I NEED A SIGN!!

I can't believe it! My eagerness was my downfall this time. T__T I'm in such a depressing mode right now you'll probably see dark clouds floating above me. *sigh* I made a wrong move to go with PosLaju. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a rant on PosLaju service. In fact, I'm very much satisfied with their service so far, though I believe many would think otherwise.

I should have gone with just Pos Ekspres.
*smacks her own head*

Heck, probably normal post was even a wiser choice.
*bricked*

But nooooo... I thought I had it right with PosLaju.
*dies*

The problem is, there is no one at the other end to sign and receive my application. Someone explain to me why is there no one there? Even when I tried calling, no one is answering the phone either. T___T And it's a RULE to have it signed! Even though I called up and requested to have the letter just place into the box but noooo.... it's a procedure to sign. SIGN!!

I need a SIGN.

There goes an opportunity.
There goes my day.

x___x

I Don't Want A 7 Series

Mr Skimmer came the other day, sat between me and Cik Datang. Buat kepoh, picked up a magazine and started his usual big talk.

He went on and on until we earn big money.

"And then we earn big money and drive big car.
I'll drive a 7 series. And you... "

*points to Cik Datang*

"You'll drive a 3 series lah."

*turns to me*

Before he could say anything else...

"I'll have myself a driver"

XD

Dorkiness Spreads!

Was out having lunch here yesterday, when I got a msg from the Queen of all Dorks herself asking me if I'm online.

I replied to Queen Dork:
"Am out having korean atm. Glad you had a day off..... "
*personal stuff after that*

And Dorky Highness replied:
"OH R U MAKING BABIES? Having korean XD lol"

See! Someone save me from the Queen of all Dorks.
(-_-)

Kawan Lama Loh...

It's been almost a year since I met them and more than SIX YEARS since they met each other. And the fact that Ash and Jin live just behind each other makes it even more sooo wrong. (-_-)

High school friends. Aww...

It's amazing how nothing have really changed. Looking at each other, it seems we're just the same friends that we are. Just a little bit older, a little bit wiser, a little bit more crazier but still very much the same.

Three lost souls walked aimlessly in Aeon City, undecided on what to eat. And since we have not meet up for so such a long time, everyone was just being so courteous and wants the other to decide. Though it was funny how we kept attempting to distract Jin away from the "usual fast-food".

*passes KFC*

Jin: Oooo... KFC got jimat promo..

Ash: *disapprovingly* Eat lah something more special.

*passes McD*

Jin: *stares at the Lunch promo*

Ash: No!

Me: *attempts to block Jin's view of McD*

It was so cute yet so hilarious.

So we finally settled with Korean. It's my second time trying Korean. The first time was not a very pleasant experience for me and thus there was no second time till now. Jin make fun of Ash for walking in simply because of the cute waiter promoting at the front of the restaurant. Hahahaha... which Ash totally denied. *lol*

If anything else, I give the restaurant a two thumbs UP! for its service. The waitress who first took our order was totally aware of the menu and did a good job in her recommendations. The waiter after that *points to pic on top* was then in charged of cooking for us. Hahaha... and we just watched like nobody's business.

Refills for all the many kimchi and sides dishes were prompt. Even when we left, we had the entire kitchen staff shouting out "Thank you" in Korean. What's that in Korean again? *bricked* Am so not into Korean stuff. (-_-)''

Oh... and it's not just the service. The food was surprisingly good as well. From the rice to the BBQ and the portion was good for three just as stated.

Queen Dork messaged me at this point and I was so busy replying that I didn't even realised when the "pizza" was served. *points to pic* Also what's worst was that I didn't knew there was a sauce that came with it until the very end when I was already at my last piece.

In conclusion, dorkiness spreads!

But the funniest thing was, the gathering was planned for Yin who finally came back all the way from the UK after 3 long years, or was it four. (x_x) Don't remember. And at the end of the day, she couldn't make it. Uwaa... the next time we can ever meet again is probably another 3 years later.

There you have it.

Ash, Jin and Vin. Missing Yin.

Yup. I know I just gave everyone a three-letter name but that's their names. And this is definitely going under memories. *grins*

Sinful Pleasures...

Am guilty as charged!

I ain't ordering Shishamo Bento anymore. I'll stick to my favourite Saba from now on. *sigh* But I can't helped it. I have this tendency of having fun with my food.

Vin's Policy:
No repeats within two days!

Demo... sinful... totally sinfoool! Little fishes like these filled with eggs inside. (>_<)

Ignorance is such a bliss though.

Introducing Ms Return:
Yerrr... so cute little fish. I want to order this next time.

(-_-) Woot?

A Japanese Summer: Chapter Five

Yes. That's me. How cool is that picture?

