The Fuji Hike Pictures

- Never Stop Dreaming -

Here are the pictures of the epical Sunrise on top of Fuji.


The last push up the summit made everything worthwhile. Just minutes away from the epical sunrise.


Silhouette of The Guardian.


The clouds and the sleeping city below.


Holographic clouds in the distance.


My watch recording the max altitude.


The majestic guardian comes to life.


Greeting all who may pass the ascension to the sky.


The Great Ball of Life peeking gently.


Waking up slowly as the seconds tick by.


Just a little more.


In full blazing glory.

Found...at last!

- Never Stop Dreaming -

It seems that the younger generation of Japanese in my little city have build up quite a strong following for Reggae, Hip Hop and other R&B tunes while others chose psychedelic trance. Yes I do know that music is subjective but the tunes that was dished out by the pockets of badly run, small and un-interesting clubs made me loathe the crowd in general till the point I started to detest the music. Trashy tunes or plain electronic farts really does not score very high on my list.

Then the young crowd, in summary, they suck because they have no originality and simply follow the trend with herd instincts. They have absolutely no vibe, no groove and no X-factor. Trust me, when you walk into a place like these mentioned above, it's not about contemplating whether to visit it again but rather to get the hell out as soon as possible.

I was on the verge of giving up my last ounce of partying juice when I was invited to a private Jazz event in Karuizawa. This one event held on Sept 24, 2009 changed my views forever. The crowd was neat, smart and semi-casual. Almost a good 90% of the gentlemen were NOT seen in sneakers or beach berms, less a few eye sore pricks. The smoking ladies were in evening gowns and heels...hot hot evening. The crowd here was mature, presumably late twenties to early thirties and the music were simply a soul relaxing blend of some of the most smoothing jazz, house, and easy listening tunes. The entire ambience was good for a friendly chat, a couple of drinks or simply to chill out after a day's of work. I found myself fitting in perfectly though under the disguise of an imposter Japanese national. When the ice was broken by my hairstylist/good friend, people started to talk to me with a strange hunger of enthusiasm gleaming thru their eyes. Because I was an Asian foreigner, looked no different from an Alpha Japanese Male and I spoke 3 languages. The limelights were all over me and boy was I overwhelmed by such curiousity from the smoking Japanese crowd.

Part of the reason can be attributed to the fact that I do make it a darn serious affair when it comes to private parties like these. I would choose to dress to kill and nothing less since first impressions are relatively important to me. The organizer spoke fantastic English since he stayed in the States for a while. The rest simply marveled in awe as I stike a decent conversation with him in English. More stares were creeping in from all directions because I was the ONLY Asian foreigner there and being a foreigner in a small community is a quite a huge celebrity thing. The clock ticked by and I found this place to be an instant hit which would be my No. 1 spot in secluded Karuizawa.

My hairstylist/friend was struggling with a bad cold and cough and soon she left the party. I was all by myself now but my social instincts kicked right in on overdrive. C was with a friend and so that makes just 2 of them. An easy prey if I had a wingman but I was alone. Nonetheless, I engaged the help of an aquaintance and sneaked right into their company. C bear a strong resemblence to someone I know, a good 80% based purely on surface appearence only. Possibly the kind I was constantly searching for since meeting 2 many years back. It was all good while it lasted, C was an introvert, having no interest in everything, reluctant to deviate from routine, bookworm, and very mysterious. The kind that everyone's mother would approve of and would make the perfect housewife. A rare and near extinction breed but top grade value. I felt comfortable and the night proceeded smoothly but C's friend was the noisy one always trying to steal attention. I began to lose some ground and wobble in my firm stance as C and I chatted on. In the end, I couldn't help it but go in for the kill to end the perfect stalk I had so far...to feed, to feed the hungry one. This was a top grade lens food from the start and boy I wasn't disappointed at all.

As the young night rolled out more chilly temperature, my anticipation became more erractic. Then the beautiful colors of Autumn came once again and warmth me senses. I was really glad to be embraced by the beautiful Autumn though it was dark and cold. I took a nice speedy drive home after that to sleep soundly knowing that Autumn had once again been re-defined and yes I am very much intrigued by Autumn.

Land of the 4 countries

- Never Stop Dreaming -

Friday 18th Sept, sometime late in the evening, I was inputting some last minute information into Facebook while waiting anxiously as each fateful second ticked by. It's usually in times like this, moments before something epical happens, that seconds seem to tick so long it seems like eternity.

Just a couple of minutes ago, the message in my phone quoted me the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) of the rest of the crew and now it was already way past the ETA and they were no where in sight. I grew more anxious as this insane ROAD TRIP was about to kick off from my house. I had been hoping for a road trip since I got my Japanese Driving License so this would be my maiden one. The air was light and cool, there were no evening breezes nor sound of rustling leaves. Just pitch black darkness and the occasional dogs barking in the distance. I did some last minute equipment checks of my gear before shutting the trunk of the car, which would be our main speed rocket for the road trip. As I walked into the darkness in front of my house, the sound of irritating bugs soon filled the air and broke the illusional silence that I had conceived in my head. Every headlight beaming from the cars leading into road that led to my house sent jitters of delight thru me. 2 false signals later, the rest of the crew pulled up, dropped their car and loaded their stuffs into the silver speed rocket (SSR), a 2.0 litre silver Honda Accord chassis model CF4.

We pulled away from my humble mountain stronghold with me in the driver's seat and 2 others as we blazed thru the darkness en route to Matsumoto for another crew. The stench of enthusiasm filled the unpressurized cabin of the SSR but it was most certainly fresh with a decent vibe. We were all excited since this would be one hell of a long drive down southern Japan to a place called SHIKOKU where the all so familiar mountains in Nagano were traded for open seas. In my head, the vivid painting of an infinite clean horizon seperating the sea and the sky was already screening.

Grooving on the winding roads along the bottom of valleys and thru a series of mystifying tunnels, we soon reached Matsumoto Station where we picked up the last member of our crew to total the full strength to 4. From here we head to a place called Komagane(駒ヶ根) still within Nagano Prefecture to crash a party and for the night. The party was held a pretty comfortable house of a middle aged couple consisting of a Japanese husband and an American wife. They were some amazing folks who welcomed us with generous hospitality and tons of booze. Well...they ran a booze store. Crashed at another safety pad for the night at the kindness of a friend before heading out the next morning slightly intoxicated from the previous night or merry.

The sun was bright and the sky was blue and highways all the way from this point on. This was where the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) machine which I had installed earlier on the SSR came in God's grace and sent smiles across our faces. The SSR pulled slowly into the toll gate marked with the white ETC font against the purple background which most of us here in Japan were all so familiar but this was actually the first time we pulled into one instead of the usual "Take-the-ticket-pay-later" routine. Then the "Bing Bong" tone sounded away with some Japanese ramble from the ETC machine inside the SSR before the two little barriers governing the toll raised like erected rods electronically. The joyous spirit in the SSR brought the adrenalin level to the max as the SSR roared into the highways. Watching the red meter gliding smoothly along the outer arch in a clockwise direction until the illuminated 7 was reached, the SSR was already gleaming at a comfortable 110 km/h. Like a scene from the Wangan Midnight Series, segmented white lane markers soon became a white uniform line flickering.

