It has been three months plus since my previous update. Term 1 was over. It was way busier than before, ever since I took over as Faculty teacher. Five consecutive fridays spent in school. My cab fare for the past few weeks accumulated to over hundred dollars. Sometimes, I really couldn't help but wonder if this was a wise choice. At the end of the day, I may be doing all these for nothing.
Dramafeste was the event which drained most of my energy. Many nights spent in school to oversee the kids' rehearsals. Sometimes even Saturdays too. For someone like me who loves lazing around on weekends and take afternoon naps, I guess this isn't the ideal job for me. Well well. I guess what kept me going currently is the enthusiasm of the kids. Look at them dancing in the video and you'll probably get what I mean. They spent many many afternoons rehearsing the dance. Such a pity that Apollo (my faulty) didn't win.
No time to farm and cook on facebook. Currently my favourite games over the weekend are Cityville and Cooking Mama.
Another major "project" which kept me occupied for many weeks: my new house. It is going to keep me occupied for the many many more years to come, sucking my money and energy. Do refer to my facebook photos if you're interested to take a peep at my house. Housewarming will have to wait till I'm less busy (which means either June or December when I have a more decent holidays). Lights, curtains, bay windows all done. Waiting for furniture to come and unpacking of my Doraemon toys.
Our last day in Japan. First stop was Imperial Palace at Otemachi. Lots of walking and didn't get to see any edge of the palace, but the scenary was nice.
Haha, took a number of photos on the flowers and plants to test my old camera. It seems not-too-bad with the close-up shots. Other than this, it was quite lousy. If you have realized by now, the ones with date imprinted were taken using my camera and the rest were taken using WQ's camera. Most of the evening and night shots were without the date, because my camera battery would die by 2pm. I must invest in a new camera before I go for my next trip!
Next stop was Ginza. Personally, I thought the place had been overrated. It seemed like an ordinary commercial street with many boutiques. Went to Fancl to get three of the bi-monthly sets which cost around 10000 yen, around 30% cheaper than that in Singapore (must buy 3 sets, the prices of 1 set or 2 sets isn't proportional). That was my greatest "damage" in Japan, but it was planned. If any Fancl-user is going to Japan, should consider getting some of the things there. Check the prices before you go. Saw shops like Zara, Burberry on our way to the toy shop at the end of the street.
The toy shop was far more interesting compared to the boutiques (in our opinion). Lots of cute toys.
After which, it was lunch time again. This time round, we had a good meal at a restaurant opened by a Taiwanese. It was something like steamboat and I thought it was really nice. Cost around 1400 yen per person, quite reasonable as compared to the price in Singapore. I always think the food in Singapore has been unreasonably priced. So even in Japan, we didn't feel that the food there was expensive.
Stopped by Akihabara to look at the electronics for a while and went back to the hotel to pack our luggages. Not really heavy, but quite bulky cos of the food stuff. We "un-intelligently" spent all our coins at the convenience store in the evening, without realizing that we would need to pay for our breakfast the next morning. In the end, we decided to finish up our milk and cup noodles the next morning.
The next morning was a rush for Narita Express, then check-in and last minute shopping for souvenirs at Narita Airport. Reached Hong Kong at around 1.20pm and on the way for transit, I managed to get some tibits and magazine for mum (haha, she was so pleased with me).
Hopefully I will be disciplined enough to learn a bit of Japanese before I go Japan again. Really miss the food, the clean toilets and the railway system (especially the express trains and how they managed to optimize the network). Not to forget the cooling weather (I was sweating like mad in Singapore today).
The much anticipated trip to Disneyland was scheduled on the fifth day of our trip. Took a train from Ikebukuro to Shinkiba and then transferred to Maihama, which turned out to be one hour plus instead of 37 minutes as stated on the website. It was freezing cold that day and I was merely shivering while waiting for the train at Shinkiba.
Luckily we purchased the tickets at Shinjuku on Day 1 (200 yen cheaper than usual too), and we could enter Disneyland smoothly. We saw long queues at the entrance. Horror. Disneyland was flooded with people, mostly Japanese. We saw Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck at the entrance taking photographs with tourists. The queue for Mickey was really long (we gave up!) whereas Donald had no queue- whoever grabbed him got to take photo with him. I lost. No photo taken.
