Out and About on a Sun(ny)Day

Whilst its howling wind, lashing rain thanks to a raging typhoon out there today, just three days ago was a bright, 33degC sunny weekend with not a cloud in sight.

Saturday was spent walking around Harajuku for a bit, before joining some of the girls from the dorm at Yoyogi Park for a Vietnamese Food Festival!

People bought food from the many many tents, sat down on these stairs and tucked in. =)

One of the things we tried was Banh Mi - a pork sandwich in Vietnamese-style French baguette. It was SO good!

People trying on the traditional Vietnamese attire and taking photos on rickshaws.

After visiting this fair, a never-before-urge to visit Vietnam surfaced. Combined with the Vietnamese dishes that I've been seeing on Masterchef Australia, I cannot wait to go Vietnam and try the food there sometime soon hopefully! This is how travelling itches always hit me - first the food, then the travel. Oh dear.

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Sunday was even more blazing hot than Saturday, hitting 33 degrees Celsius or perhaps a bit more. But the sun was the bright cheery type and humidity was not very high, so that made a good day out for walking (and tanning! -.-'').

I started the day with one of my favourite activities in Tokyo - visiting flea markets!

Look beyond the row of bicycles, through the trees and see the ... flea market!

Tada.

I reached there pretty late though - about 2.20pm - and only had around 40 mins to browse around before people started packing up to go. Nonetheless it was a good experience, chatting up storekeepers, checking out bargain wares, and even randomly striking up conversation with a Japanese uncle, who was browsing the flea market too. Knowing a language and a place really opens up windows and doors of opportunities.

The flea market wound up by 3pm and the day was still too beautiful for me to just head back to the dorm. So I decided to take a stroll and indulge in another of my favourite pasttimes - getting 'lost'. Initially I thought I was somewhat headed back in the direction of my dormitory but I soon realised that I went off the opposite way. Nonetheless it proved an enjoyable time with new things and new sights. Ended up in Aoyama - the Beverly Hills of central Tokyo - and had a chocolate shake at a Lindt shop. Wandered into the back alleys of Harajuku, where rather than cheap garish girls' fashion, these were the more chic, funky and creative shops and facets.

Photos and captions to be up on facebook soon; uploading photos and captioning them on blogspot is just too much of a pain. Here are some examples though:

Typhoon No. 15

Another 'present' for Japan - Typhoon No. 15.

I applied for a part-time work permit yesterday and whilst waiting in the queue - 150 plus people! - to submit my application form, there was a TV there broadcasting news of the Typhoon and its effects. Nagoya seemed to be one of the worst hit areas, with people having to evacuate and floods reaching waist-level, subway stations being submerged and all... Really sobering. I hope casualty numbers will be minimal or even zero after this Typhoon but that may be just hopeful at best.

Japan seems really hard-hit with all the natural disasters this year...

And yet, as horrible as this may sound, I think all these disasters, if carefully handled by authorities to minimise casualties, may actually prove to be some kind of timely intervention for the society to rebuild herself and her economy.

Waist-high floods in Nagoya.

Submerged subway stations.

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I understand that Japan's economy has been stuck at a stage called stagflation for some time now - stagnant growth, high inflation. I'm not sure if the government is using exchange rate to mitigate the inflation, but the Yen is at a freakishly high rate as of now. 4 years ago when I first came to Japan for a floorball friendly match, the rate was 100yen = SGD1.30. 2 years ago, it ranged from about 100yen = SGD1.50-1.55. Now, the rate has climbed to an almighty 100yen = SGD1.65, just up from 100yen = SGD1.60 a week ago. And it's not like the Sing dollar has been weakening; in fact, it's been reaching stronger rates especially against the US dollar and the Euro.

I'm so not withdrawing any money from my Singapore account right now - the exchange rate is way too horrendous. I can only hope it'll go down some in time, and hopefully by the time I'll need to draw cash out.

Tadaima!

16 months later, I'm back.

