Sunday, July 30, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
la la mood
despite the fact that i got rejected by "a certain company who doesnt recognize talent when they see one", on wednesday, i am still perky and almost unaffected by the bad news
i guess it's due to looking forward to lavender trip
7 more days
already drooling at the pictures of genghis khan lamb hotplate bbq
i guess it's due to looking forward to lavender trip
7 more days
already drooling at the pictures of genghis khan lamb hotplate bbq
Thursday, July 27, 2006
4 meals to 3
finally, managed to convert the gang from 4 meals a day to 3.
the cunning brood, used to meow at different people at different times of the day, resulting in them getting fed 4 times.
1) 7am - mum feeds after wake up
2) 4pm - mum feeds when they meow to demand
3) 7pm - mum feeds when they meow to demand
4) 8pm - i reach home at 7ish, 8pm, they meow to demand after i settle down (well, sometimes they dont even let me take my dinner first)
now, this is standardised to
1st feed - 7am
2nd feed - 4pm
3rd feed - 9pm
non-negotiable!
"we want to faint liao, no supper for us"
the cunning brood, used to meow at different people at different times of the day, resulting in them getting fed 4 times.
1) 7am - mum feeds after wake up
2) 4pm - mum feeds when they meow to demand
3) 7pm - mum feeds when they meow to demand
4) 8pm - i reach home at 7ish, 8pm, they meow to demand after i settle down (well, sometimes they dont even let me take my dinner first)
now, this is standardised to
1st feed - 7am
2nd feed - 4pm
3rd feed - 9pm
non-negotiable!
"we want to faint liao, no supper for us"
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Monday, July 24, 2006
updated itinerary
due to some foreseen and unforeseen circumstances, our itinerary has been tweaked slightly, to save on one night accomodation and gain 1/2 day in tokyo.
ready? here we go again...
day 1 we arrive in narita at 2pm, take a 1 hour train to asakusa. the toyoko-inn is a little out of the way, but we get business twin room, own queen bed and own tv! also, coboypb wont have to endure my snoring. hee..
day 2 asakusa 浅草, jimbocho 神保町 (book town), yanaka 谷中(cat town)
day 3 going to take the 7am train from ueno, and reach sapporo at 5pm so that we can check out susukino for good food like genghis khan lamb or ramen
day 4 day-trip to 層雲峡 sounkyo, which according to kxbc, the waterfall is very small! we should have more than sufficient time to go for hotspring. we're spending the night at asahikawa, which will make it easier to go to tomorrow's destination
day 5 set out for furano 富良野 and 美瑛 biei at 7.30am. night at no picture ryokan with a cat
day 6 continue to tour furano and biei, before heading back to sapporo for attached bathroom and personal bed and tv! (ryokan usually has common bathroom only)
day 7 going to odori park, bake cookies, bring coboypb to famous (but over-rated) tokeidai and sapporo factory (which is really a shopping mall)
day 8 this day is open, maybe we will go back to furano, maybe make our way south down to hakodate. whatever we choose, our night will be spent on the shinkansen train
day 9 which brings us to tokyo at 10am. hey, we have gained 1/2 day from original plan!
the rest of the itinerary in tokyo is more or less the same.
counting down to 11 days!
ready? here we go again...
day 1 we arrive in narita at 2pm, take a 1 hour train to asakusa. the toyoko-inn is a little out of the way, but we get business twin room, own queen bed and own tv! also, coboypb wont have to endure my snoring. hee..