A long journey with regular stop intervals at the various servce stations until the massive traffic jam somewhere near Osaka. Well big cities, what would you expect? Had an oil change while filling up the SSR with expensive red wine because the mechanic said the SSR had no oil in the engine. A hefty ￥8,500 would soon vanish from my wallet while I watched the dark, almost black liquid pumped from the engine before lucid clear oil were poured back. Another ￥20,000 was suggested for the weak battery block replacement when the volt meter flashed a "WEAK" signal when attached to the battery. I stood my ground and decided against the battery replacement. Swapping drivers here and there, we pushed thru the jams, in and outta rain patches before the majestic suspended bridges in the distance embraced our arrival. The scorching sun rays glittered like diamonds on the sea surface...what a mesmerizing view.

From Osaka, we took the highway along the coast in the direction of Kobe. Here was simply one of the most memorable and beautiful part of the entire road trip. The sea was visible while the elevated highways ripped thru the ports, beaches and cities.
Armed with a bible of Japanese maps, a stupid PSP GPS that took ages to work, 4 hot country bumpkins and the SSR, we floated into Awaji Shima via some of the most inspirational creations of man I had seen till date, the assortment of bridges. When we reached the final brdge leading into Tokushima Prefecture of Shikoku, it was already into the late evening and the darkness were lit by the blistering city lights. There was a huge heave of relief since the long, arduous drive would soon end.

Upon reaching Ehime Prefecture, which was on the furthest north-western edge of Shikoku, a good 15 odd hours of some tarmac burning driving sensation had already passed. We were now distraught lost mountain folks stranded in a colorful little town. With much disgust and some love lost, we found the hostel and checked in. Definitely a decent steal because the huge apartment space was more than enuff to accomodate 20 people only robbed us of ￥7,000 which equates to about ￥1,750 a piece. Dropped of the SSR in a rotating tower parking aka Tokyo Drift Style before heading out to a nearby Izakaya for dinner and mind fuel. Turned in around 1 in the morning.

Sunday was another bright sunny day which left the entire Saturday of driving in the past. We stayed right next to the famous Matsuyama Castle which was nothing more than a silhouette amongst the powerful lights the night before. We decided to check out this castle before collecting the SSR and moving on. Nothing to difficult to achieve since the steep walk up this castle was quite simply like the snapping of our fingers after we scaled the menacing Fuji San. Watching other Japanese mount the single ski lift up and down the castle, we could only imagine the old, disabled or young beging justified while the rest, they simply had ￥500 to burn while we had calories.

Impressive castle albiet a little crowded. The sandy flat plains leading to the castle provided a really good shutter chance since the rich deep blue cloudless sky was a perfect backdrop for the white castle. Recharged myself with a bottle of mikan juice before heading inside the castle. Inside the castle, there were numerous relics, katanas, samurai armors, etc encased in glass cabinets to relate the story in both simplified English versions and detailed Japanese versions. 3 floors thru some rustic but charming architecture before me and J ventured out to try the samurai replica suits. A pity I was dressing up J who had red hair and a beard, I didn't have the chance to don the samurai suit. J looked fantastic in the red samurai suit since he resembled a character in The Last Samurai movie. All the while J and I had 2 lovely Japanese ladies watching us while I kitted J up and fired my 5D. Of course the lovely Japanese ladies kneeled patiently and cheered, clapped and snapped away when J was done. Just at this time T strolled in with A to complete our crew. I kitted T up with another brown armor which was sadly broken and had the 2 clashed in front of those 2 Japanese ladies. *Sigh* I could only play the sad role of the photographer, director and service staff.

Leaving the sacred castle grounds, we headed to Dogo Onsen which was presumably one of the oldest and most popular onsen in Japan. To put everything a bit crudely, the onsen was actually meant to be our first bath since being on the road from late Friday night. But to our shame and much to our disgust, it was a Sunday and the tiny roads leading to the onsen were packed with throngs of visitors. No parking space and long vehicle queues had us bailing the onsen. The only consolation was to take a one last memorable view of this rustic town of Matsuyama City crawling with cool trams like San Francisco and lined with history rich architectures.

So it was back on the roads again to find a decent onsen for a refreshing bath which took a little too long since leaving the bustling city, only sparsely populated rural villages resembling Nagano surfaced occasionally. Finally we pulled up to an onsen spot as indicated on the "Bible of the Japanese maps" only to find out that it was no longer there. In the end, we explored the help of the locals, drove thru a series of insane Initial D style, narrow, fauna ridden, winding roads at the bottom of a beautiful valley before diving into anxiety after the next operational onsen was spotted. The rejuvernating shower cum onsen perked everyone up and pushed us back rudely into the roads. At this point, I really really felt like taking a snooze but the hopes of finding our dream beach was far stronger. Left and right, up and down and finally after the last insane uphill and down hill thru Initial D styled roads, one of the most beautiful sunset greeted me as I pulled into the silent town by the sea. Too bad I was driving so no pictures...I really wondered why I was always the one driving when beautiful sceneries were served while A was always driving into a massive traffic jam and leading us out. And T would soon to be the driver to lead us deeper into the realm of the unexplained. It was beautiful cruising along side the little fishing port with the water level at equilibrium with the road we were travelling on while watching the last dying light of the sunset disappear behind the cliffs.

The designated camping spot was unfortunately closed because it was full but nonetheless, we chomped down our dinner before heading out in the dark to other camping spots. Round and round we toured the dfferent fishing ports in the dark before ending up in some strange sleepy creepy woods. The paved tarmac roads crept away inches by inches as we pushed the SSR uphills. The vegetation was getting thicking and the roads were getting thinner on the verge of being consumed by the vegetation. The twisted branches, super narrow roads hugging on the side of the cliff with no guard rails and the occasional mysterious shadows appearing and disappearing. This route tested the limits of T, the driver...It was creepy as hell. In the closing moments before the four adventurous young Indiana Jones copycats saw their lives flashed before their eyes, they summoned the God of courage and harness their will, put forth all their faith in T and worked their way out of the Ghostly Mikan Forest as team.

Continuing the search for the camping site, the second one camping spot was closed as well apparently full but Lady Luck shone down on us in the embodiment of gazillion stars. The third camping spot was a national park beside a tiny pond just metres from the sea. Though it was dark, the reflection of the stars in the sky and the orange incandescent light bouncing off the roads and buildings made the pockets of tents across the pond on the smooth grass patch visible. We pulled up, unloaded and sneaked under the cover of the darkness into an open spot by the pond to pitch our tent. I hauled my tripod and a almost 87% juiced 5D for some starry photography by the pond. This would contribute one of the most beautiful pictures of the entire journey, of the night skies with the milky way partially visible.

