- 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...
Showing posts with label Camera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Camera. Show all posts
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
An Epic Begins Here...
- Never Stop Dreaming -
Finally after the long wait it's finally over...or is it just the beginning? I was in Tokyo over the weekend after trailing some charts resembling economic supply and demand representations here in Nagano for over a month. Met up with another fellow SGrean in Tokyo, A, another avid photographer. A was amazing laid back, suave and blended into the Japanese community just like me...but deep in our hearts, we are still very much the Kampung Kids from back home craving for the occasional Laksa and Mee Siam.
The temperature and humidity in Tokyo was relatively similiar to that in SG and despite me coming down from Nagano (dressed to kill), I soon found myself at the mercy of the intense heat. I was literally melting as the scorching heat zapped me of my life-sustaining fluids. To preserve my egoistic image in Tokyo, I disrobed my Jacket only to lost the Iphone I found 6 months earlier, !"#$%&'! Found it and lost it...guess like I am not fated to be with it. Walked around with A following my crumpled map with faded colors printed from a not so decent printer. Kinda reminded me of those SAF topo days...2 of the locations were stripped of the gem I was desperately seeking. I had brought hard cold cash...20 odd pieces of freshly scented Japanese bank notes with no crases ready to spurge them. Finally after sweating so badly, A and I made it to the 3rd and last location which I had mapped. 2 pieces left and I was unable to do a physical check.
Counted those 20 odd pieces of bank notes and handly them reluctantly to the shopkeeper in exchange for a white glossy box in a brown paper bag. A bit relieved since my main motive for this trip down to Tokyo was fulfilled. The nearby Mac at Akiba was the obvious choice for a well deserved break where I unboxed the gem and tested it out. Had brought along a 35L to do the test because of the shallow 1.4 depth of focus (think creamy buttery smooth blurred background with the subject in crispy clear focus!). The shutter count read 0 which of course meant it was brand new and not tested (I presumed). Vid went smooth, pictures were sweet and the sound of the mirror flipping was a little more beautiful than my old one. After the initial checks, I went to Akiba to grab some nice P.L.D filters before parting ways with A who had to attend to personal biz. Anyway a really BIG thanks to A who accompanied me thru this sweaty ordeal.
A mixture of anxiety and dispair filled me as I made my way to Harajuku to meet M, my model from Kyoto. Chilled out for a while at a sweet cafe in Harajuku before heading to Shibuya for my dinner alone since M had a dinner date with her family. Aldgate, which I found thru the net was where I wanted to go for my dinner since I have been craving for decent Fish and Chips. Besides Aldgate was a British Pub with a rather rustic medieval setting. The Fish and Chips were not as fantastic as what the net had described but the British Ale, (Aldgate's Ale) was amazing. Along the years my alcoholic escapades had led me to salivate over a pint of Old Irish or British Ale and this place surely didn't disappont. Kilkenny(s) were superb and my all time favorite but still nothing beats a local British Ale. Too bad such an exquisite taste is not a fad for 1 huge hairy beast of the forest, the Mighty but Tiny Bear...Haha! :p
Since I was alone, drinking alone in a pub would be one of the last thing I want to do. Went over to another table of 3 Japanese girls to join them for a drink since everywhere else were either non-Japanese or Japanese guys. Was really really really taken by surprise to discover that one of the girls was actually the daughter of a Japanese teacher in the next town from mine in Nagano where my friend, another foreigner, taught! What a coincidence...brats! Came some 246km from Nagano to Tokyo and only to find another fellow country bump like meself...how hilarious!
After that, I kinda wanted to do some partying to re-discover my dancing roots but in the end, I skipped that since my funds were slowly being depleted and I had to start getting aquainted with my new TOY!. Well, initially I had planned to party thru the nite to conserve funds but the amount of dirt that I had built up after all that unpleasant sweating experience in the day was just intolerable. All I want now is a nice comfy bed and a shower. Had a confirmation with C that I was granted permission to crash at her place and I knew God had heard my thoughts eventhough I didn't pray. So grateful to C for lending me a shelter for the night for free so I obliged to her request for watching a DVD with her. Her choice was Batman The Dark Knight. At her place, before the movie began, I was testing out my uber expensive TOY for dead pixels on my Mac...thank God there were none visible (Maybe I was testing it wrongly...not sure). Played around a bit more with the 35L 1.4 at movie settings before sealing it back in the bubble wrap. Then the movie began and I snoozed 3/4 towards the end till the morning. While in my little dreamland, I could vividly hear C calling me to wake up and watch it as the plot got deeper. Her disturbance got no further...Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Woke up in the morning covered in sweat...dang! Took a fast shower and conveyed my gratitude to C who was still in her zombie sleep before taking off. Boarded the 12.30 bus and continued to snooze till I hit Nagano and then my humble mountain shack. Popped in the battery and it was here where the epical journey of the Canon 5D Mk 2 begins....
Finally after the long wait it's finally over...or is it just the beginning? I was in Tokyo over the weekend after trailing some charts resembling economic supply and demand representations here in Nagano for over a month. Met up with another fellow SGrean in Tokyo, A, another avid photographer. A was amazing laid back, suave and blended into the Japanese community just like me...but deep in our hearts, we are still very much the Kampung Kids from back home craving for the occasional Laksa and Mee Siam.
The temperature and humidity in Tokyo was relatively similiar to that in SG and despite me coming down from Nagano (dressed to kill), I soon found myself at the mercy of the intense heat. I was literally melting as the scorching heat zapped me of my life-sustaining fluids. To preserve my egoistic image in Tokyo, I disrobed my Jacket only to lost the Iphone I found 6 months earlier, !"#$%&'! Found it and lost it...guess like I am not fated to be with it. Walked around with A following my crumpled map with faded colors printed from a not so decent printer. Kinda reminded me of those SAF topo days...2 of the locations were stripped of the gem I was desperately seeking. I had brought hard cold cash...20 odd pieces of freshly scented Japanese bank notes with no crases ready to spurge them. Finally after sweating so badly, A and I made it to the 3rd and last location which I had mapped. 2 pieces left and I was unable to do a physical check.
Counted those 20 odd pieces of bank notes and handly them reluctantly to the shopkeeper in exchange for a white glossy box in a brown paper bag. A bit relieved since my main motive for this trip down to Tokyo was fulfilled. The nearby Mac at Akiba was the obvious choice for a well deserved break where I unboxed the gem and tested it out. Had brought along a 35L to do the test because of the shallow 1.4 depth of focus (think creamy buttery smooth blurred background with the subject in crispy clear focus!). The shutter count read 0 which of course meant it was brand new and not tested (I presumed). Vid went smooth, pictures were sweet and the sound of the mirror flipping was a little more beautiful than my old one. After the initial checks, I went to Akiba to grab some nice P.L.D filters before parting ways with A who had to attend to personal biz. Anyway a really BIG thanks to A who accompanied me thru this sweaty ordeal.
A mixture of anxiety and dispair filled me as I made my way to Harajuku to meet M, my model from Kyoto. Chilled out for a while at a sweet cafe in Harajuku before heading to Shibuya for my dinner alone since M had a dinner date with her family. Aldgate, which I found thru the net was where I wanted to go for my dinner since I have been craving for decent Fish and Chips. Besides Aldgate was a British Pub with a rather rustic medieval setting. The Fish and Chips were not as fantastic as what the net had described but the British Ale, (Aldgate's Ale) was amazing. Along the years my alcoholic escapades had led me to salivate over a pint of Old Irish or British Ale and this place surely didn't disappont. Kilkenny(s) were superb and my all time favorite but still nothing beats a local British Ale. Too bad such an exquisite taste is not a fad for 1 huge hairy beast of the forest, the Mighty but Tiny Bear...Haha! :p
Since I was alone, drinking alone in a pub would be one of the last thing I want to do. Went over to another table of 3 Japanese girls to join them for a drink since everywhere else were either non-Japanese or Japanese guys. Was really really really taken by surprise to discover that one of the girls was actually the daughter of a Japanese teacher in the next town from mine in Nagano where my friend, another foreigner, taught! What a coincidence...brats! Came some 246km from Nagano to Tokyo and only to find another fellow country bump like meself...how hilarious!
After that, I kinda wanted to do some partying to re-discover my dancing roots but in the end, I skipped that since my funds were slowly being depleted and I had to start getting aquainted with my new TOY!. Well, initially I had planned to party thru the nite to conserve funds but the amount of dirt that I had built up after all that unpleasant sweating experience in the day was just intolerable. All I want now is a nice comfy bed and a shower. Had a confirmation with C that I was granted permission to crash at her place and I knew God had heard my thoughts eventhough I didn't pray. So grateful to C for lending me a shelter for the night for free so I obliged to her request for watching a DVD with her. Her choice was Batman The Dark Knight. At her place, before the movie began, I was testing out my uber expensive TOY for dead pixels on my Mac...thank God there were none visible (Maybe I was testing it wrongly...not sure). Played around a bit more with the 35L 1.4 at movie settings before sealing it back in the bubble wrap. Then the movie began and I snoozed 3/4 towards the end till the morning. While in my little dreamland, I could vividly hear C calling me to wake up and watch it as the plot got deeper. Her disturbance got no further...Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Woke up in the morning covered in sweat...dang! Took a fast shower and conveyed my gratitude to C who was still in her zombie sleep before taking off. Boarded the 12.30 bus and continued to snooze till I hit Nagano and then my humble mountain shack. Popped in the battery and it was here where the epical journey of the Canon 5D Mk 2 begins....
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
What more camera stuffs AGAIN?!
- Never Stop Dreaming -
Ha...yes that's so right. I can't seem to distant myself from getting cosy with camera related news, updates, prices, stockpile, etc. Can't be help since I will be dropping a huge A Bomb amount of cash on the 5Dmk2 soon. While checking out the various lens prices, I am also keeping track of the price fluctuation of the 5Dmk2. While the Recommended Retail Price (RRP) is usually super expensive because that's the price set by the company and sometimes, absent-minded consumers might just fall for it altogether. The price that I am actually trailing is the street price to be exact...this price actually fluctuates over time and it reflects the supply and demand of the consumer. So it would be most advisable to buy it at the lowest possible.
In fact the price of the 5Dmk2 was declining steadily over the months until Canon officially confirm the release of the much disputed firmware update to manually control the settings on the vid functions. With that piece of anvil-weighted news, the demands of the 5Dmk2 have suddenly took an adverse sharp spike up. This probably propelled the street price to move upwards since the sudden surge in demand will exceed the current supply. Of course if you plot the economic equilibrium chart, when demand exceeds supply, price will increase. While I do hope that the sudden demand will even out over time to decrease the price further, the mentality of all those advocates and converts of the 5Dmk2 are hard to predict with any degree of certainty.
Right now I can only hope for the price to fall further or alternatively I could visit the shops and offer to purchase an X amount of 5Dmk2 so that they will lower the price. Either way I am still getting it way cheaper than it will be in SG simply because the 5Dmk2 is made in Japan (free of lead and melamine of course!). It will be a while before I actually go get them but I can say most of my daily routine have been inevitably filled with anything that have either direct or indirect linkage to the 5Dmk2. It's in my dreams, it's in my food, it's in my eyes, it's here, there and everywhere. It's getting pretty crazy expanding all usable energy.
Then there was a piece of news from my fellow teachers that coming near Summer, there will be fantastic places to catch fireflies dance in the evenings and painting streaks of golden lines late into the night. Wow....I am all os excited.
Here are 2 lenses that I have currently set my eyes on. The EF70-200mm F2.8L IS USM for longer reach and telephotos, subject isolation and bokeh and sniping innocent targets. But this massive beast will have to wait because the price tag slapped on it is hefty too. Next is at the lower end of the spectrum, the ultra wide angle EF17-40mm F4.0L for fantastic landscape and scenematic magic. Since I do not need specific subject isolation or creamy bokeh for wide angles, this baby is just right with the affordable price as well. The other sibling EF16-35mm cost 3 times as much but I doubt it's worth it since I will not be using the 2.8 for bokeh shots. Both lenses I am actually looking at the second hand market simply because I am really not intrigued for first hands at these babies. Since acquiring my first second hand EF24-70mm F2.8L wonder, I have been a little less picky due to monetary concerns.
