tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97981452024-02-07T19:01:29.987+08:00The Budget GeekTech-related musings interspersed with snippets of Japan, music and the environmentAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-71417349900946577092014-11-06T00:53:00.000+08:002014-11-10T21:27:42.005+08:00The Budget Geek's Guide to Sim Lim Square <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a techie, I am both a bit angry and sad at all the bad press Sim Lim Square (or SLS in short) is getting. Sure, SLS is notorious for scammers and inflated pricing, especially for the "more gullible" foreigners, but its really only a few shops that are being the black sheep among the rest of the (mostly) honest retailers that are doing honest businesses.</span><br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Sim_Lim_Square%2C_Sep_06.JPG/800px-Sim_Lim_Square%2C_Sep_06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Sim_Lim_Square%2C_Sep_06.JPG/800px-Sim_Lim_Square%2C_Sep_06.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With all the big hoo-ha over Mobile Air and their treatment (or should I say... scamming?) of their customers, its understandable that the general public would want to keep away from SLS and do their electronics shopping at relatively safer places like Funan, Courts, Best Denki and so on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But why stay away when there are bargains to be made?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are planning a trip to SLS but reconsidering due to the fear of getting scammed, here is a quick guide to surviving the place and walk out a happy customer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rule #1 - Research</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SLS is an unforgiving place and can seem like a huge, confusing maze of shops, lights and Korean pop videos. To an unprepared and uninformed shopper it will be an absolute nightmare. So, do your research! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check out the shops which carry your desired purchase, do some background checks, scroll through the Hardwarezone and VR-Zone forums for advice and compare online with competing products. Always try to understand what the specifications mean and take the seller's "advice" with a pinch of salt. They are after your money after all :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh and most importantly - know what you want!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rule #2 - Avoid the first 2 floors</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not saying that all the shops on #01 and #02 are bad, just a general guideline to adhere to when shopping. Its not a coincidence that all the shops on the CASE complaint blacklist are located on these 2 floors. Keep a lookout for salesmen who try to capture your attention, especially those who target Caucasians. "Hello sir, looking for cameras?" is a clear indication that you should steer clear.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I normally do is head straight to the 5th floor and slowly work my way down to level 3. That said, not all the shops on level 3 and above are reputable - use common sense and remember Rule #1!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rule #3 - Stick to a few familiar shops </span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With less time to compare prices since I'm now a member of the working society, I nearly always head to the same shops every time I go back to SLS. Reputation and familiarity rank ahead of price for me. Good service is a plus!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The following is a list of shops I usually head to (in no particular order):</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fuwell - for PC components and system building (friendly and knowledgeable staff)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bizgram Asia - PC components at competitive prices</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PC Dreams - for laptop repairs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PC Themes - for PC components and system building</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SingInk - for 3rd party inks, printer modification and toners</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tec-Drome - for the latest PC and console games, including limited editions and gaming gear (though with the popularity of platforms like Steam, business isn't doing too well. Feel kinda sad for the uncle)</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do note that I'm in no way endorsing the above shops, visit at your own risk (and remember Rule #1)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rule #4 - Know what to buy in SLS</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe this is my own opinion, but SLS is really only worth a visit if you are:</span></div>
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking to build your own custom PC</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upgrading your PC</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buying 3rd party inks/toners </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buying 2nd hand laptops</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking for connectors/cables/fans and other basic necessities</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking for cheap, China-brand phones/tablets/MP5 players (I LOL every time I see one)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking for not-exactly-legal TV boxes, funky tech gadgets and cheap knockoffs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hungry for Northern Indian cuisine - the stall in the basement food court is awesome!</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SLS is <u>NOT</u> worth a visit if you are:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buying a laptop/camera/monitor/router/printer/portable storage - wait for IT shows instead.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buying a brand-name smartphone/tablet. Seriously, if you want an off-contract iPhone with valid warranty, please get it from an official Apple reseller</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With these 4 rules to follow, I believe the SLS experience should be a painless one! </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-57343131608828813772014-11-03T22:17:00.001+08:002014-11-03T22:20:54.439+08:00It's been awhile...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was just looking through my list of posts and realised on top of that list was a draft titled "8 years, ありがとう、YUIさん" dated way back in January 2013.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I never wrote anything, just the title. I guess all the feels of YUI's "retirement" from music took over and I never got around to actually writing out that post. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who knew she'd surprise us all by forming FLOWER FLOWER? :D</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that's another story for another time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As it turns out, I haven't written anything since then. If you noticed, my very last post (before this) was regarding the merits of custom ROMs on a HTC Desire S, which by today's standards, would be considered ancient technology.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyhow, while I'd love to do a tech-related post, such as rave about my current LG Nexus 5, or extol the virtues of my (sadly) stolen Sony Xperia Z, this blog has really become kind of a diary for my travels and a place to rave about my recent fanboy obsessions. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which, having attended my last concert of the year (probably!), is ultimately going to center on the amazing Japanese techno-pop trio that is Perfume.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But in the meantime, a little entry into the tech-diary for 2013-2014 (have I really been away that long?!) would be in order.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mobile</span></h4>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upgrading from the aforementioned HTC Desire S to a Sony Xperia Z...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">...and promptly had it stolen from me T.T</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having just re-contracted, I ordered the LG Nexus 5 from Google </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Running stock Android Kitkat 4.4.4, rooted with Xposed Framework and am happy with it for the moment (waiting for Lollipop!)</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Networking</span></h4>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upgraded to Singtel Mio fibre from Starhub cable broadband (yay for 200mbps!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ol' ASUS RT-N15U became a print server of sorts, replaced by the more-than-capable RT-N56U</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To boost speeds to my desktop PC in another room, I got a pair of Sineoji powerline adapters - cheap and work as advertised!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Received a spare 2TB WD MyBook Live from an uncle and is currently running as a home server for music, videos and stuff. </span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Computing</span></h4>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My graphics card (an XFX GTS 250) finally died </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Replaced it with an ASUS GTX 750 together with a Corsair CX500M power supply because I was afraid my old PSU couldn't handle the new card. Turns out it could -.-</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometime in late 2013, the first games that would <b>only</b> run on 64-bit OSes were released. Then in 2014 came the horrible, horrible news that I was dreading... FIFA 15 also required a 64-bit OS (I was running 32-bit Vista - I know, laugh all you want)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And with a heavy heart, I upgraded to 64-bit Windows 7, together with a new hard disk because why not?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To date I'm counting down the days I have left before I need to change my motherboard, processor and RAM in order to play the latest games. Already, Assassin's Creed Unity is out of my reach T.T</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... Well, that felt good, reminiscing about all that techie stuff.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next post will be about my recent 5 day solo trip to Japan to catch Perfume's 5th Tour "Gurun Gurun" in Tokyo, followed by their World Tour 3rd Live in Singapore :D</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-90576477842430031102013-01-10T17:15:00.000+08:002013-02-14T20:40:35.931+08:00Android and me<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, it comes as a surprise to me that I haven't really done a post about my (1 year, 4 months and counting) experience with my Android-powered HTC Desire S smartphone and the Google Android ecosystem. <span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">It's been a long while since I posted anything geek-related so this shall be a little biography of sorts, to commemorate 1 year and 4 months of Android and me. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">(A mostly subjective post on Android - if you're a fellow 'droid, someone considering taking the plunge, or just an Apple user interested in "the other side", read on)</span></span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">The Beginning</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">It all started back in August 2011, during a time when the smartphone revolution was in full swing. Apple's iPhone was THE phone to get, while I was still tottering away on my 2 year old Nokia E63 (physical buttons ftw!). It was about time for a re-contract, and as almost everyone does nowadays, a re-contract equates to a new phone. I knew long ago that the iPhone 4 and the Blackberries weren't for me, mainly due to the nature of their highly restrictive ecosystems. I was impressed by the user-interface of Windows' mobile OS, but baulked at the lack of apps, s</span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">o I settled on Android.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"><b>The Phone</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">At the time, the two major Android phones in contention were the newly released Samsung Galaxy S2 and the HTC Sensation. Both were equally matched in terms of features and specifications, but I didn't like the S2's plasticky look and preferred the nice, hefty feel of the metal-encased Sensation. Of course, being the budget geek that I am, price was the deciding factor - both were going for around $300-$400 for my preferred plan, which was way above my $200 budget.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">I settled on the next best alternative - the Sensation's little brother, the HTC Desire S, which was on promotion. At that time I thought, "Why the heck would I need a dual-core processor? A single core would do fine! And besides, battery life would be so much better!". Little did I know that in just one year's time, quad-cores would be the industry standard (lol). On the bright side, I ended up paying only $48 after trading in my old Nokia.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn-static.cnet.co.uk/i/product_media/40000829/image4/440x330-desire_s_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://cdn-static.cnet.co.uk/i/product_media/40000829/image4/440x330-desire_s_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The HTC Desire S</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">I won't do a review of the DS here simply because many sites have done it, and the fact that it is a very, very outdated phone by current standards. I still love it to bits though, for its compact 3.7" screen, aluminium body, the subtle "lip" at the bottom, and the fact that it still remains relevant in today's iPhone 5, S3, Note 2 and One X dominated world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"><b>The Early (and dark) Days</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">It was a little hard getting used to a touchscreen after a decade of using physical buttons. Still, thanks to the matte screen protector that I slapped on it (I hated the squeaky smoothness of clear ones), I was soon swiping my way with ease. Unfortunately, HTC's Sense 2.0 user interface wasn't as user friendly and smooth as I expected.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"><br /></span></span>
One of the first obstacles I faced was migrating my contacts from the SIM memory into the phone. Somewhere along the migration process I screwed something up and promptly (and accidentally) deleted every contact I had. I had to rebuild my contact list the hard way, but thankfully I had an existing Gmail account which helped tremendously.<br />
<br />
Next was the frustratingly lag-infested crap that HTC called Sense. Mind you, the current Sense 4.0 coupled with Android's Ice-Cream Sandwich/Jelly Bean has come a long way since those dark days of Sense 2.0 (and even 3.0). Visually, Sense was beautiful - widgets were well designed, menus were attractive, even the icons matched the whole theme well. Unfortunately, the poor single core processor couldn't handle all the visual goodies, which also negatively impacted battery life tremendously.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.xda-developers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Untitled.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.xda-developers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Untitled.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The iconic HTC Sense clock widget</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I also had a minor scare when the phone refused to boot up and got stuck at the HTC logo, despite repeated attempts of removing the battery and rebooting (which I later learnt was actually a very dangerous thing to do). The problem solved itself after a few hours though, thankfully.<br />
<br />
<b>Delving into the world of root and custom ROMs</b><br />
<br />
Things started looking up after I made the decision to go turbo (if you've watched the movie Wreck-it-Ralph, going turbo refers to going rogue lol). Thanks to the amazing community at XDA Developers, I found easy to understand instructions for rooting the Desire S, along with loads and loads of custom ROMs undergoing development. The forums contained many newbie-friendly guides for just about everything Android-related, including the seemingly crazy world of ROM flashing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.xda-developers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/xdawallpaper-1280x720-1024x576.jpg?f39ce1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://www.xda-developers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/xdawallpaper-1280x720-1024x576.jpg?f39ce1" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.xda-developers.com/">XDA Developers</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Just in case you're the owner of an Android phone, and like me have decided to go turbo too, just a quick reminder that rooting your phone voids the warranty, so only do it if you're absolutely sure (well, there are ways to reverse the root process, but I won't talk about that here).<br />
<br />
And so with the help of XDA and YouTube, I rooted my Desire S and promptly installed my first custom ROM - Saga LBC mod. I'm not sure what made me choose that, but I believe I was watching a tutorial for flashing a ROM on the DS and it just so happened the guy used that as a demo. Of course, I was still a total n00b at custom ROMs back then, so I didn't really know what to look out for when choosing one.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lbc-mod-android-dev.de/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/saga-lbc-mod-v0.5.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lbc-mod-android-dev.de/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/saga-lbc-mod-v0.5.2.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saga LBC Mod, based on Sense</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the first things that I did, having rooted my phone and installed a custom ROM which supported it, was to overclock the processor. The euphoria of having overclocked the stock 1 GHz processor to 1.5 GHz lasted just 4 hours (lol), having drained 50% of the battery. Other stuff I did was to install awesome apps like Tasker and Titanium backup, which needed root (I'll elaborate more on the apps in a separate post).<br />
<br />
Even with the added functionalities that came with root and the custom ROM, I still wasn't satisfied with the performance without compromising on battery life. And then I discovered CyanogenMod, or CM in short.<br />
<br />
<b>CyanogenMod</b><br />
<br />
If you've ever done a search on custom ROMs, inadvertently you'd have come across CM, considered one of the most (if not THE most) popular custom ROM for Android. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i52.tinypic.com/11jvl2v.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://i52.tinypic.com/11jvl2v.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CM7 on the Desire S</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In a nutshell,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>CyanogenMod is an aftermarket firmware for a number of cell phones based on the open-source Android operating system. It offers features not found in the official Android based firmwares of vendors of these cell phones. - <a href="http://www.cyanogenmod.org/">http://www.cyanogenmod.org/</a></i></blockquote>
In other words, CM is stock Google Android, with added awesomeness! One of the first things I noticed after flashing CM7 (Gingerbread) was the whole cyan theme embedded into every nook and cranny of the phone, which felt so natural as if Android was made to be blue - I loved it! (And Google too, for they also incorporated a bluish-cyanish theme for Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean).<br />
<br />
The second thing I noticed was the added smoothness CM actually gave my lag-plagued phone, which was no longer a pain to use. Part of the reason for this was the fact that CM based itself upon the stock Android operating system which was lean and optimized for use the way Google intended it, unlike the lumbering beast called Sense.<br />
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One of the additional features in CM that I found indispensable was the ability to tweak the settings for auto-brightness - I could adjust brightness levels for specific ambient lighting conditions - which did wonders for my battery life (screen brightness is usually the number one culprit of battery drain). Other not-so-functional-but-still-awesome features included customizable lockscreens, embedded power toggles in the pull-down notification menu and (in CM9 and later versions) sweep2wake!<br />
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Sweep2wake basically enables you to turn on/off the screen just by swiping across the four physical buttons at the bottom of the phone (the home, menu, back and search buttons). Sweep left to lock, sweep right to wake (hence sweep2wake), no more pushing of the power button! This function very nearly became a lifesaver when I dropped my phone a few months back, denting the power button and causing it to cease functioning. Thankfully it popped back out after a few hours (my phone seems to have mysterious regenerative powers lol).<br />
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<b>Breaking the upgrade cycle</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.talkandroid.com/uploads/2012/07/cyanogenmod_cid-300x224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://img.talkandroid.com/uploads/2012/07/cyanogenmod_cid-300x224.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cid, the (new) mascot for CM</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And so here I am now, in 2013, holding onto my HTC Desire S flashed with Andromadus CM 10.1 running Jelly Bean 4.2, when many of the S3s, Note 2s, One Xs and whatnot out there are still stuck on ICS or even Gingerbread (gloating time lol).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And herein lies the reason for flashing a custom ROM, especially if you're not using a Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 4 - you won't get upgrades until your phone manufacturers say so, which is often several months after the official Google release. Nexus users don't have this problem as they get upgrades the instant Google announces them (lucky them!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And if you're using an outdated phone, destined to be relegated to the scrapheap? Tough luck trying to get an official release.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the things I love about Android is the dedicated developer community that keeps 2 year old phones like the Desire S viable in today's quad-core, 5 inch screen world. After trying CM7 for a couple of months, I got the itch again when Alpha builds of CM9 were released, promising an upgrade to ICS. Then came CM10 which brought Jelly Bean and Project Butter to the Desire S, followed most recently by CM10.1 with JB 4.2. Amazingly, CM9, 10 and 10.1 weren't even official releases, just test builds by a handful of extremely dedicated developers (shoutout to Nexx, nk111 and Flinny from XDA, you guys are awesome!). Sure, I'd get a couple of random reboots in a day, but that's a small price to pay for having the latest Android OS on an ageing phone :D</span><br />
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<b>Prologue</b><br />
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How long will I keep this up, I always wonder to myself. Will I upgrade my phone to a Nexus 4 if/when it becomes available locally? Will I be tempted to get a new phone when my line is up for recontract in August? Will I stick with the Desire S until it finally dies?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_GiAXUGAk34/UO2cqQKUtbI/AAAAAAAAC40/PbOt301Mxk4/s1600/2013-01-10+00.33.43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_GiAXUGAk34/UO2cqQKUtbI/AAAAAAAAC40/PbOt301Mxk4/s400/2013-01-10+00.33.43.png" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry A-chan and Kashiyuka >.<</td></tr>