Morning greeted our lazy asses each day as we grew more lethargic to move on. Drove past more tiny towns to head further down southern Shikoku till we reached Kochi Prefecture's beaches. It was another long day of driving thru more mountainous roads and beautiful beaches. Just as we reached a scenic beach boasting surfers, the camping sites were already filled and was presumably charged a fee. Well we preferred free lodgings so we picked up some BBQ groceries from a nearby supermarket and then settled in a isolated, maybe haunted beach some good driving distance from the crowded one. We didn't know why this stretch of beach was abandoned with a few pathetic fishermen and a couple dining romantically in dusk.

We contemplated for a while and let the darkness roll in before we smuggled our loot under the cover of darkness once again. Started a decent campfire away from pesky public attention at a desecrated section of the beach beneath the roads. It was all good until a strange rotting stench choked our brethenly senses. Hunger and the constraints of time forced us to go forth. Just as we were about to sink our vicious teeth into the juicy slabs of unprofessionally cooked meat, the dining couple we past earlier appeared outta nowhere. For once we thought we were replaying the roles of 4 innocent foreigners about to be brutally but ironically murdered by this strange couple but lewd thoughts proved to be the victor. The BBQ was a mentally bad torture since we were joined by some disgusting looking beach bugs that came to life from some alien inspired comic book. These bugs came in weird and sizes and were devouring a harmless piece of newspaper we had left on the beach. In the darkness with only headlamps, dinner was done and we took a nice break on the stone wave breakers watching the waves crash in while discussing various Tsunamis scenarios. Some brotherly but non gayish love here and there...

The storm clouds soon gathered and started drizzling while we staged the tent in magical speed. J and I opted for the protection of the SSR while T and A chose the tent. Bugs were the worst of any forms of existence so the SSR was by far a much better choice besides against the bare elements approaching quickly. Though a bit confined to move my body, the rain and the comfort of the SSR cradled me and J till the morning.

To wake up to another beautiful sunrise was quite an experience. We drove to the packed beach we past earlier and the rest of the crew went for a swim in the sea or ocean or whatever you want to call it. I, I chose to explore more photography time doing some decent stills and moving frames. Though the magical colors of sunrise and sunset were no longer present, dull gloomy grey scenery were still good for me. This was already Tuesday and we had only 1 more day of adventure before going back to work. By noon, we were already heading towards the direction of Awaji Shima bridge. Once again we needed a decent onsen for a refreshing bath so this time round we picked a superbly refine onsen/hotel by the sea near the one of the famous 88 pilgrim temples, Yakuoji (薬王寺). SHIROITODAI was the name of this really beautiful blue hotel by the sea. The open air onsen will have you face the vast open sea to calm all you senses and this hotel/onsen gets the thumbs up from me.

From this hotel you can see a strange looking building resembling a castle on one of the peaks of the surrounding hills. Definitely smaller than a regular Japanese castle but the architectual screamed everything resembling a castle! So a quick check on the net revealed that this was indeed a castle. The name is HIWASA Castle (日和佐城) but unfortunately the link provided in wiki is in Japanese only which means that this is more of a local castle than an internationally reknown one.

Hit the roads again after the relaxing onsen, nice view, etc and stopped for a hearty sumptous lunch of a steak over steam rice. The restaurant was abruptly named in a weird deviation of the English word, "Wood Works" or something similiar. But strange names aside, the presentation of a log cabin with a Tomahawk Chief for the design on the menu, the food was surprisingly good. Thick slabs of juicy steak with the semi-liquid fat attached to it. Yuuuuummmmmmmmy!

The long journey back and out of Shikoku began shortly after lunch but soon we found ourselves exiting the last stretch of bridges without trying the famous Udon of Shikoku, what a shame, what a pity. Then we pulled into a service area on Awajima Shima to grab some last minute souvenirs before heading for the big cities ahead. The highway to Kobe / Osaka began to pile up as more traffic funneled into the narrow dual carriage drive way. We mingled with the rest of the other suckers for a while before pulling off the nearest exit in Hyogo Prefecture. Then we dumped the car at a random parking space, grabbed out necessary gear and took a public train into Osaka's bustling Namba araa to get aquainted with my feminine pals, A and N. Despite being a last minute inconvenience to sneak up on them in Osaka, they, A and N were still so welcoming as we hit a sushi store. No Lady Luck this time and we were turned away since they were fully packed. In the end, it was a nearby Izakaya that saved the day as we Nagano Boys, tired and starving, chomped down plates of food and emptied glasses of booze. Karaoke succeeded our dinner immediately and once again the Nagano folks emptied more jugs of booze while dishing out some ridiculous tunes to tickle the funny bones of A and N. Great party I would say but ALAS!, A and N left to catch the last train outta town and we went on to another watering hole beside the capsule hotel that were supposed to be our Osaka's crash pad. Some slick action blending in with the locals, a pizza and more booze, we were smashed and sank deep into the tiny capsules.

Wednesday, 23rd Sept, the last day of the long 5 day vacation had finally come to an end. With still some crazy music ringing in my ears from the wild night of partying the night before, I woke up to the sound of my watch alarm and shook the reast of the crew at 0830am. Moved out and grabbed some breakfast from a convenient store and then back to the road. Somehow the ride back from Osaka to Nagano didn't seemed that far as compared to the first day. Ate our final dinner at one of the random service stations along the highway before reaching our destinations and dispersing into the darkness.

Great Road trip nonetheless...

WOW!

What a BLAST into the weekends!

- Never Stop Dreaming -

The weekend starting from last Friday was a BLAST! Started out as an ordinary Friday, went to work as usual and then went home to have a well deserved break recovering from the aftermath of the Fuji Hike. Woke up on Sat only to find it raining heavily and I chose to skip the Japanese class which I had been absent for at least 6 weeks. Yes I feel bad but I just couldn't resist such weather. Woke up near noon and made my way out to get a few things on my to-do list done.

1. Install the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) machine on my car.

2. Visit the Asama Jomon Museum.

The ETC machine was much like the ERP of Singapore but only for highways in Japan. It was a hell lot cheaper to have the ETC than to travel regularly on the highways without one. Take for example driving to Niigata from Nagano would cost at least a whooping ￥7,000 one way as compared to ￥1,000 with the ETC. Much to my dismay and horror, I did not have the necessary documents in the car to get the machine done. In the end I found out that the documents were with a friend who had bought this car in my name (too lazy to get the name transfered after I got my licence).

