self-service snacks were nice to eat though.

*Waves to the other plane*

This must be the best overseas trip I've ever had, and all the extensive planning gave me confidence to plan free & easy trips in the future. But I'm still not prepared to stay overseas for an extended period of time (3 weeks or more).

This trip is the longest time I've spent overseas. This is considered small fry to those who have gone for exchange. But glad and relieved that I didn't meet with any major problems (don't need to claim any insurance hehe).

Ok some statistics:

18 days
11 countries
16 cities
(avg 1.6 days per country, 1.1 days per city, sounds crazily intensive to me haha)

10 hostels
14 accommodations
11 flights (shortest 50 min, longest 13 hrs)
(avg one flight every 1.6 days, I fly more than an air stewardess lor haha)

Time to give out some awards:

Best Accommodation - Rome (large suite, breakfast right at our personal dining table)
Most Budget - Prague (hardly spent there + cheap)
Most Tranquil - Inverness (so quiet, so few people)
Most Touristy - Venice (crowded, exorbitant toilets and gondola rides)
Most Memorable - Edinburgh
Most Friendly People - Switzerland
Best Food - Edinburgh (I want my pasty aka giant curry puff)
Best Scenery - Switzerland (didn't meet expectations but still wins hands down)
Best Architecture - Prague (fairy tale structures)
Best City - Edinburgh

If I were to go for exchange in Europe, I would pick Scotland. The most worrying consideration is the cold weather however. Second choice would be Switzerland, but quite costly though. Similarly if I were to go Europe again, I would want to revisit Switzerland or Scotland. =)

Thanks a lot for reading my travel report for the past 2 months or so. Hope you all enjoyed the pictures. By the time you read this, I would have already gone for another trip. Travelling is addictive haha.

My travel route for this trip.

Europhia Chapter 27: Netherlands - Amsterdam II

2011-07-16T12:00:00.003+08:00

Amsterdam city is full of canals, hence often dubbed as 'Venice of the North'. Compared to Venice, Amsterdam has roads, more paths for pedestrians, and its canals are narrower. The canals can be convenient for keeping track walking routes around the streets, but it can get pretty confusing as two parallel streets facing different canals can have the same name.

A common view throughout Amsterdam.

Amsterdam doesn't rely on water transport as much as Venice.

Very 'Holland' architecture indeed.

There are lots of boats, but there are much much more bicycles. Their multi-storey 'bikepark' looks pretty overwhelming (no photos of it unfortunately).

Happened to come across a mass cycling event.

Drawbridge, an icon of Amsterdam.

I used to watch a drama filmed in Amsterdam, where two lovers are separated by the drawbridge as it lifted.

Little Dutch pancake. Very little indeed, considering European appetites.

Main plaza.

Oh no! Don't kill me! *there are police behind you...*

Despite the wide roads and the tram tracks, it's actually pretty easy to jaywalk across, because there are so few cars. You have to look out for the numerous cyclists though.

Indonesian food. Tinge of 家乡味

It's a pity I don't consume alcohol. Europe is 酒鬼's heaven.

Netherlands is a very open country.

Sex symbol Marilyn Monroe. There is a fan below to blow the skirt up.

Erm...

Coffeeshop. In Amsterdam, ‘coffeeshop’ takes a very different meaning as in SG.

At night, the red light district becomes very active. Pictures are inappropriate to show here. Photography is strictly not allowed anyway.

The red light district in the day looks very innocent. Though women can still be seen flaunting their assets at the windows.

Not heap of fabric garbage, but flea market.

Not the entrance of a temple, but flea market.

Famous Belgium fries. Look at the mountain of fries behind!

Vending machine for hot croquettes. Sold slots will be refilled from behind.

Largest pancake I've ever eaten.

Definitely enough for a full meal.

If you ask me, this place is probably more romantic than Paris.