Total awesomeness. Kudos to Cubbie who lurked behind me as I ventured ahead into unknown teritory. LOL. Am sure Cik Datang will once again kick up a fuss on why is there seem to be no one around in Japan. *giggles* Shouldn't tourist spot being crowded with tourists? Such a shot should be impossible. *smiles*

That's the thing about travelling on your own. You go to amazing spots normal tours just don't take you to. Sure, they take you to Nara but probably to only that one major temple that everyone knows about and that's probably the only thing you'll remember about Nara. Me? I'll always remember the sound of cricket that surrounded us as we stroll along the path that leads us to one great monument to another. That insane 5km walk the two of us started during the day and ended during the night. Plus the walk to the stations, to the hotel, to practically everywhere we went, it probably amounted to 10km of insane walking. Now, that's memory!

Alright, so here with go!

We took the early train out from Tokyo, didn't stop in Kyoto and head straight to Nara. Again, it was a weekday and it was almost noon by then, so the train was pretty much empty. What's different about this ride from others is....

jeng jeng jeng!

It's fan-operated. HAHAHAHA... all the sky high canggih-ness of Japan, and yet you'll find somethings like this that brings you back to the ground. *grins*

It was lunch time when we reached Nara and once again we hunt for the little udon mise recommended by our ever trusting Lonely Planet guidebook. The shop unlike our last Okonomiyaki hunt was located along one straight road. The challenge here instead was to spot the shop. For some reason, the name of the shop was not highlighted in a big signboard at all but instead was written on the Noren (aka the split curtain thingy you'll find in most Japanese restaurant) and it was written in small letters above the big UDON word instead. *points to the picture above* Lucky me for my essential hiragana knowledge. ^_^

Lookie at Cubbie promoting the menu.
All drawn and scribbled in a brush effect.


Now lookie at how biggie the bowl is! That's the thing with food in Japanese. They may not be cheap but they're HUUUUGE!! (-.-) 木の葉うどん aka Konoha Udon, 650 yen, approximately RM20. Yes Cubbie. It's Konoha Udon. HAHAHA... we didn't even know that when we ordered cause I don't know how to read the kanji but I just checked as I wrote this post. We ate a Naruto-ish udon without us realising it.

*****

After lunch, our 5km walk begins!

Get ready for all the pretty pweeetty shots hereon.


The climb was only the beginning of a tiring day.
And see! There's people around. XD


Lots of these little guys too. *bows to show respect* Little buddhist status with bips around them. That's what me and Cubbie called them and in no way we meant to be disrespectful. *bows again*



A rare view of the Kofuku-ji temple.



An even rarer view of the pagoda. *points to the one Ojiichan is drawing* Both of us were totally beh paiseh as we snooped around Ojiichan to had a sneak peak of his work and even took a photo behind his back. HAHAHAHA....



Ojiichan: *mumbles* annoying young tourists...


XD

Uwah... Now this is what Nara is all about. Shika! Shika and more Shika! *in a small voice* Shikamaru. *runs away before she gets whacked by Cubbie*

Or in English: Deers! Lots and lots of them. Roaming freely and nibbling at anything possible. From deer food to your hand-held maps. So beware if you ever visit Nara, make sure you don't loose your map to the deers. *grins*

The funniest part of this video was Cubbie. HAHAHA... she was so engross recording it that she bumped her camera against the deer's antler which was followed by lots of giggles.

And I kid you not when I say the deers are everywhere!

And they're pretty much used to us humans already.

See this model trishsaw? It's much regrettable that we didn't take any pictures of the real thing. With real man running it. Semua jejaka jejaka tegap wei!! Super tanned from running under the sun and super fit from the exercise, all clad in their traditional rider's outfit. Woohoo! YET! Both of us don't have a single picture of it.

(o_O) W-H-Y?!?


No. We were not busy drooling.


LOL.

Finally. After a long stroll along Nara Park, crossed some streets, went under some under-passage to cross bigger roads... we're here! To the big gate to Todaiji temple. This is known as Nandaimon or in English, the Great South Gate.

Even though you have reached the big big gate, there's still a loooooong walk ahead.

*pif*

Ticketo!

I disapprove the idea of paying to go to a temple.
That's just beat the whole point of going to one. (-__-)

Oh well. Am not the one in charged.

You'll probably seen this shot in newspapers and stuff but I saw the real thing. *grins*



AMUSING STUFF can be found in the temple.

No worries. Photos are permitted.
Just don't set up your tripod. That is not allowed. (O_o)


I paid to have a go at fortune.

And I got a humble "Good Luck".

(^o^)

Cubbie got a "Late Good Luck". It's okay, I share some of mine with you now and then I'll tap some of yours later on when it comes around, neh? LOL.

MORE AMUSING STUFF found in the temple.

Here's a big pillar in the middle of the temple and there's a hole through it. Little kids crawl across that hole. @_@ If I'm not wrong, I think I remembered over-hearing someone explaining that it suppose to bless little children to grow. Interesting.