Nothing much I could do about the ETC so I went ahead with No. 2 and popped by the museum in the pouring rain. Upon entering the museum, I was greeted by a huge plush dog displayed prominently in rememberence of the original Quill. Then in the tiny hallway, giantic posters featuring monochrome frames of Quill were displayed on the walls. I took a nice moment to relieve the memories when I watched Quill in SG some 4 to 5 years back. It was a bitter sweet experience...bitter because it was such a sad story and sweet because the REAL pictures of Quill were in front of me now. Though there were just pictures, I could really feel the strong connection to the fame canine. To enter the small room filled with actual frames of Quill, a small admission fee of ￥500 was applicable. I browsed the pictures from the entrance of the room for a while and opted to check out some Quill merchandise instead. In the end, I bought a book containing almost all the original monochrome moments of Quill and hand signed by the photographer for ￥1,200 and some post cards. I chose to have a physical possession of a photobook than just memories so I did not enter the exhibition hall. There were plushies of Quill in various sizes slapped with the "bird" like patch but they just didn't appeal to me. You see I love toys, plushies, etc but unless the face of the product was beautifull done, I would not buy it.

Then I took a good 20 minutes to watch part of the actual documentary of Quill before setting off to Venerable Kazu's Bday Bash at OH! La! Ho brewery in Tomi City. Beautiful place I would say and I would love to visit it again. Met new faces there and had a fantastic dinner less the booze since I was driving. Picked up the necessary documents from my friend later in the night before heading out to Kazu's fame castle for the second half of the party. Met more people and chatted with a really nice Japanese Sensei. Drifting, touge, Keiichi, cars, etc...man you name it. Initial D brought to life was the context of the entire conversation with this Japanese mother of 2 lovely daughters. Went home without the slightest hint of alcohol in my blood around 3 in the morning.

Sunday, went to Mitsu's private BBQ party located at some forest cum BBQ park high up in the hills. The park was cooling in the shade of the trees but the blue ocean above the clouds completed the attitude, mood, soul and everything required for the perfect frame. Arrived early and was treated to some premium thick juicy pieces of beef that were so good they tasted disgusting in a good way. Deep rich red and painted with an intricate pattern of fine marble texture resembling the famous Kobe beef in thick boneless slabs. I was thinking sirlion or ribeye but none the less the taste was simply heavenly. Met some familiar faces and a couple of new faces. Feeded my lens with precious food before slowly appreciating "Autumn". Autumn was not your usual season with the assortment of colors and chilly breeze but rather, a warm poised aura than charms inner hearts with long exposures. I liked the feel but not sure how I would appreciate "Autumn" in the future.

Definitely memorable with the special prescence of "Autumn" before I tucked my baby 5D and chewed away on more sinful meat fest! After that there was a deer enclosure where we teased the baby deers with blades of grasses and clovers. Bambi(s) never looked this good from what I could recall but...venison was the EVIL thought in my head as I patted the baby Bambi(s).

Monday, went to work as usual but attended yet another dinner party in Komoro City to meet the new English Teachers as well as the still fighting strong ones. It was more of a Foreigner party but I happily pulled 2 sweet Japanese felines in so that they could try their luck with the foreigners excluding me of course. They brought their friends whom I had no idea who they were and I sent the horde of them on their "Phishing" trip. Somehow I did liked the idea of playing some ecentric matchmaker but I was so over seeing the bliss of others. "Where and when is my damn f***ing Bliss?" I demanded in my head but in the end still sent harsh flames in Japanese to the rest.

And with that I conclude my wonderful weekend and look forward to the super uber long silver weekend beginning this Friday.

Autumn is a season that is forgetten before winter.
Until now Autumn is just redundant colors and chilly winds.
There might be a different meaning to "Autumn" now.
Unless seasons stop changing, "Autumn" is here to stay.
May I appreciate this maiden "Autumn" warmth.
Never fading into cold winter nights.

Pulsating reverberation

- Never Stop Dreaming -

Yesterday morning, the weather was fairly cold probably around 20 degrees or less and boy was I glad that fall was coming in full force with winter around the corner. It was all good until the weather took a sudden change in the late morning around 10 odd. The Sun melted most of the grey fluffy wonders in the sky before blasting the evil rays of UV to zap the souls below dry. In the short and sudden span of a few hours, the weather channged drastically and THAT caused a near fatal catastrophic pulse reverberating thru the veins leading to my brain. I could feel the acute pain occasionally each time a pulse move thru those veins. The silent internal "Thud" bouncing off the walls of those veins, sent ripples of reverberation into every nano fraction of my head. It was uncomfortable and my head was breaking apart from the inside.

Nausea took control of my mental health the very next minute and I was simply struggling to regain control of the situation. My condition took a turn for the worse and eventually I decided to take 2 aspirin with hopes to ease the pain and spinning visions. Thank God it worked some 20 minutes later and I had pulled thru the day miraculously.

Being devoided of a much waited and delayed call, some pressure built up and I needed a channel to release the steam. I was one angry and emotional revenant seeking a vendetta with the constant vertigo coming back after the aspirin wore off. My breathing became irregular and rapid though I was no where near the top of Fuji suffering from altitude sickness. I really wished someone would spare me the misery and drama altogether since I was clueless about what was in fact going on.

Sat down for a good while before attempting to divert my attention by playing some Sengoku Basara on my PSP. Didn't worked like a charm but at least I killed some time and everything went back to normal a couple of peaceful hours.

It's not good...and simply bad for the weather to pull such fast changes on me. Such phenomenon are beyond my mortally limited control and once again today, it happened again. The sudden weather change...*Sigh*

Save me from my misery...

My Pride, My Joy and My Achievement

- Never Stop Dreaming -

These are 2 of my favorite pictures taken by Yours Truly while assisting Master Brian on one of his important wedding assignment. My first wedding assignment as well and I was pretty stressed out on that day since Master Brian is one well-respected figure in the small industry in SG. It does of course give me a lot of space to explore different perspective and to take photography seriously.

I would really like to convey a big thanks to Master Brian and all the advices, tips and chance that he had given me in a short span of a day for the wedding shoot.
Everything would only have been possible under the kind and patient tutolage of Master Brian.





If you must, visit THE GALERIA for more inspiration works of Master Brian.

What are my options?

- Never Stop Dreaming -

With the mystery of the ramen store on the top of Mt Fuji verified and confirmed it was no longer just some joke making it's way around the masses, I have moved on. With only less than 6 precious months down the road, I am once again put on a huge platter with decisions to me made by me of course. And with each decision I make, it will be either I make it or break it...after all these are life decisions that I am making.

Decisions about work, life, place, passion, etc. I am not sure but pretty much determined to remain here in this land of opportunities.

What's you say? To sail forth or to abandon ship for this mean pirate is about to falter!

Right now I am pretty messed up because I invested more than I should in issues that I shouldn't have dabbled to intensely with. I find myself being attached with a foreign element growing slowing like a cancerous tumor. I don't like it...and I will rid it soon and watch it grow and infest inself from a safe distance.

The weather had turned chilly with fall already flaunting it's prescence and mornings just became lazier. Can't wait for winter to come soon...

A little Joy and I am wanted...

- Never Stop Dreaming -

Somehow the eccentric morning didn't last very long before I was served with a little joy from Facebook that I do take with a lot of pride. You see I tried to shamelessly offer myself to tag along with my brother's wedding PRO photographer during discreet moments of the wedding for other wedding assignments while I was in SG. And guessed what...I succeeded and was rewarded with a volcano of over flowing experience which would have took me years to acquire.