So many things at hand at the moment but everything is about the 5Dmk2 and nothing else.
Ha...yes that's so right. I can't seem to distant myself from getting cosy with camera related news, updates, prices, stockpile, etc. Can't be help since I will be dropping a huge A Bomb amount of cash on the 5Dmk2 soon. While checking out the various lens prices, I am also keeping track of the price fluctuation of the 5Dmk2. While the Recommended Retail Price (RRP) is usually super expensive because that's the price set by the company and sometimes, absent-minded consumers might just fall for it altogether. The price that I am actually trailing is the street price to be exact...this price actually fluctuates over time and it reflects the supply and demand of the consumer. So it would be most advisable to buy it at the lowest possible.
In fact the price of the 5Dmk2 was declining steadily over the months until Canon officially confirm the release of the much disputed firmware update to manually control the settings on the vid functions. With that piece of anvil-weighted news, the demands of the 5Dmk2 have suddenly took an adverse sharp spike up. This probably propelled the street price to move upwards since the sudden surge in demand will exceed the current supply. Of course if you plot the economic equilibrium chart, when demand exceeds supply, price will increase. While I do hope that the sudden demand will even out over time to decrease the price further, the mentality of all those advocates and converts of the 5Dmk2 are hard to predict with any degree of certainty.
Right now I can only hope for the price to fall further or alternatively I could visit the shops and offer to purchase an X amount of 5Dmk2 so that they will lower the price. Either way I am still getting it way cheaper than it will be in SG simply because the 5Dmk2 is made in Japan (free of lead and melamine of course!). It will be a while before I actually go get them but I can say most of my daily routine have been inevitably filled with anything that have either direct or indirect linkage to the 5Dmk2. It's in my dreams, it's in my food, it's in my eyes, it's here, there and everywhere. It's getting pretty crazy expanding all usable energy.
Then there was a piece of news from my fellow teachers that coming near Summer, there will be fantastic places to catch fireflies dance in the evenings and painting streaks of golden lines late into the night. Wow....I am all os excited.
Here are 2 lenses that I have currently set my eyes on. The EF70-200mm F2.8L IS USM for longer reach and telephotos, subject isolation and bokeh and sniping innocent targets. But this massive beast will have to wait because the price tag slapped on it is hefty too. Next is at the lower end of the spectrum, the ultra wide angle EF17-40mm F4.0L for fantastic landscape and scenematic magic. Since I do not need specific subject isolation or creamy bokeh for wide angles, this baby is just right with the affordable price as well. The other sibling EF16-35mm cost 3 times as much but I doubt it's worth it since I will not be using the 2.8 for bokeh shots. Both lenses I am actually looking at the second hand market simply because I am really not intrigued for first hands at these babies. Since acquiring my first second hand EF24-70mm F2.8L wonder, I have been a little less picky due to monetary concerns.
So many things at hand at the moment but everything is about the 5Dmk2 and nothing else.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Lethal Poison
- Never Stop Dreaming -
Somehow I was always thinking that I was alone in this conquest for the capture of the perfect beast untill yesterday. I found out that the lethal poison have since spread to another fellow friend who have since joined me in the conquest...there are no known cure or antidote to date but globally, the infected figures are pretty scary. Of course I feel really relieve since I am not alone on this anymore...besides the slight difference in the place that we might be unleashing this beast when we catch it.
Still lost...ok the Canon 5Dmk2 is the beast...and I have another confirm buyer from SG so it's Tokyo by the end of the month and 2 sets of the Canon 5Dmk2! Since it's cheaper to get it here in Japan, I wouldn't hesistate to piggy back a few extra sets back to SG for fanatics like myself. In fact it's an honor to render an elite service to them as well so Thank You Dear X so much for being so gracious to join me at the last minute. It sure makes me feel warm with confidence since I now have a personal friend who shares crazy and insane passion like myself.
Now comes the tedious part...the physical checking of the camera. I have gathered intel from various sources and have screen the list to just a handful of shops. It's these shops that I will haul my Mac down to to pixel peep each 5D for hot, dead or stuck pixels. Hopefully the shop will allow me to do so since it's a massive amount of money that I am parting with. I really can't imagine that buying a brand new camera is more expensive that a 2000cc Honda Accord that I am driving...simply unfathomable!
What like what W had said, resistance is futile when you know you want it. Anyway I am just really grateful and glad that I could have someone else to join me and that mere fact alone is just...sweet!
Somehow I was always thinking that I was alone in this conquest for the capture of the perfect beast untill yesterday. I found out that the lethal poison have since spread to another fellow friend who have since joined me in the conquest...there are no known cure or antidote to date but globally, the infected figures are pretty scary. Of course I feel really relieve since I am not alone on this anymore...besides the slight difference in the place that we might be unleashing this beast when we catch it.
Still lost...ok the Canon 5Dmk2 is the beast...and I have another confirm buyer from SG so it's Tokyo by the end of the month and 2 sets of the Canon 5Dmk2! Since it's cheaper to get it here in Japan, I wouldn't hesistate to piggy back a few extra sets back to SG for fanatics like myself. In fact it's an honor to render an elite service to them as well so Thank You Dear X so much for being so gracious to join me at the last minute. It sure makes me feel warm with confidence since I now have a personal friend who shares crazy and insane passion like myself.
Now comes the tedious part...the physical checking of the camera. I have gathered intel from various sources and have screen the list to just a handful of shops. It's these shops that I will haul my Mac down to to pixel peep each 5D for hot, dead or stuck pixels. Hopefully the shop will allow me to do so since it's a massive amount of money that I am parting with. I really can't imagine that buying a brand new camera is more expensive that a 2000cc Honda Accord that I am driving...simply unfathomable!
What like what W had said, resistance is futile when you know you want it. Anyway I am just really grateful and glad that I could have someone else to join me and that mere fact alone is just...sweet!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Pilgrimage
- Never Stop Dreaming -
A little update about me and my thoughts...
A while back, I was screaming and possibly cursing at the ridiculous Japanese prejudice against me getting my driver's license converted, it's all history now. As of 1st June, in the 21st year of the Heisei Reign, I am holding it firmly between my fingers. The last test that I took prior to this, the testor gave me one, YES ONLY 1 extremely stupid reason as to why I didn't make it. That is I checked the side mirrors a little to short...less than 1 second according to that particular testor whom I presumed have an un-mortally sense of mathematical complexity in this head. So with this 1st of June date approaching, a weird sense of energy gripped me like as though someone else is controlling my physical movements. There was also an overwhelming confidence that the 1st of June was a good date to get this all done.
I swore to God, I did a little less than perfect as compared to the previous attempt but surprisingly the same testor decided to clear me of this burden. Only 2 including me of course, made it on that sacred date and I was the only foreigner claiming a full MANUAL license. Automatic are for beginners or is it that I still can't get the boy racer outta me? I think the latter is clearly applicable...The wait after the test was long and boring. There were more than 20 staffs working but I had to wait for more than an hour to get my picture taken and then to be handed the not-so-Kawaii Japanese Driver License. Not that I am expecting any Mute Kitties on my card but at least something a little more presentable...Kudos to SG for that.
So now I am legally certified to drive in Japan, I think I might be planning a long road trip somewhere far...Niigata, Hokkaido, etc. And so with that long and unpleasant chapter behind me now, it's time to look forward to more important issues.
In some of the previous entries I have mentioned that I was head over heels, losing precious sleep and a hell lot of Yen over the 5Dmk2, nonetheless the plans of the acquisition have already been laid down since the inception of the firmware update by Canon on May 27th. Looking back some 3 years ago, I thought I would just get a nice entry-level, affordable DSLR to fool around with and then end of story. I was horribly wrong...it didn't end but only fuelled a reason to go further of course at the expense of losing a lot of money. I have no prior training, professional help, etc but this creative side of me simply took off with Photoshop and a simple Point and Shoot camera back then. Now I am looking at photography as a hobby and possible some indie film making when the 5DMk2 are in my possession.
Am spending a lot of time reading up on using manual strobes, audio issues, film making and other photography and film related stuffs. Hopefully someone skilled in this field will find this blog, read about it and come to my rescue. There are so many ideas inside my head but time is definitely not a luxury I have. Have to plan the script, the sequence and then put it to reality and actually film it. Not sure if my subjects will say yes but I really want to do it. Simply inspired by so many amazing short films online, this is maybe another leap of faith that I might be embarking on.
And once again I will be making my annual pilgrimage back home to honor those who made me who I am. Somehow it's these very people who are the very reason why I want to make a film for them...to preserve them eternally. This year, going back home seems a little more worthwhile and I am taking preemtive measures to curb that enthusiasm. Unlike the previous trips, nothing spectacular actually happened. Can't say the same for this year because I have made a hell lot more friends back home in my abscence and I would definitely like to meet them personally. My brother and brothers wedding are all lined up for me to grace it, lovely faces for me to embrace and so much catching up to do with so many people. So much photography and filming to do and I had to say this but I really really really do miss my Grandma and Mum and Dad. My brother will be back from Aussie, my brother will be officially doing the wedding ceremony, my cousins will be bringing their GFs and wifes, my friends as well....man it's really really packed which of course is a really really good thing. Un-eventful journeys are not really worth remembering but smiling thru an epical one is God sent. And so I know that these good times don't linger around forever, I might as well dedicate them to my book, a book of my life's greatest journey. A book I single-handedly choreographed, orchestrated and scripted to document my life's amazing adventures...so what about you? What epical adventures have you done so far that you want to write a book about...you life's greatest journey book.
There are some who spend their whole life dreaming,
there are some who live their lives in it.
There are some who question their destiny,
there are some who create their own fate.
There are some who read about life's greatest journey,
There are some who write it for others to read.
There are some who remembers
and there are some who are remembered.
August...I am waiting. I will be hauling a new camera home...I will be seeing a lot of people whom I want so much to see but yet I am disgusted to tell them how much I miss them.
A little update about me and my thoughts...
A while back, I was screaming and possibly cursing at the ridiculous Japanese prejudice against me getting my driver's license converted, it's all history now. As of 1st June, in the 21st year of the Heisei Reign, I am holding it firmly between my fingers. The last test that I took prior to this, the testor gave me one, YES ONLY 1 extremely stupid reason as to why I didn't make it. That is I checked the side mirrors a little to short...less than 1 second according to that particular testor whom I presumed have an un-mortally sense of mathematical complexity in this head. So with this 1st of June date approaching, a weird sense of energy gripped me like as though someone else is controlling my physical movements. There was also an overwhelming confidence that the 1st of June was a good date to get this all done.
I swore to God, I did a little less than perfect as compared to the previous attempt but surprisingly the same testor decided to clear me of this burden. Only 2 including me of course, made it on that sacred date and I was the only foreigner claiming a full MANUAL license. Automatic are for beginners or is it that I still can't get the boy racer outta me? I think the latter is clearly applicable...The wait after the test was long and boring. There were more than 20 staffs working but I had to wait for more than an hour to get my picture taken and then to be handed the not-so-Kawaii Japanese Driver License. Not that I am expecting any Mute Kitties on my card but at least something a little more presentable...Kudos to SG for that.
So now I am legally certified to drive in Japan, I think I might be planning a long road trip somewhere far...Niigata, Hokkaido, etc. And so with that long and unpleasant chapter behind me now, it's time to look forward to more important issues.