More crowds inside Disneyland, and all seven sections were flooded with people. Almost every attraction had a long queue. Managed to get a fastpass for Pooh's Hunny Hunt (it was highly recommended on various blogs). Few hours later another fastpass for Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, followed by Big Thunder Mountain. We could not grab a few fastpasses at one go, had to be staggered. By the time we rided on Big Thunder Mountain, it was already evening time. Queued up for Star Tours and Haunted Mansion. Took a total of five rides, which was kind of disappointing. Hunny Hunt and Astro Blasters were very similar to two of the attractions in Hong Kong disneyland, hence the surprise element was missing.
The only character who was willing to take photo with me was Daisy Duck. Chip and Dale ran off when they saw me and took photos with some Japanese school girls instead. Here, one had to grab the character and take photo (nobody will help you take a shot). It was unlike Hong Kong where things were done more systematically. One just had to queue up and wait for his turn, just like the case in Sanrio Puroland. So if one is keen on taking rides and taking photos with the cartoon characters, Hong Kong Disneyland would be a better choice. Moreover, its fireworks was more impressive too.
Other photos we took at various locations:
It was difficult engaging tourists when almost everything was in Japanese. The best form of engagement would be the parades. I enjoyed the parades and I thought they were really good! First was the White Holiday Parade (twice a day), followed by Jubilation (once a day) and the Electrical Parade (once a day).
Was freezing cold in the evening and we stayed at the restaruant for one and a half hour just to keep warm. Luckily we had the Big Thunder Mountain ride, quite scary for me, but the screaming warmed me up. It was a wise choice not to opt for Disneysea or we would be freezed to death.
One very popular attraction is Monsters Inc. Ride and Seek. Fastpass ran out by noon. So next time we are there, we must grab these passes first thing we enter the park.
Wait for an hour and a half just to hop onto the bus for Shinjuku (direct shuttle bus). By the time we reached our hotel, it was past eleven. A long and not so fruitful day. Overall, still quite enjoyable cos WQ was there to freeze with me.
This is one of the most tiring day, but also the most enjoyable one. Had not been looking forward to this day, as I thought it would be tiring. Turned out the route was very well planned with lots of things to see.
We purchased the Express Romance Train ticket to Hakone on Day 1, which meant we had to be on the train by 7.28am sharp. Japanese are very punctual people, it turned out that the train really moved out of the station at that time. Impressed. Like the Narita Express, seats were already assigned with cable number, row number and seat number. It was a comfortable ride. The cheaper ride will have many more stops in between, and we are not guaranteed a seat.
Upon reaching Hakone, we took the Tozan bus to Toy Museum (which turned out to be not very interesting) and Kowakien Yunessun (a begonia garden which we didn't want to go in cos tickets are expensive. the shop outside is a great place to buy souvenirs).
Armed with too many boxes of souvenirs, we had to go back to the Romance Car station to place them in the lockers and took the Tozan train up to Gora instead. Along the way, we got down to visit some of the more interesting spots. The scenary was really great and I thought our cameras could not justify its beauty.
Everything was perfect, except for the difficulty in hunting for food. Could not find a decent restaurant at Gora. Had no choice but to have hotdog and fried soba for lunch and it cost close to 800 yen per person.
Took the Tozan cablecar to Sounzan (the place I had my fried Soba). After which, it was via ropeway to Owakudani and Togendai. Owakudani is a volcanic valley, famous for its scenic views and Kuro-tamago— a local specialty of eggs hard-boiled in the hot springs. Hello Kitty is everywhere in Hakone.
Togendai station is on the shores of Lake Aishi. From there, we took the "pirate ship" to Hakone Machi.
Was trying to take photos on the ship (none of which turned out nice). It was getting dark when we reached Machi and we decided to take the Tozan bus back to Hakone Yumoto and leave for Shinjuku and eventually Ikebukuro. Luckily we got the Hakone Freepass, which offers unlimited boarding of transportation in Hakone (around 7000 yen per person, inclusive of the romance car ride). The bus journey itself cost more than 800 yen per person. Gosh.
Returned to Ikebukuro pretty early that evening and we had dinner at another restaurant near the hotel. It was the best Japanese food I had tasted so far. The ingredients used were good and the chefs are skillful. Too bad smoking was allowed in the restaurant which made WQ feel rather uncomfortable.
