Narita town

I'm getting on with life with chocolates, the best therapy besides shopping, for girls.

Lindt and Frey both makes amazing off-the-shelves chocolates.

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A very backdated entry of me in Narita more than a month ago for work.
Since I did not have much energy to travel to Tokyo (it will take a good 2 hours ride thereabout), I went to the little village of Narita town instead :)

Japan is as clean as it is said to be. Without any bins in the streets, I find no litter/s on the ground - pretty amazed!

Look at those food displays - they looked SO real.

Taken at Narita-san Shinshoji Temple

This quaint temple that sits in Narita seems to be quite a popular spot for Japanese to offer their prayers, while I came as part of a sightseeing plan.

Giving offerings for the temple while Japanese locals did the same. Well, that's the instinct I grew when I travel - do what the locals do (same for eating and shopping at times).

A very overexposed photo of me at the temple, reaching out for the red lantern in the middle after climbing several steps up.

The temple itself covers a fairly large area, and the pagoda has to be the highlight.
Says Narita Travel: "A broad variety of temple buildings stand on the spacious grounds of Naritasan, including the temple's new and former main halls, a three storied pagoda and a huge Tahoto style pagoda, named the Great Pagoda of Peace. There is also a pleasant park, which incorporates both, traditional Japanese and European elements."

My colleague, Xiwen pointed out this pretty turtle stone structure in the pond nearby - I will guess it's to signify longevity for the people living in Narita town.

Xiwen and I then took a public bus to Aeon Narita mall, the nearest mall nearby for some shopping.


Daiso has to be the other good place to shop in Japan - since things are priced fairly steep. Well, at least I gotta say I do enjoy shopping in Daiso Ion when I was back home, and this 150 yen shop does provide a little comfort when it comes to bargain shopping.

Needless to say, I bought lots of food and little household items! I especially like the cotton pads that Daiso brings in for removing makeup and also, they have a wider variety of Japanese food items than we have in SG - I saw seaweed, local made cup noodles, Japanese rice sauces (I love the tomato based ones) and tons of fruity japanese drinks with jelly. Quite a heaven shopping in there since I love Japanese dry food.

Came out waiting for Xiwen who surprisingly took a longer time than I did!

We had lunch in a nearby sushi restaurant with the usual conveyer belt concept.

my crabby miso soup

I was holding to salmon sushi, while xiwen held onto the sea urchin one.

Ebi sushi :)

I struggled with my poor japanese grammar to communicate with the sushi chef, but he was sooo nice. So I went "ichi ... salmon"or *point* to the menu with pictures if I couldn't find the word.

Chawanmushi - I miss these smooth steamed eggs.

Scallop with teriyaki sauce on rice roll.

The sushi shokunin (sushi chef) is a really nice man, I would have come back just for the service that this japanese restaurant gave.

I wanted my ginger and fish - so I ordered this grilled white fish sushi - yummeh!!


The lobster sushi that went around the conveyer belt got me and Xiwen raising our brows - you could see half that lobster going around.

Though we did not make it for Sanrio Puroland, the best I could find is a Sanrio gift shop.


and I came out empty handed because I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary here ;(
Why didn't they have a San-X store for rilakkuma? :(

Went cosmetic shopping (my gawd, lots of good stuff in there) but I didn't have photos of the stores. Ending with a photo of the hi-tech toilets that are currently seen in most places, well-invented by the brainy Japanese:

haha, I gave a flush button a good punch and it did sounded like an electronic flush tone. Well, you could guess what it is for
;)

EXAM PERIOD

i will be back in 6 days...... then perhaps i share what i bought in paris plus my europe trip as well!

and happy girl goes home next month weeeeeeee!! :D can't wait for my vacation!

Decided!

Decided on the MAC (morning after clutch) in charcoal in the end because it's a good size for all my stuff. I'm not used to a smaller sized bag so after some thoughts and googling, I've set my eyes on the regular (thanks yvonne for yr advice!)

I think the actual color's a medium grey but this is the closest picture I could find online. 

Factors that I've considered before wanting this:

a) stuff I put in there, I've tons of stuff, my camera's really bulky so I'm not sure if it fits even the regular.

b) how versatile it is for use in overseas

c) how it matches my outfits (grey, black and brown are my staples i think)

Someone's paying this tab as a gift! Thank you secret loverrrr! <3

+1 picture with the girlfriend. I'm so pale after putting on the filter and thanks to filters that hide my very bad complexion. SIGH. I don't even talk about it.

DIY your clock

Hello, I'm back again.

I know I'm really active these days because I'm grounded home to study for a course. Anything that doesn't have to do with studying, I'll reignite fire (passion), so that becomes blogging!