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In the meantime, I'll be happily munching on jelly beans until the time comes to make a decision ;)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-28147042819112571752012-11-28T12:12:00.001+08:002012-12-10T13:41:05.795+08:00Perfume World Tour 1st live in Singapore! パフュームワールドツアー:シンガポール!<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.428571em;">Yes, I'm a closet Perfume fan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last Saturday was the last leg of Perfume's 1st ever overseas tour, held in Singapore at *Scape Warehouse. This was following performances in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and choosing to end their tour here in Singapore meant that we had honor of hosting the event to be broadcast live to cinemas all over Japan and Taiwan!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big thank you to J-Live Asia and Sozo for bringing Perfume here!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.428571em;">Well, before going into the details of their awesome performance (if you've been reading my twitter), I'll do a quick introduction of Perfume and how I started listening to them :D</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">From Wikipedia (where else?):</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Perfume (<span lang="ja" xml:lang="ja">パフューム</span>) is a Japanese pop girl group from Hiroshima, Japan, consisting of Ayano Ōmoto (<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Nocchi</span>), Yuka Kashino (<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Kashiyuka</span>), and leader Ayaka Nishiwaki (<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A-chan</span>). They debuted locally in 2001 and made their transition to a major label in 2005. As of January 2012, the group has released fourteen major label singles on the Tokuma Japan Communications label.<span data-mce-style="font-size: 12px;"> </span>Since 2003, Perfume has been produced by Yasutaka Nakata, founder of the group Capsule and the man responsible for their electronic dance-pop music. </i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.428571em;"> My first brush with Perfume was a few years back (probably 2009), and like many fans I believe, it all started with the single "Polyrhythm". I remember viewing it on Facebook or YouTube (the beauty of social media), and was quite entranced by their techno-pop music and that addictive "poririzumu poririzumu poririzumu izumu izumu izumu" refrain. I started listening to their albums "Game" and "Triangle" and fell in love with the rhythmic melodies and thumping beats, characteristic of their sound. I wasn't that huge a fan of their dance routines, preferring to immerse in their music instead (which incidentally worked wonders for concentration during exam periods).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Then came news earlier this year that J-Live Asia were bringing Perfume to Singapore as part of their first World Tour, and I just had to go for it! Right, </span><strong style="line-height: 1.428571em;">on to the concert proper.</strong><span style="line-height: 1.428571em;"> Forgive me if I can't remember the playlist or details here and there as I was so absorbed and really enjoyed myself :D</span></span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.428571em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Opening</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The girls started off with matching shimmery, silvery white outfits and did some of their earlier songs as well as songs from their just-released Global Compilation "Love The World" album, including <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Night Flight, Computer City </em>and<em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> Electro World</em>. It was my first time seeing them dance (well, with the exception of Polyrhythm), so I was really enthralled by their dance steps. <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Electro World </em>in particular got the crowd all hyped up! I loved the part where each girl took turns to do the fist punches!</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">MC</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This was followed by an MC section during which Nocchi complained (jokingly of course) of the heat and the sweat. A-chan then identified many guys wearing black-framed spectacles and chatted about her favourite type of guy (black framed glasses, headp<span style="font-family: inherit;">hones, V-neck and skinny pants lololol). This was all translated helpfully by an audience member called Ume-san (?). Incidentally there was one member of the audience who fitted that description! They talked about eating chicken rice, arriving </span>at Changi at 5am, thanking the fans who went to receive them, as well as a hilarious interview session with a local photographer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A-chan then split the audience into 3, each with a unique chant - "Ma", "Rai", and "On". I didn't notice what it meant until she called for all 3 together -"Ma-Rai-On = Merlion!" LOLOLOL Japanese and their obsession with our Merlion (and chicken rice). STB, you're doing a great job!</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Super High Part</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm not kidding when I say this was the super high part. They did all their heart-thumping songs in one go, including my favorite song from the JPN album, <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Laser Beam. </em>The laser light show for <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Laser Beam</em> was absolutely top class. Half the time I was dazzled by all the laser beams instead of the girls XD. This was followed by <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Spending all my time, </em>where they did all the complicated hand movements, and a very appropriate track for the tour - <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Love the World. </em></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The screen from one of the cinemas broadcasting live! Awesome fans XD</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.428571em;">Then came my favourite part of the concert - the giant LED screen at the back split into 3 separate screens, and the girls walked out wearing red outfits! This was followed by </span><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">edge</em><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.428571em;"> which ranks among my favourite Perfume songs for its sheer untz-untz-untz-ness. The girls danced in front of themselves (on the screens) exactly in sync, and I loved the part where they started swaying and acting all confused. Amazing choreography.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This was followed by <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Secret secret</em> which again used the lighting to great effect, especially for the opening few seconds. The girls then ended off the segment with <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Dream Fighter</em>, another crowd favourite! I remember screaming "先まで!" together with the audience whenever the chorus came about. Really inspirational song!</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">P.T.A Corner</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I wasn't familiar with their lives/fanclub so I was scratching my head with regards to P.T.A, until A-chan answered my question - Perfume to Anata - the Perfume official fanclub, which they will be opening to the world next year! A-chan then got everyone to sing along to <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">We Will Rock You </em>(why that, I wonder lol). The girls then proceeded to teach us a dance to be used for one of the later songs! And A-chan actually "tekan-ed" us because we were waving our hands non-stop (i.e. Buddha clap style) and she was asking "You wanna learn the next dance? You wanna?". Nocchi and Kashiyuka were "pleading" with her to teach the next move which was hilarious XD. I wasn't laughing though, my arms were tiring quickly - which says a lot about the girls' fitness levels. They're damn fit!<strong><br clear="none" /></strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finale</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They started off the segment with my favourite song off the Global Compilation album - <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Fake It</em>! The girls really hyped the audience up and Nocchi came over to my side of the stage to urge us on! This was followed by the impossibly cute <i>Nee,</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;"> where everyone did the hand signal in sync during the chorus! Only after watching the PV for </span><em style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Nee</em><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;"> did I realise the awesome tap dance sequence that I missed out because I was at the back :(</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On hindsight, I realised I totally missed out on their footwork for all the songs D: Reminder to self - get VIP tickets next time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Crowd favourite <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Chocolate Disco</em> was next! It was fun singing along to the infectious chorus of neverending "Chocolate Discos" :D</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">And of course, they had to end it with <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Polyrhythm</em>. </span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Encore</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A-chan started off by g<span style="font-family: inherit;">iving a short, touching speech about the obstacles Perfume had to overcome to stand on the stage in front of us. Perfume never knew of their overseas fans until they attended the premier of Pixar's "Cars 2" movie, for which </span><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Polyr</span>hythm </em>was used as a song, and were surprised to learn that people knew their songs outside Japan. They made a decision to switch record labels (from Tokuma to Universal) so that they could go global to reach their international fans (so brave of them, respect!!). A-chan then teared up as she described how they had to bid their staff goodbye (T.T). I was really touched by her speech.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F4hg6stLndLUPfuNEjekNdEdQM_RSru-eNhPqWGVAPMTUAFm1vlK3J4Dkar09YxfZjeDh7KzLcWIIqkIdK1o2KABsi8_RKL454-j2Fv7hmrMiIKKyHmDGma7OV-IxmNT2PhB6w/s1600/Perfume-concert-2-640-X-427-600x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F4hg6stLndLUPfuNEjekNdEdQM_RSru-eNhPqWGVAPMTUAFm1vlK3J4Dkar09YxfZjeDh7KzLcWIIqkIdK1o2KABsi8_RKL454-j2Fv7hmrMiIKKyHmDGma7OV-IxmNT2PhB6w/s1600/Perfume-concert-2-640-X-427-600x300.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love their matching outfits! <i>Photo credits to sgcafe.com</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They then performed their first single released under Universal, </span><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Spring of Life</em><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which was really appropriate :3. I loved the dance routine for this song, especially when each girl took turns to do a mini-catwalk cum hair-flip (Nocchi, in particular XD).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They then did <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Kokoro no Sports, </em>followed by a <strong>special announcement</strong>! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zyx8IHSfPZ_6Xu3IzvTbJ6BPLTzzXiIzO1ENROIEloIwOLhfvfaaUavI4brTYm02dc4G-_oIOaTZHsZiKRfliEGsX2sKHFB-gNO-koKbg_YEBKAtmyrJPpiP_uI6koNNm7J0bg/s1600/chperfume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zyx8IHSfPZ_6Xu3IzvTbJ6BPLTzzXiIzO1ENROIEloIwOLhfvfaaUavI4brTYm02dc4G-_oIOaTZHsZiKRfliEGsX2sKHFB-gNO-koKbg_YEBKAtmyrJPpiP_uI6koNNm7J0bg/s1600/chperfume.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much cuteness in one photo! Pity about the gloomy skies though </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A-chan announced that a special guest from Japan came along for the tour - <b>Doraemon</b>! And Doraemon actually walked out! She announced that Perfume's next single, </span><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Mirai no Museum, </em><span style="font-family: inherit;">would be used as a theme song for a new Doraemon movie (Nobita's Secret Museum Adventure) next year! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> The funniest part came when Doraemon said he had to go back to Japan to check on Nobita, and he walked off stage. The Perfume girls then wondered how he was going back, before shouting that they saw Doraemon pull the "Dokedemo (Anywhere) Door" from his pocket and use it! So cute XD!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Perfume ended the show with <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">My Color</em> where the dance moves they taught us came in handy! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After they exited the stage, the fans started singing an acapella version of <em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Polyrhythm,</em> to which the girls (off-stage) replied "Thank you! See you again!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To quote my twitter reaction after the concert:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeWf90-P54Cb-sZrjIOHI5oR2f3S-mD6un__oLeeBMl77vXaUQDrWjJ7dGI_-Ju2mkUop39J5Y_0-1bVHuMEdKcUykROpZz3x_oT0RXfRdWgJJEAvsluiOBF2BwBnTey0xUZySw/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeWf90-P54Cb-sZrjIOHI5oR2f3S-mD6un__oLeeBMl77vXaUQDrWjJ7dGI_-Ju2mkUop39J5Y_0-1bVHuMEdKcUykROpZz3x_oT0RXfRdWgJJEAvsluiOBF2BwBnTey0xUZySw/s1600/2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEpP1jqWC6_ieJUans40BPAH1x_2NZjFq_GsaHKDUfKL74yM8e_WRakFoY5rolNYAkGomPMdz1sfmi2QDaG5gbq1F9FpjAltmJzPO7qKOQk3q52sGD4gyAyagvcRmGtxRWJNOew/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEpP1jqWC6_ieJUans40BPAH1x_2NZjFq_GsaHKDUfKL74yM8e_WRakFoY5rolNYAkGomPMdz1sfmi2QDaG5gbq1F9FpjAltmJzPO7qKOQk3q52sGD4gyAyagvcRmGtxRWJNOew/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></div>
And s<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">ome Japanese news reports about the tour:</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-40821416424826307082012-09-29T01:18:00.004+08:002012-12-03T12:23:38.873+08:00Mitsubachi Fest 2012Well its been some time since I last posted :/ Guess I should at least complete my long overdue Japan trip journal xD<br />
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<b>22/6 Day 7 - Mitsubachi Fest</b><br />
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That evening, I met Jun to travel to Linus's home to get the tickets for the event. We then rushed down to a live house in Omotesando, Harajuku for Mistubachi Fest!<br />
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Short introduction to Honey Bee Management, the guys behind the Fest:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Honey Bee is a Japanese talent management company, under Sony Music Group Japan. They do a host of stuff, from music production, composition, to live production and providing backing musicians. And of course, they have a stable of really great musicians. For many of us (fans of YUI, that is), Honey Bee became "famous" due to e.u.band, which is YUI's live band consisting of bassist Backy, guitarist Kuro-chan, drummers Chris and Mai Mai, percussionist Sakura and keyboardist Arisa. YUI's producer Hisashi Kondo is also from Honey Bee. </i></blockquote>
How did I get the opportunity to attend the Fest? Well to cut the long story short, Jun and Linus, the YUI-Lover "foot soldiers in Japan", attended several Mitsubachi Kaigi (meetings) in which Honey Bee met with fans and asked for their ideas and suggestions. This led to that, coincidences led to opportunities, and I ended up with a ticket! (Big shout out to Jun and Linus, thanks you guys!)<br />
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It was my first ever visit to a live house so I didn't know what to expect. I ordered a beer at entrance and promptly gulped it up on an empty stomach (didn't have time for dinner). No wonder I felt a little tipsy during the first few acts.<br />
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I was looking forward to catching Chelsy, but a few other groups and singers were pretty good too! I liked Moss Green in particular, she had really captivating vocals and sounded really good live. And of course, the highlight of the show was Chelsy!<br />
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Oh wait, before I continue, more on Chelsy:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Chelsy are a 4-girl band (3 now that their vocalist left, but I'll keep it at 4 for simplicity's sake) under Honey Bee Management, consisting of leader Arisa (keys), Mio (vocals/guitar), Shizuka (bass) and Ami (drums). 4 cute, bubbly girls in a band, playing YUI-influenced music? What else can you ask for? :DD</i></blockquote>
I was squashed in the front together with a bunch of YUI/Chelsy fans, and was quite amused by the crazy stuff they did while Chelsy were rocking on stage. As for the perfomance? I really enjoyed their songs; they played all originals which were friendly to the ear, including a couple of really rocking numbers. It was quite interesting to see the contrast in personalities - Arisa was cheerfully prancing about her keyboard, Ami was smiling all the way (but you could see the concentration in her expression), Shizuka was coolness personified (I love her backing vocals) and Mio sang with lots of emotion.<br />
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I confess that I wasn't too impressed by Chelsy the first time I heard their music (I thought they sounded too similar to YUI), but after that live my impression of them changed :D It also helped that Shizuka was starting to grow on me xD<br />
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First, some pics of Chelsy, (I brought my camera, but I forgot to insert the SD card, so I was stuck with 5 internal memory photos -,-)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chelsy's Ami, Arisa, Shizuka and Mio!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No points for guessing my favourite member!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The line-up for the night! Great talent on display :D </td></tr>
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After their set I hung around at the back to catch some of the other acts, which were equally impressive and polished too! To my surprise, staff and members of Honey Bee started streaming in, including Hisashi Kondo, Backy, and the Chelsy girls! We managed to steal a picture with Hisashi, while I got a pic taken with Shizuka and Mio thanks to Jun! (the following photos were taken with Linus' camera).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJQJUihqjJ4HsCojlkFJsXaFiSpmzJ2tamzrvU9fcp0mjEccYcREl36ltUE61E9nbmhfkHTd_961WbLZkzOour84EBOoRKoekjnzWztkA9_eSkFnlEIwOGx57TPhQcV8nmIkwtg/s1600/555819_10150899757712611_923376910_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJQJUihqjJ4HsCojlkFJsXaFiSpmzJ2tamzrvU9fcp0mjEccYcREl36ltUE61E9nbmhfkHTd_961WbLZkzOour84EBOoRKoekjnzWztkA9_eSkFnlEIwOGx57TPhQcV8nmIkwtg/s400/555819_10150899757712611_923376910_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linus, me, Hisashi Kondo and Jun! (lol @ HK's expression)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyr1i713-PnSQNQw15_6TX4eOitGqnMMggrxBsdIWP-CSaFhPqYA56rFj8FY9VTS0EFQ9hiVSmCfBeMhbok1zPwi4vw1m7TSYyzwONvwdcBmCDGMn4oKUS7CeKVEb_Bn5AC3ECcw/s1600/539275_10150899758022611_1235976539_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyr1i713-PnSQNQw15_6TX4eOitGqnMMggrxBsdIWP-CSaFhPqYA56rFj8FY9VTS0EFQ9hiVSmCfBeMhbok1zPwi4vw1m7TSYyzwONvwdcBmCDGMn4oKUS7CeKVEb_Bn5AC3ECcw/s400/539275_10150899758022611_1235976539_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shizuka and Mio!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniW_eta4qC08KkAzHZyX6cduOLIumgy14RXp5HanTvbBXNCvacEH9J9W3lY-pKxpugq3hSbPaHhFqPAVS0bOtsjYdz8xk7ap9pNgjxQPwktkLLHYly2onEwm0-LxPK4DuxXgsQQ/s1600/523801_10150899757832611_723764840_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniW_eta4qC08KkAzHZyX6cduOLIumgy14RXp5HanTvbBXNCvacEH9J9W3lY-pKxpugq3hSbPaHhFqPAVS0bOtsjYdz8xk7ap9pNgjxQPwktkLLHYly2onEwm0-LxPK4DuxXgsQQ/s400/523801_10150899757832611_723764840_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crazy YUI fans!</td></tr>
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After the event ended, we took the chance to meet some of the performers for a chat and took lots of pictures! It felt really surreal to be face-to-face with people you've been seeing on stage during concerts, much less talk to them! They were all really nice and approachable, and I managed to exchange a few words with Backy :D<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxyneE6Eh2Iu6TJTFoTha9mmyMDqaM8AEjP4JgEaXUgz2kVD5y2adkVgC1uB82qsrru9b-t5gPbE8oY-_zOzwXQ5_V0QAMH0yjsJaQLtCAzQGtjfJVIgTqHAGu12Iw_utVcdxrQ/s1600/603494_10150899757752611_247657177_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbxyneE6Eh2Iu6TJTFoTha9mmyMDqaM8AEjP4JgEaXUgz2kVD5y2adkVgC1uB82qsrru9b-t5gPbE8oY-_zOzwXQ5_V0QAMH0yjsJaQLtCAzQGtjfJVIgTqHAGu12Iw_utVcdxrQ/s400/603494_10150899757752611_247657177_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big sister Mai Mai :D</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRj1IFvSPgmCUUcsWaNrXJyKhSGwlf7vgwal2s3-Vx4Rmg4nm3spPPT8nV6ilZsn9zGUjM9nAq3eYUhe07_zH3TQwuOU224u7cCN4R9TXXS7zPiZHQWQDOnO5v9SixxFnFb_ny5Q/s1600/309920_10150899757657611_882206409_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRj1IFvSPgmCUUcsWaNrXJyKhSGwlf7vgwal2s3-Vx4Rmg4nm3spPPT8nV6ilZsn9zGUjM9nAq3eYUhe07_zH3TQwuOU224u7cCN4R9TXXS7zPiZHQWQDOnO5v9SixxFnFb_ny5Q/s400/309920_10150899757657611_882206409_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super nice guy Backy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWMyqHBnPugHO_AmBUze8d5R6U1OH6eNk8aIvmQ3J2I8qZAZMVqwD1wjo5cWHEVe7WA12ZPnAZkyu_O3XxGQ9qUc-k3IYkoqwTYg75iyoy_hLzzBZWaEFvRQuRLP0Px5sImZ9YQ/s1600/417547_10150899757587611_1941995106_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjWMyqHBnPugHO_AmBUze8d5R6U1OH6eNk8aIvmQ3J2I8qZAZMVqwD1wjo5cWHEVe7WA12ZPnAZkyu_O3XxGQ9qUc-k3IYkoqwTYg75iyoy_hLzzBZWaEFvRQuRLP0Px5sImZ9YQ/s400/417547_10150899757587611_1941995106_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chelsy/e.u. band keyboardist and MC for the night Arisa! </td></tr>
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After Mitsubachi Fest I realised that Honey Bee really tries to connect with the fans, which I think is awesome. There were no barriers between us and the artistes, and they were all very willing to interact with the fans. Of course, credit goes to the fans who were exceptionally nice and respected the artistes (can't say the same for fans of other, more popular groups)<br />
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It was late by the time the event ended and I hadn't had dinner so I was famished. Together with a bunch of Japanese fans we headed to a nearby Ippudo outlet for some ramen supper and beer :D Had a long, YUI-and-Chelsy-related chat before heading back to the hotel. On the way back I passed by the live house, and nearly bumped into Arisa and Shizuka rushing out with their bulky instruments (trying to catch the last train, probably?). Guess its tough being a musician eh?<br />
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<b>23/6 Day 8 - Tokyo University, Meiji-jingu </b><br />
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The next day I met up with Kevin who gave me a short tour around his town and Toudai (Tokyo University), and got introduced to the delights of tsukemen, which came with an impossibly hearty seafood broth. Think of the thickest, tastiest prawn mee stock, and multiply the shiokness by 10.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSbdGLjbQ0ZO0RTXOGaoql1wRzGtGN0AYeqn8dFstwX91QIuZ_PktGkg7qC1PRVSJsgCjjml16p0YTqAWSX3KkPE4wRMaB4wWDGTBzsmmRbo67qGCcceqxfJx6B66rPociST4XQ/s1600/552926_10150891751302611_1512926904_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSbdGLjbQ0ZO0RTXOGaoql1wRzGtGN0AYeqn8dFstwX91QIuZ_PktGkg7qC1PRVSJsgCjjml16p0YTqAWSX3KkPE4wRMaB4wWDGTBzsmmRbo67qGCcceqxfJx6B66rPociST4XQ/s400/552926_10150891751302611_1512926904_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just noodles, an egg, and a bowl of wicked broth</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOHc6GZCcjRRIxvje6HPHDf5ZxgiyTXM91XVnsa_ouSRTGYI7H-NhQweUIZw0WfEhfY8FGAPw8UruVLE8Pmkj4e1WQrBTX-VmnM4sK3KuXzpA978FqW7-Ici1J1dRpaGOj97RNA/s1600/556090_10150891751767611_1223356576_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIOHc6GZCcjRRIxvje6HPHDf5ZxgiyTXM91XVnsa_ouSRTGYI7H-NhQweUIZw0WfEhfY8FGAPw8UruVLE8Pmkj4e1WQrBTX-VmnM4sK3KuXzpA978FqW7-Ici1J1dRpaGOj97RNA/s400/556090_10150891751767611_1223356576_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toudai's clock tower, made famous (to me) by Love Hina XD</td></tr>
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<br />
I took a train down from Toudai to Harujuku and took a short hike to Meiji-jingu shrine, taking a break from all the heat. Bought a good-health charm for the girlfriend and just enjoyed the peace and cooling breeze blowing through the shrine grounds. I was feeling a little ambitious and walked all the way to Shibuya to pay a visit to the gigantic Tower Records store there. Bought Fukuhara Miho's latest album "Best of Soul Extreme" :D<br />
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Spent the night at Haneda Airport, where I discovered the awesome Itoen green tea. Yes, I discovered it only during the last few hours I had left in Japan. Sad that I didn't think of buying a whole crate to ship back home.<br />
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Well, that concludes my June 2012 Japan trip! Apologies for taking so long ><Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-55962923557737601782012-08-01T15:40:00.001+08:002012-08-01T15:40:21.978+08:00Japan: The Northern Alps #6<b>21/6 Day 6: Karuizawa to Tokyo</b><br />
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The next morning was mostly wast... I mean spent at the Karuizawa Prince Shopping Arcade outlet mall. There wasn't many things that piqued my interest, other than a LEGO store and the adidas and Nike shops. I decided to chill out in a Starbucks while the parents did their shopping.<br />
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I was surprised when the Starbucks staff asked me after taking my order of macha latte:「どこからですか?日本人ですか?」(Where are you from? Are you Japanese?). Well of course I replied 「いいえ、シンガポール人です。」(No, I'm Singaporean).<br />
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The reply I got? "NOOOOO waaaaaaay!! Get out of here!"<br />