Somehow the 1st assignment was more a a commercial shoot that I proudly tagged along and handled misc. and menial chores like logistics. This I presumed was a test of my patience, attitude and reaction to certain stimulus hurled at me unexpectedly. Though it wasn't explicitly verbal or had me signed any clause, these was all my own presumption since the chance to do such things would have never been possible for me. I took it fairly seriously and skipped lunch with the Master altogether.

The second assignment was even more significant than the first...I was actually offered the position of a second photographer to an actual day wedding photographer. The guidelines were pretty straighforward but I was left to explore my own angles, composition, etc. All these actually came at a price which was that my name would be credited in the works for my effort. I was already suffering from an acute cardiac arrest when those exact words went into my ears.

Today, on Facebook, I was presented a link to the actual complete works by the Master and indeed, some of my works were used. Unfortunately I was shamelessly caught in the line of fire which had me identity splattered along with the stars. Scrolling towards the end of my first maiden marvelous piece of contribution, I saw my name appearing along side the Master's name. It was truly an honor to work along side with the Master whom I really respect. I take this pride of my for a long way into the future with me...

That aside, it seems that my prescence is much needed in various places at this point of time. Another educational facility wants me to grace their 15th Anniversary to do a special class which will have me talking about my country with juicy bits of details, my life in Japan, etc you know that sort of things...It wasn't conditional in anyway and I could have simply declined but I chose to do it anyway since speaking Japanese was a pre-requisite.

Guessed like I am filling my schedule up fast...other things on the list would of course include the drive to various locations to do some filming which I had already started. Niigata, Kiso and Karuizawa are the planned locations at the moment but I am pretty sure the list will extend when the time is right.

So how about you? What have you been up to recently?

090909

- Never Stop Dreaming -

It's a strange day isn't it, to wake up from weird dreams only to find out that the date was equally weird. In the context of the Chinese Language which affects Singapore, Taiwan and Malaysia, the pronounciation of the numbers 9 and 9 together sounds like, "Jiu Jiu" which can be loosely translated to "very long". However, given the superstition of man in general, some may actually attribute it to "Eternity" or "Forever" if the numbers were no longer just a pair of 9s but 3 single digits of 9 stringed together. 090909, September 9th in the year 2009 then becomes an auspicious date according to the Gregorian Calander.

And it was on this strange morning that I woke up with a weird dream. In 3 seperate dreams, I witnessed 3 different situations that triggered mix emotions in me. The 1st one being Grandma leaving me...It was pretty real and really scary since I DON'T wanna lose Grandma. I saw her illusion saying goodbye to me before I ran to her and gave her a Big Big HUG before bursting into tears. Next I saw my Dad going overseas to work and I was not able to see him for a while. In the final one, I saw my brother getting married again but with a different photographer/videographer who was sending "Live" feed of the wedding online. It was just weird...

The weather was weird as well...The morning was completely hidden by thick grey clouds allowing the Sun to shine thru on certain pockets of opening where I could see the baby blue sky above.

No it's not because of the Altitude Sickness I brought back with me from the top of Fuji and surprisingly, the aftermath of hiking Fuji wasn't as bad as when I first hiked Asama. The hike up Asama left me destroyed for almost a week but the recent one up Fuji had me up and kicking in only 3 days. Surprise surprise...

Other interesting issues are that I have been ignored by my favorite animal. I do not seem to know the reason behind it but it is most certainly uncomfortable. So much stories to tell and yet the abscence is raising some patience in me. No updates, no contact and I am clueless about what the hell is going on. A sign, an omen to me perhaps...so how am I suppose to interpret it? Anyway I want to?

It's pretty scary this morning when I felt that everyone around me was leaving me...like how traumatizing it was when Said Zuhari was kept in solitary confinement. I don't want to become primitive and live for myself...I need people around me.

Maybe I am becoming a problem I can't hide...

Mt Fuji still looks better from afar...

- Never Stop Dreaming -

In the end I decided to scale Fuji to catch that epical sunrise on the highest point in all Japan (literally). The weather reports on Friday, 4th September were all giving me the "Clear weather ahead" signals to urge me to go forth and embark on this adventure. The date 4th Sept was exactly 2 months earlier 2 years ago on 4th Nov where I subdued Mt Asama. Hiking and mountain climbing were no where remotely close to the top of my priority list and no where near the bottom as well, in fact they were not even in the list. But since I am in Japan, I would definitely want to do this hike sometime. The main reason why I was super whiny and hesitant about such activities was because I don't exercise at all and I am most definitely not your regular "fit" type of guy. The sad truth is that I am just one fat bloke covered in flammable blubber which might just burst into flames near naked fire. My legs have a hard time getting this huge mass from point to point, so there is always the car complete with air con to do that.

With absolutely no training or whatsoever, I left work on Friday an hour earlier to tie the misc. ends together before going for the night hike. Being totally virgin to this hike, I tend to bring more so to err on the safe side. More food, energy packs, water and clothes. Drove to Komi to dump the car there and switch to public trains. It was drizzling and the skies where the usual gloomy grey giving the "end of days" feeling. Japanese trains leave on the dot which in this case did as I saw another fellow hiker from my group gasped in horror as the train pulled away from her because she was just 3 seconds late! Peered out the window to catch the dying lights of the Friday evening before receiving a phone call 20 minutes later, halfway down the train journey that suggested I bailed the train and go back, pick up my car and drive the late comers to the meeting place. I declined since I had no intention to veer from my original plan that was NOT to drive there. Reached Kobuchizawa some 1 hour plus later to find out that the convoy that was suppose to pick me up was late. Upon seeing a foreigner stranger with a huge pack that resembled a hiker, I chatted with him thinking that he was from my group since it was just not usual to have a hiker that late in the station. It turned out he wasn't from my group and was going to somewhere else. Nonetheless that killed the waiting time and I was whisked away to Fuji moments to my doom.

The journey to Fuji via the highway wasn't pleasant at all...though it was smooth, we were racing thru a massive thunder storm. Lightning, rain pounding, wipers sweeping frantically and reduced vision were all the signs that I needed to convince me to bail on this hike. Though I was and am still a huge fan of rain and storms but not in dire situations where I needed to expose myself to the elements for a cause. We kept a decent conversation throughout the journey in the little 660cc car, deep inside my head, the little voices were whispering to me, "Abandon the hike, it's not too late to do it now. " There were no angels this time to say anything convincing...Alas, we exited the highway when we passed the monstrous rollercoaster steel structure glimmering off the heavy rain and onto the foot of Mt. Fuji. Pulled up into a nearby spot to liaise with the rest of the convoy. Made another trip to a nearby convenient store amidst waiting for the rest which I stupidly stocked up more riceballs fearing that I might need them. Soon the rain stopped altogether and the fullmoon greeted me in full glory with only some strands of Cirrus illuminated with a faint yellowish outline. "God, so I guessed this is how it's supposed to be huh?" I thought to myself since this journey to hike Fuji was an accumulation of highs and lows that somehow confused me.