This was the day we indulged in a sea of pinkness and cuteness. Read lots of reviews before going to Sanrio Puroland, and I must say the theme park turned out way exceeding my expectation.
A five minutes walk from Tama-center station, we saw the big Hello Kitty at the entrance.
It was an indoor theme park, nicely decorated with all Sanrio characters. We got hold of the passport which allowed us to visit the Hello Kitty house, Hello Kitty lab and watch performances at the theatres. If you are not a fan of Sanrio and rushing to leave, you can get the ordinary ticket (around 1000 yen cheaper), which allows you to shop for the Sanrio mechandise and watch the performances at the central stage. Any performance at the theatres or visit to the Hello Kitty house or lab will cost you another 500 yen each.
Our first stop was the arcade and toilet (haha, we had a long journey from Ikebukuro).
We entered the Hello Kitty house next.
And all visitors got to take a shot with Hello Kitty at the exit. She was so friendly! (unlike the characters in Tokyo Disneyland)
Visitors may purchase the Hello Kitty shot (by their photographer) at 1000 yen. The photo on WQ's camera was quite nice, so we decided to give it a miss (haha, we want to save the money to buy other things too).
We took a boat ride after that. Short queue and the staff allowed me to occupy the boat (which can take 6 people) by ourselves. WQ and I thought it was quite generous of them. Lots of cute characters throughout the ride.
Managed to catch two different performances at the tree house central stage before and after lunch. Too bad it was in Japanese and I couldn't understand most of it. Luckily the characters were animated and cute, so it was satisfying by just watching them dance to the music.
Rushed from one theatre to another after that so as to make full use of the passport to watch every performance (haha, and we succeeded!). Those performances in the theatres (which those holding ordinary tickets have to pay) have english subtitles.
Visited the lab. Had to move from one station to another. By winning the game at each station, we will get to choose the hairstyle/clothes/shoes/hairband etc. for the cat. Otherwise, it will be determined by the machine randomly. Quite hard to get a nice looking kitty for a first timer. Before I could understand the instructions on the screen (for some of the stations), the game started and ended.
The final stop was the Hello Kitty shop on Level 3. There are several shops in the themepark, but the one in level 3 has the greatest variety.
A long train ride to Yokohama (and an expensive one). Was seven plus when we reached and couldn't take the ferris wheel and explore the place thoroughly. Must devote one full day for Yokohama if we ever visit Tokyo again. Must go and see the chinatown.
Our one and only encounter with the Tobu-Tojo line for this trip. We can access to many railway lines at Ikebukuro, very convenient!
We took this special bus when we reached Kawagoe, an edo-period theme park. The bus brought us around the essential tourist spots, which mainly consisted of buildings from the edo-period and temples. There are some modern buildings along the way too.
We were quite lucky that day, and managed to enter the Festival Museum free of charge as it was their festive day. I don't really understand much from the visit as most of the instructions and captions are in Japanese. And the latterns and dolls gave me an eerie feeling.
The streets were commercialized. Most of the shops are selling dolls and local products. Quite a good spot to get souvenirs.
One can't possibly miss the clock tower, a symbol of Kawagoe dating back to the edo-period. We managed to hear the bell ring at noon. Inside the clock tower, there are several spots for people to make wishes (haha, we saved some one dollar yen coins for this).
Went back to the city area for lunch. I enjoyed this meal, around 2000 yen for two person. We finished every single dish in the bento set. I like the ice-cream.
Next to it was a 100-yen shop (in fact, each item costs 105 yen).Only bought a few of the more interesting items, which we thought we won't be able to get in Singapore. Don't be surprise, although WQ and I are quite thrifty, we tend to be relatively generous when it comes to getting gifts for family members, colleagues and friends. In fact, a significant portion of the money we spent during the trip (apart from accomodation, tickets to places of interest, air tickets and transport) are on gifts for others.
Went back to Ikebukuro to transfer train to Roppongi. I had been anticipating the trip to Asahi TV station where I can get some of the Doraemon merchandise. It was the greatest motivation throughout the day as I was quite tired from all the walking and lack of sleep.
We were both quite disappointed with the small collection. Only managed to take a few photos. At the end, I almost scream out loud like Stitch!