Alright. We're done with the famous temple. Now we're all ready to venture deeper for more. Inside is where Cubbie got the shot of me walking in the middle of nature (the first picture of this post). From here on, the crowd got lesser as not many explore this route, which is a shame as you'll get to enjoy...

this...

and this....


and this this.

Now if I were to post every temple, shrine and pretty stuff I took in our 5km walk, you'll either be in awe of the beauty or be seriously bored.

XD

Seriously. That highlighted pink route is how much we covered for the entire day. From the black and white railway track where we arrived, one big circle and the walk back. AHHH!

See! Sudah evening pun.

And so we had our dinner in a little shop in the middle of nowhere. *grins* Simple curry rice. Sorry. No picture of the food. I think we were just hungry and gobbled it all down when it arrived. (^o^)

And then we waited for it to get dark.

WHY?

For this! *hearts*

It was the summer lantern lightning event in Nara.

All the prettiness at night. *smiles*

What was a quiet street during the day when we arrived turned into a bustling street of summer night festivities. Like the many scenes we've seen in anime and Japanese shows, people came out to enjoy the summer cheers in their yukata. It was certainly a delightful atmosphere and am so glad we were there to experience it.

Good spot to buy souvenir goodies neh.

Video for a more "real" experience. (^_^)

That's it. Good bye Nara!

Previously on "A Japanese Summer" *hahaha*
A Japanese Summer: Prologue
A Japanese Summer: Chapter One (i) Arriving in Japan
A Japanese Summer: Chapter One (ii) A Day Out in Tokyo
A Japanese Summer: Chapter Two (i) Hokkaido Saikou!
A Japanese Summer: Chapter Two (ii) Off to the Farm
A Japanese Summer: Chapter Two (iii) To Asahiyama Zoo
A Japanese Summer: Chapter Three The Okonomiyaki Hunt
A Japanese Summer: Chapter Four (i) A Day at Disney
A Japanese Summer: Chapter Four (ii) A Magical Night of Disney

A Japanese Summer: Chapter Four (ii)

Continuing from where we left off over here... it's time for some pweeetty fireworks. Magical. Honestly, I need to speed this up so that I can take you guys to Kyoto in my next post. *frowns*

So here we go!

After that delicious turkey leg and a good rest on the floor at a random corner of Disneyland. *Yes, we got no shame* Not like anyone know us anyway. We're off to...

*jeng jeng jeng*

buat suspense sikit.

...the Haunted House! Woohoo. *over-dramatic*


Lookie at the friendly witches that jaga the queue. Every attendant is dressed according to the theme. Remember Jungle Cruise-san? *blushes* Again, a very loooooong queue before we finally entered.


Scary level? Mild.

Awesome level? Awesome!

Hahahaha... again it is Disneyland afterall and you have little kids half our height entering the haunted house, how scary can it be right? But the entire thing was done as a story and we were guest invited to the house. There was this big voice welcoming us and telling us the story behind the mansion. Macam lah we understand. *lol* But it was great fun when an entire hall full of standing guests suddenly turned to a great big lift and begin moving upwards. Uwaahh.... interesting. *grins*

We managed a few more rides before the sun began to set and that's when the entire place begun to light up and turned all the more pretty.

Lookie! Merry-Go-Round.

I insisted to ride on it. HAHAHA... Cubbie was kinda all -.-;; over my request but come on, I don't remember when was the last time I actually rode on one and this is the real thing! In the end everyone had fun on it, though we were more busy passing the camera around and taking pictures of each other. *shakes head* And the horses were so high, it was actually a challenge to get on it and even harder to get off.

"Hurry.. hurry. Get up!"

"Hurry. Before it starts moving!"

LOL.
*total dorkiness*

So the turkey leg power didn't last because we were hungry by 8pm. Hahaha... and we had Mickey Pizza!!! So the cute!

*cuteness 100%*

The night parade was about to begin then so we chose a nice spot to enjoy our Mickey Pizza while we get all ready for our duties as videographer and photographer again. *grins*

Pretty but oh so scary too. Imagine wearing that and dance. I think I probably be too worried getting myself electrocuted. ^^;;

Draggie! This shot is dedicated to Fangy-kun then.

Most of the main characters appeared again, this time all lighted up and all pretty but I save this picture spam for something greater that night. Instead, you get video!

Awesomeness 100% right? *sigh*

Now saving the best for last!

The Night Show!

Hahaha... listen to Mickey speaking Japanese. Amusingly funny.

I kinda edited the clip to save silly loading time. See how superb Cubbie's zoom is? We were very very far. So far that Mickey looks way tiny from where we were.

See! How far the stage is? But who cares about distance when the ending went off with a blast. Bang bang bang!

Not forgetting my duty to capture them in pictures.

Uwaaa.... HOT!

Uwaaaa... pretty!

Uwaaaa.... magical!

I sound so silly in this post. I guess that's what Disneyland does to a person. It brings out the child in you. *grins grins grins*


ONE MORE LAST SHOT FOR THE NIGHT!

NEXT STOP: KYOTO!