Then our tiny car began to crawl up the winding road to the 5th station where the hike was supposed to start. Somewhere along the journey up a huge massive silhouette of a cone shook me up pretty badly. The moonlight was so beautiful and bright to cast this silhouette of Mt Fuji so close to me against a cloudless back drop of the deep blue sky. It was the first time in my life that I actually came THIS close to a monster so huge...I was speechless for a while recovering from shock as I tried to figure out what the tiny lights lined up in a single file on Mt Fuji was. In the end, my friend in the car said, "Those are the lights of the different stations up Fuji. Fuji looks pretty small from here." Well literally he was right in the fact that Fuji did look pretty doable from the bottom up and not really that massive afterall. But from past experiences, I knew that looking from the bottom up a mountain was never the way to judge how high it was...our eyes and our presumption were always full of errors. Many times during the journey up, I had really wanted to dig my camera out to capture one of the most beautiful and priceless moonlit night scene I had ever seen but since we were already behind schedule, I decided not to and just kept them for my own personal memory sake. For that I truly apologized since no amount of wordy description could paint the actually scene.

Finally we reached the designated car park where there were at least 100 odd cars. This was an indication that we were about to be joined by heaps of other climbers up somewhere along the hike to the summit. Met the rest of our climbing crew from 2 other separate cars, geared up (My backpack was seriously overweight!) and proceeded to the one and only shop to get the sacred "Tsue" (杖).

Basically the Tsue is a fine piece of wooden hexagonal climbing stick that varied in heights and accessories. Some had bells, some had country flags (The usual Japanese / American ones only!) and some had a piece of different colored cloth covering only the top section. 2 sets of 4 kanjis were written on the cloth, "6 sides of peace and Mt. Fuji climbing stick". The prices varied as well depending on the accessories. I picked the most expensive one (the one with the cloth cover) for ¥1,300 because the bells would probably irritated the hell outta me, the flags were meaningless and the one with the cloth resembled the Buddhist "Kongotsue" (金剛杖) which I got it online after failing to find it in Kyoto. The unique thing was that this fine Tsue had a burnt insignia on it which was branded by a hot metal seal. As one proceed to different stations along the trail up, one could accumulate more seals ranging from ¥200 to ¥300 which of course feature different designs. I had read about this Tsue from numerous forums online and was already determined that I would not be able to get it since we were climbing outside the official climbing season. Holding the sacred and magical Tsue firmly in my palm before we set off did boosted my moral slightly. Took a breather, a group shot and made 4 things-to-do-at-the-summit entries in my head.

1. To catch the epical sunrise since this was the MAIN PURPOSE of climbing this monster.

2. Collect some "sacred" stones at the top for souvenirs since I don't think I would wanna do insane stints like this again.

3. Hurl a coin into the crater and make a wish and hope it comes true so I can tell others about it.

4. Since I got the Tsue I only wanted the seal at the summit to remind myself that I made an accomplishment.

With everything set, I popped my headlamp, glanced at the 10.22pm digits on my watch, pushed the tiny buttons on my watch to record the altitude change for the ascend and started what was about to be the most insane journey that I had embarked on. No pictures again since I only wanted to the sunrise and besides I was already behind the scheduled time.

Starting off the 5th station was relatively a breeze thru a short section of soft, moist (possibly due to the rain earlier) sandy path before a steep narrow route (the right trail upon reaching the twin forked intersection) up the trees covered path. Though this was only the beginning of the steep journey up, I could already feel my leg muscle straining hard. That was what you would get for not having prior training and doing silly stunts like this. After I exited from the trees, I was greeted by a string of lights consisting of tiny headlamps and big bright incandescent lamps (BBL) from the stations up above. The trail up was lined in a zig zag manner on the GIGANTIC black cone silhouette with the fullmoon smiling behind and gazillions stars twinkling. Once again the path was nothing more than a collection of relatively gentle slopes in volcanic sand and small rocks. There were occasional steps like stairs leading up to a rest station which I presumed was the 6th station or 7th station (can't remember). As I approached more zig zag path which were clearly visible even without my headlamp, and each time I looked up at those BBLs, I told myself I would only stop to rest when I reach them. Fatigue and the lack of training were already taking its toll on me but the Tsue was indeed helpful in assisting each step I took. One step at a time, I took it relatively slow with other hikers passing me to demoralize me. Stopped somewhere eventually for an energy pack, rested for no more than 3 minutes and moved on. Upon reaching the 1st station (not sure which one was it), it was thronged with hikers who rested, smoked and did everything else to keep them going on strong. I took a good look at the station and rested before moving on. Built like a log cabin, inside were tatami mats, climbing gear, snacks and other accessories and a small altar. Outside there were benches where one could view the beautiful land below sleeping like an innocent child. Listening to the sound of rumbling compressors to keep the lights and power going, I squeezed the remainder of my energy pack and admired the scene for one last moment, looked at the other hikers wheezing their O2 canisters before heading out again.

More of those sandy trails with small rocks but as I progressed, they were getting steeper as seen from pictures of Fuji. Looking back down was not a good idea since I was already pretty high up (more than 2,400 metres) and the zig zag lines of lights below were a little scary. The chilly wind blew past and I felt pretty comfortable as I raised my head up again to appreciate the moon and stars. The BBLs beaming from next couple of stations became both an inspiration icon and a much dreaded one to me as I approached them. You see when you looked up at them whilst moving up, you tell yourself that you MUST get then before taking a break. They looked like there were easily reachable since it only took me about an hour to reach the first one. WRONG! They were becoming a hassle and much harder to reach...and each time after reaching them, the trail continues and becomes steeper. "Bloody hell, Fuji is such a bitch!" came thru my lips as I forced myself to carry on. There were a series of 8th stations along the way so don't be fooled upon reaching the 1st of the series of 8th stations. From the last 8th station to the 9th station, it would be brutal since the comfortable albeit steep path were replaced with insane rocky formations. Literally I was like scaling an almost vertical cliff of dangerous rocks less the carabiners, harness and ropes. At times I would find myself dragging my ass up a rock surface almost the height of my chest. The entire route was lined on both sides with ropes but was wide enough for one to choose which way to ascend. Either way it was tough and strenuous which made me felt like giving up each time I reached a rest station. More hikers thronged the stations as it got higher and each exit I took to ascend higher from the stations, I would really really feel like turning back and giving up. So many times I questioned myself if I should carry on and would I really be able to summit. My right knee had already taken its toll and was screaming out in pain with each step I took...I could not bend it properly and had to take single climbing steps to relieve the pain. Nonetheless, I was mentally determined but physically handicapped to continue.