day 2 asakusa 浅草, jimbocho 神保町 (book town), yanaka 谷中(cat town)
day 3 going to take the 7am train from ueno, and reach sapporo at 5pm so that we can check out susukino for good food like genghis khan lamb or ramen
day 4 day-trip to 層雲峡 sounkyo, which according to kxbc, the waterfall is very small! we should have more than sufficient time to go for hotspring. we're spending the night at asahikawa, which will make it easier to go to tomorrow's destination
day 5 set out for furano 富良野 and 美瑛 biei at 7.30am. night at no picture ryokan with a cat
day 6 continue to tour furano and biei, before heading back to sapporo for attached bathroom and personal bed and tv! (ryokan usually has common bathroom only)
day 7 going to odori park, bake cookies, bring coboypb to famous (but over-rated) tokeidai and sapporo factory (which is really a shopping mall)
day 8 this day is open, maybe we will go back to furano, maybe make our way south down to hakodate. whatever we choose, our night will be spent on the shinkansen train
day 9 which brings us to tokyo at 10am. hey, we have gained 1/2 day from original plan!
the rest of the itinerary in tokyo is more or less the same.
counting down to 11 days!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
in need of speech therapy
yesterday, i went to the sg cat blogger meet-up. it was held at marche suntec city. we occupied a long bench and everyone had ample space (so there was no hissing and swatting).
we were there for more than 3 hours, sharing stories about our cats, our spouses, our careers, some funny, some outright gross (eg. anal SACS), some heart-wrenching, some naughy, some evil.
and i realised that i was s-t-r-u-g-g-l-i-n-g to speak proper english. i mean, i dont have a speech or tongue problem, but there i was, struggling!
well, it didnt come as a surprise at all, considering the lame english i have to put up with at work.
"cost down" = cost reduction
"getting up" = increasing
"getting down" = decreasing
"severe" = for everything strict, not good, serious and severe
"check" = for verify, confirm and of course check
=_=
we were there for more than 3 hours, sharing stories about our cats, our spouses, our careers, some funny, some outright gross (eg. anal SACS), some heart-wrenching, some naughy, some evil.
and i realised that i was s-t-r-u-g-g-l-i-n-g to speak proper english. i mean, i dont have a speech or tongue problem, but there i was, struggling!
well, it didnt come as a surprise at all, considering the lame english i have to put up with at work.
"cost down" = cost reduction
"getting up" = increasing
"getting down" = decreasing
"severe" = for everything strict, not good, serious and severe
"check" = for verify, confirm and of course check
=_=
Friday, July 21, 2006
budget
i think some people are amazed how i can go to japan again in the same year.
well, as i mentioned in my earlier post, japan is not expensive.
that is, if you know how to get around.
of course, i cant help you if you want to eat expensive fishcake and soba everyday.
anyhow, here is my rough budget for anyone's reference. note that the april trip was cheaper as it was end of winter in hokkaido (hotel saved by 30%) and before the start of golden week holiday. also the airfare package to hokkaido was at a super-discounted price and included a one night stay at hotel. note : such packages can only be purchased in japan itself.
airfare : $625 (northwest airlines)
7-day jr pass : $397 (for train to and from hokkaido and within hokkaido)
accomodation : $735 for 13 nights (per person, and you get your own double bed, private bathroom, etc, at toyoko inn).
transport (mostly subway) around and in tokyo : $80 for 7 days (800 yen per day)
food : this is the tricky part. but of course we're not going to go broke by eating at restaurants every night. you can have quality meals even in convenience stores!
so set aside $480 (2500 yen per day)
toyoko inn provides miso soup and onigiri (rice ball) breakfast and coffee (very important), but i know i will get sian of it soon. however, it is a good way to save money and also good if you are rushing out and want to save time in the morning. i usually eat 2 onigiri and have coffee in 10 mins, then head out to wherever i am going, before selecting a sumptious lunch!
another tip : supermarkets offer low price sushi and bento sets from 6-8pm, and by low i mean really cheap : 500 yen ($6.90) for a 15 piece premium sushi set *can be shared by 2 persons). of course, the freshness and quality also must discount. it will taste like our sakae or genki conveyor belt sushi.
fruits : can eat all the seikai ichi apples at very low price!
total excluding shopping : $2237 for 2 whole weeks of good food, great service, great company!
well, as i mentioned in my earlier post, japan is not expensive.