In some of the previous entries I have mentioned that I was head over heels, losing precious sleep and a hell lot of Yen over the 5Dmk2, nonetheless the plans of the acquisition have already been laid down since the inception of the firmware update by Canon on May 27th. Looking back some 3 years ago, I thought I would just get a nice entry-level, affordable DSLR to fool around with and then end of story. I was horribly wrong...it didn't end but only fuelled a reason to go further of course at the expense of losing a lot of money. I have no prior training, professional help, etc but this creative side of me simply took off with Photoshop and a simple Point and Shoot camera back then. Now I am looking at photography as a hobby and possible some indie film making when the 5DMk2 are in my possession.
Am spending a lot of time reading up on using manual strobes, audio issues, film making and other photography and film related stuffs. Hopefully someone skilled in this field will find this blog, read about it and come to my rescue. There are so many ideas inside my head but time is definitely not a luxury I have. Have to plan the script, the sequence and then put it to reality and actually film it. Not sure if my subjects will say yes but I really want to do it. Simply inspired by so many amazing short films online, this is maybe another leap of faith that I might be embarking on.
And once again I will be making my annual pilgrimage back home to honor those who made me who I am. Somehow it's these very people who are the very reason why I want to make a film for them...to preserve them eternally. This year, going back home seems a little more worthwhile and I am taking preemtive measures to curb that enthusiasm. Unlike the previous trips, nothing spectacular actually happened. Can't say the same for this year because I have made a hell lot more friends back home in my abscence and I would definitely like to meet them personally. My brother and brothers wedding are all lined up for me to grace it, lovely faces for me to embrace and so much catching up to do with so many people. So much photography and filming to do and I had to say this but I really really really do miss my Grandma and Mum and Dad. My brother will be back from Aussie, my brother will be officially doing the wedding ceremony, my cousins will be bringing their GFs and wifes, my friends as well....man it's really really packed which of course is a really really good thing. Un-eventful journeys are not really worth remembering but smiling thru an epical one is God sent. And so I know that these good times don't linger around forever, I might as well dedicate them to my book, a book of my life's greatest journey. A book I single-handedly choreographed, orchestrated and scripted to document my life's amazing adventures...so what about you? What epical adventures have you done so far that you want to write a book about...you life's greatest journey book.
There are some who spend their whole life dreaming,
there are some who live their lives in it.
There are some who question their destiny,
there are some who create their own fate.
There are some who read about life's greatest journey,
There are some who write it for others to read.
There are some who remembers
and there are some who are remembered.
August...I am waiting. I will be hauling a new camera home...I will be seeing a lot of people whom I want so much to see but yet I am disgusted to tell them how much I miss them.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Final Finishing Move To Seal My Fate
- Never Stop Dreaming -
Had a fantastic party yesterday night held at a friend's restaurant but reached home late into the night only to find myself struggling to wake up. The weather was good this morning, overcast think grey clouds shrouded the entire sky, cold and smelling like winter...I really wonder why should anyone skip such weather to go to work. Well we are afterall slaves for the very society we have created so be gone my dear sleep and off to work I go.
Reached my work place and started off the morning with my usual shot of coffee and dose of internet. The first piece of news that hit me almost threw me off my seat simply because with this news, my fate is permernantly sealed!
A while back I was really contemplating whether to upgrade my 2 year old camera to the INSANELY amazing Canon 5DMk2 which had revolutionalize the industry since it's debut sometime back in 2008. The new 5DMk2 was and is the 1st full frame camera to offer High Definition video recording on a regular DSLR. Since it's inception, many photographers, videographers and independant film makers are all flocking to this epical camera simply because of it's video capabilities. However the main set back that everyone was facing and whining about was the lack of a full manual control over the various settings like aperture, shutter speed and ISO that otherwise puts this camera on par with regular video recorders. When you pay that much for a camera, one would expect to fully utilise the manual features and I was indifferent as well.
I have been trailing the news about manual controls for this camera and I was counting my limited pieces of yen every now and then to budget for it but inside a certain corner of my head, I was pretty concern about the limitations highlighted above. So I did of course dig the internet for feasible solutions but most involve partially dismounting the lens or using lens from a different company with converters. Both the options available will work with regards to the video capabilities of the 5DMk2 but each options had it's own limitations as well. For example partially dismounting the lens will risk the lens smashing into nano fractions if it does slip of the camera mount while using lens of a different brand will mean that I have to forgo my current lens set up and start amassing other lens. Besides that I simply have no other complains besides the slower burst shooting speed which I have no use for and the weight of the camera. In fact I was really drawn into this new 5DMk2 solely for the video functions.
Months and months of contemplation, read-ups and work-arounds when a couple of weeks back, finally someone online hacked the firmware and release a custom firmware for the sound but still nothing available for the manual video control. Today with this news release by Canon, there is no other reason why I wouldn't want to get this camera. Damn...I am so intrigued by this right now that I can't shake the image of playing with the video functions off my head. It's currently the No. 1 item on my wishlist and I mean I really don't mind eating cup noodles just to be a slave to my camera.
Thank You Canon for listening and thank God for the amazing engineers here in Japan for releasing this firmware. Finally thank everything else that I chose Canon and not any other brand!
Had a fantastic party yesterday night held at a friend's restaurant but reached home late into the night only to find myself struggling to wake up. The weather was good this morning, overcast think grey clouds shrouded the entire sky, cold and smelling like winter...I really wonder why should anyone skip such weather to go to work. Well we are afterall slaves for the very society we have created so be gone my dear sleep and off to work I go.
Reached my work place and started off the morning with my usual shot of coffee and dose of internet. The first piece of news that hit me almost threw me off my seat simply because with this news, my fate is permernantly sealed!
A while back I was really contemplating whether to upgrade my 2 year old camera to the INSANELY amazing Canon 5DMk2 which had revolutionalize the industry since it's debut sometime back in 2008. The new 5DMk2 was and is the 1st full frame camera to offer High Definition video recording on a regular DSLR. Since it's inception, many photographers, videographers and independant film makers are all flocking to this epical camera simply because of it's video capabilities. However the main set back that everyone was facing and whining about was the lack of a full manual control over the various settings like aperture, shutter speed and ISO that otherwise puts this camera on par with regular video recorders. When you pay that much for a camera, one would expect to fully utilise the manual features and I was indifferent as well.
I have been trailing the news about manual controls for this camera and I was counting my limited pieces of yen every now and then to budget for it but inside a certain corner of my head, I was pretty concern about the limitations highlighted above. So I did of course dig the internet for feasible solutions but most involve partially dismounting the lens or using lens from a different company with converters. Both the options available will work with regards to the video capabilities of the 5DMk2 but each options had it's own limitations as well. For example partially dismounting the lens will risk the lens smashing into nano fractions if it does slip of the camera mount while using lens of a different brand will mean that I have to forgo my current lens set up and start amassing other lens. Besides that I simply have no other complains besides the slower burst shooting speed which I have no use for and the weight of the camera. In fact I was really drawn into this new 5DMk2 solely for the video functions.
Months and months of contemplation, read-ups and work-arounds when a couple of weeks back, finally someone online hacked the firmware and release a custom firmware for the sound but still nothing available for the manual video control. Today with this news release by Canon, there is no other reason why I wouldn't want to get this camera. Damn...I am so intrigued by this right now that I can't shake the image of playing with the video functions off my head. It's currently the No. 1 item on my wishlist and I mean I really don't mind eating cup noodles just to be a slave to my camera.
Thank You Canon for listening and thank God for the amazing engineers here in Japan for releasing this firmware. Finally thank everything else that I chose Canon and not any other brand!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Take a break from Hell.
- Never Stop Dreaming -
So it seems that shits in life are really like diarrhea, they will strike you in the most unexpected situations leaving you with some foul and uncomfortable wet pants! Just when the world's economy is showing a little glimmer of the raging bull, the sneezy pig comes in and stomp the hopes outta everyone.
While it may seem like a huge pandemic scare everywhere, I am more concern about how much the Yen will be affected. Ha...because with every single catastrophic event that happen, I might either be 1 step closer to buying stuffs off other countries cheap or vice versa. Of course I want it to be cheap...when the Yen plummeted to a shocking 84 points against the USD, I was more than delighted. But before I could do anything much, it had rose to 100 points when the Finance Minister of Japan took a blunder. Then when the ever so cute pigs brought some deadly flu into the world, the Yen dipped again to around 96. And today, it went up to 99 AGAIN!
This is after all the currency market where opportunities are lurking at every corner. If you are fast, it can either make you a whole lot more money or rob you of every cent you slogged for so far.
Well all I am saying is that I am eyeing some pretty hefty camera stuffs here so yes I am indeed pretty concern on the exchange rates. Here are some of the items that I am keeping a look our for...
1. Canon 5D Mark II (98% chance of aquisition)
2. EF 70-200 F2.8 IS USM (50% chance of aquisition)
3. Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 (98% chance of aquisition)
4. Canon 430 EX II (67% chance of aquisition)
5. Base Unibody MacBook 2.4Ghz (10% chance of aquisition)
6. Final Cut Studio 2 (98% chance of aquisition)
The main reason for the 5D MkII is because I am already using a 1.6x sensor camera so longer lens have a much longer reach so I kinda want to expand on the wide angle of a full frame camera. Besides the video capabilities of this camera are simply astounding abiet the lack of a full manual control. Of course there are numerous work arounds but it's simply these following vids that got me cancerously poisoned!
Don't say I didn't warn you...
(The link provided will bring you to the site Cinema5D where you can find those 4 or 5 stars rating vids. Thks to YOU for informing me about the broken link...Cheers!)
CLICK HERE
Of course there is the Vicent Laforet's masterpiece but those above are more subtle for my taste. I really can see the bold opportunities that are being open up from the fusion of stills and vid. Hopefully I can find more people with such passion to work with. However the years of Photoshopping would be useless for vids and I have to cry like a baby once again to learn everything from scratch with Color and Final Cut Pro.
No. 3 are the wireless triggers for me to fiddle around with off camera strobes but too bad Japan are seriously lacking in talents in such an industry. No.2 the legendary white "shark" lens might be really useful for longer reach but will probably hold for the moment. New Macbook...I am not sure but might be able to get it as a surprise. And of course No. 4 strobe will compliment the current one I have and the wireless triggers.
Man this is gonna be one really expensive journey...so everything photography aside, here is one game I am eagerly anticipating...PSP SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3. Because I have completed Fireteam Bravo 2 and it's an awesome game, I have also completed Resistance Retribution and I NEED MORE GAMES! Here is one peekture to tease everyone...and also to bring back the good o' shoot 'em up SAF days..."Rattattatta...tattattattat!"
Alternatively you can visit HERE for more pictures.
And my oh my...my Golden Week holiday starts tonite! Planning to go up to Kiso for photography and also Ninja Village for some serious shurikens fun. Whoooooooooo!
So it seems that shits in life are really like diarrhea, they will strike you in the most unexpected situations leaving you with some foul and uncomfortable wet pants! Just when the world's economy is showing a little glimmer of the raging bull, the sneezy pig comes in and stomp the hopes outta everyone.
While it may seem like a huge pandemic scare everywhere, I am more concern about how much the Yen will be affected. Ha...because with every single catastrophic event that happen, I might either be 1 step closer to buying stuffs off other countries cheap or vice versa. Of course I want it to be cheap...when the Yen plummeted to a shocking 84 points against the USD, I was more than delighted. But before I could do anything much, it had rose to 100 points when the Finance Minister of Japan took a blunder. Then when the ever so cute pigs brought some deadly flu into the world, the Yen dipped again to around 96. And today, it went up to 99 AGAIN!
This is after all the currency market where opportunities are lurking at every corner. If you are fast, it can either make you a whole lot more money or rob you of every cent you slogged for so far.
Well all I am saying is that I am eyeing some pretty hefty camera stuffs here so yes I am indeed pretty concern on the exchange rates. Here are some of the items that I am keeping a look our for...