Few chapters ago I mentioned about fare-cheating. This is where my luck comes to an end. I didn't have coins to buy tickets from the ticketing machine (there are no manned ticketing counters), and shops were already closed. Halfway during the journey I spotted the conductor coming. Stood up from the seat and made my way to the train end (pretty obvious to other passengers that I'm avoiding the conductor). Unfortunately there was still a long way to the next station and conductor was approaching quickly.

A few seats away, the conductor stopped and caught a fare-cheater. It took quite a while for him to take down the particulars and stuff. This helped to stall quite a bit of time, as the train was slowly approaching the station. Finally when the conductor was done, and proceeded to the next passenger, we reached the station and alighted in the nick of time. Phew!

Should we get caught, we could always act blur as tourists and cook up some excuses, and hope the conductor will close one eye. But I would rather not take the risk. Don't want any trouble in foreign country. If not for the fellow fare-cheater in front of us, we wouldn't have made it...

Amsterdam also saw the first time my journey to catch a flight was delayed. On the way to the airport, there were technical problems and we had to take a long detour. Was able to check-in on time, fortunately.

I knew my trip won't be so smooth after all, or is it due to a certain person? Haha...

Europhia Chapter 26: Netherlands - Amsterdam

2011-07-14T12:00:00.004+08:00

Left the rainy city for Amsterdam.

From my geography lessons, I know that many parts of Holland lie below sea level, hence the need for dike construction and efficient drainage to prevent flooding. Windmills were widely used to pump out seawater, hence they became an icon of Holland.

When we visited this place the air carried a chocolate smell. Turns out that there was a chocolate factory nearby.

Smaller windmills scattered at the plains.

The true Holland Village.

Bread is good okay!

Most of the attractions/shops were closed by the time we got there. =(

I kept seeing this big shoe everywhere. Are there giants living in Holland?

Countryside feel.

Bridge lifted for ships to cross. What happens if someone were to be standing on it when it lifts?

Flower park. There are many kinds of flowers on display, notably tulips.

Get ready for many flower pics.

Doesn't this make you want to pluck some flowers home?

My macro photo taking skills are put to test here, and I think I still suck at it haha.

My favourite.

Flower ball. Tempted to grab it.

This one looks like smiley face.

Why are flowers so colourful?

The flowers may be pretty, but I was rather disappointed with this park actually. Most of the outdoor flowers had been removed. The flowers peak bloom season is around April and at the date we visited this park (mid May), it was just days before the park closes until next year. Perhaps they should have closed the park earlier. There was already nothing much to see. Luckily we paid less than expected for the visit, but still quite expensive.

At most parts of the park we were merely greeted with these 'empty' leaves. The flower bulbs had been cut away.

Must sell off these flowers quickly before they wither.

This is the most disappointing one. This flower field is supposed to be very very colourful.

When I look at these pictures taken from Google, I felt that I had missed out a lot. Note: The below 3 pictures are NOT taken by me.

Bottomline is, if you want to see flowers, be sure to visit during their peak bloom, but you must be prepared to bear with the sheer crowd.

Europhia Chapter 25: Denmark - Copenhagen

2011-07-12T12:00:00.005+08:00

Travelled further north to the Scandinavian region.

So far I've been travelling with at least one more person. Copenhagen is the only city where I toured alone. The freedom was great, since I could walk wherever I want, and eat anytime, anything, anywhere. But it got boring after a while as I couldn't share my feelings and observations with anyone.

Unfortunately this was the most miserable leg of my trip, mainly due to the poor weather. It rained the entire day. There was intermittent rain in the morning, when dark clouds came and went quickly, and blue skies can still be seen. However in the afternoon it rained continuously. The rain wasn't that big, but it definitely dampened my spirits and made me lose motivation in exploring more places.

My heavy backpack also took a toll on my shoulders. It started aching since the morning, and I had to find a place to rest frequently. With the rain, it's not easy to find suitable places, especially when I'm roaming around parks and gardens. There isn't much shelter around the city in the first place.