Somewhere along the 2,850 odd metres into those ridiculous rocky climbs, I was already worn thin by fatigue. Then to sink further into agonizing despair, I had a cramp in my RIGHT calf after attempting to push myself up one menacing rock. Sat there, took a breather and enjoyed the view from the top, blocked other hikers and forced them to take a different route, drank some Pocari Sweat and squeezed more energy packs before pressing on. The Pocari Sweat did ease off the pain for a while before the cramps came back. Shifted the weight to my left leg instead to release some pressure on my right calf...Like the will of some strange God abandoning my plight, my LEFT thigh started to have cramps too! Now I was really screwed since I was half way up and a long way down, immobilized and hurting, pissed and no way to go except up. Altitude sickness also settled in on me as each time I lifted my head to look at those BBLs or to look down at the sleeping land, I would feel nauseous. Took some rest here and there and emptied my mind of everything, gritted my teeth and proceeded all the way (slowly of course) to the 9th station before calling it quits. It seemed like an eternity of cruel torture lashed out mercilessly on me frail body as I treaded with caution all the way up to the 9th Station. The incline was now almost reaching the exponential part of a graph and the scene of of it was like those seen in the Himalayas, protruding rock formations carved like steps leading up to the top stations along an almost vertical face of the unsightly cliff. It was now 900 metres (not sure it was elevation or distance) to the summit according to a sign and it was already 2 minutes past 4 in the morning. A lot more hikers now crammed this last base before the summit and there was a long queue up. The horizon had a faint light bluish gradient hinting the sunrise soon and I was desperate. I had no more time to spare and had just 2 choices which leads to the same goal..

1. Bail out, sit out and catch the sunrise from this base...which I still had to summit at sometime since there was no other trail down Fuji...

2. Summit, catch the sunrise and descend...

In light of desperate moments like this, any contingency plans would have worked but I had none. I pulled out some precious thoughts from my memory, some beautiful faces and whispered, "For you I shall complete this feat." Finished up more energy packs, sipped some Pocari Sweat and in an instance, I blazed up like a wild raging Hellfire unleashing Armegeddon on everything else except the thought to summit and complete what I had set out for. Only 900 freaking metres up, there was absolutely no way I would give up when I was this close to the top. I chose to go forth and complete this hike, passing the massive idiotic hikers jamming the one way path up and occasionally treading off the designated route. I could feel the sudden surge in adrenalin and energy within me each time I had thoughts about how time was running out for me to summit to catch my epical sunrise. There were pockets of left over snow everywhere to distract me but I was only eyeing the tiny Tori gate which became more visible with each seconds ticking by. It was no longer the silent silhouette of the night watching viciously at foolish hikers, even the pair of Stone Lions guarding the summit in front of the Tori gate were vividly visible in the distance. I gave it my everything I'd got, kept the Tori gate in my line of sight and hunted in like an injured prey. When I was like just a couple of metres more before reaching the pair of stone lions, I could feel the agonizing pain in my body vanishing magically. I stretched out my hands and felt the cold stone lions majestically watching each hiker as they passed thru, closed my eyes and rested. I knew that I had made it...to the summit just minutes short of 5 am. It was a moment of pure bliss and self-realization for me, rebirth, reborn and rejoice! There was one last station at the summit which was now pretty packed so I chose to steal a nice spot behind one of the stone lions and unpacked my gear only to find myself trembling in the cold, totally drained. Still I fought on to pull out my baby camera and snapped some decent pictures, changed filters and snapped more pictures. That was about as much usable energy as I could harnessed...

The sunrise was indeed beautiful like a view from an airplane's window less the cabin pressure, reflective coatings on the window and the tiny confined frame of the window. Each second passed and the horizon brightened a little until a tiny glimmering ball of light greeted everyone on the summit. There were exclamations of joy, delight and accomplishment singing in the air but I wasn't echoing with any of it for I knew my much battered body was slowly succumbing to the cold. I took a little while more to enjoy my much deserved break since every other breaks that I took on the way up lasted no longer than 10 minutes. By 5:20 am the sun was already scorching and no longer the gentle baby first light of Sept 5th. I made my way pass hikers posing for pictures at the summit to the shop to brand my Tsue only to find it closed. Pissed to the point that I felt like torching everything up there and razed it to ashes, I met my hike leader and the rest who congratulated me. Ventured off to collect some stone samples and looked over to the crater in the middle of Fuji. Was just too tired to even toss a stone in front of me so I chose to skip my 3rd to-do-at-the-summit list.

By 5:30 am my group started to descend with an incredible speed which left me limping in the distance. Guessed like everyone wasn't troubled by the hike up though I heard some saying that the altitude sickness had them leaving some bile and undigested dinner up there. While descending slowly I questioned myself how silly I was to haul up so much unnecessary stuffs which were not utilized in the end. All those weight, all those burden and all those stupid and unnecessary over zealous preparations...

1. Ate none of the 4 riceballs I brought up.

2. Finished only 0.5 litres of the 2.5 litres I brought up.

3. Wasn't even cold enough to pull out my fleece jacket.

4. Wasn't even necessary for me to use a warm head gear.

5. Didn't even need extra batteries or a headlamp.

6. Didn't even need extra socks.

Without all these, the climb would have been relatively easier...Took me approximately 6.5 hours to summit from base 5 and another brutal 5 hours to descend on the wrong side of the mountain. The Subarashi Route to descend was the wrong one that I took but was also the fastest one. Why was it the fastest one I thought when all these while from the summit, it was just smooth, soft and comfortable dirt tracks that I walked on. Then came my much needed answer...the route converged into a tiny funnel and then it was an insanely steep, almost 4 to 5 km of a long, continuous stretch of volcanic ash covered dirt trail down. Though the dirt was soft to actually run, hop and slide with incredible speed down, I could do none except to take one step at a time given my busted knee and tearing leg muscles. The sun was slapping my face directly with burns and I had no other way to avoid it. The view was breath taking with the lakes, forests, land formations and winding roads all in sight. I had no chance, no energy and no effort to pull out my camera...I wasn't even admiring the view but the fact that this was in front of me and I had not other way to descend but in the this particular direction. All that was inside my head was to end this misery that I had got myself into and lie on my comfortable bed. There was no end to everything and I had been up since Friday morning, deprived of any sleep and energy. I was one really angry hiker descending Mt Fuji...

Then as the trail was about to come to an end, I checked my watch for the altitude. Since I left off at 2255 metres from the 5th station earlier, I knew all these was about to end as the digits read "2500". I knew I wasn't far and in the distance I could see a man waiting for fellow hikers...As I descended closer to the 2255 marked, I was becoming more relieved...soon I found myself descending to the 2100 mark as I closed in on the gentleman at the bottom of the trail. Sound of an engine rumbling could be heard and I thought that was the bus which was supposed to take me to the other 5th station. Relieved, I went a little faster with hopes to end this misery earlier without even realizing the pain becoming more unbearable.