1. Canon 5D Mark II (98% chance of aquisition)
2. EF 70-200 F2.8 IS USM (50% chance of aquisition)
3. Pocket Wizard FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 (98% chance of aquisition)
4. Canon 430 EX II (67% chance of aquisition)
5. Base Unibody MacBook 2.4Ghz (10% chance of aquisition)
6. Final Cut Studio 2 (98% chance of aquisition)
The main reason for the 5D MkII is because I am already using a 1.6x sensor camera so longer lens have a much longer reach so I kinda want to expand on the wide angle of a full frame camera. Besides the video capabilities of this camera are simply astounding abiet the lack of a full manual control. Of course there are numerous work arounds but it's simply these following vids that got me cancerously poisoned!
Don't say I didn't warn you...
(The link provided will bring you to the site Cinema5D where you can find those 4 or 5 stars rating vids. Thks to YOU for informing me about the broken link...Cheers!)
CLICK HERE
Of course there is the Vicent Laforet's masterpiece but those above are more subtle for my taste. I really can see the bold opportunities that are being open up from the fusion of stills and vid. Hopefully I can find more people with such passion to work with. However the years of Photoshopping would be useless for vids and I have to cry like a baby once again to learn everything from scratch with Color and Final Cut Pro.
No. 3 are the wireless triggers for me to fiddle around with off camera strobes but too bad Japan are seriously lacking in talents in such an industry. No.2 the legendary white "shark" lens might be really useful for longer reach but will probably hold for the moment. New Macbook...I am not sure but might be able to get it as a surprise. And of course No. 4 strobe will compliment the current one I have and the wireless triggers.
Man this is gonna be one really expensive journey...so everything photography aside, here is one game I am eagerly anticipating...PSP SOCOM Fireteam Bravo 3. Because I have completed Fireteam Bravo 2 and it's an awesome game, I have also completed Resistance Retribution and I NEED MORE GAMES! Here is one peekture to tease everyone...and also to bring back the good o' shoot 'em up SAF days..."Rattattatta...tattattattat!"
Alternatively you can visit HERE for more pictures.
And my oh my...my Golden Week holiday starts tonite! Planning to go up to Kiso for photography and also Ninja Village for some serious shurikens fun. Whoooooooooo!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Spring Trip To Kansai (Osaka)
- Never Stop Dreaming -
And here are the photo updates of the Spring Trip down to Osaka. Will update the Kyoto ones when they are ready.
When my alarm clock rang at 0330 hours on the cold silent morning of 27th March 2009, I was pretty reluctant to get out of bed because the warmth that I had accumulated beneath my cosy fur blanket was simply too comfortable. Hesitant, I knew I can't miss the 0450 hours bus down to Kansai. So a can of Asahi Morning Shot coffee and some bread from last nite, I was navigating my way thru the heavy snow storm in the dark. The snow was definitely a blessing though a bit late since it's already Spring now but nonetheless, my Accord glimmered thru the white slippery surface with ease. Was too cold and too hazardous to pull out my camera from my 15kg bloated pack while I was driving so no pics.
Boarded the bus and went straight for the back row while trying desperately to steal some precious nap before the sun wakes. Of course had to transfer buses 2 times which took me by surprise since I didn't saw that coming. By now it was the 3rd bus and last bus to transfer and was pulling away from Ina (伊那) and heading towards Kyoto via the highway. The sun was trying to peep thru the thick fluffy white skies so I took the chance to fire one from the back.
See how the foggy roads ahead were still white on the sides...
Then along the way the sun finally shone thru and the gentle rays lit up the otherwise sleepy white town below.
See how the mountains on the other side woke up with a sweet golden glow on this cold wintery morning.
Then when I hit Kyoto, quite simply I stashed away my camera and slept thru the 1 hour journey from Kyoto to Osaka. Well I thought I would be in Kyoto 2 days later for the temples, shrines and cherry trees so I shall skip the boring city of Kyoto for now.
Upon reaching Osaka, the first thoughts that surfaced were street candids so pulled the first one here where the cones lined up unevenly.
Then came the attempt to frame people off the streets but the problem soon arises since everytime I looked into the viewfinder, people tended to shun so to make it less obvious since I was using a 35mm prime, I simply punched in the settings after metering off the viewfinder, held the cam to my chest level and fired away randomly hoping to catch some unsuspecting victims. Viola...
"Weird leggings"
"The Sound of Music"
"Tall hat with no Chocolates = No Charlie and no Mr Depp"
And the entire afternoon I spent a boring time with a friend in Osaka but I shall skip the details since I have already said it was boring. Towards the evening I passed the underground Namba Walk to find my sleep hole when this interesting "Wall of Moving Lights" caught my attention. The whole underground walk kinda reminded me of City Link beneath CityHall in SG.
So after exiting JR Namba Station, I happened to cross this bridge when the reflection of the setting sun of the river and the buildings almost killed me. Mesmerizing I thought and POOF!, I let my camera do some magic and so these were quite possibly some of the most beautiful ones I took in Osaka.
And then in the end I found my little Capsule Hotel where I rejuvenated for 2 nites in Osaka. Located deep in the American Street in Namba, this steal was only ¥2,000 per nite. Of course the downside was that it was a all male capsule hotel I presumed and the locker space was big enuff to fit a puppy.
And Elsie said it looked more like a pet shop selling dogs.
And I said it was big enuff to fit persons smaller than 175cm.
And Mum said it looked like an oven.
All that spelled the end of Day 1 in Osaka so moving on to the 2nd day this was my Breakfast - Freshly brewed coffee, Japanese curry bread and fried pork bread...pretty yummy.
When i finished chomping my breakfast, I had to lug the now 16kg ++ bag around because the capsule was closed from 1000 hours to 1600 hours and EVERYONE had to checked out and re-check in from 1600 hours on daily. Cash only and reservations had to be done online. Whatever...so with my tripod on the left, I strapped my jacket on the right of my bag. Draped in 2 T-shirts, Levi's denim and desert boots, I stormed Den Den Town which is about 15 minute walk from where I stayed. It's kinda like Akihabara in Tokyo where toys, games, anime, maids, figures, gadgets, cameras, porn, were everywhere except this is in Osaka.
Yep Volks Inc and boy do they produce some of the most amazing figures and dolls. There are about 5 or 6 floors dedicated to different categories of toys ranging from Gundams, robots, to figures and of course wonderful wonderful life-liked dolls. Though I visited other stores that thronged this place, photography was prohibited inside the compound so again no pics. Then comes more street candids...
While crossing the street...
This Ah Pek was filming something and I shot him! Yeah he did caught me snapping him and gave me a really unfriendly stare.
This was what he was filming, 2 full floors of adult anime-themed games, videos, figures, cards, gay, lesbian, cosplay, anything fictional related that pleases the senses. So I decided to go there and have a look but the lights were red...
and I saw this 3 brothers and their dad. SNAPPED!
Kinda reminded me when I was younger because I was the middle child with 2 brothers as well but the light turned green and they fleeted.
Hmm I was greeted by this really crowded alley before reaching MelonBooks and curiosity took the better of me. SNAPPED and SNAPPED. These people here were actually OTAKUs aka Japanese geeks and most shared a similar trait may be offending if I spelled it out loud here so go ask your Japanese teachers, friends, bosses, EXs, etc and go figure.
And apparently this was the place pushing out some anime-themed event that drew a huge following and nah I didn't bothered to shove thru the crowd to get in. Besides there was an entrance fee I presumed.
Moving towards MelonBooks, this 2 adorable kitties posed across the street when they saw my DSLR...SNAPPED!
I signaled to them that I wanted a closer shot and yep these fluffy kitties agreed readily.
Then there were the more ordinary looking maids which I had skipped altogether except for this one.
Took a nice tour inside MelonBooks and upon exiting saw this anime-themed Silvia S15...SNAPPED!
Moving on the street in front of MelonBooks, snapped a maid cafe sign that says, "Welcome back my Master". Interestingly there were a lot of different themed maid cafes which offers interesting experiences but most were priced by hourly package which can be anything from ¥3,900 for an hour. Nothing too sleazy or shady like China Crows in SG though but still pretty exorbitant which sort of justifies the young 18 or 19 year olds, sweet looking maids in your favorite cosplay outfit serving you and addressing you by Master.
Before heading for a late lunch saw this sweet bond between father and son.
Walking along the different aisles of Den Den Town, I found a ramen store that serves Tonkotsu Ramen aka Pork Broth Ramen named KamiTora (God Tiger). They had the regular white based "God Tiger" ramen, the black based "Black Tiger" ramen and the red based spicy "Red Tiger" ramen. I had the Black Tiger set without the Singapore Tiger (Beer) of course which was replaced with Asahi Super Dry. The noodles were a little too soft for my liking but the mini Kim Chi Beef Bowl was not too bad. (And that is my personal chopsticks!)
The cute waitress Yuki told me that I was very cool and wanted to be my friend. Done and we exchanged numbers...now I have 1 more friend in Osaka and she have 1 new Singaporean friend in Japan. Got them all 3 to ignite more entries for my "Mystery Message" project. The young chef and owner of this ramen store is on the right with the cap.
After the late lunch at around 1630 hours I had ample time before I meet my cousin Terry and Kirsten later in the evening. Popped by the Taito Arcade building and tried my hands on Street Fighter IV and got my sorry ass kicked hard. Then it was simply watching how the pros mashed buttons and chained combos. This sick dude trashed every challenger with Zangief and held on to some 15 wins champion.
There after I went on to BIC CAMERA to check out more camera gear. Initially wanted to get some decent second hand strobes while in Den Den Town but the 2 Nikon SB-26s I had checked out earlier had issues like non working display light or faulty batt cover. In the end I gave up searching for strobes and bought an orange foam pouch for my camera. Around 1900 hours, I travelled to Shin Sai Bashi to meet up with my cousin and while crossing the lights beneath the highway, a sleeping quarters of some begger had 2 cats and a white fluffy dog sleeping in it. Warmth in odd places was how I felt.
And here are the photo updates of the Spring Trip down to Osaka. Will update the Kyoto ones when they are ready.
When my alarm clock rang at 0330 hours on the cold silent morning of 27th March 2009, I was pretty reluctant to get out of bed because the warmth that I had accumulated beneath my cosy fur blanket was simply too comfortable. Hesitant, I knew I can't miss the 0450 hours bus down to Kansai. So a can of Asahi Morning Shot coffee and some bread from last nite, I was navigating my way thru the heavy snow storm in the dark. The snow was definitely a blessing though a bit late since it's already Spring now but nonetheless, my Accord glimmered thru the white slippery surface with ease. Was too cold and too hazardous to pull out my camera from my 15kg bloated pack while I was driving so no pics.
Boarded the bus and went straight for the back row while trying desperately to steal some precious nap before the sun wakes. Of course had to transfer buses 2 times which took me by surprise since I didn't saw that coming. By now it was the 3rd bus and last bus to transfer and was pulling away from Ina (伊那) and heading towards Kyoto via the highway. The sun was trying to peep thru the thick fluffy white skies so I took the chance to fire one from the back.
See how the foggy roads ahead were still white on the sides...
Then along the way the sun finally shone thru and the gentle rays lit up the otherwise sleepy white town below.
See how the mountains on the other side woke up with a sweet golden glow on this cold wintery morning.
Then when I hit Kyoto, quite simply I stashed away my camera and slept thru the 1 hour journey from Kyoto to Osaka. Well I thought I would be in Kyoto 2 days later for the temples, shrines and cherry trees so I shall skip the boring city of Kyoto for now.
Upon reaching Osaka, the first thoughts that surfaced were street candids so pulled the first one here where the cones lined up unevenly.
Then came the attempt to frame people off the streets but the problem soon arises since everytime I looked into the viewfinder, people tended to shun so to make it less obvious since I was using a 35mm prime, I simply punched in the settings after metering off the viewfinder, held the cam to my chest level and fired away randomly hoping to catch some unsuspecting victims. Viola...
