Wednesday 28 March 2012
Zombies
It's just about 1.5 weeks more to my holiday now and I've been living at the edge of chaos for the past couple of days. Extremely tight deadlines and a humongous pile of junk work from clients with unrealistic expectations. I've been leaving the office at 9.00pm, barely surviving on a couple hours of sleep. I look trashy and unkempt. My clothes are not pressed properly and my face stubbly from being unshaved. I feel like a zombie whose main purpose in life is to work, work and work. Someone please remind me why did I choose to work in accounting?
Sunday 25 March 2012
Two weeks
Two weeks are all that stand between me and my holiday in Japan. Two gruelling weeks to be exact as I have lots going on both at work and at home! I started to pack a little this weekend. I managed to stuff some jackets, sweaters, some plain long sleeve shirts, some T-shirts and a toiletries bag. I'm trying not to pack too much as I would like to leave ample space for shopping. Although I heard that shopping in Japan isn't too great because of the currency conversion, I think it's an experience not to be missed. I'll be keeping an eye out for unique souvenirs, 'gashapon' (Japanese capsule toys), Choya (Japanese plum alcohol) and loads of snacks to be shared with the folks in the office.
Just last Friday we celebrated a birthday for one of the girls in the office at a fancy Japanese restaurant. We called it our day trip to Japan as we managed to get our own private room for 12 which was decorated in a very quaint, minimalist Japanese manner and had a very authentic feel to it. It was my first time ordering salmon sashimi as a main course - normally I would have it as a side dish but this time I decided to tickle my tastebuds with something different for a change, rather than my usual unagi and curry ramen. For RM25.50 including taxes (approximately US$8.50) , it was well worth the money I paid for it. I will definitely be back again, but after my trip to Japan, that is!
Just last Friday we celebrated a birthday for one of the girls in the office at a fancy Japanese restaurant. We called it our day trip to Japan as we managed to get our own private room for 12 which was decorated in a very quaint, minimalist Japanese manner and had a very authentic feel to it. It was my first time ordering salmon sashimi as a main course - normally I would have it as a side dish but this time I decided to tickle my tastebuds with something different for a change, rather than my usual unagi and curry ramen. For RM25.50 including taxes (approximately US$8.50) , it was well worth the money I paid for it. I will definitely be back again, but after my trip to Japan, that is!
Sunday 18 March 2012
LEGO Star Wars
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...
Yeah... the force has gotten to me. I am now collecting Lego Star Wars minifigures too. The irony of it since I was never a huge fan of Star Wars. I confess that I have never completed a single full episode from beginning to end. I would usually doze off half way through the movie or lose interest and do something else. But I am aware of all the main characters in the story and I love watching lightsaber duels! Especially the ones in Episodes 1 to 3.
Yeah... the force has gotten to me. I am now collecting Lego Star Wars minifigures too. The irony of it since I was never a huge fan of Star Wars. I confess that I have never completed a single full episode from beginning to end. I would usually doze off half way through the movie or lose interest and do something else. But I am aware of all the main characters in the story and I love watching lightsaber duels! Especially the ones in Episodes 1 to 3.
Tuesday 6 March 2012
V is for Vanity
In our quest to beautify ourselves, we often subject ourselves to various forms of torture. From restrictive diets to vigorous exercises and to the more extreme cosmetic surgery, it all involves some form of suffering. After all, the saying goes "no pain, no gain".
Recently a colleague of mine told me that she is on a diet so that she can look great in a two-piece bikini at the beach next month. And another two colleagues are on a "cereals-for-breakfast-and-dinner" diet - one to cut belly flab so that she can fit into her wedding gown, while the other just to trim away spare tyres. An overweight dude sitting behind me at work has also joined a gym and has been counting the calories burned off during his workout at the gym - also all for the sake to lose some flabs to show some abs. I'm not any different from the gang at work with my weekly jogs around the park and weekly upper torso workouts just to have the lean, toned body of an A&F model.
The things we do just to look good. Sometimes I marvel at the aged European tourists on our Malaysian beaches who go about sunbathing in nothing but revealing bathing suits displaying the most grotesque of forms of the human body such as the big bottomed woman with humongous sagging breasts clad in a two-piece bikini, or the old man with a large protruding belly coupled with moobs (man boobs) hiding his package in a teeny speedo.
I will be ending my post here as I will be going out soon to work on my set of push-ups, weight training and abdominal crunches. After all, my nude body will be exposed in full glory for all to see when I visit the onsen in Japan next month.
Recently a colleague of mine told me that she is on a diet so that she can look great in a two-piece bikini at the beach next month. And another two colleagues are on a "cereals-for-breakfast-and-dinner" diet - one to cut belly flab so that she can fit into her wedding gown, while the other just to trim away spare tyres. An overweight dude sitting behind me at work has also joined a gym and has been counting the calories burned off during his workout at the gym - also all for the sake to lose some flabs to show some abs. I'm not any different from the gang at work with my weekly jogs around the park and weekly upper torso workouts just to have the lean, toned body of an A&F model.
The things we do just to look good. Sometimes I marvel at the aged European tourists on our Malaysian beaches who go about sunbathing in nothing but revealing bathing suits displaying the most grotesque of forms of the human body such as the big bottomed woman with humongous sagging breasts clad in a two-piece bikini, or the old man with a large protruding belly coupled with moobs (man boobs) hiding his package in a teeny speedo.
I will be ending my post here as I will be going out soon to work on my set of push-ups, weight training and abdominal crunches. After all, my nude body will be exposed in full glory for all to see when I visit the onsen in Japan next month.
