Monday, December 19, 2005
` Monday, December 19, 2005
Just in case anyone is thinking of buying me presents for the festive season or the impending birthday, thank you very much in advance. Believe me, thick-skinned-ness is not my strongest suit.
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Sunday, December 18, 2005
` Sunday, December 18, 2005
Yet another year of rather intensive travelling for which there were pros and cons. I realised the more I resisted the urge to throw in the towel and do something completely different, the more I'm resigned to the fact that the job has been rolling in the dough sufficiently and I shouldn't be complaining about losing personal time back home. Especially when it has given me varied opportunities to experience living in different cities without the touristy elements of an itinerary-packaged vacation. Of course, the reality of it is when rental and miscellaneous daily frustrations cloud the picture (sans company funding), the appeal of living overseas drops to below sub-zero ratings (add the cold weather element and the possibility becomes absolutely non-negotiable due to my own zero tolerance).
I dreaded being away from home 3 weeks in a row, stuck in a country where transport and infrastructure was poor and although the government promised improvements, things would probably never change. I enjoyed the ability to move around a city with ease, the ability to navigate the local trains and buses and not being afraid of getting lost because of the tremendous sense of safety late at night.
I dreaded having to take room service because you never know if you'd step into a restaurant with suspected hygiene issues. I enjoyed stepping into the same restaurants over again, knowing that whatever I had ordered previously would taste deliciously similar on a repeat visit.
I dreaded going to the local shops and getting bored and dismayed at the inability to venture to other places because of the fear of getting lost exacerbated by the language barriers. I enjoyed walking into shops filled with massive varieties of curios and what-nots that would never have been found back home and being able to afford buying them home for friends or family.
I absolutely dreaded pointless but essential business lunches and dinners where people engage in pedestrian talk just to pass time. I enjoyed lively meal discussions with locals not directly involved in the daily grind of work but were sincere enough to chat about real-life encounters and experiences.
Last but not least, I dreaded being alone at times, fearing I might turn into a MSN-reliant chataholic capable of making conversations only via the keyboard and incapable of verbal crosstalk. I enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of a city at my own pace and timing without having to compromise on the destinations.
So there you have it. It's a love-hate relationship with a job fuelled by departure lounge waits, in-flight entertainment, repulsive business-class meals, 7-pillow menus, healthy allowances, too much shopping and last but not least, sporadic non work-related human contact. Don't blame me for turning dysfunctional, but this lifestyle is unreal and I have been living like this for at least 4 years. Do I want to return to reality? I keep asking myself this question but the answer is possibly as elusive as the Black Hole in the universe.
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Monday, December 12, 2005
` Monday, December 12, 2005
Please tell me the purple one's not worth paying S$552 for. My Sony DSC-W5 pales in comparison aesthetically. I admit, I am a (super) superficial person.
*Drool*
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Sunday, December 11, 2005
` Sunday, December 11, 2005
What a way to spend the weekend exploring the core shopping areas of Tokyo! Here are the remaining pictures of the places I covered today. I must say, the monetary damage is far less than what was suffered the day before, although the weather seems to be getting much colder and more dreary without the sunshine. Nonetheless, the planned itinerary had to be completed.
First stop of the day: Ameyoko shopping street which is just a 3-minute walk from the Ueno subway station. A friend recommended Ueno for the famous park and shrines, but I suppose my shopping habit overwhelmed me and once again I was off to finding some good bargains along this very bustling street teemed with all manners of produce (even of the market variety). However, shoes, sporting goods and food items dominate this area, which wasn't my area of interest but based on preliminary perusal of the prices, most items appeared to be pretty affordable.
And this was where majority of my time at Ameyoko was spent, scavenging through heaps of Japanese titbits, chocolates and what-have-yous in this tiny street filled with people stocking up by the truckloads due to the wholesale prices.
Shibuya at night is indeed a fascinating sight with the bright lights and throngs of people crossing the multi-way junction every 5 minutes. It's also a shopping mecca with literally something for everyone. Aside from Harajuku, this is the place to gawk at the very trendy young localites dressed to the nines in the latest fashion and men with very well-plucked eyebrows (I'm morbidly impressed with this very metrosexual habit proliferating the new generation).