"Weird leggings"
"The Sound of Music"
"Tall hat with no Chocolates = No Charlie and no Mr Depp"
And the entire afternoon I spent a boring time with a friend in Osaka but I shall skip the details since I have already said it was boring. Towards the evening I passed the underground Namba Walk to find my sleep hole when this interesting "Wall of Moving Lights" caught my attention. The whole underground walk kinda reminded me of City Link beneath CityHall in SG.
So after exiting JR Namba Station, I happened to cross this bridge when the reflection of the setting sun of the river and the buildings almost killed me. Mesmerizing I thought and POOF!, I let my camera do some magic and so these were quite possibly some of the most beautiful ones I took in Osaka.
And then in the end I found my little Capsule Hotel where I rejuvenated for 2 nites in Osaka. Located deep in the American Street in Namba, this steal was only ¥2,000 per nite. Of course the downside was that it was a all male capsule hotel I presumed and the locker space was big enuff to fit a puppy.
And Elsie said it looked more like a pet shop selling dogs.
And I said it was big enuff to fit persons smaller than 175cm.
And Mum said it looked like an oven.
All that spelled the end of Day 1 in Osaka so moving on to the 2nd day this was my Breakfast - Freshly brewed coffee, Japanese curry bread and fried pork bread...pretty yummy.
When i finished chomping my breakfast, I had to lug the now 16kg ++ bag around because the capsule was closed from 1000 hours to 1600 hours and EVERYONE had to checked out and re-check in from 1600 hours on daily. Cash only and reservations had to be done online. Whatever...so with my tripod on the left, I strapped my jacket on the right of my bag. Draped in 2 T-shirts, Levi's denim and desert boots, I stormed Den Den Town which is about 15 minute walk from where I stayed. It's kinda like Akihabara in Tokyo where toys, games, anime, maids, figures, gadgets, cameras, porn, were everywhere except this is in Osaka.
Yep Volks Inc and boy do they produce some of the most amazing figures and dolls. There are about 5 or 6 floors dedicated to different categories of toys ranging from Gundams, robots, to figures and of course wonderful wonderful life-liked dolls. Though I visited other stores that thronged this place, photography was prohibited inside the compound so again no pics. Then comes more street candids...
While crossing the street...
This Ah Pek was filming something and I shot him! Yeah he did caught me snapping him and gave me a really unfriendly stare.
This was what he was filming, 2 full floors of adult anime-themed games, videos, figures, cards, gay, lesbian, cosplay, anything fictional related that pleases the senses. So I decided to go there and have a look but the lights were red...
and I saw this 3 brothers and their dad. SNAPPED!
Kinda reminded me when I was younger because I was the middle child with 2 brothers as well but the light turned green and they fleeted.
Hmm I was greeted by this really crowded alley before reaching MelonBooks and curiosity took the better of me. SNAPPED and SNAPPED. These people here were actually OTAKUs aka Japanese geeks and most shared a similar trait may be offending if I spelled it out loud here so go ask your Japanese teachers, friends, bosses, EXs, etc and go figure.
And apparently this was the place pushing out some anime-themed event that drew a huge following and nah I didn't bothered to shove thru the crowd to get in. Besides there was an entrance fee I presumed.
Moving towards MelonBooks, this 2 adorable kitties posed across the street when they saw my DSLR...SNAPPED!
I signaled to them that I wanted a closer shot and yep these fluffy kitties agreed readily.
Then there were the more ordinary looking maids which I had skipped altogether except for this one.
Took a nice tour inside MelonBooks and upon exiting saw this anime-themed Silvia S15...SNAPPED!
Moving on the street in front of MelonBooks, snapped a maid cafe sign that says, "Welcome back my Master". Interestingly there were a lot of different themed maid cafes which offers interesting experiences but most were priced by hourly package which can be anything from ¥3,900 for an hour. Nothing too sleazy or shady like China Crows in SG though but still pretty exorbitant which sort of justifies the young 18 or 19 year olds, sweet looking maids in your favorite cosplay outfit serving you and addressing you by Master.
Before heading for a late lunch saw this sweet bond between father and son.
Walking along the different aisles of Den Den Town, I found a ramen store that serves Tonkotsu Ramen aka Pork Broth Ramen named KamiTora (God Tiger). They had the regular white based "God Tiger" ramen, the black based "Black Tiger" ramen and the red based spicy "Red Tiger" ramen. I had the Black Tiger set without the Singapore Tiger (Beer) of course which was replaced with Asahi Super Dry. The noodles were a little too soft for my liking but the mini Kim Chi Beef Bowl was not too bad. (And that is my personal chopsticks!)
The cute waitress Yuki told me that I was very cool and wanted to be my friend. Done and we exchanged numbers...now I have 1 more friend in Osaka and she have 1 new Singaporean friend in Japan. Got them all 3 to ignite more entries for my "Mystery Message" project. The young chef and owner of this ramen store is on the right with the cap.
After the late lunch at around 1630 hours I had ample time before I meet my cousin Terry and Kirsten later in the evening. Popped by the Taito Arcade building and tried my hands on Street Fighter IV and got my sorry ass kicked hard. Then it was simply watching how the pros mashed buttons and chained combos. This sick dude trashed every challenger with Zangief and held on to some 15 wins champion.
There after I went on to BIC CAMERA to check out more camera gear. Initially wanted to get some decent second hand strobes while in Den Den Town but the 2 Nikon SB-26s I had checked out earlier had issues like non working display light or faulty batt cover. In the end I gave up searching for strobes and bought an orange foam pouch for my camera. Around 1900 hours, I travelled to Shin Sai Bashi to meet up with my cousin and while crossing the lights beneath the highway, a sleeping quarters of some begger had 2 cats and a white fluffy dog sleeping in it. Warmth in odd places was how I felt.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Aged like Kyoto
- Never Stop Dreaming -
I happened to realise that age have crept slowly into my body to deteriote it silently. Before I depart for the Kansai region for my Spring Break, snowboarding had left me nothing short of a damaged shoulder and MCL. Still occasionally limping on my knee and unable to fully rotate my shoulder, once again I sucumbed to yet another lousy injury. This time round I sprained my ankle so bad over a half inch unleveled ground in Kyoto, my ankle is all bruised up, swollen like a bun and pretty messed up. All these injuries are hinting a sign of coincidence or pointing me to decipher the meaning of an omen? Might it be some a**h*** cursing me behind my back?
Brats, that aside I have to say travelling down Southern Japan wasn't really all spills and no thrills. The journey from Nagano on the morning of 27 March was snowy and really beautiful. Then in Osaka, I was rewarded with spontaneous and interesting people, cheap capsule hotels (￥2,000) and cute kitty maids. Oh not to mention a sweet young ramen store staff who told me I was very cool and wanted to be my friend...done! Yep I was staying in downtown Namba in a cheap capsule hotel with a locker that can only fit a briefcase so in the end I had to unload the contents of my pack to puzzle them into the tiny crammed locker. The little capsule cubicle mouse hole was not too bad because it was clean and comfortable. Didn't see any females there (think is an only male capsule) and the shower was the typical Japanese onsen style ones. Walking around the streets, I travelled in the day to Den Den Town scouting for toys and old camera gears. Well since it was the second time I have been there, the streets were all so familiar. In the end the toys were a bit to bulky for me to lug around since I had a backpack loaded with at least 15kg of camera lens, flash, batts, cards, tripods, etc. so I had to sulk and leave. Didn't buy any camera gear as well because the old Nikon SBs were either dirty, certain functions not working or a sqeaky batt cover. But I did capture some decent frames, walked thru hordes of weird OTAKUs reading uncensored porn manga and whisked myself a decent set of vixen's ears and a tail (Yeah COSPLAY). With still time on my schedule, I tried out Street Fighter IV at the arcades and got my sorry ass kicked badly...man this game is HARD. And finally before leaving, I made friend with a sweet ramen staff by the name of Yuki who told me I was very cool (can I even deny that?!)
Then arriving in Kyoto, I had an excellent photojournalistic journey with my cousin Terry and his gf. Of couse I couldn't miss out my wonderful local guide, Mai who was also my friend and a really gorgeous model. Partnering with Terry, we simply paraded around armed with Canon cameras, devilish red "L" lens and 580EX2 flashguns. Though the main purpose for me in this trip was to catch the cherry blossoms, sadly the weird weather only prompted some pockets of them. Nonetheless, the rustic but photogenic setting, the warm setting sun and the beautiful people and colors made it all possible to capture some rather amazing frames for an amateur like meself. Mai was really photogenic and enthusiastic with no qualms about posing for me each time I ask for a shot. Not to mention all those button mashing FEC times so in the end, yep I have to agree that some of the shots did turn out pretty good. Now it's just post processing them. Terry my wonderful cousin was another great photographer...together we tend to see the same perspective time to time and he was never tired of trying insane shots or to slave his 580EX2 for me. Kirsten was equally amazing as well be it posing for a shot or busy framing Terry.
The locations were at Fushimi Inari, the Imperial Palace grounds, and various other famous locations in Kyoto which I have forgotten the names altogether. But I do remember the night illumination at Kiyomizu Dera where my tripod did worked for me to get the night shots. This otherwise sturdy tripod also allowed me to HDR(ed) the gates at Fushimi Inari. Not sure how they will looked until I return home today. While in Kyoto, my humble lodging was provided by Utano Youth Hostel which I would really RECOMMEND. Fantastic resort style lodging that was recently refurnished so everything is brand new, cosy and clean. Staffs spoke excellent English so you don't have to slog thru your Japanese textbooks. Lockers in the 4 man double deck dorm was huge to fit my backpack and the dorm had a sofa, tables and chairs. The rates were ￥3,300 for a single night which you can opt for breakfast (made by Maruzen Bakery) for an additional ￥600. In front of the hostel stood a willowing, amazingly beautiful cherry clossom tree which is perfect for shutter chance if the blue sky permits. To sum it up the entire Kyoto experience was simply too heavenly because I had my cousin Terry to go on a photographic spree and my good friend Mai to drive us around, be my model and to take us to lavish authentic Kyoto style restaurant by the river side (aka Clark Quay) to savor some of the best local Kyoto only limited fare and sake. I had skipped the restaurant pictures because I was busying sipping sake.
Was rudely interupted yesterday while I was still strolling the streets in Kyoto by a phonecall to tell me that I had to go to work today because the new staffs were to be properly introduced and a ￥5,000 dinner was inevitable. There I spend my last few hours in Kyoto on 31st with Mai and Azu, sampling the famous sakura ice cream and the soy bean "extra strong" ice cream before heading back to Nagano. Tired, bruised and limping, I hauled my oversized backpack onto the bus by 1600 hours only to reach Saku by 2320 hours. Was greeted by my silver Accord which brought me home by 2350 hours where I unloaded and fell into bed like a log.
Now in the midst of the all Japanese meeting, I can trying to squeeze the memories outta my head before they clot like my ankle...Pictures did I hear you screaming? Yes yes I will try to process them and post them up.
God Bless because I can feel that I am fallin apart.
I happened to realise that age have crept slowly into my body to deteriote it silently. Before I depart for the Kansai region for my Spring Break, snowboarding had left me nothing short of a damaged shoulder and MCL. Still occasionally limping on my knee and unable to fully rotate my shoulder, once again I sucumbed to yet another lousy injury. This time round I sprained my ankle so bad over a half inch unleveled ground in Kyoto, my ankle is all bruised up, swollen like a bun and pretty messed up. All these injuries are hinting a sign of coincidence or pointing me to decipher the meaning of an omen? Might it be some a**h*** cursing me behind my back?