Monday 5 March 2012
Nippon
I am thrilled about my upcoming holiday! In about a month's time, I will be heading north-east to Japan. My 7-day tour will be concentrated around Honshu island only, and will take me to the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. The highlight of the tour will be the sakura blossoms since spring is in the air. This trip will also mark the furthest up north that I would have travelled to, being on a higher latitude than the previous city that had set the first record (Nanjing, China).
As this will be my first time visiting the Land of the Rising Sun, I don't have much expectations, except that the streets are cleaner than in the big cities of China, and that the Japanese are very courteous and polite. When I think of Japan, I think of dainty, mouth-watering Japanese dishes presented in such a painstakingly delicate manner that it looks more like a work of art rather than something to be consumed. I also think of geisha with painted white faces and bright red lips contrasting sharply against their jet-black hair, sashaying with an oriental umbrella in a most feminine way.
I think I must have a very limited perspective of Japan as its choice as a holiday destination had been obscured for all these years until now. Japan has never been of much interest to me apart from the assortment of strange-looking food and anime (Doraemon and Dragon Ball). The first time I saw real live Japanese was during my high school's annual student exchange programme with Nukata Junior High School. It was also a homestay programme where selected students were to house our guests from Japan over the weekend. It was usually reciprocal and the host student would become the guest when in Japan. I remember seeing how similar they looked to Chinese, yet so different! We had the same kind of skin tone, black hair and Asian features, yet there was something distinctly different about them. I bet it must be the eyes!
It was only in my early teens that I was exposed to more things Japonica as a large Japanese departmental store opened in the city and brought in a wide selection of Japanese products - from toys to household items. The late 90's also saw an increase in Japanese 'kaiten-belt' chain restaurants in the country serving the usual Japanese fare of sushi, sashimi, noodles and bento meals. As Japanese food seemed to be very popular here, more restaurants opened soon. I also noticed an influx of Japanese anime in video or comic book format being sold in specialty shops. Even the satellite TV had a channel dedicated solely to anime.
The only Japanese themed book and movie I had ever read and watched was Memoirs of a Geisha. Although the movie was not authentically Japanese (the geisha makeup had been tweaked to appeal to Hollywood and the spoken language was English!), it did provide a brief insight into Japanese culture. It was there that I read about geisha, obi, kimono, yukata, tatami mats and Kabuki. The movie offered a visual feast such as Japanese architecture, Japanese gardens with an arched bridge over a body of glassy water, stone lanterns along a pathway planted with bamboo and maple, shrines and traditional Japanese clothing.
Going back to reality, I really do hope to see some geisha in Gion as well as the famed tunnel of Torii Gates in Kyoto and sample really good authentic Japanese fare. If I'm daring enough, I might even strip nude and bath in an onsen (Japanese hot spring). The average temperature in April is 9 to 20 degrees Celcius. I read that there will still be snow at Mount Fuji 5th station so some additional warm clothing will be required. Honestly, I dread packing for cold places because of all the layers and bulk!
As this will be my first time visiting the Land of the Rising Sun, I don't have much expectations, except that the streets are cleaner than in the big cities of China, and that the Japanese are very courteous and polite. When I think of Japan, I think of dainty, mouth-watering Japanese dishes presented in such a painstakingly delicate manner that it looks more like a work of art rather than something to be consumed. I also think of geisha with painted white faces and bright red lips contrasting sharply against their jet-black hair, sashaying with an oriental umbrella in a most feminine way.
I think I must have a very limited perspective of Japan as its choice as a holiday destination had been obscured for all these years until now. Japan has never been of much interest to me apart from the assortment of strange-looking food and anime (Doraemon and Dragon Ball). The first time I saw real live Japanese was during my high school's annual student exchange programme with Nukata Junior High School. It was also a homestay programme where selected students were to house our guests from Japan over the weekend. It was usually reciprocal and the host student would become the guest when in Japan. I remember seeing how similar they looked to Chinese, yet so different! We had the same kind of skin tone, black hair and Asian features, yet there was something distinctly different about them. I bet it must be the eyes!
It was only in my early teens that I was exposed to more things Japonica as a large Japanese departmental store opened in the city and brought in a wide selection of Japanese products - from toys to household items. The late 90's also saw an increase in Japanese 'kaiten-belt' chain restaurants in the country serving the usual Japanese fare of sushi, sashimi, noodles and bento meals. As Japanese food seemed to be very popular here, more restaurants opened soon. I also noticed an influx of Japanese anime in video or comic book format being sold in specialty shops. Even the satellite TV had a channel dedicated solely to anime.
The only Japanese themed book and movie I had ever read and watched was Memoirs of a Geisha. Although the movie was not authentically Japanese (the geisha makeup had been tweaked to appeal to Hollywood and the spoken language was English!), it did provide a brief insight into Japanese culture. It was there that I read about geisha, obi, kimono, yukata, tatami mats and Kabuki. The movie offered a visual feast such as Japanese architecture, Japanese gardens with an arched bridge over a body of glassy water, stone lanterns along a pathway planted with bamboo and maple, shrines and traditional Japanese clothing.
Going back to reality, I really do hope to see some geisha in Gion as well as the famed tunnel of Torii Gates in Kyoto and sample really good authentic Japanese fare. If I'm daring enough, I might even strip nude and bath in an onsen (Japanese hot spring). The average temperature in April is 9 to 20 degrees Celcius. I read that there will still be snow at Mount Fuji 5th station so some additional warm clothing will be required. Honestly, I dread packing for cold places because of all the layers and bulk!
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