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She said it in jest of course. Turns out, the cashier was a Singaporean working in Japan! She said my pronunciation sounded Japanese, but I didn't look Japanese so she was curious. And another Japanese staff told me she lived in Singapore for a few years as well. Judging from their reactions, I guess Singaporeans don't really go to Karuizawa that often XD<br />
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We took a Shinkansen back to Tokyo and arrived shortly before dinner. After spending a week or so in the Japanese countryside, I was having trouble trying to navigate the hordes of people at the station and on the streets, especially during peak hour. It didn't help that our hotel was in Tokyo's notorious Kabuki-cho district in Shinjuku D:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZ5lqQl_nCaJg_VK355ZjsFin1LWKpjL3peIuOhQ-pDR4o8G26mBY0g2dGrn14tfkQ2CYuetCGAfuj-sSWWNF4NQdmO19DEtrXum9WkvTgVcdc-1MZjqjQozdTtcF4hGY9htoVQ/s1600/P1000580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZ5lqQl_nCaJg_VK355ZjsFin1LWKpjL3peIuOhQ-pDR4o8G26mBY0g2dGrn14tfkQ2CYuetCGAfuj-sSWWNF4NQdmO19DEtrXum9WkvTgVcdc-1MZjqjQozdTtcF4hGY9htoVQ/s400/P1000580.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shinjuku by day...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagDJgrFdFLIQbj8IUxq7hojXV2yNRGv8XymZ-BTJ1T-Q7r9kouwVn_Gobl74NtPc9ppdcMmrZZ904T2X3XlHZlZoUt_NXpYMNuTsnFDaxKMy8ymbqHEY_wwZE_TRlyABVq1Y91w/s1600/P1000584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiagDJgrFdFLIQbj8IUxq7hojXV2yNRGv8XymZ-BTJ1T-Q7r9kouwVn_Gobl74NtPc9ppdcMmrZZ904T2X3XlHZlZoUt_NXpYMNuTsnFDaxKMy8ymbqHEY_wwZE_TRlyABVq1Y91w/s400/P1000584.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shinjuku by night</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqatvRRwEK9OWNCv3lDXqFKELfTi_1laueKTlGl7MS0Zn5zku0AZwiYvUhvuXnHkBpmjWJGnsnKgsUbme4q7h2QbALro95JUh0nLO40L3spCr1MEKM-ep31TRlKC2ZHB9WYPfFQ/s1600/P1000586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqatvRRwEK9OWNCv3lDXqFKELfTi_1laueKTlGl7MS0Zn5zku0AZwiYvUhvuXnHkBpmjWJGnsnKgsUbme4q7h2QbALro95JUh0nLO40L3spCr1MEKM-ep31TRlKC2ZHB9WYPfFQ/s400/P1000586.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kabuki-cho, bustling with people</td></tr>
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Dinner was a hearty seafood hotpot in a smoky restaurant filled with suited salarymen and their bosses, all chatting over beer and cigarettes. My mum was the only female in the restaurant, apart from the waitresses (who were all from China).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5JNXlVpeSElh9rJLvHOKA20hAkIjbc55lTHbDv3NkXjLCBseR0ChooAS8Sy302el4KuBRdonQ47ft8GEaTBsZ-0UBDDWlgNiyzXrjJJkqpIsEJCuY2tk_AOGYAymLvqFv5K-mA/s1600/P1000592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5JNXlVpeSElh9rJLvHOKA20hAkIjbc55lTHbDv3NkXjLCBseR0ChooAS8Sy302el4KuBRdonQ47ft8GEaTBsZ-0UBDDWlgNiyzXrjJJkqpIsEJCuY2tk_AOGYAymLvqFv5K-mA/s400/P1000592.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seafood!</td></tr>
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<b>22/6 Day 7: Tsukiji, Ueno </b><br />
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We headed to Tsukiji fish market for some early morning munchies and to search for fresh uni (sea urchin) to eat. Mainly my parents, because I don't eat uni (looks strange and creamy D:).<br />
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First stop was my favourite gyu-don stall that was facing the road. You order a bowl, sit down and just eat it in front of the stall :D And if there's no seats? Stand and eat of course! Much, much better than the crappy beef bowls you get in Singapore (especially the local Yoshinoya). Heck, the Yoshinoyas in Japan serve gyu-dons a billion times better than those you can find here.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GglTlVJWWiJC06HLnV1XmtaFKI72QgZObVfh29WqlqAqgpT03l3ICrtYqQlW5v6USpafsrkTtaE7e-Kf1YewgsyjdvB4ytZVQq8jfcyfx-rWFIOdVTmSwMGciewxVzCEmQM3ZA/s1600/P1000593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7GglTlVJWWiJC06HLnV1XmtaFKI72QgZObVfh29WqlqAqgpT03l3ICrtYqQlW5v6USpafsrkTtaE7e-Kf1YewgsyjdvB4ytZVQq8jfcyfx-rWFIOdVTmSwMGciewxVzCEmQM3ZA/s400/P1000593.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piping hot gyu-don!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9B5lYOG5uzFaE1Kg9LlMcck0ne_Me3G38kHdHPShnV911AuXx3tWdv4uU5b8-IKcyeZ2tRynkGws5ivC7aG2rN-WyUg7x3rcf8WpwY89YH6lxPdeifzVG8dYIWa1vsLFCEyBUIQ/s1600/P1000595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9B5lYOG5uzFaE1Kg9LlMcck0ne_Me3G38kHdHPShnV911AuXx3tWdv4uU5b8-IKcyeZ2tRynkGws5ivC7aG2rN-WyUg7x3rcf8WpwY89YH6lxPdeifzVG8dYIWa1vsLFCEyBUIQ/s400/P1000595.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gyu-don stall</td></tr>
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Next stop - a simple bowl of shoyu ramen! Just a few stalls down the row you'll find a ramen stall that is perpetually flooded with customers and tourists - its that popular. Just a hearty, simple bowl of ramen that warms the stomach with its delicious soup stock.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9b-oXJYJCdkJ1PIZ7WY3blnC7eQx_QpAGAFnqgkIywZuqIhzQak4aPe_Q5K9bVDrYWZaqM24RBUuy8kEdyVJd13q_iAv_mOAkuaZEwSgL5s1-sE0RKRDISInBkjnkUDlOiGkFA/s1600/P1000596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9b-oXJYJCdkJ1PIZ7WY3blnC7eQx_QpAGAFnqgkIywZuqIhzQak4aPe_Q5K9bVDrYWZaqM24RBUuy8kEdyVJd13q_iAv_mOAkuaZEwSgL5s1-sE0RKRDISInBkjnkUDlOiGkFA/s400/P1000596.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super thin pork slices!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfk67sa26w8OOQjtYnk2wQqkTa7iNxMi-dvq6RQ9ogRFyLwaPolfE4vV_VnEWTrgp-eo-A-sZKppiV3zmdSdZEtItB3-1tzZ_a9aXT39wIUCMbku9xidimm7gZ_jHMrZ-y0gyxQ/s1600/P1000598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfk67sa26w8OOQjtYnk2wQqkTa7iNxMi-dvq6RQ9ogRFyLwaPolfE4vV_VnEWTrgp-eo-A-sZKppiV3zmdSdZEtItB3-1tzZ_a9aXT39wIUCMbku9xidimm7gZ_jHMrZ-y0gyxQ/s400/P1000598.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Tsukiji, you eat standing up </td></tr>
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We walked around the market, looking for things to eat and buy. Plenty of fresh seafood stalls, sushi bars and dried goods stores. My dad finally managed to get his hands on a tray of fresh uni. Expensive stuff D: For a snack, I spotted a couple of tamagoyaki stalls selling freshly grilled tamago.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcC8nHZ41ge-2gm7-R9DiX66sPskxiKkxiOQGAeGbN5BoNfz5w0dqo_t8RwgW9NNfp04ESLZN1nNcxQiVHFmA-WO7NYyrrJKYGYEwvFxk_lhkAxpe9bwZrxPFU-9FSZwMSCRRXw/s1600/P1000601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKcC8nHZ41ge-2gm7-R9DiX66sPskxiKkxiOQGAeGbN5BoNfz5w0dqo_t8RwgW9NNfp04ESLZN1nNcxQiVHFmA-WO7NYyrrJKYGYEwvFxk_lhkAxpe9bwZrxPFU-9FSZwMSCRRXw/s400/P1000601.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamagoyaki on a stick!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigP_Sw3WePwaE5r-POpbzp7sb6kw1z7-MK6gLG9bGx_GPkBvO1j64vQAmBm02fknfFH3nyptMR82AzvGwH6IfFEG8f2_ZBZBXcV2E4JAvJAJj70E3I5qRFKmBZ0GfjfVr_JUf3tw/s1600/P1000603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigP_Sw3WePwaE5r-POpbzp7sb6kw1z7-MK6gLG9bGx_GPkBvO1j64vQAmBm02fknfFH3nyptMR82AzvGwH6IfFEG8f2_ZBZBXcV2E4JAvJAJj70E3I5qRFKmBZ0GfjfVr_JUf3tw/s400/P1000603.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many different favours of tamagoyaki</td></tr>
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After breakfast, we headed down to Ueno to check out Ameyoko shopping street. Before that though, we wandered into Ueno park. Its amazing considering that I've never been to Ueno park before even though I've visited Tokyo a couple of times already.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYzb41tYhiSCF7HqmAmYgSevsLnP3AdgKv7Z_6h9TfQ6PH5i_nMZ6tf2dLzY4K-qljOIRTWLsSAniCPvIuCgHCdW4nYKLH3xEYLWa1_tgwwzrn75gNnEyiVqO_adB2yflHraKOw/s1600/P1000611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYzb41tYhiSCF7HqmAmYgSevsLnP3AdgKv7Z_6h9TfQ6PH5i_nMZ6tf2dLzY4K-qljOIRTWLsSAniCPvIuCgHCdW4nYKLH3xEYLWa1_tgwwzrn75gNnEyiVqO_adB2yflHraKOw/s400/P1000611.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A temple in the middle of a pond of water lilies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-sG09C_70z4ODoTsK_GTfqiONVFkoYS8xEl441T6aw2AdQJddt_floQXcFlPACKERcKk6AWkRQ4HgxeHU7pAYNhsgdGh4FH-WxbWGyKQGncQLAYi6bUZUrnGAdc6mbAPjgE_tg/s1600/P1000624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-sG09C_70z4ODoTsK_GTfqiONVFkoYS8xEl441T6aw2AdQJddt_floQXcFlPACKERcKk6AWkRQ4HgxeHU7pAYNhsgdGh4FH-WxbWGyKQGncQLAYi6bUZUrnGAdc6mbAPjgE_tg/s400/P1000624.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A duck and her ducklings :3</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAsdOmEMy_Ou7E4UI_UiFLnxilkqIDbRSewekmnlv0D00c7OE68sLhbIyjVxpIp19DDbz4V7QhFaz_UUtrKYFy8UgETd51Q-h6EWTSESLOM-NF9xTfeGnlMzXN1UaI-MFl3oOpQ/s1600/P1000627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAsdOmEMy_Ou7E4UI_UiFLnxilkqIDbRSewekmnlv0D00c7OE68sLhbIyjVxpIp19DDbz4V7QhFaz_UUtrKYFy8UgETd51Q-h6EWTSESLOM-NF9xTfeGnlMzXN1UaI-MFl3oOpQ/s400/P1000627.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really should come back during sakura season ><</td></tr>
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We browsed around Ameyoko for awhile but couldn't find anything of interest to buy, other than a few packets of snacks to distribute to colleagues and friends, as well as a couple of bags of Japanese green tea. \<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxMy-zV60WME63zjPY7S5qe1gvcwP4jdQIiJhhIykY_qs7b7RM1-CG3UGjcnXdAj6pdWvXVcTmfASljteM_NWFk9Ht53Y74RlRnsLXd-42OS39Aqx-1XyPLCMfjY-qqyJsUr-6g/s1600/P1000634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxMy-zV60WME63zjPY7S5qe1gvcwP4jdQIiJhhIykY_qs7b7RM1-CG3UGjcnXdAj6pdWvXVcTmfASljteM_NWFk9Ht53Y74RlRnsLXd-42OS39Aqx-1XyPLCMfjY-qqyJsUr-6g/s400/P1000634.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ameyoko!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0QdvSMB17YVKefk8rahP4M1t7XU-MowMoOqdJf53QBpbCRpKU0ZFFbOFJ3w3EpFr7fxLI4LY_keQoJpOWAsyQWxkYAdeztzLA-TIK2bElvmx6S63FKLmmpXUNS2Lo8gKDdjKWA/s1600/P1000631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0QdvSMB17YVKefk8rahP4M1t7XU-MowMoOqdJf53QBpbCRpKU0ZFFbOFJ3w3EpFr7fxLI4LY_keQoJpOWAsyQWxkYAdeztzLA-TIK2bElvmx6S63FKLmmpXUNS2Lo8gKDdjKWA/s400/P1000631.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This reminds me of Times Square in NY somehow lol</td></tr>
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That night, I met up with Jun and Linus to attend Mitsubachi Fest 2012, which I shall write about in a separate post :D</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-64092967497619571892012-07-17T00:10:00.000+08:002012-07-21T14:22:54.394+08:00Japan: The Northern Alps #5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>20/6 Day 5: Karuizawa</b><br />
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If you've joined any guided tours overseas, you'll know that there will be one day dedicated to shopping, to appease the womenfolk in the tour, just like there will be one meal consisting of Chinese food to cater to the stubborn people who insist on eating Chinese food everywhere XD<br />
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So we arrived in Karuizawa slightly before lunch. My first impressions of Karuizawa? Totally different from the other towns and cities we visited so far - Nagano, Matsumoto and Toyama. For one, I couldn't see a single high-rise building when I stepped out of the station. From the sprawling mega-outlet-mall to the summer villas, chalets and shops, Karuizawa seemed like a place in suburban America.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karuizawa, viewed from the station</td></tr>
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We decided to check into the hotel first before checking out the sights - and was treated to a 15 minute walk with luggage in tow D:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cozy little cafe in the middle of nowhere</td></tr>
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The hotel was a really nice place though, the receptionist/staff was extremely nice and helpful (plus her English was not bad either!). It was a small cozy 2-storey building that reminded me of a backpacker's hostel, except it had fully equipped. big spacious rooms. Its cafeteria (named the Beatles cafe) even had a mini-stage for band performances!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey Jude~</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">First stop was lunch at the Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza, filled with overpriced eateries OTL. Still, the omurice (rice wrapped in omelette) I had tasted really good!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwx8hsLsKL2geAUle-FQyfsdwOKJb6qAk2jGMdZwA9GWXknIbOWKQrKso0Pt1oO72chyjUE8seg9c14u4H8OZ0xPQ0PatmTk1MPWO1JChfpKVo6eOHv8mRjCN_-U7mhjzd_du7EQ/s1600/P1000467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwx8hsLsKL2geAUle-FQyfsdwOKJb6qAk2jGMdZwA9GWXknIbOWKQrKso0Pt1oO72chyjUE8seg9c14u4H8OZ0xPQ0PatmTk1MPWO1JChfpKVo6eOHv8mRjCN_-U7mhjzd_du7EQ/s400/P1000467.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Endless rows of shops</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Expensive but delicious omurice</td></tr>
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Before starting on the shopping, we decided to visit a natural attraction - the Shiraito falls. The bus ride took about 30 minutes, taking us deep into the mountain forests surrounding Karuizawa. It wasn't that spectacular or anything since the falls were pretty low, but they were pretty unique looking! And the water actually flows out from the ground! Some kind of sub-soil flow, instead of an overland stream, feeds the falls.<span style="background-color: white;"></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A short walk to Shiraito falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wall of water! Pretty tiny though</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2Nu_25R7bBkMGXAM30gIyUq-e_qNef0ZFiGp_6uDCPsAuue8OlyKZhp43cOLan_jP7Y05nCzdvrPCBU8QALDUrKDbRwXA05RRKkB5-MowzjiGVsP_Usu6uV87IB2jaeGPBcHtw/s1600/P1000501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2Nu_25R7bBkMGXAM30gIyUq-e_qNef0ZFiGp_6uDCPsAuue8OlyKZhp43cOLan_jP7Y05nCzdvrPCBU8QALDUrKDbRwXA05RRKkB5-MowzjiGVsP_Usu6uV87IB2jaeGPBcHtw/s400/P1000501.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look closely, the water is actually flowing out from the ground<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFQLGoYNm-bXmJtXasGZLUkQaMu55dOvy5nsPy_W6kn8nMXOpn7PGqpEU7n9m3ZGEiWQEPSYpxJQqMD9isncaAACByb8RtkXbVYoat51Ir_8jRV7twnTTntl74rFc5NP_Li3OxQ/s1600/P1000512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFQLGoYNm-bXmJtXasGZLUkQaMu55dOvy5nsPy_W6kn8nMXOpn7PGqpEU7n9m3ZGEiWQEPSYpxJQqMD9isncaAACByb8RtkXbVYoat51Ir_8jRV7twnTTntl74rFc5NP_Li3OxQ/s400/P1000512.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While waiting for the return bus, dad bought a fishy snack</td></tr>
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With that out of the way, my mum could finally begin her retail therapy in earnest, starting with the locally coined "Ginza" area, also known as Kyu-Karuizawa (Old Karuizawa). In what was basically a shopping street filled with local specialties and random knick-knacks, I managed to find a Ghibli store! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tyf3OzV0U5ROQuhygOv40rcFtb7MLGm3QV-FOdFO2LNT7CdKCdTnPEIi4W-weZ-SHYv_nHjwDUIPh97KM1H7N_GgpG4QO1_KUQwabeCzBd4nYM7Y1ojbDI2d01-8Yyh54NA9EQ/s1600/P1000522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tyf3OzV0U5ROQuhygOv40rcFtb7MLGm3QV-FOdFO2LNT7CdKCdTnPEIi4W-weZ-SHYv_nHjwDUIPh97KM1H7N_GgpG4QO1_KUQwabeCzBd4nYM7Y1ojbDI2d01-8Yyh54NA9EQ/s400/P1000522.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ghibli store! <3</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmrzSAEd9zcGGTSSakTJbw-mrxnSXJ8cgyn0CmZkVDMYE9kgLgdXW3FytiT5yI_yu59E2Zc-xMmfgOxOViijrGv-l45aVGu_uDSFrBopRRL4_EnhW6nHu2sbhd54_XuZic8dkXg/s1600/P1000525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmrzSAEd9zcGGTSSakTJbw-mrxnSXJ8cgyn0CmZkVDMYE9kgLgdXW3FytiT5yI_yu59E2Zc-xMmfgOxOViijrGv-l45aVGu_uDSFrBopRRL4_EnhW6nHu2sbhd54_XuZic8dkXg/s400/P1000525.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cat bus and a huge Totoro plushie!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNV0oeZbLhw0Peq0pujK1lD4cBwOcB8LB4HWMnMae39MZFr5RBhYj92-RjyuXJvneXaZBan7NgEC7ROMkM4UJsuYhLPWWJN1s9-8UZJH9UfrLp3K3_sHsSnsK_4FOjAztGYB04w/s1600/P1000527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNV0oeZbLhw0Peq0pujK1lD4cBwOcB8LB4HWMnMae39MZFr5RBhYj92-RjyuXJvneXaZBan7NgEC7ROMkM4UJsuYhLPWWJN1s9-8UZJH9UfrLp3K3_sHsSnsK_4FOjAztGYB04w/s400/P1000527.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Costumed photography, anyone?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLc0YB7azaeOZQTz7yMhT1VWw0CTOOSrxdXFA-iWoKlGtdUtzKQrtnQpi4hFT_QHqCHA3qoWaeADuuKudfQjtm0Yv4RVrOI9qkLdt2vath6Vz_NlQWQcqllXxNlJWJmdiAy6CpQ/s1600/P1000537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBLc0YB7azaeOZQTz7yMhT1VWw0CTOOSrxdXFA-iWoKlGtdUtzKQrtnQpi4hFT_QHqCHA3qoWaeADuuKudfQjtm0Yv4RVrOI9qkLdt2vath6Vz_NlQWQcqllXxNlJWJmdiAy6CpQ/s400/P1000537.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kyu-Karuizawa shopping street</td></tr>
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Since it was a weekday, the streets were pretty empty save for a handful of local tourists and residents milling about. I did notice a lot of Japanese taking their canine friends out for a walk though, and couldn't resist taking a few photos. They really do love their dogs :D<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlF0SWn4uOcLkzLrqVKwvcTRCbwqWGGvPXjLSQwZJfCFXdGiEbS6xMieuAjQGwkkEDFZV9jpxyVwKnbsRgN-IThQNEXu9AO4lIDHTAH5wrz3Sk_dOkELjee9rYs0KBXD-uotlwaQ/s1600/P1000532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlF0SWn4uOcLkzLrqVKwvcTRCbwqWGGvPXjLSQwZJfCFXdGiEbS6xMieuAjQGwkkEDFZV9jpxyVwKnbsRgN-IThQNEXu9AO4lIDHTAH5wrz3Sk_dOkELjee9rYs0KBXD-uotlwaQ/s400/P1000532.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 Shiba Inu not cute enough? Have 2 instead!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAQjFb8ZmQjG-XVOLwmmpqVrhhXA8Ej07_XrQmAKK8gi5clih_cK37h58GbX16CIiPGhmJYATTcNc6-fKRl7455ZVkV78K1O8ygOcRKpVXc3POlyWMbVS5UrLyvnbsb_BbWt7ng/s1600/P1000542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAQjFb8ZmQjG-XVOLwmmpqVrhhXA8Ej07_XrQmAKK8gi5clih_cK37h58GbX16CIiPGhmJYATTcNc6-fKRl7455ZVkV78K1O8ygOcRKpVXc3POlyWMbVS5UrLyvnbsb_BbWt7ng/s400/P1000542.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corgi meets terrier!</td></tr>
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The terrier on the right was actually at one of the shops we visited (where I bought a bottle of locally-produced. really fresh milk), lazing around at the entrance waiting to welcome customers. Guess its owner decided to take it for a walk :p<br />
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There wasn't much to see so we decided to take a slow walk back to the hotel, stopping by a small pond on the way for some peace and quiet. Along the way we noticed many summer cabins and cafes clearly devoid of any human presence - perhaps their owners only returned during the summer. Some looked as if they had been vacated for some time.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQKUPnWT-wsfYs7_zkwIt_ItLFKCFWM6kFZT8T4KiV7gJi9pQ7gqYWSm9NOCoy8z0581r7u0gnkjdlbPJ53sM6jJH6HmxbbYk8Q4n2TfDbicTzmoX5CPnZ1RMhOQXFG1ioCbViw/s1600/P1000515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQKUPnWT-wsfYs7_zkwIt_ItLFKCFWM6kFZT8T4KiV7gJi9pQ7gqYWSm9NOCoy8z0581r7u0gnkjdlbPJ53sM6jJH6HmxbbYk8Q4n2TfDbicTzmoX5CPnZ1RMhOQXFG1ioCbViw/s400/P1000515.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree-lined roads everywhere in Karuizawa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn54juZy2VLw7n3yPTFvqdkcK-pNfj93Rdov_kI79FahIdHPsYHFIUvdzHt2fCqJOtc8p1Yplbfxur6Yx9RL6GMd9fhQy-hPVqYhwcxfLW9GcDYg24NfwTDSfeMEvit9paebEdA/s1600/P1000547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn54juZy2VLw7n3yPTFvqdkcK-pNfj93Rdov_kI79FahIdHPsYHFIUvdzHt2fCqJOtc8p1Yplbfxur6Yx9RL6GMd9fhQy-hPVqYhwcxfLW9GcDYg24NfwTDSfeMEvit9paebEdA/s400/P1000547.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quirky little French restaurant</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIE9Un1Jx050aeMRECV_s7T9oYFVhGw9Z-0x85DWfrmgXQrt366g36l-2t-0SC5FjmMk7EgGMmOuJNBdzGH7y_XttiI4xxPecDynxPQ9f0SMcJu72fpZSe0OEeS5s01FThV0hweQ/s1600/P1000550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIE9Un1Jx050aeMRECV_s7T9oYFVhGw9Z-0x85DWfrmgXQrt366g36l-2t-0SC5FjmMk7EgGMmOuJNBdzGH7y_XttiI4xxPecDynxPQ9f0SMcJu72fpZSe0OEeS5s01FThV0hweQ/s400/P1000550.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A coffeehouse of some sort? Looked closed though</td></tr>
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One interesting thing I noticed along the way was the numerous French bistros, Italian trattorias and restaurants randomly popping up along the road, and not a single Japanese eatery. The prices were not cheap either, clearly out of the reach of anyone looking for a simple meal. The Karuizawa equivalent to our Dempsey Hill and Bukit Timah enclaves, perhaps?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP23uUaWsYhV695z737pCeT2KwNq3jGhq77jF2G4GdUuPQzLVFkKrblzrnYCdRTYqCWxQoAPseyk1oqqwB45T4ttxRJY-gylB8hlNOMZQxzIpx-xM5ChDh1guWSUYVcWCqHWzJ0g/s1600/P1000551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP23uUaWsYhV695z737pCeT2KwNq3jGhq77jF2G4GdUuPQzLVFkKrblzrnYCdRTYqCWxQoAPseyk1oqqwB45T4ttxRJY-gylB8hlNOMZQxzIpx-xM5ChDh1guWSUYVcWCqHWzJ0g/s400/P1000551.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kumoba-ike. Apparently it looks lovely in autumn, with the red maple leaves</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfI0zMT8FusFJ2YBesEnYWnHm_vojQL862Wp8sQXzcXPLlDUReWuCo5H4oGy1QGTXlxuKIz6sHnDdHWCDlTVcYYmzMGN2j0UcZbagw9iWZxRXPEOXgGbH9Rt_2QgpdTZQdTaKh_g/s1600/P1000563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfI0zMT8FusFJ2YBesEnYWnHm_vojQL862Wp8sQXzcXPLlDUReWuCo5H4oGy1QGTXlxuKIz6sHnDdHWCDlTVcYYmzMGN2j0UcZbagw9iWZxRXPEOXgGbH9Rt_2QgpdTZQdTaKh_g/s400/P1000563.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male duck :3</td></tr>
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Since it was getting late, we decided to have dinner back at the outlet mall before heading back to the hotel early to rest tired legs. Dinner was wagyu beef sukiyaki!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroOdpquBZg43GLl48iGiLykcxL3EAEP_n0ZHQnOXCuuc-ncL-HhRnsA7q1Wa_1ZREekZL06dJ4YMlmEApeWIwJoU19jnWnhC9-5h4Un-PeIu2jz7ajLY7diIVJYiI9r4sZMzrSw/s1600/P1000573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroOdpquBZg43GLl48iGiLykcxL3EAEP_n0ZHQnOXCuuc-ncL-HhRnsA7q1Wa_1ZREekZL06dJ4YMlmEApeWIwJoU19jnWnhC9-5h4Un-PeIu2jz7ajLY7diIVJYiI9r4sZMzrSw/s400/P1000573.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*drool*</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-86000259122484774352012-07-15T11:55:00.003+08:002012-07-15T11:55:53.136+08:00Japan: The Northern Alps #4<b>19/6 Day 4: Toyama City</b><br />
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It was a pretty dreary and wet day in Toyama, so there wasn't much to see. We took a short walk to Toyama castle, but the castle was undergoing renovations, plus the building wasn't much to look at :/ With only a few hours to burn before taking the local train back to Nagano, w<span style="background-color: white;">e decided to follow the walking route printed on the tourist pamphlet.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The only location of interest that was within Toyama City itself was a street of old, pre-war houses that were owned by influential merchant families back then. Being a weekday, plus the gloomy weather, the street was totally deserted, save for a few shops that gladly welcomed us.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGV-orqEAlkxoGM6UlD3W8TPuVt87fu9ByGifLTSPjPdbShFX9MfOrBD2fJ80cJmcK9HiMX9_xCIDbo4W9AXsFz9CxvOP3FMVmjksqFG8B3GsZhRz_S9cgtRTtgZBjSAEDA2xp8A/s1600/P1000444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGV-orqEAlkxoGM6UlD3W8TPuVt87fu9ByGifLTSPjPdbShFX9MfOrBD2fJ80cJmcK9HiMX9_xCIDbo4W9AXsFz9CxvOP3FMVmjksqFG8B3GsZhRz_S9cgtRTtgZBjSAEDA2xp8A/s400/P1000444.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Took shelter from the rain and bought dorayaki!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">There was a particular house that belonged to a well-known merchant family (Mori, if I remember correctly) and we entered it, expecting to see a couple of exhibits here and there. Little did I know, the elderly couple tending to the house offered to give us a guided tour!</span><br />
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The oji-san spoke mostly in Japanese, but I could understand most of it, and he threw in some English as well for the benefit of my mum and dad. He was really enthusiastic about showing us around the house (perhaps we were the only visitors that day). When we told him we were from Singapore, he looked really surprised and told us, "Very far!"</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDvfH5qMx7PvltpRsdkE5oA1eIVw3HnJ7dHvfv3BfL7iwjXMzEZxbRZH8QnyL0PcrkYJA-fBoH7epW4OGe-_xKm448xIsfrAsX5LogEidgvSL9CYlF7d-_y93OnXk2roSO4OJ4Q/s1600/P1000437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDvfH5qMx7PvltpRsdkE5oA1eIVw3HnJ7dHvfv3BfL7iwjXMzEZxbRZH8QnyL0PcrkYJA-fBoH7epW4OGe-_xKm448xIsfrAsX5LogEidgvSL9CYlF7d-_y93OnXk2roSO4OJ4Q/s400/P1000437.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preserved and refurbished houses</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I learnt a lot about Japanese-style architecture that day - he pointed out many details about the house that would have skipped my notice - the arrangement of the wooden floorboards, the intricate patterns of the pine wood ceiling, the design of the garden etc.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fe9K7gxty66NWksbAkQwaXUcvV0guPhB6OnY2I1mZ6h8FHn5-I1QviZijeU-WYSSG35xmz0NeoUZotb3XyKu8bBDeBjJ8mub7Nns4mehgq_GGk27UHjdkrStYNOC7-raCQGm4Q/s1600/P1000442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fe9K7gxty66NWksbAkQwaXUcvV0guPhB6OnY2I1mZ6h8FHn5-I1QviZijeU-WYSSG35xmz0NeoUZotb3XyKu8bBDeBjJ8mub7Nns4mehgq_GGk27UHjdkrStYNOC7-raCQGm4Q/s400/P1000442.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was an elementary school nearby :D</td></tr>