Difficult to find a restaurant at Roppongi and I was too tired to visit Tokyo Tower (sorry WQ!). Went back to Ikebukuro to have dinner at a restaurant which is similar to Saizeriya. It is near to our hotel and the variety of food is pretty good!
Arrived at Tokyo Narita Airport at 6am (YAWN!). It was mad rush having less than an hour to transit at Hong Kong airport (and luckily, we made it!).
Took Narita Express to Shinjuku and then transferred train to Ikebukuro, where Sakura Hotel is located. Seats were assigned on Narita Express, and I fell asleep during the long but comfortable journey.
It was a tough journey after alighting from Narita Express, having to locate the right line for transit (the railway system in Japan is complicated!) and dragging the luggage up and down the stairs, sometimes without escalator. No lift was in sight. After alighting at Ikebukuro, it was another tough journey to the hotel. First time in my life I had to drag luggage to cross several road junctions.
After storing the luggages at the reception, we explored Ikebukuro Sunshine City.
Soon, it was lunch time! The ramen was relatively cheap (around 500 yen?), but oily.
Went back to check-in. The room is small! Luckily, the toilet has all the essentials (I like of like the toilet actually). Hotels are expensive in Japan. We had to pay around 60000 yen for six nights (inclusive of passports to Sanrio Puroland, so effectively the accomodation is around 50000 yen.)
Went out again to explore Shinjuku and Shibuya where we bought the freepasses to Hakone (they are not free! Quite expensive actually, but essential for us to explore Hakone on Day 4). Had my dinner at a fastfood restaurant. Expensive meal (more than 1000 yen)! WQ and I shared the meal, and he had to get cup noodle on our way back to the hotel.
A very funny musical fairytale. Watched it last Friday (instead of HP7 and Confession because WQ may not be able to follow HP7 and I don't want to be scared when watching Confesstion), and I really thought it was a wise choice made (though the price for two 3D-movie tickets is kind of steep). The animation itself is way better than the trailer one can find on youtube. The original story was much simpler and I don't remember much of it except for the Physics design experiment I had to do in TJ that dealt with this storyline (something to do with the measurement of hair strength). Was pleasantly surprised by the interesting plot, and like all fairytales, it is always happily ever after.
The four key characters: Rapunzel, Flynn Rider and two animal side-kicks for comic relief. I like the two animals.
In this movie, Flynn Rider is not a prince, rather, a thief.
Apart from the occasional meetings, retreats (which are meetings in disguise), remedials for underperforming kids and consultations, the year end holidays has began since two weeks ago. Had a very packed schedule and rest of the days were spent preparing for whichever events that were supposed to take place, and revising on my statistics which I had put aside since my college days (which is almost ten years ago).
It seems like yesterday that I studied in TJ. Whenever I attempt 'A' level questions, I always recall my own college days, and I always feel fortunate that I have such fond memories. In comparison to what my students are currently doing, my college days weren't half as happening. Having said so, I think it was optimal for someone like me, who needs time to reflect on what I had learnt and it was really in these two years that my mathematical ability was raised significantly. Not that I was taught more advanced topics (like how I always spam my SMTP kids with university Math stuff), but I was able to understand the content within the syllabus thoroughly and build a foundation which allowed me to advance smoothly into university Math.
The 'A' level syllabus has really evolved over the years. Statistics, for instance, was revamped and the topics covered were quite different from our old Math C syllabus. And I wonder, how much sense do the kids make out of the Binomial, Poisson and Normal distributions when they know nothing on expectation and variance. Even the chapters on discrete and continuous distributions are out. With the use of GC, I wonder if they appreciate the reason for doing approximations.
Next year I'm going to teach my very first batch of 'A' level students and see them through the 'A' levels. I am not sure if this is going to be my one and only batch of 'A' level students in HCI. I feel quite uncertain about what I want to do after my four years bond with MOE. Four years, and I see one batch of students from Sec 3 in Nanyang, all the way to C2 in HCI.
Whatever it is, I shall try to survive next year, which is likely to be hell with new responsibilities and job scopes.
Sometimes, I really couldn't help but wonder if this was a wise choice. At the end of the day, I may be doing all these for nothing.
Had a very packed schedule and rest of the days were spent preparing for whichever events that were supposed to take place, and revising on my statistics which I had put aside since my college days (which is almost ten years ago).