Omote-sando is just off Harajuku and is yet another one of those shopping areas for the wealthy or brand conscious. This huge GAP store located at the corner towards the subway station is well-stocked with the current American fashion and seems to be very well-received by the Japanese given the sheer volume of people visiting the store.
Yet another Zara I spotted along the same street and wasted no time browsing the racks and resisting temptation to buy something that would've cost much less back home. Then I realised that there was a much bigger store in Shibuya itself and I was comforted to know that women all round the world have good enough fashion sense for the label to be this popular in terms of store availability. Okay, I'm just trying to justify my spending habits.
So there you go, one weekend put to good u$e and the end result of having too many shopping bags strewn all over the hotel room. This is not about gloating, it is a serious problem that I have to develop a resolution for this New Year. Give me credit please, at least I'm trying.
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Saturday, December 10, 2005
` Saturday, December 10, 2005
I think I've raved enough about the merits of shopping in Odaiba because of the affordability and variety. For those who have yet to pay a visit, there's the boon of travelling into the city via the high-tech Yurikamone line that allows a bird's eye view of the southern part of Tokyo city with its high-tech skyscraper buildings (eg. Shiodome), upmarket residential areas and the lovely waters of the sea. There're also kitschy tourist attractions like the (male) Statue of Liberty, Rainbow bridge, Tokyo TV Tower and lovers-friendly giant Ferris Wheel, just to name a few.
The infamous replica of the Statue of Liberty, except that if you go nearer you'll notice a 4-day stubble.
The Tokyo TV Tower which is designed in a futuristic setting. There are regular studio tours available for those curious for a peek into the studios.
Tokyo has a little Hong Kong and it's found on the last floor of Decks Tokyo. Replicated down to the neon signboards and crummy sidewalks, you'll be spoilt for eating choices when overdosed on sushi.
Looking like the Manhattan Upper Westside, these are pictures of shops along the first floor of Aqua City which houses international labels like Gap, Coca Cola, Lacoste, Toys 'R' Us and HMV.
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` Saturday, December 10, 2005
For the uninitiated, Roppongi Hills is an extremely upmarket shopping cum entertainment area. The shopping may not be suitable for people with not-so-deep pockets, but it is definitely worth a visit to stroll along the lovely walkways surrounded by space-age buildings and since most people (locals notwithstanding) gather around and simply soak in the atmosphere and also gawk at the unmissable landmark that is the Tokyo Tower.
P.S. This is also where I found my beloved Zara store.
This is one of the futuristic-looking walkways of the Virgin Toho cinema. Watching a movie in Tokyo costs quite a bit (JPY1,800 or S$25 for a regular ticket) but the experience is definitely worth trying at least once. The screen is expansive, the sound system impressive, the seats are plush and have ample leg room. Moreover, watching Memoirs of a Geisha acted out by mainly non-native actresses in a Japanese theatre is one unusual experience indeed.
The atmosphere created in anticipation of the impending Christmas period is certainly laudable. It is also an added bonus to have the Tokyo Tower impose its alluring presence for everyone keen to capture a picture for keepsakes.
This was taken in the Westside shopping arcade (linked to the Grand Hyatt hotel), where one will find high-fashion labels and exclusive shops mainly catered to the well-heeled.
Nice try with the giant Christmas tree, although we do have a more-than-formidable comparative in the ground floor of Ngee Ann City back home.
This Anteprima window display caught every passer-by's attention with the label's shimmery bags used as accessories for the mock Christmas tree. Now that's creativity for you.
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` Saturday, December 10, 2005
Oh dear. I think either the festive season or work's got too much of an adverse effect for me to go on yet another crazed shopping spree this weekend in Tokyo. Of course, for many who have known me long enough, this not a new phenomenon.
(As a matter of fact, I did go on a yet another buying frenzy in Bangalore, for which I plead undefined insanity and would like to close the case i.e. too many thoughtless purchases to be worth a mention).
Perhaps not travelling as a tourist in Tokyo has its benefits. I have time to take in everything at my own pace. And of course, being a shopaholic, prior online research is always a necessity to sniff out the bargains in a city.