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We continued walking through the street until we reached the port, which was pretty deserted. It was about lunchtime, so we looked around for an eating place and found this expensive looking restaurant. Being the only eatery we could find, we decided to just eat there. It specialised in Shiro-ebi, which translates to "white shrimp", the local Toyama speciality seafood. I ordered a kakiage don, and it came with a huge deep fried patty of shrimp!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgObvODMEebbIQtaWBH7I5pz8KrZ4uWSe5NOnjEoNhdPYZd5CLSeQjluQF8kUMzYhxnHmmqe5xmY03ojJUxD_SBHG7MjCsQslislTQsXCnR8UxBd1RcpZgpwithpuzMoy5vQfDaVg/s1600/P1000448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgObvODMEebbIQtaWBH7I5pz8KrZ4uWSe5NOnjEoNhdPYZd5CLSeQjluQF8kUMzYhxnHmmqe5xmY03ojJUxD_SBHG7MjCsQslislTQsXCnR8UxBd1RcpZgpwithpuzMoy5vQfDaVg/s400/P1000448.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome graffiti at the Toyama port</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLircxaarsFzQf1gHvoKFUDOKsJ8ymGHo38RMDkO1vOn7ng3cbaMP_RMr3nCkrb4Ty9DW94Df4Wn3Rlxp6xXGNTs_2usLTF0DtlRa7aW_xi2itCJLgHukJ8TZeMp1VtsQQdmrklw/s1600/P1000455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLircxaarsFzQf1gHvoKFUDOKsJ8ymGHo38RMDkO1vOn7ng3cbaMP_RMr3nCkrb4Ty9DW94Df4Wn3Rlxp6xXGNTs_2usLTF0DtlRa7aW_xi2itCJLgHukJ8TZeMp1VtsQQdmrklw/s400/P1000455.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shiro-ebi kakiage don</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkBlcpilxBLrWuk3daOiu8BomU8sjQFtIHLDXilwc67dkDeC4hU6zuRxMpbUzlS7SmmWw9MKJ6TZb0NILJJfkgOphi3mzacTV_g0yQWVW8j858Afp5iA77YIdbgcs2XoZ5ChASQ/s1600/P1000427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkBlcpilxBLrWuk3daOiu8BomU8sjQFtIHLDXilwc67dkDeC4hU6zuRxMpbUzlS7SmmWw9MKJ6TZb0NILJJfkgOphi3mzacTV_g0yQWVW8j858Afp5iA77YIdbgcs2XoZ5ChASQ/s400/P1000427.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern electric tram</td></tr>
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We took the tram back to the hotel, where we checked out and headed to Toyama station for our 4-hour long train ride back to Nagano. I took the opportunity to study for my JLPT N4 test, which I just took last week (and passed, hopefully! ><)</div>
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The landscape changed from cities, to farm fields, to mountains, to the Sea of Japan, to small little towns in the middle of nowhere. Students came and went as the train passed by their schools and hometowns, reminding me of my own journey home from school with my buddies.</div>
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We arrived in Nagano just in time for dinner, which was a hearty hot-pot of pork and chicken (and whatever innards the chef could throw into the pot). The waiter was a funny chap - he used his iPhone to translate whatever he wanted to tell us into English. The result? Well, I suppose you know how well Google translate works XD</div>
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The next day, we headed to Karuizawa on the way back to Tokyo.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-13887257633114209322012-07-11T16:08:00.000+08:002012-07-11T21:21:08.300+08:00Japan: The Northern Alps #3<b>18/6 Day 3: Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route, Toyama City</b><br />
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Early the next morning, we boarded a local train from Matsumoto towards Shin-Omachi Station - the starting point of the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route.We arrived just in time to catch the next bus that would bring us up into the mountains - you have to really marvel at the precise, clockwork timing of the Japanese public transport system. When the train schedule says you arrive at 9am, you really arrive at 9am. And 5 minutes is all it takes to purchase tickets for the bus, before you're up on the bus and ready to depart at 9.05am, the scheduled bus departure time. Its crazy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_WsiHGWwH-jruXceY8zStJvGVHmdcOsPeT9pZB0d14-6Gtro3-jksmilDYVtCtk1-BGtGU8bkutR9S3h8oz5vO9akwtt-y0ZCyussbHj_fb6rds1bseppmmiQd5RzVDWzHMSXw/s1600/P1000339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_WsiHGWwH-jruXceY8zStJvGVHmdcOsPeT9pZB0d14-6Gtro3-jksmilDYVtCtk1-BGtGU8bkutR9S3h8oz5vO9akwtt-y0ZCyussbHj_fb6rds1bseppmmiQd5RzVDWzHMSXw/s400/P1000339.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shin-Omachi station</td></tr>
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The bus took us through peaceful buckwheat fields at the foot of the mountains, before winding up the mountain slopes to our first stop - the "trolley bus" station that would bring us up to Kurobe Dam. The bus was an interesting ride, because it was powered by electric cables similar to a tram, but had to be steered by a driver (no tracks). The reason why conventional diesel-powered buses are not used is due to the area being part of a National Park - no smoke emissions from vehicles are allowed.<br />
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After a short ride through the mountain (via a long, dark and wet tunnel), we arrived at Kurobe Dam.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKEwsGzEaSLDf5V4IsvDuMZb1rvtNgALZUrC6TZeqC0FYAlYfTrMQu5PChAm9UZubu9BTQ6l_O2R94W-z1g0nLTYZjRmCELrNcUM6nvGg8yalBAkP55cd320OyZfdNhdVr4qV1w/s1600/P1000343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKEwsGzEaSLDf5V4IsvDuMZb1rvtNgALZUrC6TZeqC0FYAlYfTrMQu5PChAm9UZubu9BTQ6l_O2R94W-z1g0nLTYZjRmCELrNcUM6nvGg8yalBAkP55cd320OyZfdNhdVr4qV1w/s400/P1000343.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a pretty sight, with all the trapped debris...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsy8ETN40P7KlnOQyAJtS-tIcm6m7VQ3SGC6X7jjFQv3Ucgc8Zv8Q8bv1VZGI2Af2Bpvg483UuT6Te6agZZfzPRwnDGugmC7vBPrgNNsxKYyP3UQW0-1KHOJwnpZrjIMH4qfn2MA/s1600/P1000361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsy8ETN40P7KlnOQyAJtS-tIcm6m7VQ3SGC6X7jjFQv3Ucgc8Zv8Q8bv1VZGI2Af2Bpvg483UuT6Te6agZZfzPRwnDGugmC7vBPrgNNsxKYyP3UQW0-1KHOJwnpZrjIMH4qfn2MA/s400/P1000361.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...but cast your eyes further, and you're greeted with this</td></tr>
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I've never been up close to a real dam before, much less set foot on top of one before (no, the Marina Barrage doesn't count as one!), so I was pretty hyped up to be standing atop the Kurobe Dam. I read earlier that the dam only released water at specific times of the day, so imagine my delight when I saw this -></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQF0rx20AYhKlKiU9Kw3CLZGLe00ahTHvNIKckFgoFEh3sCPwyuff2ai0e84PHq9Af3fQ0LDzwL3lm6ldCwNdxz26X8KoJ-81MigadhZIuEftIQ4iNpdpczga9rr6MzpN37TyZyg/s1600/P1000345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQF0rx20AYhKlKiU9Kw3CLZGLe00ahTHvNIKckFgoFEh3sCPwyuff2ai0e84PHq9Af3fQ0LDzwL3lm6ldCwNdxz26X8KoJ-81MigadhZIuEftIQ4iNpdpczga9rr6MzpN37TyZyg/s400/P1000345.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The roar of the gushing water was spectacular</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wPmC18484RbbzKlKBF749rl0MbEQ7RnFyC4DK_9qwBuFJCWWJ6uTeLN_pWGwfzUMN1jshoOu3OQjBU1H29ZkfPZGp8zhaFHmKtszvGRLY-xGoJ8N-rOUFZ72jzllb6CNeYXLyA/s1600/P1000360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wPmC18484RbbzKlKBF749rl0MbEQ7RnFyC4DK_9qwBuFJCWWJ6uTeLN_pWGwfzUMN1jshoOu3OQjBU1H29ZkfPZGp8zhaFHmKtszvGRLY-xGoJ8N-rOUFZ72jzllb6CNeYXLyA/s400/P1000360.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Put water spray and sunlight together and you get... rainbow!</td></tr>
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<br />We walked across the dam to take the next mode of transport - a cable car that would bring us to a rope-way station, halfway up the mountain.<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Just a little digression here: Cable cars in Japan are different from the cable cars in Singapore. What we know as cable cars (you know, the ones that dangle precariously between Mt. Faber and Sentosa), the Japanese call rope-way. In Japan, cable cars refer to tracked cars that are pulled up and down a slope by cables. Now you know :D</i></blockquote>
<div>
At the cable car station, we met this cheerful oji-san who is the station master of the cable car. And since we were accompanied by numerous Taiwanese tour groups (a common occurrence, apparently), the station master went on to shamelessly promote a photobook (of the national park, not of himself XD), using a mix of Hokkien and English to illicit laughter from the Taiwanese tourists.</div>
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<div>
In his own words "Jit-cheng kor! (1000yen)"</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWynZOTaloqjRQWJE1owG5VMvWVUme5qli7d2Wkg_bJ4ZvV42vCgI_JI6BPxZ2y75p8sOdGYC005TrLhrtytRtbvKSsGM2wzqli0BYYntld2HS4OntTmceXVTxSZ9EsahUq7iBHw/s1600/P1000364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWynZOTaloqjRQWJE1owG5VMvWVUme5qli7d2Wkg_bJ4ZvV42vCgI_JI6BPxZ2y75p8sOdGYC005TrLhrtytRtbvKSsGM2wzqli0BYYntld2HS4OntTmceXVTxSZ9EsahUq7iBHw/s400/P1000364.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Station master cum salesman</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROwC3ljdvsMPCImdMG6DJM4OQopjac2041Qf9E5QETaIQ5IvlhlijjshnNt7IUysbKd6JXxzG2_cldcPZ5RvIVRXTwJ47sS9pt7tfecwpq8J-jYtkQRN3HTWMShI7V6Ardf07VQ/s1600/P1000368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROwC3ljdvsMPCImdMG6DJM4OQopjac2041Qf9E5QETaIQ5IvlhlijjshnNt7IUysbKd6JXxzG2_cldcPZ5RvIVRXTwJ47sS9pt7tfecwpq8J-jYtkQRN3HTWMShI7V6Ardf07VQ/s400/P1000368.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cable car</td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="background-color: white;">The cable car brought us to a lookout point on the roof of the rope-way station, where the view was spectacular.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9GisSW9Ij3HnrQtCi5-xrpv66TQoRqGd_rcJKe3v7lS_9AQz_EtdsfNP1fclvATe0jvSHN4KtC7QDo-7wGqbVS4gsm12dR0KzCwmgIJJ8nv_VKQMMUmM3LPCP2-DNmsYMZdN5w/s1600/P1000370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9GisSW9Ij3HnrQtCi5-xrpv66TQoRqGd_rcJKe3v7lS_9AQz_EtdsfNP1fclvATe0jvSHN4KtC7QDo-7wGqbVS4gsm12dR0KzCwmgIJJ8nv_VKQMMUmM3LPCP2-DNmsYMZdN5w/s400/P1000370.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow-capped mountains</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2t0lVJ08gARN4_549BCgvU0CEdFdQrWy91CGKxXUQ8ft4Imc7hyywHfrVm-edQs6IkH6X5LFTuLPApEQTNxXUyGQSTQBUNbvqL01WDBMeIUubg1iQ7Us3rnmOge7rqnrUAVCC4Q/s1600/P1000373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2t0lVJ08gARN4_549BCgvU0CEdFdQrWy91CGKxXUQ8ft4Imc7hyywHfrVm-edQs6IkH6X5LFTuLPApEQTNxXUyGQSTQBUNbvqL01WDBMeIUubg1iQ7Us3rnmOge7rqnrUAVCC4Q/s400/P1000373.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the roof of the rope-way station</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTUr3tb30-mk8Sr4sHt5npMOGmMmuqAlRTJtKu9A00kbJlYMpeYbATDPvSeHMyA8iZ2MfSS8zea3MY0PUrx8fATSY_jkLCgj3UIkB4vQ2-SaIl6WHc3YktwmmDLjjELVBM4Wssw/s1600/P1000392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTUr3tb30-mk8Sr4sHt5npMOGmMmuqAlRTJtKu9A00kbJlYMpeYbATDPvSeHMyA8iZ2MfSS8zea3MY0PUrx8fATSY_jkLCgj3UIkB4vQ2-SaIl6WHc3YktwmmDLjjELVBM4Wssw/s400/P1000392.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurobe dam and lake, viewed from wayyyy up</td></tr>
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<div>
<span style="background-color: white;">We then took the rope-way to the very top of the mountains, which was covered in snow despite the blazing sun. I didn't even feel cold in the midst of all the snow, which felt really strange. It was difficult to walk though, the snow was melting and very slippery D:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUBZvPK6szlkh9l6YKdW_ARqKNsltWxmcU81bun2R56-Gbr8rbUtqnFDe3S2kDqSjtLz-vCQ_8gkvN0jBpkvERVyMLYoZx6BVzOhI_hTL8HVvLVwPXRGXkHi-m7MRbRC-O4W-WQ/s1600/P1000380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUBZvPK6szlkh9l6YKdW_ARqKNsltWxmcU81bun2R56-Gbr8rbUtqnFDe3S2kDqSjtLz-vCQ_8gkvN0jBpkvERVyMLYoZx6BVzOhI_hTL8HVvLVwPXRGXkHi-m7MRbRC-O4W-WQ/s400/P1000380.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rope-way car filled with Taiwanese</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopqMh1RzTOwP_g9oaIX4vzzKXxeXdUQ-bFiumwBq3TOJgzR34ZbdoTPRsVyH5ZOUkzC8Vw6v9_XZlyLQ8G3caonh95HDRKm16jJy_YayAxGx7P3wyY1JU08OC9XPhXgBxnOzgQg/s1600/P1000396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopqMh1RzTOwP_g9oaIX4vzzKXxeXdUQ-bFiumwBq3TOJgzR34ZbdoTPRsVyH5ZOUkzC8Vw6v9_XZlyLQ8G3caonh95HDRKm16jJy_YayAxGx7P3wyY1JU08OC9XPhXgBxnOzgQg/s400/P1000396.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirty snow caused by our footprints :/</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigD1u_kqzpL5Df04-cEliAN82futy-b7irnTPYwtJqbQCfnK5el274jU3j8Jf3GAwyFuJXau9UCaSzjqZWHjAXWfWAS-O4kfIZav-fCXOn9wDQ7Fq_WBsLQO8aasIRTy2pBfp6uw/s1600/P1000400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigD1u_kqzpL5Df04-cEliAN82futy-b7irnTPYwtJqbQCfnK5el274jU3j8Jf3GAwyFuJXau9UCaSzjqZWHjAXWfWAS-O4kfIZav-fCXOn9wDQ7Fq_WBsLQO8aasIRTy2pBfp6uw/s400/P1000400.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of the world (well, in Nagano Prefecture maybe)</td></tr>
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It might seem a little dark and shady in the pictures, but trust me, the sun was blazingly bright and reflected of the snow. I had to squint all the way, and I guess my camera adjusted the exposure so that the pictures wouldn't be overexposed. My mum was smart to bring along her sunglasses :/<div>
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Following that, we had a hearty lunch of soba <span style="background-color: white;">(while standing up)</span><span style="background-color: white;"> at one of the stalls at the top of the mountain, before taking a bus and a cable car back down to Tateyama station. Along the way, I spotted this beautiful snow-covered plateau called Bijodaira (</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">美女平).</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> I</span>t translates roughly to "Beautiful Girl Plateau".</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Fg_st8kAnmxP899pgaYpkBoFXvYLmjo_FkKFzxypZJANdF7NSKDK6hsK_OktmOgjBk6QAjvf08hfpMxMvzLeShJtsMSG7IZbpNvY8AhE80qwG9vf5NLG_J-o7zpKsZCqIihrcw/s1600/P1000402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Fg_st8kAnmxP899pgaYpkBoFXvYLmjo_FkKFzxypZJANdF7NSKDK6hsK_OktmOgjBk6QAjvf08hfpMxMvzLeShJtsMSG7IZbpNvY8AhE80qwG9vf5NLG_J-o7zpKsZCqIihrcw/s400/P1000402.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful girl plateau indeed</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6lVdT4yvpEev_JNWBB8DNfUj5HC8aSSztbvrMivLD9_Oc-Ti7m7FF56BdQUSUtPJq68QmbmNvJj9Sm9Use21eqTrmP9v8NVOLHSiN9Llb2qP7FIqSkmdcU9L9esGDfANRpEIbQ/s1600/P1000405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6lVdT4yvpEev_JNWBB8DNfUj5HC8aSSztbvrMivLD9_Oc-Ti7m7FF56BdQUSUtPJq68QmbmNvJj9Sm9Use21eqTrmP9v8NVOLHSiN9Llb2qP7FIqSkmdcU9L9esGDfANRpEIbQ/s400/P1000405.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swallow/swift nests at Tateyama station!</td></tr>
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<div>
Tired from the journey, we took a local train all the way to Toyama city, the capital of Toyama Prefecture and our rest stop for the night. By travelling across the mountains, we had crossed the prefectural border between Nagano and Toyama Prefectures!</div>
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Dinner was a local specialty - Black ramen! I remembered that the Ramen Champion stall Iroha hailed from Toyama, so I did a search and managed to located a store near our hotel! Did it taste better than the one we have in Bugis and Changi Airport? Perhaps, but the soup was unique and delicious, even though I wasn't a fan of soy-based soups (I'm a tonkotsu person).</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAYaJBrP1xQZZjaTAHt7xlYGJXfiqb2HNO8ZqHeqBvE9z5zAXMcChxJkJ7vpiUyHsiaPBvNw2ix_xF6qeS4mboh_tB8BDPs-TnQS12JNOMoFQE05OtklyItji2Rx7hq-1jIr_lw/s1600/P1000422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAYaJBrP1xQZZjaTAHt7xlYGJXfiqb2HNO8ZqHeqBvE9z5zAXMcChxJkJ7vpiUyHsiaPBvNw2ix_xF6qeS4mboh_tB8BDPs-TnQS12JNOMoFQE05OtklyItji2Rx7hq-1jIr_lw/s400/P1000422.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iroha black ramen</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRPAwbcakBxCrOPwJdMhyo8c7siVEAmI_VQQMJMzM0dkwl2lOBkc_kDs6Bb4vVxnMYEgkslurqc25d67Xg-kt9wc0fiBqreRuwxhUPvWsRpQhQsv1-unVQ_1AQIsB0dyXe0ZVyg/s1600/P1000424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRPAwbcakBxCrOPwJdMhyo8c7siVEAmI_VQQMJMzM0dkwl2lOBkc_kDs6Bb4vVxnMYEgkslurqc25d67Xg-kt9wc0fiBqreRuwxhUPvWsRpQhQsv1-unVQ_1AQIsB0dyXe0ZVyg/s400/P1000424.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you've been to Ramen Champion, you'll recognise this man</td></tr>
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<div>
And that concludes the main attraction of the entire trip! We spent the remaining days getting back first to Nagano and then to Tokyo, via Karuizawa. After all the natural scenery, my mum was itching for some retail therapy :p More to come in the next post!<br /><div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-37134448671269498962012-07-06T12:52:00.002+08:002012-07-06T12:52:24.530+08:00Japan: The Northern Alps #2<b style="background-color: white;">17/6 Day 2: Matsumoto Castle, Kamikochi</b><br />
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We arrived in Matsumoto early on a Sunday morning - the skies were gloomy, but thankfully it didn't rain. It was a quiet Sunday morning, with few people out and about. Lazy buggers, all sleeping in XD<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj294b1eWXFretrjhVEIrrCGX8162EclaV3zO2AOQanBT-ofEoGIRvH8_KRLFy2MMr1ifEwm2msISXsxfKm_95HwW4VKXEDtEhECYHvcl3HfJ52u39uHMIKbJPjInRdzCuiE6JWQg/s1600/P1000166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj294b1eWXFretrjhVEIrrCGX8162EclaV3zO2AOQanBT-ofEoGIRvH8_KRLFy2MMr1ifEwm2msISXsxfKm_95HwW4VKXEDtEhECYHvcl3HfJ52u39uHMIKbJPjInRdzCuiE6JWQg/s400/P1000166.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School on a Sunday? D:</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-ghMtX9eRupG6LA2vrOz3ucp3cql2my8RLyFJFhx3gxRuU1kGsDglhorVzJg3Kpnt0gOniE17c0tJqXXYIxwr1Vli16kZYiWtGCTWzJGMQB2n6AxECb-eOaGtHPoffQyuWoHHg/s1600/P1000167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-ghMtX9eRupG6LA2vrOz3ucp3cql2my8RLyFJFhx3gxRuU1kGsDglhorVzJg3Kpnt0gOniE17c0tJqXXYIxwr1Vli16kZYiWtGCTWzJGMQB2n6AxECb-eOaGtHPoffQyuWoHHg/s400/P1000167.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even so, most cyclists and pedestrians don't really care</td></tr>
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After checking into our cozy little hotel (Japanese style), we took a short walk towards <b>Matsumoto Castle</b>, the main attraction of the city. On the way, we ran into a little river (we seem to have an affinity for rivers, somehow)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRx21bylAzJTIwB7TrjLbBvMxQK9hmeTQGzwazrMnBcPxC-cGqhIj51btL47TUjg4fkmihf4rxkzjwl8q-AeI4uC9aTylqhlXf9F9eoSY1x6uqMYax-5mtlg1iJt4osple-hQ-w/s1600/P1000169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZRx21bylAzJTIwB7TrjLbBvMxQK9hmeTQGzwazrMnBcPxC-cGqhIj51btL47TUjg4fkmihf4rxkzjwl8q-AeI4uC9aTylqhlXf9F9eoSY1x6uqMYax-5mtlg1iJt4osple-hQ-w/s400/P1000169.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody, please keep the river clean~</td></tr>
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As we hadn't had breakfast, we hunted for a place to have breakfast, but all the shops were closed (they only opened at 10am). Luckily, there was one hardworking cafe already open, so we had some toast and coffee (at exhorbitant prices tho :/)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLH32e7mp3bs1v-8wucw-WY0zFeSndUCakruPp6kfELJGupWVx_wQOxaJ-8aFhSB_GpD9Q4aUKvJ6Muvv_UkpSFnVH3Pc6XuyTJfP6XOklVl2oOHl0Kkr3SdPjAGNkog4_BWqXGA/s1600/P1000170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLH32e7mp3bs1v-8wucw-WY0zFeSndUCakruPp6kfELJGupWVx_wQOxaJ-8aFhSB_GpD9Q4aUKvJ6Muvv_UkpSFnVH3Pc6XuyTJfP6XOklVl2oOHl0Kkr3SdPjAGNkog4_BWqXGA/s400/P1000170.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cinnamon toast with maple syrup and vanilla ice cream (for breakfast, yes I know XD)</td></tr>
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At first, we couldn't located the entrance of the castle as it was surrounded by a moat - the gates that we thought were entrances were all locked - eventually, after circling the castle, we found the main entrance. As the sun was starting to rise, so did the locals - people started streaming in, walking their dogs, kids feeding fish and swan in the moat, and of course the tourists from other parts of Japan.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWv1_9-ipxqFAE9K3LtJNDISgCVF7jAuWVgJ0GVmISjjmT87KYb-9WhQxrWciYuftey-m323liDvu0RsFB9UFdUNmK_TgSZO4IxwdnI-wrqw887q554xZ_HVeUOpkCqelJK11T7Q/s1600/P1000179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWv1_9-ipxqFAE9K3LtJNDISgCVF7jAuWVgJ0GVmISjjmT87KYb-9WhQxrWciYuftey-m323liDvu0RsFB9UFdUNmK_TgSZO4IxwdnI-wrqw887q554xZ_HVeUOpkCqelJK11T7Q/s400/P1000179.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matsumoto castle keep, one of Japan's famous castles</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxl3syODeAVfL-r4dgNUiE8cu66Nm5Ng-3wWsZSOgOR8PffL_6wnaHUtgqK7owD3GtP07KiZSga-os481KjqnqPZ3AsBQAjaTuiSvG3ryPKhI2sVYXHIC5-12VRVpBEO8n1DVew/s1600/P1000185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCxl3syODeAVfL-r4dgNUiE8cu66Nm5Ng-3wWsZSOgOR8PffL_6wnaHUtgqK7owD3GtP07KiZSga-os481KjqnqPZ3AsBQAjaTuiSvG3ryPKhI2sVYXHIC5-12VRVpBEO8n1DVew/s400/P1000185.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome reflection effect</td></tr>
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We paid 500yen to enter the castle courtyard (a little steep) as well as the castle building itself. At the entrance, you had these chops where you could stamp your entrance ticket with a motif of the castle and this kid was so enthusiastic he used his mighty hulk strength to permanently stamp his ticket XD<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNXISj0AkqJ_JsWKD7yK1PJlMFmBZTPweuoH_ICWqFe0lpyQwj7hnle3Mk_uRJs243AFsSBsFrrAhPP5Rz5qqFmCqw_lXYYDznx8tprUcgBktVDxbHhr6uHEiwsoIQRA6nG5mmA/s1600/P1000194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNXISj0AkqJ_JsWKD7yK1PJlMFmBZTPweuoH_ICWqFe0lpyQwj7hnle3Mk_uRJs243AFsSBsFrrAhPP5Rz5qqFmCqw_lXYYDznx8tprUcgBktVDxbHhr6uHEiwsoIQRA6nG5mmA/s400/P1000194.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAWR!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4b_alm5NrUqOgg8OeXv8hBunUaG9aLt5lAoNo9m77n1CUrQ2ZoPi0fz8_QunmdGSacXLA1ppKriszDLjyJeDpHAzcaYqBxYDbhYvRlcjMJoCVD-O55PeZztYs7SmsPctFLY7qzg/s1600/P1000201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4b_alm5NrUqOgg8OeXv8hBunUaG9aLt5lAoNo9m77n1CUrQ2ZoPi0fz8_QunmdGSacXLA1ppKriszDLjyJeDpHAzcaYqBxYDbhYvRlcjMJoCVD-O55PeZztYs7SmsPctFLY7qzg/s400/P1000201.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful, manicured castle courtyard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfRgbtRkFdVv6Q6fa58pe5s1dW7zUq6nhXotXvlLvdzTVXCD3BY6LM6kjcm-UKxf1o1IccLUzOy80AFoVL9wp8TWk-o7qFqbRE8PvsOU-cAqhYSW31HgoxiG0ONyhOpazO93rJg/s1600/P1000199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGfRgbtRkFdVv6Q6fa58pe5s1dW7zUq6nhXotXvlLvdzTVXCD3BY6LM6kjcm-UKxf1o1IccLUzOy80AFoVL9wp8TWk-o7qFqbRE8PvsOU-cAqhYSW31HgoxiG0ONyhOpazO93rJg/s320/P1000199.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random samurai spotted, posing for photos</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We entered the castle keep, not knowing what to expect (most of the other castles we went to previously had exhibitions of ancient weapons, armors and the like). Indeed, there were exhibits of antique muskets, samurai armour, bows and arrows, swords and other relics of the warring period. What we didn't expect though, was the uber steep staircases that linked each floor - near 90 degree staircases! There were many old folks touring the castle, and they had a really hard time climbing up and down those stairs. Eventually we reached the top of the castle, where everyone, bummed out from their stair-climbing exertions, flopped down onto the floor for a rest and a great view of the city.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVMsjD5sd9HxsaavaD_FhEkAtUJ0EojMpdaPbW-Zip-MS0L9VLJnt2pHScZEEJjXh44Aj6d0X1wKWYavHOuc7y8cYteVeBydyQqv3noCHp1T40fPnGM2ecUFCq7fHvV6ZHzsDFg/s1600/P1000204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVMsjD5sd9HxsaavaD_FhEkAtUJ0EojMpdaPbW-Zip-MS0L9VLJnt2pHScZEEJjXh44Aj6d0X1wKWYavHOuc7y8cYteVeBydyQqv3noCHp1T40fPnGM2ecUFCq7fHvV6ZHzsDFg/s400/P1000204.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Matsumoto city from the castle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe2kxj8YwJcVQQ_j1Wq7IsitzsL5kEchuoXcwQozPjTa33RWPfOC-oP_2Q-m94inPDz8pBV3j_6ncDaRqh-tpsTnVleuA31k5X9FBA0mfdQTM2ID09KelnAheHNYytCcd7lMTpw/s1600/P1000211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe2kxj8YwJcVQQ_j1Wq7IsitzsL5kEchuoXcwQozPjTa33RWPfOC-oP_2Q-m94inPDz8pBV3j_6ncDaRqh-tpsTnVleuA31k5X9FBA0mfdQTM2ID09KelnAheHNYytCcd7lMTpw/s400/P1000211.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids enjoying a Sunday morning ice cream :3</td></tr>