Brats, that aside I have to say travelling down Southern Japan wasn't really all spills and no thrills. The journey from Nagano on the morning of 27 March was snowy and really beautiful. Then in Osaka, I was rewarded with spontaneous and interesting people, cheap capsule hotels (￥2,000) and cute kitty maids. Oh not to mention a sweet young ramen store staff who told me I was very cool and wanted to be my friend...done! Yep I was staying in downtown Namba in a cheap capsule hotel with a locker that can only fit a briefcase so in the end I had to unload the contents of my pack to puzzle them into the tiny crammed locker. The little capsule cubicle mouse hole was not too bad because it was clean and comfortable. Didn't see any females there (think is an only male capsule) and the shower was the typical Japanese onsen style ones. Walking around the streets, I travelled in the day to Den Den Town scouting for toys and old camera gears. Well since it was the second time I have been there, the streets were all so familiar. In the end the toys were a bit to bulky for me to lug around since I had a backpack loaded with at least 15kg of camera lens, flash, batts, cards, tripods, etc. so I had to sulk and leave. Didn't buy any camera gear as well because the old Nikon SBs were either dirty, certain functions not working or a sqeaky batt cover. But I did capture some decent frames, walked thru hordes of weird OTAKUs reading uncensored porn manga and whisked myself a decent set of vixen's ears and a tail (Yeah COSPLAY). With still time on my schedule, I tried out Street Fighter IV at the arcades and got my sorry ass kicked badly...man this game is HARD. And finally before leaving, I made friend with a sweet ramen staff by the name of Yuki who told me I was very cool (can I even deny that?!)
Then arriving in Kyoto, I had an excellent photojournalistic journey with my cousin Terry and his gf. Of couse I couldn't miss out my wonderful local guide, Mai who was also my friend and a really gorgeous model. Partnering with Terry, we simply paraded around armed with Canon cameras, devilish red "L" lens and 580EX2 flashguns. Though the main purpose for me in this trip was to catch the cherry blossoms, sadly the weird weather only prompted some pockets of them. Nonetheless, the rustic but photogenic setting, the warm setting sun and the beautiful people and colors made it all possible to capture some rather amazing frames for an amateur like meself. Mai was really photogenic and enthusiastic with no qualms about posing for me each time I ask for a shot. Not to mention all those button mashing FEC times so in the end, yep I have to agree that some of the shots did turn out pretty good. Now it's just post processing them. Terry my wonderful cousin was another great photographer...together we tend to see the same perspective time to time and he was never tired of trying insane shots or to slave his 580EX2 for me. Kirsten was equally amazing as well be it posing for a shot or busy framing Terry.
The locations were at Fushimi Inari, the Imperial Palace grounds, and various other famous locations in Kyoto which I have forgotten the names altogether. But I do remember the night illumination at Kiyomizu Dera where my tripod did worked for me to get the night shots. This otherwise sturdy tripod also allowed me to HDR(ed) the gates at Fushimi Inari. Not sure how they will looked until I return home today. While in Kyoto, my humble lodging was provided by Utano Youth Hostel which I would really RECOMMEND. Fantastic resort style lodging that was recently refurnished so everything is brand new, cosy and clean. Staffs spoke excellent English so you don't have to slog thru your Japanese textbooks. Lockers in the 4 man double deck dorm was huge to fit my backpack and the dorm had a sofa, tables and chairs. The rates were ￥3,300 for a single night which you can opt for breakfast (made by Maruzen Bakery) for an additional ￥600. In front of the hostel stood a willowing, amazingly beautiful cherry clossom tree which is perfect for shutter chance if the blue sky permits. To sum it up the entire Kyoto experience was simply too heavenly because I had my cousin Terry to go on a photographic spree and my good friend Mai to drive us around, be my model and to take us to lavish authentic Kyoto style restaurant by the river side (aka Clark Quay) to savor some of the best local Kyoto only limited fare and sake. I had skipped the restaurant pictures because I was busying sipping sake.
Was rudely interupted yesterday while I was still strolling the streets in Kyoto by a phonecall to tell me that I had to go to work today because the new staffs were to be properly introduced and a ￥5,000 dinner was inevitable. There I spend my last few hours in Kyoto on 31st with Mai and Azu, sampling the famous sakura ice cream and the soy bean "extra strong" ice cream before heading back to Nagano. Tired, bruised and limping, I hauled my oversized backpack onto the bus by 1600 hours only to reach Saku by 2320 hours. Was greeted by my silver Accord which brought me home by 2350 hours where I unloaded and fell into bed like a log.
Now in the midst of the all Japanese meeting, I can trying to squeeze the memories outta my head before they clot like my ankle...Pictures did I hear you screaming? Yes yes I will try to process them and post them up.
God Bless because I can feel that I am fallin apart.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Spring Vacation + some degenerative regression
- Never Stop Dreaming -
With only less than 6 more working days, I will be embracing the Spring Break here in Japan. The holiday spans about 2 weeks odd and begins on next Thursday. With my cousin bringing his love here to visit Japan, he is also bringing my love from SG to me. Yep he will be delivering me the lovely EF24-70L lens and boy will it be intruiging to get cosy with my new toy. I will be in Kansai region for about 5 days for this trip. With the first 2 days in Osaka, I will be catching up with Miki and doing some random street candids follow by the much anticipated photography spree with my cousin of Kyoto.
The rustic alleys, wooden temples, the relatively unchanged ambience that had transversed thru time and not to mention the hordes of school kids visiting Kyoto. All these only spell shutter chance in my head. I got my tripod, 2 red L lens and a wonderful flash, the only items I am missing out are a spare batt and a bigger memory card which I will be placing an order soon.
However before that, there is a slight chance that I might be travelling up to Izuna to visit the Ninja Village if I can gather enoungh strength. Well that's probably one if the attractions of central Japan and besides, did you know that Nagano actually houses 2 of the most prominent Ninja Factions in the Warring Era? I guess that's because there were a lot of forests here and mind you I am not refering to tropical rain forests aka SG style. I am refering to bamboo forests like in the Zhang Yimou's movies less the spendid bright green visual enticement. Would love to get some Ninja gear if I do visit the place.
After the Spring Break, I will most likely be adjusting my life for a little while because I have to get my driving licence converted (which is taking a ridiculously long time), buy a car and then lay low for a while (save up funds). Of course I will be most delighted to have an animalistic experience well, quite literally for every night to fulfil my ravage nature. These days it seems that I may not be the only one purging such pressure, other animals have in fact joined the likes of my ranks and boy am I proud of it. Haha too bad only the likes of such ravage beasts will understand the meaning of this gibberish spew of filth.
Ok ok...trying very hard not to stray after a series of consecutive nightly hyper high psychedelic fruity fungus animalistic mental ingestation. Wow, now that's definitely quite a mouthful. So ok April, take cover and prepare sniping position. But despite all that, I will most likely take advantage of the Cherry Blossoms in April to do a couple of photoshoots after I got my casts of models lined up. 3 in fact so far from the gorgeous dolly Mami to the sophisticated Yudie and Canadian Prince, Andrew. Will probably be my first ever photoshoot so I am pretty excited and yet stressed out by it since my perfectionist nature is demanding a lot more from me.
Life by my definition seems great and there are no other reasons why I would need to get a new one or change the current one. I am blessed with wonderful friends who love my company and wacky antics, everywhere I go I make more wonderful friends and even back home I can safely say I do have fantastic brothers to chill, lovely sisters to kill (for) and an interesting array of animals whom I might just be the Mighty George of the Jungle Tarzan Boy Wonder Kumpung Kid. Maybe because I am not a pest to society, not an unsightly eye sore weed among others, not a liability to people around me, not a leech sucking for life support and most definitely not some despicable tyrant terrorizing the lives of other people at large by attacking the vulnerable pawns on a chessboard like Mr Osama "Been very crazy lately" Laden. Simply because I believe that it's always who I have for friends and not how many I have, it's always what I do and not who I am and lastly I have to sadly admit, my stringent and yet effective ziple layered filter process takes out even the bad neutrons in an atom just so that I am rewarded with only WONDERFUL WONDERFUL FANTASTIC AND GOD SENT friends, families and faces I adore.
Thank You.
With only less than 6 more working days, I will be embracing the Spring Break here in Japan. The holiday spans about 2 weeks odd and begins on next Thursday. With my cousin bringing his love here to visit Japan, he is also bringing my love from SG to me. Yep he will be delivering me the lovely EF24-70L lens and boy will it be intruiging to get cosy with my new toy. I will be in Kansai region for about 5 days for this trip. With the first 2 days in Osaka, I will be catching up with Miki and doing some random street candids follow by the much anticipated photography spree with my cousin of Kyoto.
The rustic alleys, wooden temples, the relatively unchanged ambience that had transversed thru time and not to mention the hordes of school kids visiting Kyoto. All these only spell shutter chance in my head. I got my tripod, 2 red L lens and a wonderful flash, the only items I am missing out are a spare batt and a bigger memory card which I will be placing an order soon.
However before that, there is a slight chance that I might be travelling up to Izuna to visit the Ninja Village if I can gather enoungh strength. Well that's probably one if the attractions of central Japan and besides, did you know that Nagano actually houses 2 of the most prominent Ninja Factions in the Warring Era? I guess that's because there were a lot of forests here and mind you I am not refering to tropical rain forests aka SG style. I am refering to bamboo forests like in the Zhang Yimou's movies less the spendid bright green visual enticement. Would love to get some Ninja gear if I do visit the place.
After the Spring Break, I will most likely be adjusting my life for a little while because I have to get my driving licence converted (which is taking a ridiculously long time), buy a car and then lay low for a while (save up funds). Of course I will be most delighted to have an animalistic experience well, quite literally for every night to fulfil my ravage nature. These days it seems that I may not be the only one purging such pressure, other animals have in fact joined the likes of my ranks and boy am I proud of it. Haha too bad only the likes of such ravage beasts will understand the meaning of this gibberish spew of filth.
Ok ok...trying very hard not to stray after a series of consecutive nightly hyper high psychedelic fruity fungus animalistic mental ingestation. Wow, now that's definitely quite a mouthful. So ok April, take cover and prepare sniping position. But despite all that, I will most likely take advantage of the Cherry Blossoms in April to do a couple of photoshoots after I got my casts of models lined up. 3 in fact so far from the gorgeous dolly Mami to the sophisticated Yudie and Canadian Prince, Andrew. Will probably be my first ever photoshoot so I am pretty excited and yet stressed out by it since my perfectionist nature is demanding a lot more from me.
Life by my definition seems great and there are no other reasons why I would need to get a new one or change the current one. I am blessed with wonderful friends who love my company and wacky antics, everywhere I go I make more wonderful friends and even back home I can safely say I do have fantastic brothers to chill, lovely sisters to kill (for) and an interesting array of animals whom I might just be the Mighty George of the Jungle Tarzan Boy Wonder Kumpung Kid. Maybe because I am not a pest to society, not an unsightly eye sore weed among others, not a liability to people around me, not a leech sucking for life support and most definitely not some despicable tyrant terrorizing the lives of other people at large by attacking the vulnerable pawns on a chessboard like Mr Osama "Been very crazy lately" Laden. Simply because I believe that it's always who I have for friends and not how many I have, it's always what I do and not who I am and lastly I have to sadly admit, my stringent and yet effective ziple layered filter process takes out even the bad neutrons in an atom just so that I am rewarded with only WONDERFUL WONDERFUL FANTASTIC AND GOD SENT friends, families and faces I adore.
Thank You.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
More items added...
- Never Stop Dreaming -
Finally I had time to post process those pics I took from Osaka...still processing them in PS later this evening after the initial CR thru the LR2 process. Looks pretty impressive not because the photog is good but the deadly equipment he is blessed with.