that is, if you know how to get around.
of course, i cant help you if you want to eat expensive fishcake and soba everyday.
anyhow, here is my rough budget for anyone's reference. note that the april trip was cheaper as it was end of winter in hokkaido (hotel saved by 30%) and before the start of golden week holiday. also the airfare package to hokkaido was at a super-discounted price and included a one night stay at hotel. note : such packages can only be purchased in japan itself.
airfare : $625 (northwest airlines)
7-day jr pass : $397 (for train to and from hokkaido and within hokkaido)
accomodation : $735 for 13 nights (per person, and you get your own double bed, private bathroom, etc, at toyoko inn).
transport (mostly subway) around and in tokyo : $80 for 7 days (800 yen per day)
food : this is the tricky part. but of course we're not going to go broke by eating at restaurants every night. you can have quality meals even in convenience stores!
so set aside $480 (2500 yen per day)
toyoko inn provides miso soup and onigiri (rice ball) breakfast and coffee (very important), but i know i will get sian of it soon. however, it is a good way to save money and also good if you are rushing out and want to save time in the morning. i usually eat 2 onigiri and have coffee in 10 mins, then head out to wherever i am going, before selecting a sumptious lunch!
another tip : supermarkets offer low price sushi and bento sets from 6-8pm, and by low i mean really cheap : 500 yen ($6.90) for a 15 piece premium sushi set *can be shared by 2 persons). of course, the freshness and quality also must discount. it will taste like our sakae or genki conveyor belt sushi.
fruits : can eat all the seikai ichi apples at very low price!
total excluding shopping : $2237 for 2 whole weeks of good food, great service, great company!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
despise
i despise people who dont use their brains to think, who conveniently say "just follow past practice".
cats can think better.
meow.
cats can think better.
meow.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
lavender and cat discovery tour
day 1 drag self out of bed at 3am to take crammed flight to tokyo.
arrive at 2pm, check in, head out to roppongi hills
day 2 asakusa 浅草, jimbocho 神保町 (book town), yanaka 谷中(cat town)
these are all cat-residing areas, according to my book
originally planned to go to ghibli museum but tickets are sold out
day 3 take train to sapporo. reach at 7pm, eat ramen!
day 4 day-trip to either asahikawa 旭川 or 層雲峡 sounkyo
day 5 land of lavender - furano 富良野 and 美瑛 biei
we will be staying at a small family-operated inn. as you can see, not much about the inn is stated on the website, so we're really taking a leap of faith, because of the cute cat!
day 6 hope we dont suffer from lavender overdose, anyway we head back to sapporo at night, back to land of ramen!
day 7 depending on our mood, may go to shiroikoibito's factory to learn to make yummy cookies!
day 8 probably try to find some cats in sapporo
day 9 at noon, take a train back to tokyo, reach at 10pm
day 10 jiugaoka自由が丘、daikanyama代官山、 shibuya渋谷 for shopping at small shops and for cat stuff too!
day 11 mitaka三鷹 for ghibli museum, kichijoji吉祥寺, koenji高円寺 and shimokitazawa下北沢 for barang2 and cat stuff shopping
day 12 coboypb and i have decided that if we have no lack of cat companionship during our trip, then we will do a daytrip to one of the mt fuji area lakes, if not, we will head to catland
day 13 depending on our fruitful/less shopping and adventure, this day is planned for tsukiji築地, ningyocho人形町 and odaibaお台場. for tsukiji, it's the largest fish market in japan. there are plans to shift the market to another site and close down tsukiji.
coboypb, be prepared to wake up at 6am in the morning!
day 14 do last minute omiyage shopping at ameyokochoアメ横町 / ueno上野, and head back to singapore
arrive at 2pm, check in, head out to roppongi hills
day 2 asakusa 浅草, jimbocho 神保町 (book town), yanaka 谷中(cat town)
these are all cat-residing areas, according to my book
originally planned to go to ghibli museum but tickets are sold out
day 3 take train to sapporo. reach at 7pm, eat ramen!