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We headed out to the next stop of the trip - <b>Kamikochi</b> (上高地). If you can read kanji/mandarin, it means "upper highlands". Indeed, Kamikochi is a beautiful, natural and preserved mountainous region, part of the Chubu-Sangaku national park. The only way to reach Kamikochi is by bus or taxi, as private cars are prohibited. We took a local train from Matsumoto to Shinshimashima station where we hopped onto a bus that took us straight into Kamikochi.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M74Sk02DAMjLphEJEi7qs5nxGuczBxlXou83OPeg_A49d8LE4mXgclXzU02d4k0b8XgfbUBfeAMQcUJgJW7ovHRyEVibpfzPEgpQOpqtmxdx0Vt4tpblFTn0-ITpH2ZMfoxM2A/s1600/P1000230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M74Sk02DAMjLphEJEi7qs5nxGuczBxlXou83OPeg_A49d8LE4mXgclXzU02d4k0b8XgfbUBfeAMQcUJgJW7ovHRyEVibpfzPEgpQOpqtmxdx0Vt4tpblFTn0-ITpH2ZMfoxM2A/s400/P1000230.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shinshimashima bus terminal</td></tr>
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The bus was supposed to go all the way into the main entrance plaza of the park where most people got off, but we decided to get off a stop earlier and hike our way up to the Kamikochi bus terminal. We were rewarded with splendid views, an invigorating forest trail and some of the freshest mountain air. I also took more photos here than any other location during this trip - pardon the following photo spam!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwjseFVsE3Mep5nMhsBnbZyk-KMijUvggRdI51gs2bj1Wh6WQ5Ceb7gP3af4XSSDelBMIr10xhm1FXD2me5sXqyYNk6HulNRN9Rpu0z2ne65TKewr9K7PKJWAIbqNtNnzJvE8Bg/s1600/P1000233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwjseFVsE3Mep5nMhsBnbZyk-KMijUvggRdI51gs2bj1Wh6WQ5Ceb7gP3af4XSSDelBMIr10xhm1FXD2me5sXqyYNk6HulNRN9Rpu0z2ne65TKewr9K7PKJWAIbqNtNnzJvE8Bg/s400/P1000233.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First glimpse of Mt. Hotaka and Azusa River</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTzmMcLk6ALHQUdSPmdaBso29sK1RymYif8HnOtHIvQLXSdw6XwK98xI1-jjMSNxy9SUa9P28lhGmpiOQB92V7u4slLQiwgPIyNOERZHUyctjPai320EAoAFk5YkL0gkhzhmnXQ/s1600/P1000242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTzmMcLk6ALHQUdSPmdaBso29sK1RymYif8HnOtHIvQLXSdw6XwK98xI1-jjMSNxy9SUa9P28lhGmpiOQB92V7u4slLQiwgPIyNOERZHUyctjPai320EAoAFk5YkL0gkhzhmnXQ/s400/P1000242.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute little girl :3</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwXBMPoPjuP6vUomGQhA8hpGWq7qRuE3C_fUQuYTKc44rBSgsC8aZFawi0B6OQJky8yGBRfq6wdv7mA5Hjo2gjJoo6_2cfMzch7aD0mNUJjW7xWH93SbVrmyL6Bv5Liqh2kFeFg/s1600/P1000243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwXBMPoPjuP6vUomGQhA8hpGWq7qRuE3C_fUQuYTKc44rBSgsC8aZFawi0B6OQJky8yGBRfq6wdv7mA5Hjo2gjJoo6_2cfMzch7aD0mNUJjW7xWH93SbVrmyL6Bv5Liqh2kFeFg/s400/P1000243.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead pine trees rising from the middle of Tashiro Pond</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQV3FxMO5RJgJuCkXAc9PNO-VssDsmJ4o7-HCOz6pBwssy_GNMCEKzrhvN8a4sXlSBbPPtFtDbMfYwXzId0t1pWD6E7V90UTM3Jir0Ctni1fkjjgl9-kFD222fHU6N0YPIqOZGgg/s1600/P1000247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQV3FxMO5RJgJuCkXAc9PNO-VssDsmJ4o7-HCOz6pBwssy_GNMCEKzrhvN8a4sXlSBbPPtFtDbMfYwXzId0t1pWD6E7V90UTM3Jir0Ctni1fkjjgl9-kFD222fHU6N0YPIqOZGgg/s400/P1000247.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forest nature trail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjremQFVLCY3KvdFNYUqD5FVRgvDkmpQEwocPzIkdrUI7dNpQwEgEA-lPBn0FWOsHna4eonraT5yszwkISiX8KEnLLLcv9zRIqwqmaGOD040iEItCQ6GGBkPNcuItaZ6Ngc4Ia1vg/s1600/P1000250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjremQFVLCY3KvdFNYUqD5FVRgvDkmpQEwocPzIkdrUI7dNpQwEgEA-lPBn0FWOsHna4eonraT5yszwkISiX8KEnLLLcv9zRIqwqmaGOD040iEItCQ6GGBkPNcuItaZ6Ngc4Ia1vg/s400/P1000250.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Open marshland surrounded by forests</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2OwYJZLvRyk7mAzj77_7Unq-hVb08wA6DYurlSmhHwCCr8f245RnHRpncpT0hxMHs2SU2Uc8EPHIwPRH6KZZomcQPnqwGHeFG9ycZxWTEoESxjaNoAzKKrl2q0mGoVF6Sm_JDg/s1600/P1000251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2OwYJZLvRyk7mAzj77_7Unq-hVb08wA6DYurlSmhHwCCr8f245RnHRpncpT0hxMHs2SU2Uc8EPHIwPRH6KZZomcQPnqwGHeFG9ycZxWTEoESxjaNoAzKKrl2q0mGoVF6Sm_JDg/s400/P1000251.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragonfly with Samurai armor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb9Fgt0n3C772meXN7gLe6U8jj_n63b2p1727SS0bfe0Z0nZAJ-AlKv0Wo9MzQLb3kWmcqMeYtGPMLhhJ3loOMpdhWn4TL8WrQ12EJeBnL0HdzUiXGlUDHl870PpDeou3BD4-ag/s1600/P1000254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkb9Fgt0n3C772meXN7gLe6U8jj_n63b2p1727SS0bfe0Z0nZAJ-AlKv0Wo9MzQLb3kWmcqMeYtGPMLhhJ3loOMpdhWn4TL8WrQ12EJeBnL0HdzUiXGlUDHl870PpDeou3BD4-ag/s400/P1000254.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boardwalk cutting through the pristine forest</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DogP-U9xSJzQWkp85yP4ck-tVN7gVl8J19aU-ZFh9gj10xAJqT6k0J24ZixCf1NwnHyz4B7_EIQ_dku2muNbP9Ui6Y9DIYi8YnYIrKhlYiDAny9pYEFwEJ7w5q5uhDVECrizjg/s1600/P1000276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DogP-U9xSJzQWkp85yP4ck-tVN7gVl8J19aU-ZFh9gj10xAJqT6k0J24ZixCf1NwnHyz4B7_EIQ_dku2muNbP9Ui6Y9DIYi8YnYIrKhlYiDAny9pYEFwEJ7w5q5uhDVECrizjg/s400/P1000276.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snake spotted!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6k8bHa8tUJLQfTSc7QdqnhO8ar2MPiedOymLAmVk_mgR4pEHcWlj3X8nkIOGHBq-ODZQkPrfXbVogTh_SfjGsVYLCtuXz2mOFC0NYo1AfCjNvVjGZYUkFdi88S-gD-pKIIZM1Ww/s1600/P1000285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6k8bHa8tUJLQfTSc7QdqnhO8ar2MPiedOymLAmVk_mgR4pEHcWlj3X8nkIOGHBq-ODZQkPrfXbVogTh_SfjGsVYLCtuXz2mOFC0NYo1AfCjNvVjGZYUkFdi88S-gD-pKIIZM1Ww/s400/P1000285.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weston Relief - named after a British missionary Walter Weston</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokltlcFnICGLcCOicDkf8RdQLFtuu5g4DHN_OqFhYbcpUg53oMA_7YyCOc2TwD3aa_68eEZACAGfPDpyle5ej1KkaaPcjgXI_1oNL1fDK9CfFVoyv7DCXaHCPoQz3YDq2F1aGGA/s1600/P1000290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokltlcFnICGLcCOicDkf8RdQLFtuu5g4DHN_OqFhYbcpUg53oMA_7YyCOc2TwD3aa_68eEZACAGfPDpyle5ej1KkaaPcjgXI_1oNL1fDK9CfFVoyv7DCXaHCPoQz3YDq2F1aGGA/s640/P1000290.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most beautiful scenery I have ever seen - the snowy slopes of Mt. Hotaka and the Azusa River</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4EhFrbo8T7jel2fvvR6UVJTcnRPQsLbrsVWphmyE3XyLYkh7aVrW1L9NNntafJL5SsqF3EqI72lwoW1Ugv5qmB7g2o8J6CUQ4Sfu-pH2VH6gZeODgc441oL1e6tgEIzUh27q8Q/s1600/P1000294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx4EhFrbo8T7jel2fvvR6UVJTcnRPQsLbrsVWphmyE3XyLYkh7aVrW1L9NNntafJL5SsqF3EqI72lwoW1Ugv5qmB7g2o8J6CUQ4Sfu-pH2VH6gZeODgc441oL1e6tgEIzUh27q8Q/s400/P1000294.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of dead pines, in contrast to all the life around (Takezawa Marsh)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gIBtuwrgb8wLPmSnXPbK6ZQgbvccawnMPsvII5Qfx-ceL18zvk5Y5k1Z26Hg6jvDY3XUoeQTT8mpr5-DTLtzcQtvqBQlBAZ4nXUx-nMZiKtA1UjBTRhhUqXoGTe_8N4LWEVBPA/s1600/P1000322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gIBtuwrgb8wLPmSnXPbK6ZQgbvccawnMPsvII5Qfx-ceL18zvk5Y5k1Z26Hg6jvDY3XUoeQTT8mpr5-DTLtzcQtvqBQlBAZ4nXUx-nMZiKtA1UjBTRhhUqXoGTe_8N4LWEVBPA/s400/P1000322.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Myojin-bashi (bridge), signalling the end point of the hike</td></tr>
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By the time we reached Myojin-bashi, we had been walking for almost 4 hours, and still had to make a round back to the bus terminal to catch the last bus at 6pm. In total I think we walked almost 10km that day. On the way back to the bus terminal, I managed to catch a glimpse of a troop of Japanese macaques! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfHOXCJmY2mhXlSazgV75_mqp923Cl8F9JI88BNs0JlTzKxRZf396t8QZLezAsOfmmwNbAXQE37vw5wvnuYVMDjBhdAyd8De658c9uIcYuDpimdRDo1fuFXaJEZRP6SpD5JAJKQ/s1600/P1000328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfHOXCJmY2mhXlSazgV75_mqp923Cl8F9JI88BNs0JlTzKxRZf396t8QZLezAsOfmmwNbAXQE37vw5wvnuYVMDjBhdAyd8De658c9uIcYuDpimdRDo1fuFXaJEZRP6SpD5JAJKQ/s400/P1000328.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lazing around in a tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzuvffyZpHVOfBqFxUZ6UHmZtxvTez0mW_OV-cHqyq9PVIrcHgvncq3IdfGQrcA96dRqrG6Q42ud77Njgs8kep3qJT013x_aD6yr72lahdeJgfVkMZT1yOu43GVw2kiK8Q_x7Ew/s1600/P1000332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzuvffyZpHVOfBqFxUZ6UHmZtxvTez0mW_OV-cHqyq9PVIrcHgvncq3IdfGQrcA96dRqrG6Q42ud77Njgs8kep3qJT013x_aD6yr72lahdeJgfVkMZT1yOu43GVw2kiK8Q_x7Ew/s400/P1000332.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Munching on some grass</td></tr>
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Dinner was at this nice and cozy izakaya place where they supposedly imported their seafood direct from Tsukiji market in Tokyo! Either way, the sashimi and seafood were all very very fresh!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJe4U11sTw_YdWX0o7-pUZ4Q5OzCc_3BQKK0YjfzyaWdyilpISA8mWAitAcviR4LrEPIDT2gUsCg7rYhZSvJWdpOgL4d2PXzRj61Ppd07kblMg2kZ8W_qLdVHw3_-Ra12Xpo_mg/s1600/P1000337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJe4U11sTw_YdWX0o7-pUZ4Q5OzCc_3BQKK0YjfzyaWdyilpISA8mWAitAcviR4LrEPIDT2gUsCg7rYhZSvJWdpOgL4d2PXzRj61Ppd07kblMg2kZ8W_qLdVHw3_-Ra12Xpo_mg/s400/P1000337.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lump of fresh, raw tuna meat</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqz12ZXg3yaUFhPx2w2eDN9CZozS5Nb4YgMsHndluh1OAoKenlYYfW-pMn103IsE8HOpt3RFlyeAbPakiPiREQ4OW51K2xfALu5VVUayumcNdUwkz0M9veooI0r-OJVQjKvgPLQ/s1600/P1000338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqz12ZXg3yaUFhPx2w2eDN9CZozS5Nb4YgMsHndluh1OAoKenlYYfW-pMn103IsE8HOpt3RFlyeAbPakiPiREQ4OW51K2xfALu5VVUayumcNdUwkz0M9veooI0r-OJVQjKvgPLQ/s400/P1000338.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cozy little place</td></tr>
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So that marked the end of a very tiring but fulfilling day in Matsumoto. Next day - the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-90277502496229555292012-07-03T01:08:00.001+08:002012-07-17T23:55:10.775+08:00Japan: The Northern Alps #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Very late blog post, I know XD</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The Europeans have their Alps, the South Americans have their Andes, and of course the Nepalese have their Himalayas. But what about the Japanese? Everyone knows about Mt. Fuji, but few outside the country know that just north of Tokyo, straddling 3 prefectures of Toyama, Nagano and Gifu, lies the Hida Mountains, also known as the "Northern Alps" of Japan.</span></div>
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And so with this in mind, my dad planned a trip to visit the region, with the main aim of traversing the famous "Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route". We planned to visit Nagano - famed for its hot springs and snow monkeys, scoot over to Matsumoto, conquer the Hida Mountains to reach Toyama and make a round trip back to Karuizawa and Tokyo.<br />
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<b>15/6 Day 0: Arriving in Tokyo</b><br />
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Our flight arrived at Haneda at 11pm, so we hastily took a train out to nearby Shinagawa to stay for the night. I had the best meal of the trip that night - a hearty supper of gyu-don prepared by an elderly chef in a tiny little hole-in-the-wall.<br />
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<b>16/6 Day 1: Nagano City</b><br />
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Took a Shinkansen from Tokyo station to Nagano - the ASAMA 515. Had a bit of a screw up really, because I tried to speak to the ticketing guy at the counter and bought reserved seats instead - which were only available for a train 2 hours later D:<br />
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<i>For the uninitiated - express trains and Shinkansen trains have reserved (more expensive) and unreserved seats (cheaper). Unreserved tickets allow you to just hop onto any train that comes, provided there are seats available - hence the name. Reserved tickets assure you of a seat at a certain timing, which is useful if you need to reach your destination at a specific time.</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">After realising the error, we went to get a refund and converted to unreserved tickets so we could catch the next train.</span><br />
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First attempt at communication in Japanese: FAILED.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKgnxEis_8ZePAhRZiIkkZlfxzLyYIjr0eRPIDH7UqyZGeVLRZi15Heb5x6oheXO6xLSAuklznXP8kbxfUT6EMjn3PcZqJUGaCVfDHm5ZFUtllOJ0u0588t7yw6zSXZYaLgfdKA/s1600/P1000080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKgnxEis_8ZePAhRZiIkkZlfxzLyYIjr0eRPIDH7UqyZGeVLRZi15Heb5x6oheXO6xLSAuklznXP8kbxfUT6EMjn3PcZqJUGaCVfDHm5ZFUtllOJ0u0588t7yw6zSXZYaLgfdKA/s400/P1000080.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soba stand at Nagano station *slurrrp*</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlALkiwP4L3AQrXqa3Air_dcWba_nlfPOm2pFfXr_A3M_3rzkUTG_vJ9zNOTW0QmLeNQlnhBV-WATCwne9pFI4BrrsoXSflgmkjN6E8wSAjmQ72eSpGSMyeWFj7dT1wOpX4BK9UQ/s1600/P1000082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlALkiwP4L3AQrXqa3Air_dcWba_nlfPOm2pFfXr_A3M_3rzkUTG_vJ9zNOTW0QmLeNQlnhBV-WATCwne9pFI4BrrsoXSflgmkjN6E8wSAjmQ72eSpGSMyeWFj7dT1wOpX4BK9UQ/s400/P1000082.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nagano, host of the 1998 Winter Olympics</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">We reached Nagano after about 90mins, and the first thing we did in the land of the soba was to - you guessed it - eat soba! And not just within the station, soba shops were everywhere in Nagano - from small little counters to high end restaurants all serving hand-made soba made from buckwheat grown in the highlands with crystal clear water from the mountains.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOL7UDjOenpaKZgY-Bct3OlFUhAlZI0FkpUD8eJrFGvtGJdOURiTYYM4nJr7gf_Gkasjrw727jLDeQLw2a4XSnGOkDeDlf3kMqyzr-DO3WJf2HBozAnPSb5yYT-LZX_AORtl92Q/s1600/P1000089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibOL7UDjOenpaKZgY-Bct3OlFUhAlZI0FkpUD8eJrFGvtGJdOURiTYYM4nJr7gf_Gkasjrw727jLDeQLw2a4XSnGOkDeDlf3kMqyzr-DO3WJf2HBozAnPSb5yYT-LZX_AORtl92Q/s400/P1000089.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My meal of hot soba with tempura :D</td></tr>
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With our stomachs filled we checked into the Metropolitan hotel just next to the station (super convenient! great service, spacious rooms and very very affordable) and headed to the main attraction in Nagano city via a feeder bus - the 1400 year old Zenkoji Temple, which sits atop a small hill in the middle of town. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The customary shopping street leading to the temple</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rokujizo, statues of six Bodhisattvas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2oQsHLjWGfbtYv1TBYxCbhz69pYE0nUia4qd1AAUNlyV_8MMN5Wz_CrXRNur14SA_d1-KmZ1u_TlVXlJAY9CWTXH2oHi8K7BR6pMBdiADVPdcDZY7pCztTZgSAP4FGfqsmKirA/s1600/P1000106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2oQsHLjWGfbtYv1TBYxCbhz69pYE0nUia4qd1AAUNlyV_8MMN5Wz_CrXRNur14SA_d1-KmZ1u_TlVXlJAY9CWTXH2oHi8K7BR6pMBdiADVPdcDZY7pCztTZgSAP4FGfqsmKirA/s400/P1000106.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sanmon gate</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EbsuLcbF-YQctRogyUHM2BxaYrbudVU9BKNTT2McJQ5Vv3c0dPBMIx9hdU8uQrGXCds8xqgCLC0dQ64fE3AWp5hKYFHDzIe_ZTFtu88TPhOfRyDN0AajmxVnhi4PA8bW9oPjsQ/s1600/P1000110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1EbsuLcbF-YQctRogyUHM2BxaYrbudVU9BKNTT2McJQ5Vv3c0dPBMIx9hdU8uQrGXCds8xqgCLC0dQ64fE3AWp5hKYFHDzIe_ZTFtu88TPhOfRyDN0AajmxVnhi4PA8bW9oPjsQ/s400/P1000110.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zenkoji Hondo, or Main Hall</td></tr>
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It was pretty dark inside the main hall, and photography wasn't allowed, so no pictures of the interior :/ There was a very interesting statue at the entrance of the main hall:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The temple contains a statue of Binzuru, a physician who was said to be Buddha's follower. Visitors to the temple touch the statue in order to cure their ailments - Wikipedia</span></blockquote>
People were mainly rubbing his bald head, probably to cure their headaches. I rubbed his knee, thinking of my injured-and-recovered left knee, but realised afterwards that I rubbed his right knee instead -.-<br />
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More interesting nuggets from Wikipedia (this ain't a formal report so imma cite Wiki for all its worth):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The main Buddhist image is a </span><i style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">hibutsu (secret Buddha)</i><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">, a hidden </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha_statue" style="background-image: none; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-decoration: none;" title="Buddha statue">Buddha statue</a><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">, not shown to the public. This </span><i style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">hibutsu</i><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> is rumored to be the first Buddha statue to ever be brought to Japan. The commandments of the temple require the absolute secrecy of the statue, prohibiting it to be shown to anyone, including the chief priest of the temple.</span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white;">No wonder I didn't see any Buddha statue inside the main hall. After visiting the main hall, we took a little stroll around the temple grounds, taking in the weekend, family-friendly atmosphere. Unlike Sensoji, another famous temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, tourists were rare (I spotted maybe 2 local tour groups?), and families were everywhere, kids in tow. The temple grounds might even double up as a park.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkOdDXCvTiDU72XUZmAobcocauXa1rueUprwTvmO9TfBtXqtqWjxDB22nc0lPKNU4w9HVk2SYGXjq4KJrd8OuWQNo95JoJPCI6qNVk7LQuVLYGFIfOUVw2ni4E9jbCX_x64PvTw/s1600/P1000128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkOdDXCvTiDU72XUZmAobcocauXa1rueUprwTvmO9TfBtXqtqWjxDB22nc0lPKNU4w9HVk2SYGXjq4KJrd8OuWQNo95JoJPCI6qNVk7LQuVLYGFIfOUVw2ni4E9jbCX_x64PvTw/s400/P1000128.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful bonsai</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPpbaqRwMqcul_VDDetZWM2hhOodehDhIzQKrByyceikfg2tlWky593hvEwEbV4ZxseehM1lJU2VQb3laGU3R7Qjnixh4dM9tpbgyJjaKMUKgCbvMZPOHrc6VBRlb5izN4zRfYA/s1600/P1000127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkPpbaqRwMqcul_VDDetZWM2hhOodehDhIzQKrByyceikfg2tlWky593hvEwEbV4ZxseehM1lJU2VQb3laGU3R7Qjnixh4dM9tpbgyJjaKMUKgCbvMZPOHrc6VBRlb5izN4zRfYA/s400/P1000127.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young and old spotted </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLzOGEqStBp5M0kVV2hni2IvJR8iyDsZ8SP2MTPQ2oq40c7USeL-jtVa0zLGokjKo-2Eh7KRX4gEpdMzFrUJXB-63_wSar-B9DRv7wN-V0Lang7O-_m7PAkeymNsnjuOLxbFZPQ/s1600/P1000136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLzOGEqStBp5M0kVV2hni2IvJR8iyDsZ8SP2MTPQ2oq40c7USeL-jtVa0zLGokjKo-2Eh7KRX4gEpdMzFrUJXB-63_wSar-B9DRv7wN-V0Lang7O-_m7PAkeymNsnjuOLxbFZPQ/s400/P1000136.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and son sketching the temple buildings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_kkLo7-AtiaxSBMjna6BEaxl28Tgp1j6wRQBJkqKF4_p2U7qOGAPiU6XM-YGgBiObjkCNkX0kZEwOYjQfSJTfhqtq5VhyJzJ3fRAGVK0fSpBSXQt3504ZFyums2ZjT2p1ujWOA/s1600/P1000130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf_kkLo7-AtiaxSBMjna6BEaxl28Tgp1j6wRQBJkqKF4_p2U7qOGAPiU6XM-YGgBiObjkCNkX0kZEwOYjQfSJTfhqtq5VhyJzJ3fRAGVK0fSpBSXQt3504ZFyums2ZjT2p1ujWOA/s400/P1000130.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One for the girls XD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the way out we stopped by several of the shops along the street for souvenirs and snacks. I saw this bun-like snack being sold at a few places so I decided to try one - Oyaki. I later discovered that Nagano Prefecture was famous for its oyaki, in addition to its soba. Not surprisingly, oyaki is also made using buckwheat flour, stuffed with vegetables or red bean paste.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL697GTeGPCQgCPHUh9Pvi5UcyG1Yh5sc2MdfSd6uUNgr3PsLn7FFl9VEn7LSByH43V7WwFeOxhIDhiS3Zq2Nw-QUqhdx4FcaNafRsutmTylWWd0V9dDM1HC0NhWxnmrIA1JiIuQ/s1600/P1000140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL697GTeGPCQgCPHUh9Pvi5UcyG1Yh5sc2MdfSd6uUNgr3PsLn7FFl9VEn7LSByH43V7WwFeOxhIDhiS3Zq2Nw-QUqhdx4FcaNafRsutmTylWWd0V9dDM1HC0NhWxnmrIA1JiIuQ/s400/P1000140.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oji-san pan-frying up some oyaki</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It tasted pretty much like a tough and sticky red bean bun. Not my kind of thing, but apparently very popular with the Japanese!<br />
<br />
We had some time to kill so we strolled around and chanced upon this river running along the edge of town. Hungry after the long walk, we ate at a nearby "fast-food" restaurant where I had a hearty bowl of curry rice with beef. Cheap and tasty! It soon filled up with families - guess we found out where they bring their kids on those lazy-to-cook days :p<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCtjtXEbDDzDxqoOmk4lk6wBwlMDsYPOtUysGbjG9mEDAHkLMweOreMZNih_O6lbnu0gwITcjlwUpu10aJ2XcZFy46iKF5LeHLQixvf29u_uxs_T9tqRlO3M5ojOtvkghRGqJ6A/s1600/P1000144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCtjtXEbDDzDxqoOmk4lk6wBwlMDsYPOtUysGbjG9mEDAHkLMweOreMZNih_O6lbnu0gwITcjlwUpu10aJ2XcZFy46iKF5LeHLQixvf29u_uxs_T9tqRlO3M5ojOtvkghRGqJ6A/s400/P1000144.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJaWfWylolh3gFSSETljQcCpg0tjCfGUYdkmvcgwUjthh8FnSuiFaTUPyf1C4Uecs0G_9wFxysmwUfi73FNiPfzWwEWxSk7Wh9lw4ZMJsReChE_lYcv43z9skO-di6gF3ISPGww/s1600/P1000155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJaWfWylolh3gFSSETljQcCpg0tjCfGUYdkmvcgwUjthh8FnSuiFaTUPyf1C4Uecs0G_9wFxysmwUfi73FNiPfzWwEWxSk7Wh9lw4ZMJsReChE_lYcv43z9skO-di6gF3ISPGww/s400/P1000155.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curry + beef bowl rice!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="text-align: left;">So that sums up Day 1 in Nagano city. The next day, we headed off to Matsumoto, which was to be our starting point for the main attractions of the trip!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-24701421077770038812012-06-10T01:29:00.000+08:002013-03-23T16:09:00.759+08:00ASUS RT-N15U "Black Diamond" Router<span style="font-size: x-small;">*UPDATE*</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I've just flashed the custom firmware Tomato USB for this router and its been working fine. Best of all, I get the ability to overclock the Broadcom chip and boost the transmit power for increased range. QoS takes a little to get used to though (not as idiot proof as the original ASUS firmware).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is a good blog detailing the steps required to flash one yourself: <a href="http://moonlightknighthk.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/install-tomato-firmware-on-asus-router/">http://moonlightknighthk.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/install-tomato-firmware-on-asus-router/</a></span><br />
<br />
=====================================================================<br />
<br />
June is always the period of time when I start to feel the urge of getting some new gadget to fool around with. Why June? Well for one its usually the school holiday period, meaning I suddenly have lots of time to think about buying new toys, and secondly there's also the PC Show. Most of the time I resist the urge (haven't bought anything major since 3 years ago, when I upgraded my desktop), although there was an exception earlier this year when I bought my <a href="http://thebudgetgeek.blogspot.sg/2012/04/when-hard-drives-fail.html" target="_blank">second-hand Toshiba laptop</a>.<br />
<br />
So anyway, every tech purchase has to have a reason behind it (my personal motto). I don't go around "hooting" stuff because its a blazing new technology, because everyone has one, or because its cheap/on offer. For one, I don't have the moolah to be able to do that (the reason why I call this blog "thebudgetgeek"). And of course, the most important thing - if you have a good reason to buy something, you'll make the most out of it (and reduce unnecessary wastage of money and resources).<br />
<br />
The reason this time? My sis was complaining that the Wi-Fi signal kept getting dropped, and I had instances where my connection was dropped during Starcraft 2 games (rageeee!!). The problem could very well be on Starhub's side, but I then realised that the number of connected devices at home was mind-boggling - desktop, 4 laptops (usually only 2 being used at a time), 3 iPhones, 1 Desire S (mine), and 1 iPad 2.<br />
<br />
Its amazing how we survived on our old Linksys WRT54G. To be fair, it was working fine throughout, but I wanted to get a Wireless N router to cater to all those devices with N capability (all except 2 older laptops), and to prepare for a future fibre broadband network.<br />
<br />