Was recently eyeing a decent tripod because the vintage chrome-plated one that Grandpa had left behind is getting a little stressed out when I mount the KDX with the 580ex2 on it. The metal welded joints began to show signs of weakness and I doubt it will hold up to any more of such abuse. Beside I would want 3 grand of gear to crash and break my heart. So did a little bit of research and I finally settled on the Slik "Carbon Series" 814 Pro II with a 806 base plate. A little pricey with the MSRP at ￥81,000 ++ but the usual digging around, I found a decent piece at around ￥50,000 with 5 times points rebate. Being hesitant about blowing out my pay again like last month, I decided to push it to the next payday. 2 days later when I checked it again, it was already sold out and once again I was disheartened. Instincts automatically kicked in and I flooded the net with queries and searches until I found it at ￥44,000. With the indication that the company is low on stocks, I cashed in and ordered it to be delivered 1 day before my payday next week.
The other strobist gear which I had initially planned will have to be scheduled later. I need the tripod much more urgently than the other gear. Besides the initial Skyport RX triggers were not meant for 3rd party flashes so lucky me, I didn't actually buy that. The Vivitar 285hv had so many blown out, smoke spewing horrendous stories because it is a MADE IN F****** CHINA piece of crap that I will be avoiding. For a 100 dollars extra, cup noodles for a couple of days and the mental insurance of a decent MADE IN JAPAN Canon flash, I had opted for the Canon 430EX instead. But all that will have to be pushed back till like May. 3 nonths later, I will probably blow at least 2 months pay into a new camera body that is if Canon release the 60D (7D) in August. I would loved to have a live view and video recording capabilities on my cam. Expensive journey has just gotten more expensive.
So here is pretty much my Photography's Itinery for this year.
March ~ April
Kyoto, Nara, Osaka trip for the Cherry Blossoms, Architecture.
May
Okada Sensei and Akira's wedding at Nara
August
My brother's wedding in Singapore, hopefully outing with someone very special.
So if I can get my hands on a new camera, no doubt my pockets will be burnt real bad...at least I have vids and pics to console me for the remaining years of completing my book.
Finally I had time to post process those pics I took from Osaka...still processing them in PS later this evening after the initial CR thru the LR2 process. Looks pretty impressive not because the photog is good but the deadly equipment he is blessed with.
Was recently eyeing a decent tripod because the vintage chrome-plated one that Grandpa had left behind is getting a little stressed out when I mount the KDX with the 580ex2 on it. The metal welded joints began to show signs of weakness and I doubt it will hold up to any more of such abuse. Beside I would want 3 grand of gear to crash and break my heart. So did a little bit of research and I finally settled on the Slik "Carbon Series" 814 Pro II with a 806 base plate. A little pricey with the MSRP at ￥81,000 ++ but the usual digging around, I found a decent piece at around ￥50,000 with 5 times points rebate. Being hesitant about blowing out my pay again like last month, I decided to push it to the next payday. 2 days later when I checked it again, it was already sold out and once again I was disheartened. Instincts automatically kicked in and I flooded the net with queries and searches until I found it at ￥44,000. With the indication that the company is low on stocks, I cashed in and ordered it to be delivered 1 day before my payday next week.
The other strobist gear which I had initially planned will have to be scheduled later. I need the tripod much more urgently than the other gear. Besides the initial Skyport RX triggers were not meant for 3rd party flashes so lucky me, I didn't actually buy that. The Vivitar 285hv had so many blown out, smoke spewing horrendous stories because it is a MADE IN F****** CHINA piece of crap that I will be avoiding. For a 100 dollars extra, cup noodles for a couple of days and the mental insurance of a decent MADE IN JAPAN Canon flash, I had opted for the Canon 430EX instead. But all that will have to be pushed back till like May. 3 nonths later, I will probably blow at least 2 months pay into a new camera body that is if Canon release the 60D (7D) in August. I would loved to have a live view and video recording capabilities on my cam. Expensive journey has just gotten more expensive.
So here is pretty much my Photography's Itinery for this year.
March ~ April
Kyoto, Nara, Osaka trip for the Cherry Blossoms, Architecture.
May
Okada Sensei and Akira's wedding at Nara
August
My brother's wedding in Singapore, hopefully outing with someone very special.
So if I can get my hands on a new camera, no doubt my pockets will be burnt real bad...at least I have vids and pics to console me for the remaining years of completing my book.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Another salvaged weekend
- Never Stop Dreaming -
This weekend was well planned ahead, weeks prior and everyone was set for snowboarding. Unfortunately, the foul weather brought rain, thunderstorms and minutes before departing on a rainy Saturday morning, people started backing out. Mails, phonescalls, etc and I was already convinced that unless you are really in to snowboarding, thunderstorms are probably sufficient to put you off. Since everyone bailed on me and that I wasn't going snowboarding alone, I went back to sleep at 0730 after undressing, brushing my teeth and setting my mac up to complete the certain tasks. Woke up with a splitting headache as the Sun was peeking in and warming up my room by late afternoon, around 1400 hours.
Met up with a friend for some late lunch and caught up with her after not seeing her for a rather long time. Then headed to the usual Ueda joint with the usual boring crowd. Luckily Emi returned my missed call and off I go to another party, Kazu's house warming. Here I met some of the most gorgeous people on Earth and yes I was jealous. Met another avid photographer using the same camera body as mine. Played around with the menacing flash set up and whisked a couple of pretty decent shots...still processing them. Had a great time chatting with Andrew.
Sunday, went out with Andrew who will most probably set me up for a big party in Canada this year end. Hopefully it will be rationalise so I can to to Canada for a short break. Went to Round 1 in Nagano City where a measely ￥1,500 for 3 hours of various sports like baseball batting, basketball, soccer, archery, darts, volleyball, airgun, table tennis, tennis, roller blading, and a wild time in the arcades. Because every game in the arcade is free, I ended up playing 2 hours of games and completing 4 games in total. I will be most willing to come down here again to play arcade for free. Headed back home around 1900 hours and while it was snowing in Nagano City, my city was nothing short of a cloudless sky with stars. Drove to my school, set the camera up with a tripod in the vast field, blazing the chilly winds, I did manage to frame my school against the back drop of glittering stars in the darkness. Reached home around 2200 hours, shower and dinner and had a nice chat with Her Royal Highness, The Mighty Little Bear till 0100 hours. Tired and really worn out, I hit SlumberLand.
Still waiting to buy my camera gear so I can set up more photos.
This weekend was well planned ahead, weeks prior and everyone was set for snowboarding. Unfortunately, the foul weather brought rain, thunderstorms and minutes before departing on a rainy Saturday morning, people started backing out. Mails, phonescalls, etc and I was already convinced that unless you are really in to snowboarding, thunderstorms are probably sufficient to put you off. Since everyone bailed on me and that I wasn't going snowboarding alone, I went back to sleep at 0730 after undressing, brushing my teeth and setting my mac up to complete the certain tasks. Woke up with a splitting headache as the Sun was peeking in and warming up my room by late afternoon, around 1400 hours.
Met up with a friend for some late lunch and caught up with her after not seeing her for a rather long time. Then headed to the usual Ueda joint with the usual boring crowd. Luckily Emi returned my missed call and off I go to another party, Kazu's house warming. Here I met some of the most gorgeous people on Earth and yes I was jealous. Met another avid photographer using the same camera body as mine. Played around with the menacing flash set up and whisked a couple of pretty decent shots...still processing them. Had a great time chatting with Andrew.
Sunday, went out with Andrew who will most probably set me up for a big party in Canada this year end. Hopefully it will be rationalise so I can to to Canada for a short break. Went to Round 1 in Nagano City where a measely ￥1,500 for 3 hours of various sports like baseball batting, basketball, soccer, archery, darts, volleyball, airgun, table tennis, tennis, roller blading, and a wild time in the arcades. Because every game in the arcade is free, I ended up playing 2 hours of games and completing 4 games in total. I will be most willing to come down here again to play arcade for free. Headed back home around 1900 hours and while it was snowing in Nagano City, my city was nothing short of a cloudless sky with stars. Drove to my school, set the camera up with a tripod in the vast field, blazing the chilly winds, I did manage to frame my school against the back drop of glittering stars in the darkness. Reached home around 2200 hours, shower and dinner and had a nice chat with Her Royal Highness, The Mighty Little Bear till 0100 hours. Tired and really worn out, I hit SlumberLand.
Still waiting to buy my camera gear so I can set up more photos.
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Return of The Kumpung Kid
- Never Stop Dreaming -
So here we are again, Monday, at my workdesk slogging to pass time with no visible signs of snow that really sullens everything. Bright blue sky, random pieces of clouds barely blocking out the harsh sun rays and to an extent to what some might proclaim, "Oh my, what a beautiful day!". Complete tragedy for me because I need snow and I do need it badly. Being away since Friday night and only to return on the pre dawn hours of Monday, all my precious snow have melted leaving not a single untouched, clean and white snow in sight...Bad bad bad.
The trip down to Osaka will entail numerous details so here we go...
Friday after school I headed home at around 1615 hours (my work officially ends at 1630 hours) clearing taking advantage of the festive mood to skive a few measely minutes. Reached home around 1635 hours and from then I took my time have a nice decent scrub down in the shower. Fluffed up my mane feeling really recharged and anxiety filling my mind about the Osaka trip. Exhilaration was to a point similar to Indiana Jones or Lara Croft because I could really feel the adrenalin flowing thru my body. Took a while to sort out the gear for the trip and then filled up my backpack with of course my precious camera. Draw out six slips of ￥10,000 notes from the envelop with much disgust because I know that these are my reserves. Did some last minute checks and then I saw my house faded in the rear mirror as I made my way to おぎのや。
I was about 10 minutes early to scout for the bus but 10 minutes into the pre-determined bus ETA (2010 hours) time, there was not a single bus in sight. Just as I was about to freak out my phone rang and I was told that the bus had already arrived but still there was not a single bus in my sight. Then I realised that the bus might have been parked at a different pick up point which was the case after I sniffed out the huge おぎのや compound. On board the bus, I realised that I was the ONLY passenger on board, pathetic I guessed. From there the bus made it's way to the darkness of the night with intermittent stops, either for toilet breaks or to pick up more passengers. By the time the bus reached the last pick up point in Matsumoto, Nagano prefecture, the bus was filled with more than 10 passengers including myself. From this point on it was a non stop high way route to Kyoto Station which I found myself tossing and rolling to get into a comfortable position to sleep. The bus had heaters beneath the seats on the opposite side of the aisle which was good for other passengers but not good for me since I dreaded the heat. The tiny 2 seats, confine space and warm ambience inside the bus was proving a little too difficult for me to snooze off. In the end, I simply gave up when I my watch vibrated at 0550 hours on Sat morning.
Peering out of the window, I realised that I was already far away from ricefields, mountains and sunken valleys but rather towering buildings, empty but well lit city streets and a very slight hint of dawn approaching. Since the bus will take approximately another hour odd to reach Osaka Station, I was not able to sleep anymore and that I was pretty excited and looking forward to the day, I was simply staring wide-eyed outside the window. Upon reaching Osaka Station, dawn was only beginning to settle in comfortably with light blue skies stretching along the horizon. I alighted from the bus and made my way to the nearest toilet to do the usual morning chores. Just when I was exiting the toilet and was about to call WY, I caught him walking in my direction. Well this was like the second time we actually met and on both occasions, by pure coincidence without prior arrangements. It's really funny how SGreans are connected via mental airwaves when they are put in vast lands.
Picking up 2 other fellow SGreans, Kathy and Daphne later in the morning we ended up in some uneventful cafe with not so decent looking wafers, rude staffs and was even told to keep our volume down. Ok I confess we were rather loud at certain point but the rude attitude of staffs really wasn't necessary since I had such high expectations of the Japanese service industry. Perhaps the young waitress wasn't the most average looking lady to be put out to the front lines so that would explain and fulfill the self-fulfilling prophecy that 丑人多做怪. After the lousy experience and breakfast of wafers which I had skipped altogether opting for plain can coffee off コンビニ, we were headed to Yodobashi. Here I tried once again my bargaining stint only to find out that I wasn't so lucky this time round and was rejected. Since defeat was not something I would take lightly and I was pretty adamant to buy my flash unit on this trip, I approacjhed another staff, a fairly decent looking young lady. Weaving a little charm spell, it worked in the end but with only slight reductions and I was forced to either take or leave the deal. I took it in the end at the expense of losing pieces of ￥10,000 notes in the process. Since Yodobashi credits points which works like money on your subsequent purchases, I grabbed a diffuser, battery cases and a new set of batts.