Walking in the rain, carrying backpack the whole day...so much for my first solo tour. Little things like rain droplets forming on my specs, camera lens getting wet, lack of toilets, serves to irritate me further. Luckily the Danish people were nice and friendly, I met some who helped me along the way.

This conspicuous poster can be seen at the airport metro platform.

This metro looks more like a skytrain/LRT, judging from its length (I'm standing at the end of the station). It also tells a lot about the population in this capital city.

Wanted to visit this greenhouse but it was closed.

These trees look artificial.

Square-top haircut.

Rosenborg Castle.

Admiring flowers along the way.

Fly away...

Wind turbines. They are larger than I thought.

Little Mermaid. One of Copenhagen's famous tourist attractions.

Windmill!

This park has a shape of a star, surrounded my moats.

There were guards marching along the streets. I feel like blocking his way.

Dark clouds looming.

It started pouring heavily, so I sought shelter in this church.

Many people came in after me. I guess they were looking for shelter too.

Pirates of the Scandinavian.

Looks like Venice, except more colourful.

Bought delicious Danish rolls here. This store must be very popular because I had to take a queue number to be served.

The city skyline is filled with spires. This one looks like a drill/screw.

Another heavy rain. I was desperately looking for a toilet when I took this photo haha.

So many platforms.

The regional train looks pretty wide and spacious. There is even parking space for bicycles inside! Was checked by the conductor (luckily I bought tickets), and I saw someone being fined hehe.

Frederiksborg Castle. Supposed to have a nice reflection in the lake, but it was raining...

The place is so deserted. It feels like I own the place.

Big gardens, as always.

Looks like trees you see outside haunted mansions.

After the gloomy tour, I settled in a university dormitory, where I was bathed in warm hospitality. It was like an oasis in a desert. Had a wonderful dinner, interacted with some Italians, and even got to taste one of the best cheesecake I've ever eaten (can't believe it's homemade). While the day did not go as smoothly as expected, I really enjoyed that evening among all. Tour is not just about sights and food, it's about the people as well.

Europhia Chapter 24: Germany - Berlin II

2011-07-10T12:00:00.003+08:00

Berlin has one of the most complicated metro train system in my opinion. Though it may not have as many lines as London Tube, the fact that multiple routes share the same track/platform is confusing. You can't just wait at a platform and expect the next coming train to be the correct one, as the trains might travel to a different destination. A single route might have different sub-routes, which might branch out or terminate at an earlier stop. It gets more confusing at major stations where there are several platforms, overground and underground, which are distanced quite far apart. (You might have to exit and re-enter the station again to interchange. But since there is no ticket gantry, you won't know where is the boundary of the boarding area.)

But what I like about Berlin's train system is that it has day and night services, which means trains run almost around the clock. This is especially helpful for people who have to reach the airport very early (unlike Paris...), or return home late at night. Furthermore train and bus services share the same ticket. You can buy a single ticket to take both train and bus in one journey. This is unlike SG where you have to buy a single-trip card for MRT rides, then pay the driver in cash for bus rides. You can't scan your MRT single-trip card on the bus.

Because of this system, you can buy bus and train tickets in advance. (though it feels weird to board the bus without making any kind of payment) As seamless as it might be, I lost my way twice on the way to the airport. One during train interchange, and one during bus transfer.

Holocaust Memorial to the murdered Jews.

No jumping from block to block, though it looks tempting haha.

Checkpoint Charlie. A famous crossing between East and West Berlin.

Don't look so fierce leh...

Entering the Soviet sector. You can get your passport chopped here, with the stamp they used in the past.

Just behind that sign there is this spoof.

Some memorial. The design reminds me of a certain building in SG, can't remember which...

People don't usually frequent shopping malls in Europe. Hence malls are usually quite deserted.

Full of childhood memories. Would definitely visit if I had the time.

