Archive for the ‘indulgence’ Category
Its Late. Im Lazy.
Quick update.. that will be filled up with details soon:
- Michelle Ong is here! Whoohoo. Living in my little space. She’s one crazy, unpredictable girl. ♥
- She brought goodies from home: CURRY. BAK KUT TEH. PANDAN FLAVOURING. TOMYAM. CHICKENRICE FLAVOURING. KAYA. She can live here forever, if she keeps bringing these for me. Heehee.
- Oyasumi (Holidays) in 2 days !
- Guns N Roses are FREAKING CRAZY AWESOME. Although they were about 5 cm tall from our seats – it was a greaaaaaattttt, LEGENDARY NIGHT!! (: LIVE & LET DIEEEEEE!!!
- I am loving my GNR Tshirt. I’m going to wear it SOON.
- There was a crazy long line to get souveniers after the concert – it was crazy long. Japanese do love their souveniers.
- We met the craziest dude in the whole of Tokyo after GNR. I laughed so hard it hurt. Oh yeah, and he’s a metal rock singer in Japan, from Australia.
- I love Harajuku. Went there with Nancy & Susan today. Love. It. & bumped into Perttu & Elina too. How random. And I took 30mins to find Nancy, but I spotted Pertty & Elina not once, but twice. How crazy is that?
- Its insanely cold. I don’t do cold! Freaking hell. And, and, and, the sun is out so nice and bright, it makes me feel all paradoxical. Cos I do not feel the heat!!!! Although I am glad I am not feeling the humidity and melting away, like back home.
- Ayaka is an awesome singer! I love that girl. She’s so cute & pretty and has an amazingggggggg voice!
- We went to Ruby Room, it was an open mic bar night. It was awesome. Very cool.
- Nights out with Ann, is always crazy. She’s been good (ie. mostly sober) for the last 3 nights we’ve been out. Very proud of her. (:
- I cannot survive on 2 hours sleep, if the night before was spent partying. Although I did do really well in Japanese class. I got a “Subarashi!”. HAHAHA. I fell asleep 3 times on the train when I finally headed home… and I think I was standing up for 2 times out of those 3.
- I finish my ceramics course on Tuesday. And I’ve seen most of the pieces I’ve finished – and I LOVE THEM. (: Its so Japanese. The way I learnt it here is soo different from what I did back home, and I can’t decide which I prefer. Although I think I learnt more skills from this sensei than I did the last time when I learnt it a few years ago.
- I miss Mayjean Lim. WHY must you be in Australia?
- I love Ann Soelberg.
- I love Tokyo. I love Japan. I never want to leave.
Night world.
Oyasuminasai.
Sing me a little serenade.
Ann and I visited Seoul, South Korea, last week, and before I forget some thoughts I have in my head, I’ve got to write some down. Photos are still in my camera, so that’ll have to wait.
Here is a soundtrack of our days in Seoul.
If you’ve been to Seoul, or seen ads from there, this gets stuck in your head. Ann and I had it stuck in our brains for a long time.
Chick Habit by April March
Ann’s song:
All Star by Smash Mouth
For the Oasis-love in all of us. Where the lyrics speak to me.
“The things that you’ve seen, slowly fade away.”
-
“My soul slides away, don’t look back in anger I heard you say.”
Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis
My most favourite song, ever. Sing it to me, and I will melt. (I’ve probably quoted this song twenty thousand times).
“I know you know we’ve had some good times
Now they have their own hiding place
I can promise you tomorrow
But I can’t buy back yesterday”
I’ll Be There For You by Bon Jovi
(And I chose an awesome vid. Old school!)
I love it, Ann hates it. Its awesome. And I got 100% on it, with a certain someone. How am I to deny this song?
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen
Frank Sinatra leaves me speechless. And a simple promised serenade?
Under my Skin by Frank Sinatra
Back at One by Brian McKnight
Someone dance with me?
Day 3 meant Tsukiji.
(Warning: LOTS of photos.)
A cold morning, waking up at 5am to get to Tsukiji market before the Tuna auction ended. Took the first few trains heading toward Tsukiji and then it started drizzling and got really wet. Maybe that’s why there was no smell at all in the market, cos of the cold! Best fish market ever. I hate the smell of wet markets in Singapore, I think I never breathe through my nose when I’m there.
We weren’t sure where to go when we arrived at the station. So we just followed people. We assumed they were going to the right place. And we did end up at the right place. So all was good. (:
- First views of the fish in Tsukiji Market
- Roe – lots!
- Unagi! They look kind of scary and gross swimming in there. But… just think of the taste!
- Tuna sold at the auction (I’m assuming). They are huge! Its just so amazing seeing the whole huge tuna go pass by you, and then another one over there, and there. And then being cut up, being sliced, apportioned. Its just so amazing seeing it as a whole instead of being in my food alone.
- Here are my parents with the tuna!
- Fishy fishy, all in a row.