day 4 day-trip to either asahikawa 旭川 or 層雲峡 sounkyo
day 5 land of lavender - furano 富良野 and 美瑛 biei
we will be staying at a small family-operated inn. as you can see, not much about the inn is stated on the website, so we're really taking a leap of faith, because of the cute cat!
day 6 hope we dont suffer from lavender overdose, anyway we head back to sapporo at night, back to land of ramen!
day 7 depending on our mood, may go to shiroikoibito's factory to learn to make yummy cookies!
day 8 probably try to find some cats in sapporo
day 9 at noon, take a train back to tokyo, reach at 10pm
day 10 jiugaoka自由が丘、daikanyama代官山、 shibuya渋谷 for shopping at small shops and for cat stuff too!
day 11 mitaka三鷹 for ghibli museum, kichijoji吉祥寺, koenji高円寺 and shimokitazawa下北沢 for barang2 and cat stuff shopping
day 12 coboypb and i have decided that if we have no lack of cat companionship during our trip, then we will do a daytrip to one of the mt fuji area lakes, if not, we will head to catland
day 13 depending on our fruitful/less shopping and adventure, this day is planned for tsukiji築地, ningyocho人形町 and odaibaお台場. for tsukiji, it's the largest fish market in japan. there are plans to shift the market to another site and close down tsukiji.
coboypb, be prepared to wake up at 6am in the morning!
day 14 do last minute omiyage shopping at ameyokochoアメ横町 / ueno上野, and head back to singapore
Monday, July 17, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
cat open house in japan
ok, people actually pay to visit a cafe to play with cats.
http://nya-n.jp/top.html
1 hour 500yen, approx S$7
http://blog.livedoor.jp/nyan_kuma/archives/50192007.html
who wants to come to my house? hahaha... i charge only $5 an hour lah...
http://nya-n.jp/top.html
1 hour 500yen, approx S$7
http://blog.livedoor.jp/nyan_kuma/archives/50192007.html
who wants to come to my house? hahaha... i charge only $5 an hour lah...
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
quickies
aka
quick returns
quick clicks
quick response
quick risk
they add a ray of excitement to my otherwise dull worklife!
quick returns
quick clicks
quick response
quick risk
they add a ray of excitement to my otherwise dull worklife!
lizard tale
i witnessed a brutal murder last night.
lilo jumped up the window grill and swiped a lizard down (it was up
there the whole night).
amidst the 1 minute commotion, lilo managed to keep the lizard in her mouth
the whole time (the other 5 were trying to pry it away from her), and
somehow killed it (there were even traces of blood on the floor).
i had to wake my mother up so that she can dispose the body (plus the tail
which had dropped off).
stitch was actually staring and meowing at the lizard for the whole night.
wonder how he felt, his sister just took away what he was eyeing the whole night!
lilo jumped up the window grill and swiped a lizard down (it was up
there the whole night).
amidst the 1 minute commotion, lilo managed to keep the lizard in her mouth
the whole time (the other 5 were trying to pry it away from her), and
somehow killed it (there were even traces of blood on the floor).
i had to wake my mother up so that she can dispose the body (plus the tail
which had dropped off).
stitch was actually staring and meowing at the lizard for the whole night.
wonder how he felt, his sister just took away what he was eyeing the whole night!
Monday, July 03, 2006
scuba equipment for sale
i'm hanging up my fins, and have the following equipment to let go.
1) dive comp
2) fins
3) mask
4) wetsuit
5) booties
6) safety sausage device
price negotiable, do note that all equipment were used for not more than 2 dive trips, all well maintained.
pictures here
interested, pls email me (in profile)
1) dive comp
2) fins
3) mask
4) wetsuit
5) booties
6) safety sausage device
price negotiable, do note that all equipment were used for not more than 2 dive trips, all well maintained.
pictures here
interested, pls email me (in profile)
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