WY, D and K were also busying roaming Yodobashi while I continue my spree until Weili and his gf showed up. Then the 5 of us SGreans from different parts of Japan went on to Namba for lunch and also some shopping. Well I have been to Namba on the April trip last year with Mum, Dad, Brother and his family so I was pretty familiar with the streets and yeah, brings back memories as well. Had Ramen at one of the tiny joints in Namba before heading back into the streets of Namba and then finally back to Yodobashi in Osaka. Man we seems to be quite fond of Yodobashi because afterall it's a prominent landmark and everything else simply resolves around it. In the evening, 3 more SGreans, Joanne, Huiwen and Jing showed up. So it was a final combination of 2 awesome dudes, 6 fabulous home grown ladies and 1 Kumpung Kid aka "The One with the Menacing Camera" going into a Izakaya for dinner. While the lighting was fantastic, I was really obliged to try out the new flash after reading various periodicals on using it. I was brutally destroyed after the first initial shots with my subjects looking like as if they were to be hit by a on-coming 18 wheeler high beaming HIDs. I was really better off without the flash so I guessed I have a long way to accumulate field experience before I flash this light gun again.
Dinner was a combination of whinings, comparisions, gutter-uncensored material from anything to anywhere. Of course the food was fantastic and the free flow of liquids was definitely a party booster. After dinner it was カラオケ till 0600 am. Initial few rounds were subtle and easy where everyone else sang emo songs, slowly opening up their musical vocal chords. Then as the session progresses, I was really taken aback that most of these absolutely fabulous SGreans can sing Japanese songs with such ease that I would have mistaken them for a Japanese...W, double Js, D were really really good with J songs and K and J was especially proficient in English. I was too tired to pull out my camera to soil the mood so by 0430 am, I was already in LaLa Land. Exited the カラオケ at 0600 am, headed to Joanne's apartment with WY, D and H and while walking there after the train transit, it was actually raining tiny pellet like hail stones which I thought everyone else presumed it was snow. J's apartment was pretty amazing in a way because it resembled HBDs flats back home. I swore there was like a 98% perfectly modeled neighbourhood of HDBs. No pictures again because I was dead tired. WY, J and I snoozed till 1330 hours before WY and I headed out as not to impose on J any further. Again no pictures of the neighbourhood because we were actually running after the bus.
THANK YOU JOANNE DEAR for the kind hospitality...Hugs and Kisses
Sunday morning, WY and I headed once again to Yodobashi (WHAT?! AGAIN?!) but this time it was to one of the chain stores 風月 on the 8th floor of Yodobashi for モダ焼き which is basically お好み焼き with 焼きそば. WY and I totally screwed up the meal by attempting to split it, add sauce and spices and finally eating it. We were stopped 2 times by the staffs because it was not ready yet and then finally when we were ready to eat, we were greeted by sinister smiles and grins from most of the staffs in the shop because we, foreigners are really pathetic I guess. After brunch, we went to Yodobashi and WY grabbed a Bose headphones. Nothing eventful after that as we headed out to Osaka and Shin Osaka to locate and confirm out departure points so that we would not be stranded, broke and probably homeless. With only a couple of hours before our expiration in Osaka, we headed back to Osaka and tried our hands on racing games in some Arcade centres which seems to be a thing of the past back in SG.
1900 hours, WY headed out to grab dinner and then the long bus journey back to Ueda. I was waiting for Miki, a friend I made while I was in Osaka in April 2008. We had a rather nice dinner that was filled with nothing less than updates our lives since we parted in April. Great but time was a little short so once again I bade goodbyes to Miki before heading to Shin Osaka for the bus back home.
That's pretty much my weekend which left the Kumpung Kid broke, tired with a sore neck and dehydration.
So here we are again, Monday, at my workdesk slogging to pass time with no visible signs of snow that really sullens everything. Bright blue sky, random pieces of clouds barely blocking out the harsh sun rays and to an extent to what some might proclaim, "Oh my, what a beautiful day!". Complete tragedy for me because I need snow and I do need it badly. Being away since Friday night and only to return on the pre dawn hours of Monday, all my precious snow have melted leaving not a single untouched, clean and white snow in sight...Bad bad bad.
The trip down to Osaka will entail numerous details so here we go...
Friday after school I headed home at around 1615 hours (my work officially ends at 1630 hours) clearing taking advantage of the festive mood to skive a few measely minutes. Reached home around 1635 hours and from then I took my time have a nice decent scrub down in the shower. Fluffed up my mane feeling really recharged and anxiety filling my mind about the Osaka trip. Exhilaration was to a point similar to Indiana Jones or Lara Croft because I could really feel the adrenalin flowing thru my body. Took a while to sort out the gear for the trip and then filled up my backpack with of course my precious camera. Draw out six slips of ￥10,000 notes from the envelop with much disgust because I know that these are my reserves. Did some last minute checks and then I saw my house faded in the rear mirror as I made my way to おぎのや。
I was about 10 minutes early to scout for the bus but 10 minutes into the pre-determined bus ETA (2010 hours) time, there was not a single bus in sight. Just as I was about to freak out my phone rang and I was told that the bus had already arrived but still there was not a single bus in my sight. Then I realised that the bus might have been parked at a different pick up point which was the case after I sniffed out the huge おぎのや compound. On board the bus, I realised that I was the ONLY passenger on board, pathetic I guessed. From there the bus made it's way to the darkness of the night with intermittent stops, either for toilet breaks or to pick up more passengers. By the time the bus reached the last pick up point in Matsumoto, Nagano prefecture, the bus was filled with more than 10 passengers including myself. From this point on it was a non stop high way route to Kyoto Station which I found myself tossing and rolling to get into a comfortable position to sleep. The bus had heaters beneath the seats on the opposite side of the aisle which was good for other passengers but not good for me since I dreaded the heat. The tiny 2 seats, confine space and warm ambience inside the bus was proving a little too difficult for me to snooze off. In the end, I simply gave up when I my watch vibrated at 0550 hours on Sat morning.
Peering out of the window, I realised that I was already far away from ricefields, mountains and sunken valleys but rather towering buildings, empty but well lit city streets and a very slight hint of dawn approaching. Since the bus will take approximately another hour odd to reach Osaka Station, I was not able to sleep anymore and that I was pretty excited and looking forward to the day, I was simply staring wide-eyed outside the window. Upon reaching Osaka Station, dawn was only beginning to settle in comfortably with light blue skies stretching along the horizon. I alighted from the bus and made my way to the nearest toilet to do the usual morning chores. Just when I was exiting the toilet and was about to call WY, I caught him walking in my direction. Well this was like the second time we actually met and on both occasions, by pure coincidence without prior arrangements. It's really funny how SGreans are connected via mental airwaves when they are put in vast lands.
Picking up 2 other fellow SGreans, Kathy and Daphne later in the morning we ended up in some uneventful cafe with not so decent looking wafers, rude staffs and was even told to keep our volume down. Ok I confess we were rather loud at certain point but the rude attitude of staffs really wasn't necessary since I had such high expectations of the Japanese service industry. Perhaps the young waitress wasn't the most average looking lady to be put out to the front lines so that would explain and fulfill the self-fulfilling prophecy that 丑人多做怪. After the lousy experience and breakfast of wafers which I had skipped altogether opting for plain can coffee off コンビニ, we were headed to Yodobashi. Here I tried once again my bargaining stint only to find out that I wasn't so lucky this time round and was rejected. Since defeat was not something I would take lightly and I was pretty adamant to buy my flash unit on this trip, I approacjhed another staff, a fairly decent looking young lady. Weaving a little charm spell, it worked in the end but with only slight reductions and I was forced to either take or leave the deal. I took it in the end at the expense of losing pieces of ￥10,000 notes in the process. Since Yodobashi credits points which works like money on your subsequent purchases, I grabbed a diffuser, battery cases and a new set of batts.
WY, D and K were also busying roaming Yodobashi while I continue my spree until Weili and his gf showed up. Then the 5 of us SGreans from different parts of Japan went on to Namba for lunch and also some shopping. Well I have been to Namba on the April trip last year with Mum, Dad, Brother and his family so I was pretty familiar with the streets and yeah, brings back memories as well. Had Ramen at one of the tiny joints in Namba before heading back into the streets of Namba and then finally back to Yodobashi in Osaka. Man we seems to be quite fond of Yodobashi because afterall it's a prominent landmark and everything else simply resolves around it. In the evening, 3 more SGreans, Joanne, Huiwen and Jing showed up. So it was a final combination of 2 awesome dudes, 6 fabulous home grown ladies and 1 Kumpung Kid aka "The One with the Menacing Camera" going into a Izakaya for dinner. While the lighting was fantastic, I was really obliged to try out the new flash after reading various periodicals on using it. I was brutally destroyed after the first initial shots with my subjects looking like as if they were to be hit by a on-coming 18 wheeler high beaming HIDs. I was really better off without the flash so I guessed I have a long way to accumulate field experience before I flash this light gun again.
Dinner was a combination of whinings, comparisions, gutter-uncensored material from anything to anywhere. Of course the food was fantastic and the free flow of liquids was definitely a party booster. After dinner it was カラオケ till 0600 am. Initial few rounds were subtle and easy where everyone else sang emo songs, slowly opening up their musical vocal chords. Then as the session progresses, I was really taken aback that most of these absolutely fabulous SGreans can sing Japanese songs with such ease that I would have mistaken them for a Japanese...W, double Js, D were really really good with J songs and K and J was especially proficient in English. I was too tired to pull out my camera to soil the mood so by 0430 am, I was already in LaLa Land. Exited the カラオケ at 0600 am, headed to Joanne's apartment with WY, D and H and while walking there after the train transit, it was actually raining tiny pellet like hail stones which I thought everyone else presumed it was snow. J's apartment was pretty amazing in a way because it resembled HBDs flats back home. I swore there was like a 98% perfectly modeled neighbourhood of HDBs. No pictures again because I was dead tired. WY, J and I snoozed till 1330 hours before WY and I headed out as not to impose on J any further. Again no pictures of the neighbourhood because we were actually running after the bus.
THANK YOU JOANNE DEAR for the kind hospitality...Hugs and Kisses
Sunday morning, WY and I headed once again to Yodobashi (WHAT?! AGAIN?!) but this time it was to one of the chain stores 風月 on the 8th floor of Yodobashi for モダ焼き which is basically お好み焼き with 焼きそば. WY and I totally screwed up the meal by attempting to split it, add sauce and spices and finally eating it. We were stopped 2 times by the staffs because it was not ready yet and then finally when we were ready to eat, we were greeted by sinister smiles and grins from most of the staffs in the shop because we, foreigners are really pathetic I guess. After brunch, we went to Yodobashi and WY grabbed a Bose headphones. Nothing eventful after that as we headed out to Osaka and Shin Osaka to locate and confirm out departure points so that we would not be stranded, broke and probably homeless. With only a couple of hours before our expiration in Osaka, we headed back to Osaka and tried our hands on racing games in some Arcade centres which seems to be a thing of the past back in SG.
1900 hours, WY headed out to grab dinner and then the long bus journey back to Ueda. I was waiting for Miki, a friend I made while I was in Osaka in April 2008. We had a rather nice dinner that was filled with nothing less than updates our lives since we parted in April. Great but time was a little short so once again I bade goodbyes to Miki before heading to Shin Osaka for the bus back home.
That's pretty much my weekend which left the Kumpung Kid broke, tired with a sore neck and dehydration.
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