Lego giraffe welcomes you!

The marvels of Lego bricks.

Constructed this little plane at the DIY corner located outside the entrance. My own creation!

Fairy-tale-like structure.

Rittersports store. So much cheap chocolates with colourful packaging. Irresistible!

All the chocolates I bought + Vienna waffle.

TV Tower. Easily visible throughout Berlin.

7-rider bike. One person steers while the rest contribute to pedalling.

Looks funny how this bulky bike can even move with so many people riding on it.

Transforms your 2-cent or 10-cent into a souvenir coin.

Train stations that lie at the East-West boundary was shut down, and became ghost stations.

This station looks eerie indeed.

Several walls were erected within the underground station to prevent illegal crossing.

Spotted a rainbow!

Revisiting Reichstag.

The lighting looks much better compared to early morning.

Missed a potentially beautiful sunset, because there was no good enough spot to observe.

In order to make my trip as smooth as possible, I did much research beforehand, looking up maps and transport information. There are abundant information online, but I wasn't familiar with the different systems (especially transport), hence it took more effort than needed.

Instead of using the time to study, I went to research during the exam period. I think this is what made my grades suffer last semester. It was really distracting to have an exam on the same day I'm flying off. On that day I flew, I had Japanese lessons at Orchard in the morning, went home to study a bit, took my last exam, went home to pack my stuff/settle things, and finally headed to the airport at night. What an exhausting day!

Europhia Chapter 23: Germany - Berlin

2011-07-08T12:00:00.003+08:00

And thus we head north to Berlin. The weather seemed to be fine, though it was a bit windy and cold.

I guess most of us know Berlin through our history textbooks. It used to be divided into two during the cold war (American side and Soviet side), separated by the famous Berlin Wall. Because it's the capital of Germany, it also holds many significance during WW2. Berlin would make a good field trip destination for history lessons haha.

Welcome to Berlin! I feel so welcomed. =)

The train station looks nice, in its modernity.

Probably it's due to Sunday morning, the whole place is so tranquil and quiet.

Reichstag. German parliament.

Brandenburg Gate. It used to serve as a major gateway for crossing to the other side of the Wall. Hence it was heavily guarded. Tourists can pose with the US and Soviet flag for a fee.

Potsdamer Platz. Used to be a major traffic intersection until the Wall bisected it. The structure you see here is actually a traffic light tower, to control the heavy traffic during its heyday.

Where the Wall once stood.

Some remnants of the Wall. This section is not destroyed, yet not very well-preserved.

This section of the Wall (at the riverside) has become an art gallery.

So colourful. Too bad I don't know how to appreciate this kind of art.

Visited a chocolate shop and saw this choc version of Reichstag.

Choc version of Brandenburg Gate. Feels tempted to grab a bit and eat...

Titanic?

Not as spectacular as that in other cities, but still worth a shot.

View from the top of Berlin Wall Memorial. The Wall has double layers, with concertina wires, to prevent illegal crossing. There are watch towers to guard the area, and shoot the illegal crossers.

Preserved Wall with its 'traditional' graffiti.

Bits and pieces here and there.

People who died at the Wall?

RIP

Even the traffic light silhouette looks so military. Halt!

March!

Currywurst. One of Germany's famous street food. Sausage with lots and lots of sauce, and a bit of curry powder.

Which one looks better? This one actually taste better. Though I don't like how the excess sauce covers the taste of sausage.

This kebab is larger than a water bottle! My dinner...hehe.

As my itinerary is pretty packed, it's important not to lose my way during any part of the trip. I also don't like to walk in circles or wait around, so I would want to travel with a clear destination and aim in mind. This also serves as a motivation to continue walking with my tired legs, and wake up early in the morning in anticipation of the day ahead. All the activeness during the day would translate to good sleep at night. I slept really well on most days, even though the conditions may not be the most conducive (eg. sleep on floor) =)