Besides that I also went into some Art & Craft, or maybe I should say DIY to the minimum.

I bugged JS to get me a DIY clock because I want to do something for my room, and it's been some time I beautified it, besides adding junk and clothes. I got it from Gmarket SG (now called Qoo10- Singapore) and this is the link >>> here if you are interested.

It says on the website that it's shipped from S. korean but honestly I found the centerpiece of the item made in China. Maybe the idea is from Korea because I haven't seen these clocks in China yet. Okay I'll stop digging into its origins, it's just a clock.

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Let's begin with my experiment of DIY clock. At first it looked really complicated because everything is in korean on the instruction sheet, so I went back to the website to read its english instructions but i'll do one here, my version of instructions coupled with free explanations.

#1 Cut
 Cut the digits/dots according to your preference. This paper is to ensure your digits/dots do not go out of alignment (very ugly if they do).
 If you want the clock to be all numbers (1-12) then cut all the numbers out.
If you prefer all dots, cut the dots (life is easier if you do so)
If you prefer a mix like I do, refer to my picture:
   

#2 Paste it on your wall
I guess you're supposed to trace the digits and/or dots but I short cut the whole thing.

#3 Numbers and dots
 The sponge is perforated so you just have to push out the digits and dots that you require. Easypeasylemonsqueezy. I think the toughest part was cutting (#1)


#4 Trace
 you should trace out the positions of numbers and dots before pasting but because I'm lazy, I put it over. Smart alec later learnt that I couldn't remove the darn paper, so I began tracing then pasting the figures. :( This tells you that you're not supposed to skip steps.


#5 Screw or 3M it! (pun intended)
 They advice to drill/drive a screw to secure the mechanisms of the clock - (I choose to call it centerpiece) but because I do not own my Dubai home, I prefer stickies.

This one is good - doesn't leave a mark. I like!

PLUS - it's removable because it's velcro - so I can replace my battery for the clock! :) 3M's so smart!


#4 Look at your craft in awe
TADAH!!!
I know black so dull, but it's my all-time favorite color. I know there are silver, pink, blue, white, rainbow blabla, so take your pick!

By the way this is not an ad okay, anyone who says so I will get angry ah, JS paid 100% of it and shared out of goodwill.

The time is pretty accurate and battery included so I'm pretty happy. I don't suppose you want me to write how to fix the second and minute hand for the centerpiece but if you need help just ask away! Except that my room's rather quiet so tick-tock sounds quite loud to me at night. It's very pretty, and I wish I could take a wider view to include my mirror and desk but it's so messy now that I'll be embarrassed to post one up.

I've also edited my Narita pictures but I'll leave it to the next entry to avoid having this one looking too long.

Gonna hit the books again so bye!

Minimac

 

saw it on one of my colleagues from the states and I was surprised it didn't come from a big, big label and how portable it is. The cowhide leather is really soft so I went online to research on the brand itself. Then saw it few weeks later on my friends from singapore and knew this brand might also grow in Asia. Just that i couldnt make up my mind the color i wanna get or should i go with the one with 5 zips (im not sure if i'd be as edgy as 5 years later).

Will you like to help me make a decision from the first 3? :)

3D B&W

Guess what?
I found kindle paperwhite in Virgin megastores in Dubai, but for at 1.5 times the price of UK of course... :( I guess that could ease the pain of waiting since they had current stocks but I'm still playing the thoughts in my mind of how difficult it is to get credits blabla, why amazon has to make things so difficult T_T.

Nowadays I become the lazy blogger which I really feel like doing a picture a day, or 5 pictures a day or sort of. I feel the need to blog words more than photos because I still haven't got my photoshop and neither did i find my current X11 program workable.

Me loves my Marriott bed loads that I find difficulty waking up for breakfast every other time... and always had to have my colleague to call me up so that I don't miss the day's activities!
I always only use the bed nearer to the wall (kinda comfort zone feel), the other bed's used for packing my stuff before they end in the luggage.

Breakfast, i LOVEEEE hashbrowns!
 ... OK , anything with potatoes is my thing. I don't care about carbs, not now, maybe next year. I know my metabolism's kinda slowing down...

My getup for 10 degrees.
I think I got used to EU's temperature since my last vacation so it's easypeasy for me even in london. I was in hounslow again for shopping.

my fluffy Abercrombie jacket with oversized tee and my sturdy converse shoes.
Feels like a student!