- Tuna being mistreated and hauled around, and cut up. They are so big, and heavy! They just chop off bits of it and its like all over the floor – okay not all over, but you know what I mean! – and there was a tail on the ground, then fins were coming off too.
After checking out the fish market, we then found the auction room, where the tuna auction was being carried out.
- Its all busy busy in the auction room. Bells will be ringing where the tuna to be sold will be. They will be shouting all sort of numbers to the crowd, hands will be raised, and then the tuna will be sold. So exciting.
- Look at the rows and rows of tuna.
- Dragging away the ones that have been sold.
- So much going on at 6am in the early morning. All the tuna to be sold, all the buyers busy calculating their worths and their ability to purchase.
- Dragging the tuna about.
After the auction was over, for us at least because tourists were only allowed in during a fixed time period, we headed back out and checked out the rest of the market!
- Here I am in the middle of the huge huge super cool Tsukiji fish market.
- And here are my parents in the cool Tsukiji Fish Market.
- Here is the anago man! Slicing the anago. I thought it was unagi, but he corrected me. And he also warned us when those crazy car things were zooming around next to us, how nice. (:
- Check out the cool octopus!
- Here is Pa with the man cutting up the fish
- And now Pa & Me
- Here I am.. somewhere in the middle of Tsukiji
- Slicing up the fish. With full concentration.
- Check out the long knife. I’m just imagining the sounds of swords slicing through the air. *shing-shwhing*
- Slicing up the tuna with precision.
- Tsukiji. Wow.
- Here I am with a whole fridge full of tuna pieces!
- And my parents with same fridge of tuna.
- Then whilst trying to get out of the fish market, we ended up in the fruit & vegetable market. Those are people buying the veges/fruit. It was quite amazing.
- Here we are in the fruit/vege section
After finding our way out of the market, and finding out where the other market with all the food was. We made our way there, and went to find breakfast! And I got to choose unagi! 
My parents love me.
- Then we went to eat unagi. Because I’m pathetic and don’t enjoy sashimi.
- Here is Pa with his unagi-don!
- And Mum with hers!
- And happy me with mine! YAY!
After this, we went back to the hotel to sleep. I wonder why.
After waking up too soon, forced to by my parents, we went to get my apartment stuff done. And check out awesome ramen we had for lunch!
That night we dumped all my stuff in my apartment. And I had Takopachi! LOVE!!
Hop, hop, hop, excitedly.
The weather in Tokyo has been awful for the past many days, probably a week since the start of rainy rainy rain and gloom. Supposedly a typhoon is going to hit Tokyo soon, but I don’t see any reports on it! I hope people are just telling me nonsense, and there will not be a typhoon, because there was the typhoon when we first arrived in Tokyo, early September, and that sucked big time. [Ok, I know. I have another like 30 days in Tokyo to pictorialize - soon! Patience!]
Anyways, I just saw the report, and its going to be sunny on Saturday & Sunday! LOVELY. Especially since Ann & I are planning to go to one of the Tokyo islands, Niijima, this weekend. Lovely!
Ann is my new travel best friend. Today we just went to get our multiple entry permits, with Perttu too, then we booked our flight to South Korea for the 14th Oct, and then booked the Demilitarized Zone tour in Seoul, then we are planning to go to Niijima this weekend. Pure wonderfulness. (:
Ok, time to hit the readings. I haven’t started any readings since this evening, which I’m supposed to finish for tomorrow’s class. I’m so so not going to finish in time. Its one huge stack, and this is not including the second class. Sigh. But I was productive on other fronts, like making dinner, eating, watching some Japanese television, vacuuming my room, taking a bath, washing my sheets, pillowcase, blankets, towel, and gotten price information for future trips – Taiwan!
On another note, the Yen needs to depreciate. I’m running out of money and I hate the rate so badly I don’t want to change the money I have in USD and SGD. Although I was forced to withdraw from my debit card when I absolutely was penniless, and there were no money changers. There is a serious lack of money changers – at all, and with good rates, even less – in Tokyo, I don’t get it! And the bank is taking too long to set up my account, I need some money transferred in from Singapore, don’t they understand! Very broke girl here, in a very expensive city!
time for take off.
So I’m going to Hong Kong and Guangzhou again.
Really excited for so many reasons. I’m finally going to be a proper tourist and do touristy things, instead of just shop. And definitely eat all the good food until I explode. Love love love.
I’m going to be hanging out with Nartz after so long, totally looking forward to that, especially cos she knows all the best cool spots in town. -Happiness.
Ok. I’m crazy last minute, with only 2.5hours before I need to cab down to the airport and check in etc. First flight out of Singapore alone actually, although i’ve flown alone several times, so its actually a new experience. I only just finished packing, I’m loading music into my ipod shuffle & handphone now. Very last minute I know, but I had to meet all my friends today, and say my “See-you-on-Monday”-s.
Bye for now, Singapore.
Picture via: bugbog.com