So I headed down to the PC Show on Thursday with a single target in mind - the <a href="http://www.asus.com/Networks/Wireless_Routers/RTN15U/#overview" target="_blank">ASUS RT-N15U "Black Diamond" router.</a> There were other candidates from D-Link and Linksys with similar specs, but I chose the ASUS in the end for its lower price point. The main draw this time was of course, Wireless N, and the ability to connect a USB device direct to the router for sharing (printer, hard drive etc.)<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlKM2l9WZeZmtkHJob5KI0BI3BnKSJT9GohT5ORenMiiXSW0eD_D202AYabrteoQ7cM1XcLmLUhr1NynDwBMfqJ2WS7J0UgYFeEBRDucvmNbKwOsqec_HM7qcOS5v8MSiFN0UwQ/s1600/IMG_20120609_181904.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlKM2l9WZeZmtkHJob5KI0BI3BnKSJT9GohT5ORenMiiXSW0eD_D202AYabrteoQ7cM1XcLmLUhr1NynDwBMfqJ2WS7J0UgYFeEBRDucvmNbKwOsqec_HM7qcOS5v8MSiFN0UwQ/s320/IMG_20120609_181904.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWe8Ml2EfdNFgcUk-m9IucAUdWKKjwBIoE1OVdDlExVW0o_zhCR1X2GSOIReSY2zzlm4ZQ5XDcbr0-RXcJx-oah3HTpb5F55Yl9FaRD8amdDjHqI9ZFGYGz6SKqszqUXvtLpwYKw/s1600/IMG_20120609_182029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWe8Ml2EfdNFgcUk-m9IucAUdWKKjwBIoE1OVdDlExVW0o_zhCR1X2GSOIReSY2zzlm4ZQ5XDcbr0-RXcJx-oah3HTpb5F55Yl9FaRD8amdDjHqI9ZFGYGz6SKqszqUXvtLpwYKw/s400/IMG_20120609_182029.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful design on the router face</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Features</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Wall-mounting<br />
Wireless N networking up to 300mbps, supports older standards<br />
4 Gigabit LAN ports, 1 WAN port, 1 USB port<br />
Printer sharing<br />
FTP file sharing<br />
UPnP media streaming<br />
QoS, Firewall<br />
Multiple SSID<br />
3 networking modes - Router, Repeater and Access Point modes<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Setting up</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I must praise ASUS for this - the router was a cinch to setup. Normally the thought of setting up a secured wireless network would give me the shudders, but the RT-N15U surprised me. No installation CDs, no step-by-step procedures to follow - plug in the cables, open up a browser, fill up the SSID and Network Key, and you're ready to go!<br />
<br />
Advanced settings can be tweaked using the webpage UI and is really quite foolproof (although the UI felt a little kiddish). I managed to setup MAC address filtering and QoS (quality of service) in a few clicks.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, printer setup took a little more effort. I couldn't connect to the printer for a good 1 hour, despite running the printer setup utility and reinstalling the printer drivers. Eventually I gave up, left the house, and when I came back 2 hours later, it magically worked. /shrugs<br />
<br />
<b>Performance</b><br />
<br />
Arguably the most important factor that everyone looks at. I wanted to take full advantage of the wireless N network adaptors in my Toshiba Portege and my sis's Sony Vaio. The smartphones and iPads all come with this standard so they'd benefit from the potential increase in speeds.<br />
<br />
I was disappointed though. Firstly, I had to run my router on "Auto" mode instead of "N only", which means it could support wireless G devices (the 2 ageing laptops). This would cut down any potential speed improvements if both N and G devices were operating at the same time.<br />
<br />
And secondly, even without the 2 old laptops connected, the wireless speeds weren't THAT impressive.<br />
<br />
My desktop (Gigabit LAN) speedtest results:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.speedtest.net/result/1999081478.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.speedtest.net/result/1999081478.png" /></a></div>
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Desktop YouTube test results (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW8p8JO2hQw" target="_blank">10:29 1080p HD video</a>):</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lVs469JvIKcg6dAfUQTYBlfYHMN8THLz4PkKy8CT3gz47FcmCCgDCJWokndfsyLyKKMv-hQk0z1USxdIUmNPZ2-rlCjNp7nZxQK_2k7u74EaGYW2G_YTCT7IOWrdhfBH9tkizA/s1600/test_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lVs469JvIKcg6dAfUQTYBlfYHMN8THLz4PkKy8CT3gz47FcmCCgDCJWokndfsyLyKKMv-hQk0z1USxdIUmNPZ2-rlCjNp7nZxQK_2k7u74EaGYW2G_YTCT7IOWrdhfBH9tkizA/s400/test_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 minutes of cheerful Irish music</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
My laptop (Wireless N, in my room 2 walls away) speedtest results:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.speedtest.net/result/1999146446.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.speedtest.net/result/1999146446.png" /></a></div>
<br />
Laptop YouTube test results:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IDR-3AQYSWyDUUgH7OkVvi2WxSjA6tWggEhxSstK70_frkga5iLfyobCp3huNp09eYVQ9ZvGeYAO56qDJHca-iJPw_jzHpwr9ps0j2lPrL3lTDHIhul4wWe9Tp_uYoAmSgq06w/s1600/test+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_IDR-3AQYSWyDUUgH7OkVvi2WxSjA6tWggEhxSstK70_frkga5iLfyobCp3huNp09eYVQ9ZvGeYAO56qDJHca-iJPw_jzHpwr9ps0j2lPrL3lTDHIhul4wWe9Tp_uYoAmSgq06w/s400/test+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Upload speeds were consistently low (Starhub -.-), but the download speed dropped drastically on Wi-Fi. Of course, these were just numbers, so to simulate a real-time test I loaded a 1080p YouTube video and waited for it to load (the grey bar). Surprisingly, not much of a difference! Of course, this could be due to the QoS settings of the router which prioritised online video streaming, which in this case proved extremely useful.<br />
<br />
<b>Looks</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Not an important factor when it comes to routers, but this is one seriously sexy looking router. It helps if the router is located on top my desktop PC with the exact same colour scheme - black with blue LEDs. Linksys first made the router sleek with its E series, but ASUS does it in a way that appeals to the inner tech "beng". If my earlier photo didn't do it justice, here's the official picture:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.asus.com/websites/global/products/4tWaUimhroyRTpon/P_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.asus.com/websites/global/products/4tWaUimhroyRTpon/P_500.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sexy black with blue LEDs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Overall</b><br />
<br />
In terms of functionality and value for money, this router is definitely the top choice among the budget-conscious. Almost all modern routers are now wireless N capable, so that isn't much of a deal-breaker; the ability to connect a printer or a hard disk for sharing/streaming certainly is. Linksys routers have the brand name behind them, and I don't doubt their quality, but that comes with a premium ($$$). I was torn between this and a similarly priced D-link, but who could resist the looks of this "Dark Knight"?<br />
<br />
Slightly disappointed with the speedtest results, but at least I'll be able to print wirelessly now :)<br />
Hopefully with the arrival of fibre broadband over the horizon, the full potential of this router will be realised.<br />
<br />
Would I recommend it?<br />
<br />
If you're living with ancient Wi-Fi technology and thinking of an upgrade, this would definitely be a viable option - just don't expect too much in terms of performance.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-32901474484700388082012-06-08T14:49:00.001+08:002012-06-08T19:07:57.475+08:00Last day at PUB<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: This post is not endorsed by PUB, nor is it part of my Industrial Attachment requirement. I might have quoted some information from my final report, but thats about it :)</span></i><br />
<br />
And so 22 weeks of Industrial Attachment have blown by. While others were celebrating the end of exams 1 month ago, we were waking up at 7am daily to go to work (of course, I probably deserved it for emphasizing my lack of exams). Now, our turn has finally come; unless of course you're one of those who extended your attachment period.<br />
<br />
Its been an interesting 22 weeks at PUB, and certainly an eye-opening experience for me in terms of having a taste of working life in the public sector as compared to my previous experience with a local SME. While work in Alpha Biofuels three years ago was characterised by its informality, the sheer variety of tasks and the groundwork involved, life in PUB has been very much different. Here's where you probably start listing down your stereotypes of a job in the public service:<br />
<br />
1) Stuffy, boring<br />
2) Nine to five<br />
3) Formal<br />
4) Old fashioned<br />
5) Bureaucratic<br />
<br />
I won't exactly say they're wrong, but its definitely not that bad (it helps if you're attached to an interesting department).<br />
<br />
I was attached to the Catchment and Waterways department, which deals with our reservoirs and drains. Not too interesting, you'd think? Here's the catch - I was also attached to the ABC Waters division within that department. For those unacquainted with the promotional efforts of PUB (how could you not know Water Wally?!), ABC stands for Active, Beautiful, Clean.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/df/Water_wally.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/df/Water_wally.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water Wally! So cute :3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/f4q6bJDf4To?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Water Wally even has its own cartoon</span></div>
<br />
Anyway, in a nutshell, the ABC Waters Programme aims to beautify our waterways (i.e boring, dreary concrete drains and canals) by integrating with the green landscape and bringing people closer to water in the hope that they would take ownership and not contribute to pollution. While this all sounds all rosy and double rainbowish, what has my work got to do with any of this? Well for the past 22 weeks I've been involved in the more technical aspects of this Programme.<br />
<br />
PUB is implementing what it calls "ABC Waters Design Features" in various areas around Singapore, and is also encouraging private developers to do the same. For new buyers of those expensive HDB projects along the edge of Punggol Waterway, your houses will have these features, look out for them :)<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">What exactly are "Design Features"? Known in other parts of the world as Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) and Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), these "Design Features" aim to change the way we approach storm water drainage - which traditionally involves concrete drains, concrete canals and more concrete. For the uninitiated, too much storm water run-off is bad, bad, and did I mention bad? If you recall the previous Orchard Road floodings and the flooded drain that swept an Indonesian kid away, that's what too much run-off can do. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">T</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">he root cause of it? Urbanisation. The problem with too much concrete is, it prevents rainwater from entering the ground; instead it flows over our roofs, our roads, our footpaths and into our drains, too fast too furiously. That's good you say, so it won't flood. True, but only if you're located near the start of the drainage system. For the people downstream though, this surge of water from further upstream quickly overwhelms their stretch of the drains (as was the case in Orchard Road, with the Stamford canal flooded beyond its capacity).</span></blockquote>
The "Design Features" are essentially natural drainage systems that mimic nature's way of controlling storm water run-off - by using plants. Rain gardens, bioretention swales and constructed wetlands all fall under this category and their main function is simple - to slow down the flow while removing pollutants, utilising the soil, bacteria and plants to filter out sediments and nutrients that might pollute our rivers. The benefits? Less floods, cleaner rivers and less strain on our treatment plants that treat the water which eventually comes out of our taps.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6a8Uu7PDtx5kgWbpno0HSNew7iYkhotjcfkAzliHPcMuxDTrR-ErupHX8cAHDzGJNQ64bWUN6NBrFMMBDsel0exhC_03KM_wJfd7iCxOw51M6sdnRg3n1AQo7YF2Z3xgaFMMP2Q/s1600/IMG_20120420_170351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6a8Uu7PDtx5kgWbpno0HSNew7iYkhotjcfkAzliHPcMuxDTrR-ErupHX8cAHDzGJNQ64bWUN6NBrFMMBDsel0exhC_03KM_wJfd7iCxOw51M6sdnRg3n1AQo7YF2Z3xgaFMMP2Q/s320/IMG_20120420_170351.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The interesting characters I run into during the course of my job</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before I start to sound like a PUB spokesperson, lets just say that from the day I started reading up about all these during my first day at work, I was sold. Replacing concrete drains with soil and plants? Hell yeah. Slowing down the flow and getting rid of nasty stuff so the poor folks downstream don't get flooded with polluted water?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110907155061/spore/images/c/c2/Aww-Yeah-meme.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110907155061/spore/images/c/c2/Aww-Yeah-meme.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I didn't sign up to be an Environmental Engineer for nothing. As you might expect, I loved going down to site. You would too, despite the hot weather and all, if your site looked like this:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://distilleryimage2.s3.amazonaws.com/d4c37c76902e11e18cf91231380fd29b_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://distilleryimage2.s3.amazonaws.com/d4c37c76902e11e18cf91231380fd29b_7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The transformed Bishan Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If I had any IA regrets at all, it would be me being the only intern in the department (and on a separate floor to boot). It got a little lonely and boring at times especially on those long, desk-bound days. Guess nothing can compare to the crazy things me and the other interns did back in those Alpha days XD<br />
<br />
======================================================================<br />
<br />
So, its the end of my Industrial Attachment. I did feel a bit guilty that I didn't request to extend, considering that my colleagues will be very busy with the upcoming Singapore International Water Week (SIWW). But hey, I'll be heading to Japan with my parents in a week's time (more in a later post) and I'll finally have time to sit down and study for my JLPT N4 test ^^;. I did volunteer to help out for the SIWW though, hopefully I'll be able to attend :D<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-87431311678737050932012-05-05T16:28:00.003+08:002012-05-05T16:33:13.583+08:00May The 4th Be With You<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Star_Wars_Logo.svg/300px-Star_Wars_Logo.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Star_Wars_Logo.svg/300px-Star_Wars_Logo.svg.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The opening score still gives me goosebumps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, yesterday was the unofficial, fan-created Star Wars Day. I admit, I only found out about it in the past week or so, via the Star Wars Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/StarWars" target="_blank">here</a>. In true geek style, this post will be dedicated to my (past) obsession with everything Star Wars. Non-fans, you might want to stay away from this.<br />
<br />
I discovered Star Wars way back when I was in Primary school, around the impressionable ages of 10-12. If you back-calculate, that was around the time The Phantom Menace was released (1998-1999). Caught up in the hype, my mum came back from work one day brandishing 3 VCDs (of dubious origins) and passed them to me. Mind you, those was the times when such discs were everywhere, and you had these awesome shops selling PC games with the goods displayed openly hanging by hooks on the walls. /ifyouknowwhatImean<br />
<br />
As you might have guessed, those 3 VCDs were titled - Star Wars Episode IV, V and VI (Special Editions). My parents had probably watched them way back in the 70s, so it was a form of catching up to them before Phantom Menace was screened.<br />
<br />
That was my first brush with the science fiction genre, and before I knew it I became a Star Wars fanboy - all at the tender age of 12. Maybe it was the Light vs Dark theme, maybe it was the cool star ships shooting funky lights at each other, maybe it was the awesome lightsaber battles, maybe it was the mystical Force, or even the hair buns of Princess Leia that sucked me into the Star Wars universe. I watched and re-watched those 3 movies, and when Phantom Menace came out on VCD, I bought it and re-watched that too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/l-L2K2f2YWM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">My favourite lightsaber duel of all time - do you agree?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Not satisfied with just movies, the book-loving me discovered that the library held a treasure trove of Star Wars novels - the X-Wing series, the Thrawn trilogy, the New Jedi order and so many others - these accompanied me throughout my teens. When I had finished what the library had to offer, I turned to rental bookstores, always looking forward to the latest releases. I followed Han and Leia through their courtship, saw their children Jacen and Jaina grow into young Jedi Knights, survived the hellish Yuuzhan Vong invasion, watched Luke rebuild the Jedi Academy, and felt their anguish when Jacen turned into Darth Caedus.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVhdRvxE1eqr-Q2Ma-ZfIEtjbBe8DUb1NKTv2ahovhoDre2eASDy918Ne6BgU-39Kd80BUTymvlbgAHATgm2_Du9WedErImKSprr49N77mv9AyclHhX8N2bVma_znO5dNcwngZg/s1600/HeirToTheEmpire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVhdRvxE1eqr-Q2Ma-ZfIEtjbBe8DUb1NKTv2ahovhoDre2eASDy918Ne6BgU-39Kd80BUTymvlbgAHATgm2_Du9WedErImKSprr49N77mv9AyclHhX8N2bVma_znO5dNcwngZg/s320/HeirToTheEmpire.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First book of the Thrawn Trilogy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Books weren't enough to satisfy my cravings for more Star Wars though - I began to dive into Star Wars video games like Racer, Jedi Knight II (one of the best!), Rebellion, Force Commander, Empire At War, Republic Commando etc. Needless to say, they took up a huge chunk of my time in Secondary school, decapitating Stormtroopers, piloting podracers and entangling AT-ATs. I also started playing and collecting the Star Wars Trading Card Game with a good friend in class who also happened to stay above me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i2.listal.com/image/287349/936full-star-wars-jedi-knight-ii:-jedi-outcast-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i2.listal.com/image/287349/936full-star-wars-jedi-knight-ii:-jedi-outcast-cover.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I was young I loved to play with LEGO, building fantasy worlds out of bright coloured bricks and yellow-faced people. Naturally, I was the happiest kid alive when they decided to release LEGO Star Wars sets. During that fanatical period of childhood, every Christmas present, every birthday present, heck, every gift for every possible occasion was LEGO Star Wars. The pride of my collection still sits high above a display cabinet full of LEGO - the Millennium Falcon.<br />
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4nG-SqxldXCVjppv8aC9eK7_vVXtWoWEBQz1c2aMvaOSEvvzzGJRsRcah03XhvuyVxW7RwDkyAuwWOTNkhnl7sSv9E-vGx6-xZr9WwaSvxC9tjiuUgqu-socjp30cVLZIbLSWYg/s1600/2012-05-05+16.10.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4nG-SqxldXCVjppv8aC9eK7_vVXtWoWEBQz1c2aMvaOSEvvzzGJRsRcah03XhvuyVxW7RwDkyAuwWOTNkhnl7sSv9E-vGx6-xZr9WwaSvxC9tjiuUgqu-socjp30cVLZIbLSWYg/s320/2012-05-05+16.10.30.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My humble collection. I've always wanted an AT-AT</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Today is already the 5th of May. Star Wars Day may be over, but there's always time and space for Revenge of the 5ith XD</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Star Wars fans, how did you spend 4/5/2012? Well, I decided to join in the fun and did this: </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFv-U85Fq6IOMi330atOFlUIig1hTUd4A9mByfkHrmev10YFxSkGMy0OteOOKH8saKMtbFxIpgjtKQDJA4bE2SAbhyphenhyphenHnZMwuV6onu8TrAFuYRqPLPZbWWRyq3r0Sqf5VGF76GFw/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKFv-U85Fq6IOMi330atOFlUIig1hTUd4A9mByfkHrmev10YFxSkGMy0OteOOKH8saKMtbFxIpgjtKQDJA4bE2SAbhyphenhyphenHnZMwuV6onu8TrAFuYRqPLPZbWWRyq3r0Sqf5VGF76GFw/s640/Untitled.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You have failed me for the last time"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-36224069201959239182012-04-11T14:14:00.000+08:002012-04-12T18:52:47.209+08:00When Hard Drives fail...And so I've gotten meself a "new" laptop to replace the ageing (or rather, aged) Compaq V3000 notebook I received from Starhub for signing up with their broadband plan 5 years ago. There wasn't any particular reason why I needed a replacement, and indeed I would have continued using the Compaq if its CMOS battery didn't start conking out on me. Sure I could simply swop out the battery, but couple that with the fact that PUB, the place where I'm currently interning at, loaned me a spanking new HP Elitebook 2560p to play around with, it was inevitable that NAS hit me. (If you know what GAS means, you'll know what NAS refers to.) <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*GAS refers to Gear Acquisition Syndrome</span></i><br />
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9ZlyClUqCXgqrPue_hjQO4unhr4MFKDgKqHlE6zDlMl6iurj2o5a37vFhsXvc8Q2o8xgjESTjG0Y3JyZ7BjTv-CQpceIwfpUAREN5w2TjHqaTl9jDt6OWuPYyaVzHGpl81TRnw/s1600/IMG_20120222_214922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM9ZlyClUqCXgqrPue_hjQO4unhr4MFKDgKqHlE6zDlMl6iurj2o5a37vFhsXvc8Q2o8xgjESTjG0Y3JyZ7BjTv-CQpceIwfpUAREN5w2TjHqaTl9jDt6OWuPYyaVzHGpl81TRnw/s400/IMG_20120222_214922.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My old Compaq (with the Apple logo)<br /> and the new Toshiba </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
I bought a second hand Toshiba Portege R830 for about half the stated retail price from a vendor in Sim Lim Square with about 8 months of warranty left. I won't say its second hand really, since its never been turned on, but I wouldn't call it sparkling new either. It came free with the M1 fibre promotion which probably contributed to the bargain price. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Either way, I've had my eye on the R830 for a long time after doing copious amounts of research - 9 hour-long battery life, 13" matte screen, Intel Core i5, 6GB RAM, DVD player, HDMI, VGA and Ethernet ports, USB 3.0, SD card slot - how did Toshiba manage to squeeze all that into a slim frame weighing only 1.4kg? The R830 was released before the era of the ultraboook (2011), yet I'm sure this business grade laptop will slot in with the new crowd perfectly fine. The only fault I could find was the average integrated graphics card and the whiny cooling fan. Check out the <a href="http://asia.cnet.com/product/toshiba-portege-r830-core-i5-2410m-processor-2-3ghz-4gb-ram-45480382.htm" target="_blank">Cnet Review</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAosivq0BXKyQHLEIprPEHuOvO3NCJGL50Q-n8ZbwG5FSen1xcye5nHt7Wy4ArNkI0YQb8uoMzoI5Xs8F_Lr3TUzFvzBoscSvqLlW-g7IUMd6IbRWnRReWwwbROcetiyaEEm3jQ/s1600/IMG_20120330_084806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAosivq0BXKyQHLEIprPEHuOvO3NCJGL50Q-n8ZbwG5FSen1xcye5nHt7Wy4ArNkI0YQb8uoMzoI5Xs8F_Lr3TUzFvzBoscSvqLlW-g7IUMd6IbRWnRReWwwbROcetiyaEEm3jQ/s400/IMG_20120330_084806.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Portege R830 (left) vs the Elitebook 2560p(right)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anyway, I wasn't surprised or worried when the new notebook started giving me problems - random blue screens, slowdowns and crashes - since it was still under warranty. While I couldn't tell what was wrong from the blue screen error codes (yes, even Google failed me), the sounds coming from the hard disk though hinted to me what it was - a dying hard disk drive.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First thing I did was to run <a href="http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/433-disk-check.html" target="_blank">Check Disk</a> and it passed the test. I wasn't entirely convinced though, and another blue screen spurred me to try <a href="http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/downloads/seatools" target="_blank">SeaTools</a>. My suspicions were confirmed when it failed the long test. Just for good measure, I downloaded the bootable <a href="http://www.hitachigst.com/support/downloads/" target="_blank">Hitachi Drive Fitness Test</a> which also confirmed that the hard disk was bad.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Luckily for me, the laptop was still usable so I immediately did a backup before bringing it down to the Toshiba Service Centre in Kallang. After only 2 days of waiting (not counting the weekend), I got back my notebook with a brand new hard disk installed! After all those horror stories of people's experiences with warranty claims and the RMA process, I was pleasantly surprised that Toshiba did everything efficiently and did not give me any problems at all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I just hope this new hard disk works fine: My sister's Sony Vaio laptop had to be sent back twice for the same problem when it was still new.</div>