Gradient pullover but I dropped it because I need more coats than pullovers to pull through winter.

looked like a clown with the striped jersey tee so I gave that a miss and got the black jeggings instead, and the stone dress with yellow belt that I felt I must get cos I so loved its cutting and material.
I've got shoes and some other awesome stuff I'll take pictures of them next time.
I came back, unpacked and stuffed them in my wardrobe without giving them a second look because I was so tired returning at 10am.

and this is me today in my pink peplum top which is slightly too big on me but I bought it anyway cos I love peplum like everyone does, and the black jeggings as above :)


I promised becks to watch this movie:

So through the first few minutes of the movie our conversation started like this.
S: "Becks, you asked me to watch black and white movie???"
B: "erm, I think its just the first few minutes, don't worry, it'll be in color later"
few minutes later...
S: "it's still black and white babe!! Think it's gonna be 3D black and white throughout.... "
B: "wait let me google".... "oh it's gonna be black and white for the whole film"

So there goes.. my first 3D film in black and white..
The  last time I also paid 50 dhs (S$17) for 3D, it was titanic which was 3D with cut scenes... Dubai always make me feel lugi (discounted) somehow.
:(:(:(

I kinda like Sparky so it's fine but the movie was weird (frankenstein style) though it ended warming my heart. Mmmm..

Becks chose movie so I chose dinner venue and it is my first time to iHop. I know what a biggie it is in States so I will try when I get a States trip but till then, this should suffice. After the pancakes, I find it so hard to finish the rest of the breakfast items, but someone who likes brunch as much as I do, is delighted to know that they serve breakfast all day.

I just wished mall of the emirates is closer to me. Shake shack burgers are there too :(

that's becks and me if you're trying to put a face to the name :)

Becks also bought a PSVita for Paolo so she did make me itch for a Kindle ~.~
Well, till the next, I'll be mugging for a course before I start work again next month! Waiting for pay day... :)))

I become.

Revamped my blog design a little since I got bored of the last. The last was a cath kidston wallpaper ( i love sweet backgrounds). The blog title was quoted from Derek Walcott's "I read, I travel, I become".

Talking about reading...

I adore reading so I am looking at getting a Kindle Paperwhite since it has the new backlit. I think it would cost USD139 for a set. Though I really wanted to get one, I faced problems with:
i) getting a set because they don't send kindles internationally, at least not for SG and DXB.
ii) you need to get a kindle account tagged onto a UK/US permanent address to download amazon ebook contents.
How troublesome, but it'll be a good tool to get. *heaves a big sigh*

Still in the midst of editing photos for Switzerland and I came across one that is worth blogging.

Swans and mallard (water) ducks!
So prettyyyyyyyy.
Every other day I pass by Lake Zurich/Lucerne, I looked forward to these beautiful white swans. Look at how the one in the center of this picture folds its wings in, looking like those napkins you see on hotel tables when you attend a wedding dinner! ;D

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Have been doing a few work trips before I went on vacation. I hardly took pictures because I had little time to do so, so here's a few I took.

Manchester ;

In my cableknit jumper and loafers. I love jumpers 'cos there're so easy to put on.

Chinese food buffet for 4.90pounds.
There have tons of dishes so that made us really happy!
Mini's from HK and Xiaojun's from China so chinese people who saw chinese food = delighted!

We went shopping after and of course, we did Primark. Primark's amazinggggggg for basic tees ( you could get one for 3pounds or so) and if they have sale, 5 pounds for off-season dresses! Shoes are 6 pounds and up for flats and I saw fluffy winter boots for 5 pounds. They're pretty decent quality so don't judge the item for its price :p

Looking forward to head to London tomorrow to do some more primark-ing!

I tried to do a Paris work trip before my actual vacation so that I can have a feel of what it is like.

A local friend told Krist and I that we have to go to Montmartre's Sacre Coeur so we went there before catching the Eiffel. It was my first time in Paris but I've heard so much about it (to be really careful) so I was holding onto my bag and Krist so much!

We went into Sacre Coeur and it was a beautiful basilica, no pictures were allowed in its interior but both of us spent some minutes sitting in silence, enjoying that very moment of peace before we headed out again.

On its beautiful green patch of grass ;)

We took a lot of pictures mainly because Krist's a huge fan of taking pictures (ie. camwhore) and he adores Paris. He knows I'm not quite a big fan of its environment but I loved its ancient sights, such as this one:

Arc de Triomphe near Champs Elysees. We took this picture while in the middle of the traffic. X_X


We didn't really have time for Champs Elysees and since I knew I was coming back, we gave it a miss and went to Eiffel instead.

Indeed Eiffel is a bronze figure during the day.
 
A horse carriage!

More pictures at 7pm;

 

and as dusk falls, the eiffel lit up ;)

and the most exciting part of it is when it starts "glistering", if I could put it this way. Here's a short video on it for your viewing pleasure:

byebye for now!