In the worst ever disgusting utter horror served to me, the gentleman was actually manning a kiosk with some other elderly folks trying to conspicously deceive me into buying drinks priced exorbitantly (elevation tax) and resting in some sort of rest area. The sound of the engine, PUI! was nothing more than the compressor trying to keep the fridges cold! If i had a gun I would have shot him and everyone else resting there...I was even thinking to beating the crap outta him with my Tsue. I forced an extremely reluctant sarcasm filled smile at him while he evilly grinned and said, "Only 2 km more...you can do it!" I made my way into the last section of a forested path which was even more difficult for me since there were more steps but at least the canopy sheltered the sun and it was pretty cooling to go thru it. It was funny though as I had observed...in the forest there were 2 paths, one for ascending Fuji and one for descending. The ascending one was smooth and well paved while the descending one was just some unsightly badly beaten path with tree roots sprouting, uneven and dangerous drops. Wonder which brainless F***wit came up with such an idea to further torment damaged and incredibly pissed hikers like me in search of the next victim to ghost. In the end, I crossed over to the ascending path and briskly strolled down until I reached a small dedicated shrine and descended down the very last, beautifully constructed heavenly stone steps to civilization. Looking back up, I had really wanted to desercrate the mountain, the routes so that no one could ever go thru this awful ordeal in a huge flammable blubber suit.

More mental trauma awaits me in the little village below...

Army Reservist in Japan

- Never Stop Dreaming -

With the weather reports, live cams and bright sun rays melting the clouds this morning, I guessed I am fated to hike up Mt Fuji. Loaded up almost everything I need into a pack, whisked it up sunggly on my back and boy it felt heavy. Despite removing every other unnecessary weight like key chains, carabiners, small misc items, the pack when fully loaded feels no lighter than a regular Singapore Armed Forces full battle order field pack. The main bulk of the weight are the 1.5 litres of Pocari Sweat, the 1.0 litre of Nalgene water and the Canon 5Dmk2 + EF24-70 + 580EXII. Although the snowboarding Burton Jacket feels a little heavy, these are gonna keep me warm up there in freezing temperatures.

I walked a little around my humble mountain shack with only the pack...not too sure if I can really haul this "fridge" up Fuji. I wasn't even clad in climbing gear...Seriously I wasn't the least excited about this hike, I even felt like abandoning it. But as soon as the beautiful rays of the morning sun filtered thru the reverse grey sea and weather reports screaming fine weather, the enthusiasm kicked in and I felt a surge in my adrenalin. Still the weight of the pack felt wrong but at least mentally I was a tiny bit happy about it. Kept telling myself that the water will get depleted along the way to keep me hydrated so it will be alright.

I really hate the army daze back in SG and one of the reason why I am here in Jpn was to escape the reservist since I had already gave up some precious youth to the gah men. So right now I am just your regular couch potato, blubber throbbing over-weight bloke feasting off more food. I am just totally unprepared for this hike and putting everything together seems like I am actually doing the army reservist here in Japan and much worse, up Fuji in thin oxygen.

Looking back I had made it up Asama some 2 years ago without any prior training only to find myself struggling at the last hundred metres taking baby steps. Body ached and felt like everything was falling apart after the hike and recuperated for 2 full weeks! This one at Fuji...would probably be a killer as compared to Asama but now I really really want to do it. So be prepared for my curses and swears after the hike...

P.S. I have a wish and that is to pick up some managable pieces of rocks at the summit (that is if I do make it) as souvenirs for myself and others who I supposed will never make it up to Fuji.

God Bless and God Speed

No coins to decide for me...

- Never Stop Dreaming -

With just 2 days away from the epical hike up Fuji, yes I know I mentioned "Epical" because I am 101% sure I will have trouble hauling those excess blubber around me up this iconic mountain. Not only that I will have to haul up water, camera gear, food, warm clothes, etc. In fact as the day draws closer, I am actually more reluctant than enthusiastic about it. No training prior except some 60 squats exercise on Monday which left my thighs aching till last nite. Not sure if I am able to complete this one...

Threw in some minimal expenses for the hike, a pair of good thick hiking "Made in Japan" socks, O2 tablets, energy gels, ankle support (my ankle is pretty messed up) and an incandescent head torch. Damage was about ￥5,000, some time and gas expanded.

These equipment stare at me in the face urging me to go forth and reach for the sky but on the other hand, the weather forecast and my blubbly condition reckon me to reconsider. In most instances, aka Two Face, a coin would decide on my behalf but not this time. I may be hauling some decent gear there but I am giving myself a choice that is, when the weather doesn't seems favorable to me, I am bailing. No need to feel remorseful since the MAIN REASON I want to do this hike is to catch the sunrise on the top. If I can't do that then I really see no point going for it since it's really not the experience or anything else that I am hoping for.

Still skeptical and undecided but nonetheless, I am hitching a ride to base 5 of Mt Fuji to see the conditions.

Will be carrying only the 24-70, 5D and flash up...no tripod. Will be clad in my Altama Desert Boots (in freezing conditions!), fleece jacket, snowboarding jacket and pants, gloves and a trapper hat. Other space in my backpack will be filled up the essential stuffs to make it to the top, hopefuly.

Brats...what have I got myself into???

No more Nike Air(holes) for me...

- Never Stop Dreaming -

My beloved Nike Zoom Air deflated mysteriously last week to my utter horror! Paul Rodriguez full black suede Nike Zoom Air Low with red laces and stealthy red brand names,



No am not a skater no more and these babies are used indoors for a while. Nothing harsh like soap shoes, wheelies or anything extreme except subtle walking from point A to point B. I can't see how the perfectly intact gum rubber soles, the outer suede are all in great condition with minimal wear and tear and the Nike so called Air sole or cushion or what ever crap that is just deflate by itself. Screw Nike for this as I have lost any faith in Nike Air Crap products. They are made with pride to fail with no forms of abuse. This is a pro skate shoe by the way designed by P. Rod himself and it a fantastically gorgeous shoe to look at but don't ever wear them because they don't last very long...and they will mysteriously deflate and leave you walking with a hollow heel that hurts and generate lots of noise aka baby shoes that squeak!

This is in fact the second time a Nike Air holes had failed me so that's it for Nike Air Holes, No more lousy Air Holes for me! I really do like these shoes very much but I guessed I simply had enuff and into the bins in Japan are where these shoes are going less the bright red laces of course.

In consolation, I had opted to switch to good old gum rubber, full suede (Yes I am happy to confess that I have a suede shoe fetish) no lousy Air holes soles skate shoes that are just simple in design, simple in construction, good for the environment, durable and last a long time over Nike Air holes anytime. eS Accel which is the flagship shoe from the start till now and possibly one of the best skate shoes around. I bought 0.5 size smaller than the usual size so that when the shoe breaks in, my foot will be snuggly in place and not swim in the shoe causing a massive foot swamp! A little narrow on the inside so my little toe had almost no room. Now that they have sort of broken in a little, it fits perfectly, looks great, comfortable and not worry about deflating Air hole soles!