<div>
<br />
I didn't intend to do a review on my new purchase, but what the heck:<br />
<br />
<u>Toshiba Portege R830</u><br />
<br />
PROS:<br />
- Slim and incredibly light<br />
- Full featured business notebook (not nerfed with ultra-low voltage chips)<br />
- Tons of connectivity options<br />
- Soild build-quality<br />
- Robust battery life<br />
<br />
CONS:<br />
- Expensive, compared to newer ultrabooks in the market<br />
- Mediocre graphics<br />
- Noisy fan when things get hot<br />
- Tiny speakers, bad sound<br />
<br />
Clearly not a laptop for entertainment junkies or gamers, but its a winner when it comes to portability and battery life. Few laptops out there can match its lack of weight other than the lightest of ultrabooks (and its newer cousin, the Z830). It won't handle high-end games but it certainly runs Starcraft 2 fine at the lowest possible setting. HD videos run smoothly as well, though external speakers/headphones are a must for videos and music.<br />
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Have you had any horror stories when doing a warranty claim? Looking back, I guess the reason why I was expecting the worst was probably due to people's tendency to rant and complain if they've had a bad experience - few would do the opposite for a good experience.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
How about a pleasant experience?</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-32518730806105126062012-03-21T14:58:00.001+08:002012-04-24T13:37:34.797+08:00World Water Day 2012<div class="tr_bq">
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<a href="http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/index.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtzwR3gv66jlzrNyqNdWxbqRvpynSjNIl0879BCj_lrdVZL4G8It7DP2xmgYxVCdafYHCB3pl6nLKjjTK1OIBIgRLKwh8tQI7mJSKkrJovO5KVpB_LV3FtNBrWUXHcBu5-9TR8wg/s400/wwd12_728x121.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tomorrow, 22nd March is World Water Day!</div>
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How is it "celebrated" in your stretch of the river?<br />
<br />
From the WWD website:<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.</b></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.</span></span></blockquote>
This year, the theme focuses on Food and Water Security:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There are 7 billion people to feed on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050. Statistics say that each of us drinks from 2 to 4 litres of water every day, however most of the water we ‘drink’ is embedded in the food we eat: producing 1 kilo of beef for example consumes 15,000 litres of water while 1 kilo of wheat ’drinks up’ 1,500 litres. <img src="http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/images/pix.gif" /><br /><img src="http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/images/pix.gif" /><br /> When a billion people in the world already live in chronic hunger and water resources are under pressure we cannot pretend the problem is ‘elsewhere’. Coping with population growth and ensuring access to nutritious food to everyone call for a series of actions we can all help with:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">follow a healthier, sustainable diet;</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">consume less water-intensive products;</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">reduce the scandalous food wastage: 30% of the food produced worldwide is never eaten and the water used to produce it is definitively lost!</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">produce more food, of better quality, with</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">less water.</span></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
I hate to say this, but I'm probably the most guilty person when it comes to this issue of food and water security. I love my meat - chicken, pork, beef, fish, you name it. And I hate my greens. I suppose my water footprint just from sticking to my usual diet would be huge, based on this graphic alone:<br />
<a href="http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/downloads/WWD2012_VW_FRIEZE.pdf">http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/downloads/WWD2012_VW_FRIEZE.pdf</a><br />
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Interesting ain't it? And I bet you thought drinking a cup of tea used up only the amount of water needed to brew it. For more interesting (and sobering) information, videos and other materials can be found here:<br />
<a href="http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/campaign.html">http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/campaign.html</a><br />
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In my defence I'd like to mention that I'm not a particularly big fan of steak - the production of beef being the largest consumers of agricultural water.<br />
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How large is your water footprint?<br />
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In Singapore, we're celebrating WWD by, well, gathering a bunch of people close to a body of water and have fun and games, while at the same time reminding everyone of the importance of keeping the waters clean.<br />
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<a href="http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/index.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqku9IhKiowt9KvB-Xb0urI82ZbAxA3qE5z8P3kO5MmePt8gmiPHx303NRjfJUKDfenYW_IJLd9JDCvNvBOWQI8Ty3haBlhkHPXqENRBuoLd3mJeERtp2pS9Ft_zsCOy8rtAccqA/s200/WWD2012_LOGO_EN.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.singaporeworldwaterday.com/">http://www.singaporeworldwaterday.com/</a><br />
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Where will you be on WWD?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-17494044605919366572012-03-11T12:24:00.000+08:002012-03-11T12:24:48.849+08:00忘れないで「2011年3月3日」1 year ago, on this very day, March 11th 2011, an earthquake struck off the Eastern coast of Japan.<br />
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I was in school at the time, and I remember the horrible, sinking feeling of standing alongside my classmates, eyes glued on the TV screens that were broadcasting the terrible scenes of destruction.<br />
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1 year on, while rebuilding and recovery has been slow, the people of Tohoku have been resilient and endured the hardships of this past year, despite losing loved ones, homes and livelihoods. It's been a difficult year for the Japanese people.<br />
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In memory of those lost, and in tribute to those who are fighting back...
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Never forget - 11/03/2011Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-69698348152865780612012-02-13T11:10:00.002+08:002014-11-03T21:51:25.686+08:00The Kindle RevolutionAnd so I decided to delve into the realm of the Amazon Kindle.<br />
<br />
Actually, it was something totally unexpected. I never thought that I would join the growing ranks of ebook readers, considering the fact that I've been reading lesser and had hardly picked up a book last year. I've even stopped following mangas, mainly because the Full Metal Alchemist series had ended, and Chuangyi had stopped publication of the Negima series (for whatever reason, I don't know). The last book I read was probably the final Harry Potter book for a quick refresh before catching part 2 of the Deathly Hallows movie.<br />
<br />
I never considered picking up a book to read, mainly because there were so many other alternative (and arguably more alluring) entertainment options out there (games, movies, dramas etc.). The rigors of undergraduate life also meant that the only reading I could get done were lecture notes and newspapers. Even the monthly National Geographic magazine which I've always looked forward too suffered some form of neglect. I did enjoy the occasional tome now and then though, mainly pinched from my sis' library (Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns).<br />
<a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSnGb6kU5Is0iNOhw8OMkryrcY6zLG1uAyz_POc1WorPM09KeDd" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a><br />
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<a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSnGb6kU5Is0iNOhw8OMkryrcY6zLG1uAyz_POc1WorPM09KeDd" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></a></div>
<a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSnGb6kU5Is0iNOhw8OMkryrcY6zLG1uAyz_POc1WorPM09KeDd" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSnGb6kU5Is0iNOhw8OMkryrcY6zLG1uAyz_POc1WorPM09KeDd" height="320" width="213" /></a><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
<a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmcdR_fnJMGXFnIZpcwo6epz-C1s9TvzB_TdCGgCqNrnnSR7xHIg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmcdR_fnJMGXFnIZpcwo6epz-C1s9TvzB_TdCGgCqNrnnSR7xHIg" height="320" width="225" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>VS</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<i>Guess who won?</i></div>
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<br />
Why the sudden return to reading?<br />
<br />
Well, it was nearing the end of December 2011, that time of the year when one starts worrying about gifts and stuff like that. I was racking my brains for a practical, meaningful gift that didn't end up in the sewers or the rubbish chute for my girlfriend. Since she'd been complaining of doing nothing but watching dramas and movies on her laptop the whole holiday (and contributing to eye fatigue), I figured a book would make a nice gift.<br />
<br />
This led to that, and I thought to myself, why get one single book, when you can get an ebook reader that can read (and store) thousands of ebooks for a fraction of the price?<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVr5AXyZITV-ctu_7sRbxqFxT1LdUDfd-NSxJqXBI9QQZyeYxflzG-ErcZYdNQG0VJNoL-Wu3QE6Hnamz3knf1WpQlTLp3wBLeI7lycj8-qrNhuyiQnpAje2x21_L5hP8ZN4ZgOg/s1600/IMG_20120107_215236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVr5AXyZITV-ctu_7sRbxqFxT1LdUDfd-NSxJqXBI9QQZyeYxflzG-ErcZYdNQG0VJNoL-Wu3QE6Hnamz3knf1WpQlTLp3wBLeI7lycj8-qrNhuyiQnpAje2x21_L5hP8ZN4ZgOg/s640/IMG_20120107_215236.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kindle Touch </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And so I got myself a couple of Kindle Touches, for only USD$99 each from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Touch-e-Reader-Touch-Screen-Wi-Fi-Special-Offers/dp/B005890G8Y" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a>, excluding shipping of course. Amazon doesn't ship the Kindle to our sunny shores of Singapore (I wonder why, considering there's a huge demand for them over here), so I had to go the long way by using Vpost.<br />
<br />
Thankfully both Kindles arrived safely here within a couple of weeks. Needless to say, she was absolutely enthralled by this thin, little 6 inch device. I loaded in a couple of Nicholas Sparks' novels and she was glued to it for nights on end.<br />
<br />
What is it about Nicholas Sparks that draws ladies like sugar to ants?<br />
<br />
That aside, I've been using it for almost a month now and I can safely say that I'm ready to give up reading physical books (yes, I'm one of those people that are contributing to the downfall of Borders, PageOne and other bookshops). Its just so simple to use and pleasing on the eye - if you've ever tried to read an e-book on your computer screen or even an iPad/tablet, you'd be rubbing your eyes after a couple of hours. Not so with an e-ink reader like the Kindle Touch.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/whitney/dp/KW-slate-02-lg._V166950133_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/whitney/dp/KW-slate-02-lg._V166950133_.jpg" /></a></div>
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The text rendered by the e-ink screen is absolutely gorgeous. Nothing else can match it when it comes to rendering pure, black text. I've used it for a few hours at a stretch and the only strain I get is a backache from sitting too long. Tapping the screen flips the page in an instant (after a software update 5.0.3), while long pressing a word brings up dictionary definitions. Highlighting and annotations are also possible, if you're into that sort of thing. Font and font sizes are customisable as well.<br />
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All's nice and rosy for the Kindle Touch right? Not so, especially when it comes to actually buying e-books to read with the Kindle Touch.<br />
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To cut the long story short - Amazon doesn't accept Singapore-issued credit cards when buying e-books from their online store. And this is the part that turns most people off - I almost gave up the idea of ordering the Touch thanks to this. There is a workaround, thankfully, as described by this blog, which gives a rather comprehensive guide to getting a Kindle and e-books here:<br />
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<a href="http://jeffyen.blogspot.com/2011/11/amazon-kindle-touch-in-singapore.html" target="_blank">http://jeffyen.blogspot.com/2011/11/amazon-kindle-touch-in-singapore.html</a>
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The steps are tedious and complicated at first, but once you get used to the idea (of using gift cards), it'll become second nature to order e-books from Amazon.<br />
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But wait! There's more!<br />
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After even more research I realised that you can actually buy books from other online stores and convert it to a format supported by the Kindle (MOBI format). The software to do this is Calibre, a free software which acts like a e-book library organiser as well as a converter.<br />
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<a href="http://calibre-ebook.com/" target="_blank">http://calibre-ebook.com/</a><br />
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In other words, you don't have to be chained to a single e-book retailer like Amazon (which is actually what they want, to earn even more, just like printers and ink). You can borrow e-books from our local libraries (<a href="http://singapore.lib.overdrive.com/4833452A-4383-43F1-9F67-3CAD6523A164/10/382/en/Default.htm" target="_blank">NLB</a>), or buy from <a href="http://www.skoob.com.sg/" target="_blank">Skoob</a>, a local e-book online store launched by Singtel. Prices are competitive and I must say cheaper than those offered by Amazon (due to the exchange rate). Note that the e-books sold by Skoob can't be read by the Kindle directly due to DRM, however this restriction can be removed (which I shall not mention here).<br />
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So, if you're considering getting an e-ink e-book reader, you might want to consider the Kindle Touch!<br />
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PROS:<br />
- Affordable price (USD$99)<br />
- Attractive, slim form factor<br />
- E-ink display is excellent<br />
- Interface is simple to use and master<br />
- Page turning and refreshes are fast (after software update)<br />
- Month-long battery life<br />
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CONS:<br />
- Cannot read under low-light conditions (all e-ink readers suffer this)<br />
- 3G and Whispernet (which syncs your books and bookmarks online) only works in the US.<br />
- Difficulty in getting e-books from Amazon<br />
- $99 version comes with ads, which are actually quite tastefully done IMO<br />
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If you're not a fan of touchscreen interfaces (which shouldn't be really, considering everything is going all touchy), you might want to consider the cheaper Kindle 4 (USD$79) that uses good ol' buttons for navigation.<br />
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In true Budget Geek fashion, if you're looking to save some moolah on books over the long term, I'd recommend getting an e-book reader. E-book prices are typically 20-30% cheaper than their physical cousins, and older ones can cost up to 50-70% cheaper. Free e-books can be found in abundance as well, not just from the libraries (even in the Amazon store), so you'll definitely save in the long run.<br />
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And lastly, if you, like me, have been neglecting your books in favour of the LCD/LED backlit screens of your computer, you'll rediscover your love for reading with an e-book reader.<br />
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*My parents asked me a question when I told them I bought the Kindles: "Why not get an iPad? You can watch videos, play games, do so many things!"<br />
I replied: "Because all I wanna do is to start reading again." /likeaboss<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-51477960658318887122012-01-19T21:51:00.004+08:002012-01-21T02:09:28.900+08:00Spring CleaningIt will be the Lunar New Year in a couple of days' time, and, contrary to what a certain smartass has been spouting all over the Internet, <b>Chinese</b> New Year isn't a copy of the <b>Western </b>New Year. It's like saying bak chor mee (minced meat noodles) is a copy of linguine bolognese done aglio olio style.<br />
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They're not the same, ok? For one, bak chor mee uses minced pork, bolognese sauce uses minced beef. It's like saying pig copy cow! (ok, we're running away from the topic here)<br />
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Anyway!<br />
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A tradition in many Chinese households is to conduct a "spring cleaning" of the entire house - that is to say, throwing out old junk that has been accumulating dust and <span class="st">ススワタリ</span> (soot sprites, from <i>My Neighbor Totoro</i>) over the past year.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.toysnjoys.com/ghibli/sootspritebabydoll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.toysnjoys.com/ghibli/sootspritebabydoll.jpg" width="168" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>susuwatari (soot sprite). isn't he adorable?</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Aside from just your physical belongings though, one thing many people overlook is the amount of junk that can accumulate inside your PC/laptop. And I'm not just referring to physical dust, I'm referring to junk inside the little rectangular block of metal that is called a hard disk drive. If you're wondering why your PC/laptop is slowing down, you can thank those junk for it. And yourself, for not doing regular maintenance :p<br />
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So here I will give a little guide on how to Spring Clean your HDD, for all the non-geeks and computer idiots out there (Windows only, sorry). Note: You might want to leave plenty of time to complete all these.<br />
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<b>Level: Noobcake </b><br />
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<a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS5mVOmjmoVXaJUb3NXqVI2LgczdqW2sPjQ78XVQudQtAr1eAL0" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS5mVOmjmoVXaJUb3NXqVI2LgczdqW2sPjQ78XVQudQtAr1eAL0" width="200" /></a>First, do the easiest (and most tedious) part. Go through your files and delete whatever you think you don't need - old pictures, videos, Word documents, Powerpoint presentations, whatnot. Uninstall old programs and games that you've finished playing. Mind you, confine your rummaging to files and programs that <b>you recognize and know</b>, don't go around deleting files from Program Files or Windows/system32 or something horrendous like that.<br />
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Oh and do remember to empty your recycle bin after everything. <br />
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Run a virus scan. If your antivirus is out of date, or the subscription ran out, or basically is named Norton or McAfee, get a free one like <b>Microsoft Security Essentials</b> (<a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials" target="_blank">Free download</a>). Make sure to update it before running. <br />
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<b>Level: Not bad</b><br />
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<b>Tools required: CCleaner (</b><a href="http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download/standard" target="_blank">Free Download</a><b>)</b><br />
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<a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQK8vXLS9idMgb9_O8dhjQF8DsnsD3dTZyqAI1N_kG8nwknJtxc" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQK8vXLS9idMgb9_O8dhjQF8DsnsD3dTZyqAI1N_kG8nwknJtxc" width="200" /></a>Now on to the more serious stuff. You do know that temporary files accumulate after every Internet browsing session right? And that they are the main reason behind the slowing down of your computer? Right? .....right?<br />
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After downloading and installing CCleaner, run it. Chances are, it will have removed a few hundred MB worth of temp files. Do note that doing so will delete any cookies as well, which means that your highly convenient "keep me signed in" for Facebook and email and other login sites will be gone. Don't worry though, we'll sort it out later.<br />
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Click the next tab "<b>Registry</b>". Do a scan, and click "Fix selected issues". CCleaner will prompt you to make a backup of your registry items. Click Yes, save it somewhere accessible, and carry on with the fixing.<br />
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Next head on to "<b>Tools</b>". You will notice an Uninstall manager similar to the one found in the Control Panel. Select the "Startup" tab. This will show you a list of programs that will run the first thing when Windows loads. Disable those programs you don't need at startup. As with the earlier rule, only disable programs that you recognise. Don't worry if something breaks the next time you start your computer, you can easily re-enable it here.<br />
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Click "<b>System Restore</b>". Remove all entries <b>EXCEPT</b> the most recent one (and maybe the 2nd most recent one). Chances are, if your computer was working perfectly fine on those dates, you won't have any problems. Restore points are some of the largest space-wasting files you can find, so don't be surprised to find that your HDD free space has increased. Ignore the last option "Drive Wiper".<br />
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Now head on to "<b>Options</b>" -> Cookies. Put the sites that you frequently access (and need that auto-sign in) on the right under "cookies to keep". That's it! The next time you go to Facebook, you might need sign in again, but subsequently you won't have to.<br />
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<b>Level: F-yeah</b><br />
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<b>Tools required: Time. Lots of it. </b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i3.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/001/987/fyeah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://i3.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/001/987/fyeah.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Now that your hard disk is all clean and Edward-sparkly, its time to re-organise all that's left to fill up those holes that have been left by your furious deleting. Yes its that phrase we all love to hate - its time to <b>defragment</b> your hard disk!<br />
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Go to Control Panel -> System and Maintenance -> Administrative Tools -> <b>Defragment your hard drive</b>. Start the task. And wait. And wait some more. You might want to do something else while waiting.<br />
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Now for the final step - Do a <b>backup</b> of the entire system. Now this is entirely up to you, as I'm not entirely sure what's the normal backup routine for you guys. How often do you do a backup? Post in the comments if you can :)<br />
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One thing's for sure, backups can be very, very useful. They can save you from lots of hassle in the event of a (touch wood!) system crash or a lightning strike. In my case, I try to do a system backup once every 6 months. For important files and other documents I try to backup whenever I make changes to them.<br />
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For all of us Windows users, there's always the built-in <b>System Restore</b>. Control Panel -> System and Maintenance -> Backup and Restore Centre. Choose "<b>Create a Restore Point</b>", and you're done! <br />
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Unfortunately restore points don't always work (I've experienced it
myself), so the best would be to make a full system backup. You can get
some suggestions for software that will do the job here: <a href="http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-backup-program" target="_blank">Best Free Backup Program</a> <br />
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Different people have different backup options. I personally use a 3rd party program and save my backups in a separate external HDD that I protect from the elements. Some prefer to burn to CDs and DVDs, but its difficult to keep track of them. <br />
