FujiQ Highland and Fuji Five Lakes

My family came visiting Japan during the year end and new year holidays. So, for some reasons unknown, we decided to bring them to extreme amusement park rather than happily jolly Disneyland. I guess it runs in the blood that we belong in the dark side.

When I meant extreme, it was no kidding. Although it's my second time (first time here) to the park, the rides still gave me the goosebumps, especially Eejanaika, the so called 4th Dimension Roller Coaster that is floor-less and could rotate 360 degrees forward and backward (the red track in the photo above), it was just mad crazy. Mun and I were sitting in the first row, the moment the car went climbing up backward, and starting smashing you forward, face down 90 degree almost to the floor, twisting all over, we just went mad non-stop screaming till the end.

But it was still super awesome.

Because it was the year end and new year season, most part of Japan are lighten up as illumination. So was FujiQ highland. It was pretty impressive.

We stayed overnight in Kawaguchiko to visit the Fuji Five Lakes the next day. We went to both wind cave and ice cave.

Her top model dream in Kawaguchiko.

Maybe we were travelling during the year end, most of them shops are closed. Also, we could not find any convenient stores all along the way. So, finally when we saw this vending machines in the summit of Mount Tenjo, we were ecstatic! But later we found out that the machine was not working, so back to hungry mode all the way down Mount Tenjo and found ourselves a convenient store. phew.

On the way back to Kawaguchi Station from Mount Tenjo, it was snowing all the way. We stopped at a park and suddenly someone initiated snow ball fight. So much fun!

It was really a great trip. Update next on New Year Countdown.

Someone put Tokyo into the Freezer

Last week on the 1st of February, someone decided to put Tokyo into the freezer and let it frozen. It was whole lots of fun for me because it's the first time ever that snows accumulate in Tokyo for the time I am here. According to the news, around 1cm to 5cm of snow were accumulated.

It started innocently as heavy rain, then suddenly, the violent rain stopped and started floating down. I turned off the light in my room, let the balcony curtain open, sat quietly on the bed and watch the snow fall.

Woke up the next morning with all the roofs coated with icing topping.

The usual sight on the way to school changed entirely. Well, it was all covered in frosting. Someone must had stayed in the school really late last night to make this Mickey.

Tokyo Institute of Technology Sakura Deck

Tokyo Institute of Technology

On the way home, I stopped by Tamagawa to snap pictures with my faithful compact camera.

Snowy Tamagawa

Snow Palette.

That same day, it was also quite depressing listening to the sound of the melting snow. Happy feelings gone.

An Ordinary Weekend.

My very first sloppy attempt of transparent screen.

Inspired by Transparent screens

An Ordinary Friday

Time: 430pm
Weather: Cloudy

An Ordinary Thursday

Today, is really an ordinary day.

I went to school in the morning for an exam, lunch in the usual curry house, attended a lecture in the afternoon, a brief visit to 7-11 under my building, stood in front of the wide varieties of drinks trying to choose one, in the end buying the usual. Went back to lab, took off my coat, but left my scarf on because it was chilly, and my sweater was low cut.. oh yay baby, no seriously. It was chilly.

It's intimidating for me to be smacked right in the middle of two phD students, me trying to look busy, but behind evil plan was actually chatting with two sisters and surfing about iPad. Yea, they will have wings for the next version. KimEan says maybe nightsafe is safer.

Winter this year sucks. Sometimes freezing, sometimes sweaty. Sometimes rain, sometimes sun but never snow. :(

Lomo!

All photos taken with Diana lens : Soft Telephoto 110mm, EOS500D body with Diana F+ lens Adaptor EOS mount.

Autumn Ramble

It's definitely unlike my first year in Japan, whereby incomparably I had way more free time than now, however, I do not wanna miss the beautiful colours of autumn, so after careful planning, some of the weekends outings are actually made possible!

Two weeks ago, Ahmet told me this fabulous place called the Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum (日本民家園) located inside Kawasaki, so as a reward of me finishing the preparations of my Monday seminar presentations earlier than scheduled, we headed straight off to this awesome place.