1 day of visting the ever-wonderful and affordable Odaiba isn't enough at all! The monolithic Aqua City and Decks Tokyo has unbelievably cheap stuff. I started at 11am and spent so much time in them that I didn't have any time or energy (or hands) left for Venus Fort, yet another huge mall. Whoever said Tokyo was expensive to shop in must be referring to the department stores and brand-name items, since I had absolutely no problem swiping my credit card many times over and still not feel a tremendous hole in my pocket.
For posterity, these are just some of my least regretted expenditure:
Oh. My. Goodness. Please don't ask me why I bought 2 pairs of the same in different colours. Alright, the main reason why I bought them was because of the low, low price (JPY1,050 or S$15 per pair!!!!) and the fact that the latter two are exact rip-offs of the Nine West ones I had my eyes on a couple of months back, which would've cost me S$85 per pair. I rest my case. These were from the second floor of Decks Tokyo next to Sega Joypolis. It's a real gem of a walkway of several shops selling direct import items for ridiculous prices (and I don't mean high).
Then there is a 315-yen (about S$5) shop tucked in the midst of Decks Tokyo Island Mall on the 2nd floor displaying plenty of frivolous items like these for one fixed price. The only reason why I bought the soft toys is because they would've cost a bomb in Tokyo Disneyland and I'd like to smirk about restraining myself there and then. The alarm clocks are for genuinely practical reasons, as my sister will be the recipient of the duplicate.
Okay, I admit to having an insatiably bizarre appetite for Zara fashion. After catching Memoirs of a Geisha at the Virgin Toho cinema at Roppongi Hills, I strutted into the shop 10 minutes into their closing time. As expected of superior Japanese service standards, they were gracious enough to let me try on 2 pieces and tada, this paisley-ish top landed in my shopping bag in no time, even though it looks like the type of top I'd wear once and decide it's too OTT for daily parade. Noted though, that the pieces featured at the store were far more attractive and varied as compared to what we're seeing back home, possibly due to the stronger spending power of the Japanese, which also translates into higher prices.
And my most frivolous of all purchases: these adorable mini Care Bears. I saw them at Sony Station (which surprisingly, is more like a mini fashion store rather than being electronics-centric) and suddenly, I felt like a little child all over again. They retailed at about S$18 each, which is rather expensive but it's one of those days you keep telling yourself over again that it's the festive season and it was alright to be light-headed (diplomatic term for dense or daft).
This is just one Saturday's worth of shopping. I'm heading to Harajuku for the Daiso 100-yen store. God knows what madness will overwhelm me then. But admittedly, it's been alot of fun. At this point, I reckon joining Shopaholics Anonymous will be a waste of my shopping time. Save me.
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Monday, December 05, 2005
` Monday, December 05, 2005
What a drastic change in weather yet again. Back in sunny July, I was having a ball of a time trying to minimize as much luggage space as possible with my sleeveless/short-sleeved summer clothes. This time round, I had trouble shutting up dear ol’ Sammyboy, pre-flight journey to Tokyo. It’s the much-dreaded winter season and I’m not taking any chances with exposure to the cold for which I’m notoriously vulnerable to. Result? A slightly raised eyebrow from the check-in counter gentleman when the luggage was plunged onto the weighing travellator. I felt like telling him that it could be a potential lifesaver for my already burgeoning credit card bill (ie. less space to stuff the shopping, geddit?). Of course, one can only hope it’ll work.
Landing at the Narita airport at 5pm, it was surreal to see that the skies were already dark. How depressing. This was further exacerbated by the fact that it took nearly an hour clearing the immigration lines, due to three separate flights arriving at the same time and the counters chronically short of manpower on a Sunday evening. Add this to yet another hour-long sojourn into the city via the TCAT bus and you have one very cranky business-cum-leisure traveller who still had to endure an overly costly dinner at the resident café because of the late arrival.
I was awaken this morning by a burst of sunshine through the unfiltered windows in the hotel room, somewhat encouraging on a Monday morning, although the skies are once again pitch-black at 4.30pm when I’m typing this out.
By the way, all the effort from Japanese language classes I’ve attended at the beginning of the year have officially gone to waste. However, I’m convinced that the almost universal “thank you” works the same wonders.
Yet another day in paradise.
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