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And that's it! Spring Cleaning isn't that hard, eh?<br />
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To keep your computer running smoothly I'd recommend running CCleaner once every few days to prevent those temp files from accumulating. I run it every time before I shutdown my PC as a habit.<br />
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Enjoy the Lunar New Year holidays everyone! <b>新年快乐</b>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-7500058099920702882012-01-06T13:22:00.001+08:002013-01-14T15:10:43.829+08:00Hisashiburi!Whoa, has it been 6 months since my last post? It's been too long. To all my friends, 久しぶり(long time no see)!<br />
<br />
Why the long absence from this place? Frankly, after coming back from 6 weeks in Hong Kong, I kept wanting to create a long post describing all the stuff that happened over there, but the evil person called Mr. Procrastinate kept pulling me back. Eventually I forgot about it and there you go - 6 months have flown by. I guess last semester was a pretty busy one, and together with my growing usage of Twitter, I've neglected this place :/<br />
<br />
Video killed the radio star? No, Twitter (or for some, Tumblr) killed the Blogger!<br />
<br />
So let's see, what have I missed out for these past 6 months... you know
how shows like The Walking Dead like to do a recap of the previous
episode? "Last time, on the Walking Dead..."<br />
<br />
1) YUI HHITS Live in HK<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_PdMZeQ77vtBktAmexAvcqKyUr3liw1iuiOGaggfK6YcYQqzkkNPH61-r-GzaxiwViwvmImAJJQuF0SJcmK5y-PlZOHe_29yqefrpt6J9HBYemZDpqHrIeyM29uN6GsKM-1HNg/s1600/259898_10150226225978549_4418078_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5_PdMZeQ77vtBktAmexAvcqKyUr3liw1iuiOGaggfK6YcYQqzkkNPH61-r-GzaxiwViwvmImAJJQuF0SJcmK5y-PlZOHe_29yqefrpt6J9HBYemZDpqHrIeyM29uN6GsKM-1HNg/s640/259898_10150226225978549_4418078_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Words cannot describe how I felt during my very first (and last) YUI performance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2) 6 weeks GSS in HK<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrr2l-C59_yxE1HlFMQ3QmyBi2QO7DFOZotYF6_lrztSRnD3yZRL3uU_uRx46Frc8eO-WDlNKg25tp25jPCf6hYxIljBk9ENEu-DiS2mXyHQVG3B4OdCQ8YwHmN3eZrNXRDm1GSA/s1600/259978_10150238534447611_6111775_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrr2l-C59_yxE1HlFMQ3QmyBi2QO7DFOZotYF6_lrztSRnD3yZRL3uU_uRx46Frc8eO-WDlNKg25tp25jPCf6hYxIljBk9ENEu-DiS2mXyHQVG3B4OdCQ8YwHmN3eZrNXRDm1GSA/s400/259978_10150238534447611_6111775_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food, food and more food :D</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3) Got meself an Android - HTC Desire S<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://assets.vr-zone.net/11774/HTC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://assets.vr-zone.net/11774/HTC.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its an excellent phone. Sleek, compact and very usable</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
4) Back with the band</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbntwEVVHemwAWQEkWqFsHl44bBDg6aVwPdq503U2mg-N7SLDhftUepD4827XISAwUPaKPOhyBW1Pcq872vCA2NbVT7DLPAQa1gmonRi3B1w7t07wL5rmBvYxcmFhLfmlvR4UzWw/s1600/320648_268115829885135_931555940_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbntwEVVHemwAWQEkWqFsHl44bBDg6aVwPdq503U2mg-N7SLDhftUepD4827XISAwUPaKPOhyBW1Pcq872vCA2NbVT7DLPAQa1gmonRi3B1w7t07wL5rmBvYxcmFhLfmlvR4UzWw/s400/320648_268115829885135_931555940_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For the UK Bound bash</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
5) SCANDAL Asia Tour in SG</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyn9mgtZTdowybO69DnLlQx3fTG3YLvOxZVuL3NrsELfENoqZsAbO6yWqp0H6AKyqxTmi69fJDSGcRv8GdPBTOSmWwikwILWVkEJ5OAeHDxwvFpYHVHymwEVDzPdDCmYGzUZBVA/s1600/313797_276013455764909_2046753182_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQyn9mgtZTdowybO69DnLlQx3fTG3YLvOxZVuL3NrsELfENoqZsAbO6yWqp0H6AKyqxTmi69fJDSGcRv8GdPBTOSmWwikwILWVkEJ5OAeHDxwvFpYHVHymwEVDzPdDCmYGzUZBVA/s400/313797_276013455764909_2046753182_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomomi!</td></tr>
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6) Genting</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uGWG_jFtIyLpE02qlWJaAc6mipPSvzHAsG2auKWTOY4rO-4CDYg1r9ujjIAg8c2DfiY_HpihXjY97hT8tA5gic6sSrbMmAqtPC4HPYcuPKAspU02O9ch1GEvtnQ2eJKBHgTyZQ/s1600/300746_10150315297497611_868432859_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uGWG_jFtIyLpE02qlWJaAc6mipPSvzHAsG2auKWTOY4rO-4CDYg1r9ujjIAg8c2DfiY_HpihXjY97hT8tA5gic6sSrbMmAqtPC4HPYcuPKAspU02O9ch1GEvtnQ2eJKBHgTyZQ/s400/300746_10150315297497611_868432859_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope, didn't win money</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And of course, back to the daily grind of school, lectures, tutorials and examinations. Had a really enjoyable holiday in December as well, so I can't complain.<br />
<br />
So thats it - 2011 was a very eventful year. Lets hope for a equally eventful 2012 (in a good way, of course). As Ueda in Trick puts it - 「どんと来い!」 "Bring it on!"<br />
<br />
Anyway, if you've noticed (or tried to access this place by typing the old address), I've changed the title as well as the blog address. Why "The Budget Geek (thebudgetgeek.blogspot.com)"? Well, for one it'll be easier to type without all those goddamnned dashes. And secondly, I realised I'm not a conventional, at-the-forefront-of-technology kind of geek. I'm more of a if-you-don't-need-it-don't-get-it kind of geek.<br />
<br />
I hope to post up budget (or value) suggestions for tech buys in the future, so watch this space. <br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
In other news, Adele's album <i>21</i> is the best selling album of 2011. Thank god, real music is still being appreciated. Not trash like *cough* Baby *cough* Friday *cough*<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-40287907935898359192011-06-25T13:38:00.004+08:002012-12-03T12:24:12.523+08:00香港へ行きましょう!#YUII will be heading off to Hong Kong in about 15 hours' time for GSS (Global Summer Studies) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong! Which can only mean one thing - 6 weeks of awesomely good food! (which is probably the only reason why I go there 8D)<br />
<br />
Last time I was in Hong Kong in 2010, <a href="http://not-so-geeky.blogspot.com/2010/08/scandal-live-in-hong-kong-2010.html">(here</a> and <a href="http://not-so-geeky.blogspot.com/2010/08/scandal-live-in-hong-kong-2010-concert.html">here</a>), it was to attend SCANDAL's very first one-man show overseas...<br />
<br />
This time, by a stroke of insanely good fortune, I will be attending <span style="font-weight: bold;">YUI's very first live outside Japan</span>!!<br />
<br />
<img src="http://tube.hk/images/events/music/yui_20110626_poster.jpg" /><br />
<br />
How fortunate was I?<br />
<br />
Her concert will start tomorrow, 26th June, at 8pm. Guess when I will be arriving in Hong Kong?<br />
<br />
...<span style="font-weight: bold;">26th June, at 10am</span><br />
<br />
MIND-BLOWING! *boom*<br />
<br />
Although I won't be at the airport to welcome her (by now she'd have touched down in Hong Kong, as well as touched several of fellow fans' hands D:), being able to attend her live is an incredible lucky coincidence.<br />
<br />
I will cherish it.<br />
<br />
Enjoy it to the very last second.<br />
<br />
YUIさんとYUI-LOVERSの皆さん、一緒に最後までお楽しましょう!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-69286357764832146972011-03-26T21:46:00.005+08:002013-01-14T14:56:35.106+08:00I heart Japan<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://rlv.zcache.com/i_heart_japan_sticker-p217037115181876557qjcl_400.jpg" style="height: 258px; width: 258px;" /></div>
<br />
Its been 2 weeks since the earthquake and the resulting tsunamis struck Japan, and its been on the front pages of newspapers ever since.<br />
<br />
While there have been equally devastating earthquakes in the past (Haiti, Sichuan), I must admit I have paid much more attention to the situation in Japan, mainly because of my interest in Japanese pop culture, language and of course the music. While most of the news have been focused on the unfolding nuclear disaster in Fukushima, what shook me was watching an online video showing the tsunamis sweeping aside whole residential areas - the extent of the destruction wasn't that apparent to me until that video.<br />
<br />
1 thing really struck me during this whole ordeal - the rise of social media (Twitter) as a tool for information dissemination as well as communication where traditional means failed, and the rising power of the Internet over traditional media. While I was safe in Singapore, I could feel the collective spirit of the Japanese people from various first-person recounts, as well as the non-stop twitter feed of the many Japanese celebrities I "follow" on Twitter. One particular tweet that caught my eye was something that went along the lines of "If you need help, please tweet your location with the hashtag #helpme #jishin".<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">(hashtags enable people to categorically search for tweets. "jishin" is Japanese for earthquake.)</span><br />
Another thing that really left a deep impression on me was the ability of the Japanese people to cope with the disaster. When most people would have gone into a state of panic or despair, they remained calm and stoic, despite losing homes, family members and much of their livelihood. Elsewhere in less affected parts, most tried to go about their lives as normal even as blackouts brought down the transport system. I was particularly impressed by a report of thousands of workers walking several kilometers home from work on the day of the earthquake (the trains were stopped) with shops and businesses along the way offering their amenities to them. Orderly queuing for limited trains, voluntarily cutting back on electricity use, buying only what is required (although there were cases of panic buying) - to them, its all about helping one another despite inconveniences to one's self. Their collective resilience and endurance in the face of difficulty really deserve a lot of respect from the rest of the world.<br />
<br />
And what can we do, as outsiders, other than dig deep into our pockets for donations?<br />
<br />
Well for one we'd do well to stop believing all that bullcrap about radiation reaching Singapore. If you've been talking on your handphone for the past 30minutes you've probably received more radiation than any potential dust that floats our way anyway. And if you've panic-bought iodine tablets to swallow in case radiation poisoning, I can safely say that you've wasted your money.<br />
<br />
The same applies to Japanese produce - if it gets past our scanners, its probably safe to eat. All that news about tainted vegetables, milk and water only serves to increase unnecessary fear. Read it yes, but for goodness' sake don't overreact and avoid everything Japanese totally. Paranoia doesn't help anything - if the Japanese economy were to recover, we should do our part to help. On that same note, don't stop eating Japanese food, or buying Japanese products. (This should give me a reason to order a couple of SCANDAL DVDs online :p). There's really no reason to give up all that delicious sushi, sashimi, ramen, seafood and Meiji chocolates just because of some exaggerated news reporting.<br />
<br />
On the bright side, I stepped into Isetan's basement market in Shaw House this afternoon and saw a healthy crowd inside. I did buy a nice haul of mini<span style="font-style: italic;"> taiyaki</span> to munch on the way home from Japanese class. おいしかったです!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bluebellstopoppies.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/taiyaki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://bluebellstopoppies.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/taiyaki.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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And if you have a Japanese friend or relatives and friends in Japan, do give them friendly words of encouragement instead of pestering them to leave the country. Most of the people I know connected to Japan would love to stay there and help out in some way.<br />
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<br />
50% of this blog post was concocted on an aging Nokia E63 phone, due to me switching off everything that requires a power socket for Earth Hour.<br />
<br />
Did you turn off your lights? Fortunately for us, its a voluntary thing. For the Japanese in the areas affected by rolling blackouts, Earth Hour happens every few hours.<br />
<br />
Something to mull about as we grope around in the darkness.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-31225215761978167542011-02-23T14:12:00.011+08:002011-02-23T19:07:50.369+08:00First geek post of 2011Since I'm at home on a school day (just went to the doc and he said I'm finally free from crutches!), I decided to write a long-overdue post. And a geeky one at that.<br /><br />and here it is - the updated list of <span style="font-weight: bold;">free</span>, useful apps that currently reside on my machines.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Microsoft Security Essentials</span> <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/">http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrf_QHm372Dn0IL8FeoJFI8e2DtCb-ffL7ZU0zPtjKtHVLhvJKyYrqwJSz1ntIV24SVLclSeJMFc8NMo_DUqTd2rHio43dojVWxTzjJ53DxfsrzH8K9nW8N-EsQ87eq20grIJTuw/s1600/untitled.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrf_QHm372Dn0IL8FeoJFI8e2DtCb-ffL7ZU0zPtjKtHVLhvJKyYrqwJSz1ntIV24SVLclSeJMFc8NMo_DUqTd2rHio43dojVWxTzjJ53DxfsrzH8K9nW8N-EsQ87eq20grIJTuw/s320/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576836048581519042" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I abandoned AVG Internet Security for this, mainly because AVG 2o11 refused to co-exist with my COMODO firewall, something I couldn't sacrifice for the sake of an updated AVG version. So I went searching for an alternative, and MSE popped up with very good reviews. One review in particular caused me to go ahead with MSE "...these guys at MSE are working to protect their own product (Windows)..."<br /><br />Made sense to me. Low on resources, unobtrusive, regular updates, scanning is fast, and according to many websites has a fairly good detection rate. And its free!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2) COMODO Firewall</span> (and Anti-virus) <a href="http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/">http://personalfirewall.comodo.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWl62tUIgVZRHtn6UMYiESnYzEyAON0Spd14wwXz1gXagAYXrk-hMoIyI3bsT8-lSH9pXASQRoywH2kVBKGGkwuIY2JCl9zX0wnuY2qRHtMYrWWTYfe0jGaRZWkqpDzFbZgLIYw/s1600/untitled.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBWl62tUIgVZRHtn6UMYiESnYzEyAON0Spd14wwXz1gXagAYXrk-hMoIyI3bsT8-lSH9pXASQRoywH2kVBKGGkwuIY2JCl9zX0wnuY2qRHtMYrWWTYfe0jGaRZWkqpDzFbZgLIYw/s320/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576836195226019922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've been using this for many years now, and it hasn't disappointed me yet. It usually detects malicious stuff way before my anti-virus could even sniff at it, which says a lot about its monitoring ability. Excellent replacement for the Windows Firewall.<br /><br />It has a setting called Defense+ that prevents unauthorised installations, but isn't for the faint hearted - programme updates and innocent installations usually cause it to raise the alarm, something I've learnt to live with. Besides, it does let me know what's happening behind my back in my computer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) VLC Player</span> <a href="http://www.videolan.org/vlc/">http://www.videolan.org/vlc/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVX-JWHJ1ELpAudbWSs0pNQOnyiqSHfrzLSNcRJeZEkRCEKT7Sr-n3gjvFLC8275zSPJgfVijJ-s5dziBzxSUR6P0F4T6bWFXUjNx-E1N0b2RhtpTRTP5gu9KIu4kuNSHF51Ffw/s1600/untitled.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGVX-JWHJ1ELpAudbWSs0pNQOnyiqSHfrzLSNcRJeZEkRCEKT7Sr-n3gjvFLC8275zSPJgfVijJ-s5dziBzxSUR6P0F4T6bWFXUjNx-E1N0b2RhtpTRTP5gu9KIu4kuNSHF51Ffw/s320/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576840045914791874" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If you've heard of it, no surprises there. It is THE open source video player that can play almost every video format out there, and has replaced the player I've been using for years (Media Player Classic). Its fast and has no problem playing HD videos, although I've had a few problems with subtitles.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4) MusicBee</span> <a href="http://www.getmusicbee.com/">http://www.getmusicbee.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz0z7ea4gFlGqFwDHp5jxesEV7wT7YG6f_tdnGbwIExJm0RzlwDBxwDkfeoVJMDlSHvE6ZcqdfCS9j_SjQ0iYT25thG_wMfHL1I8J0Gzrpf3wMpX-np83liXvoJkHUKphznByJQ/s1600/untitled.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrz0z7ea4gFlGqFwDHp5jxesEV7wT7YG6f_tdnGbwIExJm0RzlwDBxwDkfeoVJMDlSHvE6ZcqdfCS9j_SjQ0iYT25thG_wMfHL1I8J0Gzrpf3wMpX-np83liXvoJkHUKphznByJQ/s320/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576835612896411234" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For those who don't own iPhones/iPods or are not using Macs and are craving an iTunes-like experience this player is for you. I was looking for a replacement for my old SongBird, which was crashing and starting to lag, when I chanced upon MusicBee. Amazingly it looks almost like SongBird, minus the lag and the crashes. It scrobbles to Last.fm flawlessly, and playback is smooth, with the songs almost starting immediately once you click "play". One drawback is that it doesn't show up on my Windows Live Messenger, which might be just me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5) Dropbox</span> <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/">https://www.dropbox.com/<br /></a><br />This little tool was introduced to me by a friend, and its amazingly useful! It works like an online storage box of sorts, and you can sync its contents across all your computers and devices. And its as simple as dragging and dropping into the Dropbox folder in one computer, and voila! You can access it anywhere with an Internet connection! You can also share files with friends who have Dropbox accounts as well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">6) Dekisoft Monitor Off</span> <a href="http://www.dekisoft.com/mou.php">http://www.dekisoft.com/mou.php</a><br /><br />This little gadget turns off your monitor with a click of the mouse or by pressing a hotkey on the keyboard. Extremely useful for laptops and can help save battery life as well. I use it whenever I transform my laptop into a music player.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">7) GIMP</span> <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">http://www.gimp.org/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAD66-FN4GX4V78PPC7sR3sCDO8cVGQmGe9b6XVfx3Nbd6UsrDsWrrK4wl0UIp8ToGoeMoHocMrzKCaWS2IE1PVbohriW6iBn2cBXOTwnet5as47rAE0KjgDlfEqu0P2p8y3lQQ/s1600/untitled.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOAD66-FN4GX4V78PPC7sR3sCDO8cVGQmGe9b6XVfx3Nbd6UsrDsWrrK4wl0UIp8ToGoeMoHocMrzKCaWS2IE1PVbohriW6iBn2cBXOTwnet5as47rAE0KjgDlfEqu0P2p8y3lQQ/s320/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576837290648535506" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Free Photoshop anyone? Does almost everything that Photoshop can do, and is an incredibly powerful image editing software. I don't like its floating interface though, which can be changed via downloadable skins (something which I haven't gotten round to doing)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">8) Audacity</span><a href="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>http://audacity.sourceforge.net/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEJCQJ3NA_nxyJ_6RoV4Q3JjoLH2xvGMnhUdcr0Eppq_-SP60jSHo-eBVpcQloIr-VeLk_D2uTHAu6IPzzwPGul76ztZYSIeI_X4pAp4RFRJ7nXFLpxtP2uaoy-50VR287QNRbQ/s1600/untitled.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEJCQJ3NA_nxyJ_6RoV4Q3JjoLH2xvGMnhUdcr0Eppq_-SP60jSHo-eBVpcQloIr-VeLk_D2uTHAu6IPzzwPGul76ztZYSIeI_X4pAp4RFRJ7nXFLpxtP2uaoy-50VR287QNRbQ/s320/untitled.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576837056578231762" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If you ever need a free relatively basic audio editor, Audacity works just fine. It has tonnes of editing options that I haven't fully explored yet, aside from the usual cut and paste, equalising, pitching and normalising.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">9) 7zip</span> <a href="http://www.7-zip.org/">http://www.7-zip.org/</a><br /><br />Annoyed by WinRAR telling you to purchase the product because your 30 days trial is up? 7zip unrars those .rar files (something Window's native unzipper doesn't), as well as many other compressed formats. And it doesn't annoy you because its FREE. It doesn't pack into .rar though.<br /><br />There you have it. I have others, like CCleaner, but those have been mentioned far too many times (and underlining their importance).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-63552679282208412022011-01-10T13:47:00.003+08:002011-01-10T14:10:42.998+08:00The Simple Things.And so, after surgery on my left knee to repair a torn ACL ligament, I am currently one legged. Well, if you count the 2 crutches I use to swing around, make it 3. And with the special leg brace on, I look like I have bionic left leg that could propel me to insane heights or hit insane running speeds. Unfortunately its just a few pieces of plastic and foam.<br /><br />Nothing much has changed really, except that I can't really leave the house as much as I want to. Theoretically I could, but seeing a 3 legged guy on the bus/train isn't the most welcome sight in the world ain't it? It usually means "Aw damn, I gotta give up my comfy seat now", followed by a fake smile, and gesturing at the person to have your seat. And horrors, what if all the seats are taken up by old people? To have an old woman give up her seat for you, that would be the ultimate embarrassment.<br /><br />And taxis are just too crazy expensive.<br /><br />Daily activities and routines now take twice as long. Actually, almost everything takes twice the amount of time. I take 2 times longer to wake up, 2 times longer to fall asleep, 2 times longer to bathe, 2 times longer to get changed, 2 times longer to walk (oh alright, hobble) to anywhere, 2 times longer to... you get the idea.<br /><br />But really, nothing much has changed. I can still sit in front of the computer screen for hours on end (actually, that's pretty much the only thing I can do). Or laze on the couch with a bunch of Nat Geo magazines and comics. Or watch documentaries and dramas which I haven't been watching for a long time.<br /><br />And would you know it, my online time has been cut drastically, mostly because its much more comfortable on the sofa compared to the computer chair which has whacked-out cushioning thanks to endless compression by my butt. Which brings me to the realization that the sofa will probably suffer the same consequences. That, and the fact that I've just completed the Starcraft 2 campaign. I know, time to move on to Battle.net, but I've yet to play a single skirmish match against the A.I yet.<br /><br />All these has made me really appreciate the simple things in life that we usually take for granted. And thanks to a special someone who will be visiting me in the coming days, being one-legged for the next few weeks doesn't seem so bad at all :P<br /><br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />On that note, it does give me a valid reason to skip the first week of school so that I can camp at home and fight the infamous NTU Star Wars.<br /><br />Watch out Death Star, I have my proton torpedo locked onto your exhaust port.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9798145.post-973279946777765192010-12-30T11:45:00.002+08:002010-12-30T12:02:39.314+08:00ResolutionsWhats your new year's resolution?<br /><br />I think I can live with my 22-inch, 1680 x 1024 resolution LG monitor screen, thanks.<br /><br />Oh alright, that joke's already gone stale.<br /><br />Looking back on last year's resolutions, I wonder how many did I achieve?<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br /><s>1) I will not upgrade my PC any further unless something breaks down.</s><br /><s>2) Learn Japanese!</s><br />3) Fly to Germany during the summer! (I flew to Japan and Hong Kong instead, so I guess it cancels out too?)<br /><s>4) Catch Muse live in Singapore!</s><br /><s>5) Play more gigs than in 2009!</s></span><br /><br />Anyway, here's mine, for the year 2011<br /><br />1) Study in Japan during summer! Global Summer Studies!<br /><br />2) Recover swiftly from ACL reconstruction surgery so that I can go back to playing soccer (don't worry mum, I'll be extra careful!)<br /><br />3) Win her heart and never lose it again<br /><br />4) Play more gigs than 2010! (which is kinda impossible, really)<br /><br />5) Take JLPT 5 (or 4, if I'm ambitious?) and pass it<br /><br /><br />I realised my resolutions are actually all quite achievable. Not like those vague "I will be more cheerful this year" or remotely possible "I will win Toto $1 million ang pow draw this year".<br /><br />Although it would be nice if I could win $1 million....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05553108251623976425noreply@blogger.com0