It's an open-air museum of the old Japanese Folk House from all around Japan. One of the most famous folk-house in the museum is the traditional houses which was originally located in Shirakawa-go, Gifu-ken. It is Japan's UNESCO World Heritage Sites, well known with their architecture style known as the gasshō-zukuri (合掌造り). You see, it snows so much in Gifu, so, this unique design allow the house to withstand the heavy snowfall.

Except beautiful scenery, it also exhibit stuff that the olden days people used. Like this below, was used to decorate the praying altar.

And olden days lantern.... not much changes since then.

Besides this museum in that area, it also has an art gallery, science museum, observatory deck. Definitely a recommendation if you wanna spend a day off inside Tokyo but away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Two weeks later today, it's a celebration after a mentally and physically tired weeks. Except the seminar presentation, also had to prepare another presentation as part of a course assessment. Then two exams the following week. Until yesterday, finally finished all my duties as an obedient and proud member of my lab to help out in an external exhibition in Yokohama. (Yeap! we won the university category presentation, more on that later). Further I was down with a flu, and still am, I think the definition of the word "tired" is unquestionably under-rated in Malaysia. Talk about tired-ness, I never knew the exact meaning until now.

Rambling asides, despite the weariness and the flu, with my early Christmas present's first outing, we went to Rikugien Gardens (六義園) located in Komagome Station.

Starting from yesterday up to 13th December, this beautiful garden is extending their operation time up to 9pm in conjunction of the "light-up" event.

What else could I say? Breathtaking scenery!

Sad to say, although very much like to hang out longer till deeper in the night before the starting of another busy week, sleepy-head and the flu just would not leave me alone. Maybe it's time to pay the docs a visit to make sure I am free of the ongoing violent attack of H1N1 here. Oyasumi. :)

1,2,3 Action!

You could not imagine the excitement and happiness when the flight captain announce through to speaker to instruct his crew members to buckle up, prepare for landing on Malaysian ground, my joy just cant stop oozing out, from my fingertips, toes, nose, everywhere!! Filled with great joy!

Curious thing is, I am not even a very easily homesick person. But the thoughts of meeting everyone at home after 1.5 years of separations, was so exciting and meantime so comforting. My feeble attempt to act cool was overpowered by my own thumping of feet, rushing out the arrival gate, dashed to hug the two younger rascals and family waiting at the gate.

Merely this simple joy, kept me smiling throughout the one whole month of vacation back home. And a lot of things that were taken for granted by me before this meant even so much more. From down to driving my lil sis to school that used to be an annoying task (although I only drove her once throughout whole month), up to having a lone 6 hours road trip up to Penang Island, I enjoyed every single seconds of it.

All the gatherings and catch-up, also seem far more meaningful. Especially when everybody is so busy enjoying their own great life, a suitable time where everyone willing to stop momentarily with what their doing and give you their accompany was most precious.

It was truly one hell of a holiday for me.

Enjoyed a great buying spree in Cameron Highlands with family. I was so used to buying 3 sweet potatoes, or 1 sweet corn sometimes 2, 1 box of strawberry for myself in Japan, but these units does not make sense with my family market buying spree. Sweet potatoes? Let's get 3kg! Sweet corn? at least 100. Strawberry? let's buy 10 boxes instead. Phew!

Also, had the chance to learn diving in Redang Island. I remember I had written a post in year 2005 on "45 things you should do before 45", one of them is to get a diving license. Well, I got one now. One more slash out from my to-do-list.

Redang Island

This is my second trip to Redang Island. But never from this kind of perspective. On the first day, instructor straight away throw us into the 6m deep ocean for confined water training. Total more than 20 skills you have to master before the actual boat dive. Skills like half-mask clearing, full-mask clearing, hovering, CESA... it was so much fun!!

On the first boat dive, we were sharing the same space with this huge jelly fish. It's truly intimidating! All the happy feeling that Spongebob has for Jelly fishing doesnt apply here. Nevertheless, it's a surreal feeling from the serenity of the surrounding, when a school of fish encircling you and you swimming along side with them, it makes you into addiction, addicted to diving.

It was a good trip back home. And again, it's also good to be back Tokyo, fully charged and renewed to face the new semester.

Till the next holiday.

Petronas Twin Towers

Pulau Redang

I went for 4 days 3 nights open water diving course in Pulau Redang, awesome experience! Wait later I have time to organize, will upload the tons of photos here!

Ueno Zoo