Tadaima Japan. =) ("tadaima" is a Japanese way of saying "I'm back!")

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1 year on, there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of change in Tokyo, unlike the 1-year difference that I keenly felt upon return to Singapore from Tokyo in Aug 2010. There are certain signs that linger on after the earthquake and the Fukushima incident though. Unlit vending machines. alternate lamp posts switched on, etc.

Doing my part too, with the table light switched off now and air conditioning turned off in the day. Plus I'm folding paper boxes now out of scrap paper, and as in the past, attempting to limit the number of plastic bags I take from shops.

Edit: Added pictures of the little boxes

one for my nail polishes...

one for my accessory box and sunglasses...

another for my moisturiser, just 'cause it fits...

another to hold my to-go stuff: handphone, mints, lip balm

one more for keys& watch, one for charger, and below them both: 100yen coins

And there's more lol. For tissue papers, food... yeah. Lots.

Hmm paper boxes, anyone? =)

Short-lived

After reviving for a week or two, my laptop has now degenerated back into that black-screen-only monster that refuses to hear my pleas about deadlines, essays, and World Cup matches. So far, with the screen being all black, I have only figured out how to get the music player Winamp to open, and play songs. So my laptop has become an MP3 player of sorts - what a bulky and sulky one though.

Why couldn't it just stay problem-free for just less than a month...?! If I were in Singapore, I'd probably just buy a monitor and connect it right up, but definitely not doing that here. Already have too much to send back/bring back, wouldn't help to have a new monitor to contend with.

Floorball league match tomorrow - excited-ish but sure have to get up early... 6.30am darn it.
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Really time for a haircut though; the decision about perming or not is still hanging in midair though. The courage and urge comes and goes in waves. Let's see which one catches when I am finally actually going to the salon.

Ciao for now.

Matters

Entering the last 2 weeks of exams and reports due. Yeah a mountainful more than I thought I had. =P

Yet, at the same time, I have had to start planning and indicating/bidding courses for start of school back in NUS. Quite an odd feeling really - neither here nor there - and just another reminder that I am currently traversing two countries, two time planes and basically 2 worlds.

Looking at the modules and courses that I have to take from next Semester (which doesn't sound anywhere as near as the reality of August, i.e.,in 1 month), I could only blank out and think: "oh my." Funny how the oft-quoted "the horror the horror" popped to mind (thanks JC Lit classes!).

Taking honours classes doesn't seem simple. Especially not when I have to overload 1 more module per semester since I need to finish my credit requirements. And the overloading module will be a time-challenging and intellectually stimulating USP class. Oh and not to mention, one of my compulsory honours seminars just happens to overlap a little with Tuesdays training times. What kind of Captain has been MIA for 4 months since the handover, and missed the League with the team, and doesn't know the year 1s (at all), and then now, has to miss 1 hour of every Tuesday training? Oh my. I am suddenly glad I applied for Hall again. Really glad. Can you imagine adding 2-3 hours of travelling torture to that each day?

I am in for =such= a treat. And so soon too.


Right now, having no summer vacation/holiday time is really the least of my worries. Hoho.

I can only say - as the Japanese often say - "gambarimasu!"　Loosely translated, it's "I will work hard. 我会加油！" So...頑張ります！

Cousin

Just met Vincent earlier tonight - had dinner at Shinjuku and walked around till Harajuku. Interesting that I met up with him here, in Tokyo, after 14 years or more.

Wantons

Saw wanton skins on offer at the supermarket the other day - 50% off - and the obasan (auntie) in me couldn't resist buying it, so I ended up making 1) fried wanton skins last night for supper (unhealthy but yums =P) and 2) wantons today.

Maybe I'm biased towards the food I make (as usual) but it was yummy! =)

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Not sure if I've posted this but my return flight is changed and settled. 30 July Saturday is confirmed but on the waiting list for 31 July Sunday. Hope I get the date I want. Since I only have 1 week before school starts again in NUS, was hoping to even just make a short/day/1-2days trip out of Tokyo before returning.