My Incredible 8 hours in Japan.

Before reaching Vancouver, I had a transit in Japan for 10 hours, which meant to be walking around the city for 8 hours, leaving the remaining 2 hours for the on board preparation.

When I reached the Kansai Airport, I put my hand carry at a storage rental, it was priced 700 yen per day for 2 small luggages.

After that,I went to the Tourist Information center to sign up for a short trip in Sakai,Osaka before I'm off to the next flight. I bought package A,which was a map-based walking tour at the price of 1600 yen ( about RM 50+). It's altogether 9 destinations on the map, and there are all within walking distance and not too far from each other, finish visiting the 9 points will lead me the way back to the Sakai station, in which I'll take a 37 minutes train ride back to the airport.

The receptionist briefed me on the walking tour before I proceeded to the ticket collection.

There I started my incredible cultural tour on foot, without knowing the way and using my limited Japanese proficiency to ask about it.Just with a map and train timetables.

Map of the day.






It was my first time having this kind of experience, to have no one to guide me throughout the trip, and my schedule was very flexible and manipulative.



It was a Friday morning, and the street seemed to be rather quiet, a huge contrast to the lifestyle in Tokyo. Everyone was walking so fast in Tokyo that I never walked slow when I was in Tokyo, I know this was the speed I had to follow.

Sugawara Shrine,菅原神社







Japanese have a habit of writing down their wish or prayer on a wooden tablet (Ema,絵馬 in Japanese), and hang it at the shrine.

Just like the Chinese, they have Omikuji where some random fortunes are written on the paper. The Omikuji predicts a person's future and whether his hope will come true in any matter. The bearer keeps the Omikuji if it turns out to be a good fortune, or else he/she will tie it onto a string ( or a pine tree) in the temple ground when the prediction is bad.


I left the Shrine after 15 minutes and headed to another temple, the Honganji temple.

Honganji temple,本願寺堺别院







Continue walking for about 10 minutes, I reached another temple, Myokokuji temple.

Myokokuji Temple,妙国寺







There was no one collecting the entrance ticket. I just went in and had a brief look at it, I felt awkward, as though I was an intruder, but with an entrance ticket.

Walk, walk, walk and walk, and I found the Sakai Knife Museum.









I'm quite attracted to the wide variety of knives showed in the Museum, those that I barely see in life- Those knives used for cutting Japanese food like,sushi,soba,kashi,beef and even whale.=O
(The knife used to fillet the whale is the longest and biggest one in the first picture.)


Yaki Soba Teshoku

On my way to these tourist spots, I did some shopping whenever I see a supermarket ,pharmacy (the Kusuri store), or shopping malls as I did not have adequate time to do them separately on a shopping tour. This was why my walking tour was dragged to 7 hours instead of the required time of 4 hours for the trip alone.



Besides that, I had some hard time finding the way to some of the hot spots and it took me round and round before I could reach. To worsen the problem, I lost my way back to the Sakai station that it procrastinated my train time, it took me 90 minutes to go back ,far more than the estimated time. By time I reached the airport, checked in and picked up my hand luggages, it was already 5p.m( My flight was at 5.25p.m).
So...so.... I ran all the way madly for a few hours.

This was why I called it an incredible and shocking journey, also my first time traveling alone, really alone.

The Time Of My Life

So, there's one more week left before my new journey starts. All this while, I never think that it is a sad thing to leave what I possess here, to a new land where I've no idea how is it going to be, because the goodbye is not forever. I know sometime, someday, somewhere, I'll be meeting and recollect them again.

Val sent me a meaningful sms before she left to New Zealand. I still remember, that it was on Valentine's day, also, the day I had such excruciated diarrhea until I missed her flight , my pain!

" I'm not sad now going to NZ, I realize why, behind the goodbye I say to you, I know there's always a see you tomorrow. "

" When I go to NZ, I'm not leaving you. I can't. You guys are everything I am"

Yes, there's always a see you tomorrow.

Thank you for letting me to understand a point, that there's no need to exaggerate the pain of leaving, because you and I, are going through a new phase of life after all.

This, is what I called the time of my life, the one chance that I'm manipulating my future, inside out.

I'm glad to have the opportunity to choose for what I want, to have family and friends to support my decision, to leave aside the doubts by others. Maturity has taught me how to filter the hesitation and unfaithful by others, to make myself feel better. Because I know, end of the day, I'm still me. I won't choose to not do it because less people are choosing it, if it was meant to be a good choice. Few years later, it'll be the time where I can share my thoughts and different experiences to people proudly, meanwhile listening to theirs. It all starts from my willingness to move forward.

I know, I leave for good.

Come to think of it, it's good enough to have friends being warm enough to organize a farewell gathering for you.I didn't realise my value from others' perceptions until I'm told so, until they do something touching to make me feel good,what more for that?

You guys make the most of myself.

There are so many other ways that I can put an effort on to keep in touch with all of you. It makes me feel so close that I'm just switching to a new place, but not any further than that. I'll still be able to chit-chat with you on all the crappy stuffs through Skype, up-to-date details about myself through photos and blogging, I'm mentally and spiritually with you, you and you.

Some ask if I would be afraid of what is going to come. Whenever that I'm afraid, I have to conquer it, this is how I make my life indifferent. If I were to fear on everything that's coming, I think, I'll be an insomniac sometime soon.Failure, pain, and then gain.That's where I learn everytime I fall, just like whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger, stronger.

My siblings have been telling me that life in university is among one of the best.

I know, this is the time, this is the time of my life. I know.

Meanwhile,I sincerely hope you will grab the time of your life.




Bin Anh Village, Vung Tau, Vietnam

In a crave for Beijing Olympic

I took ferry to my sister's house in Vung Tao yesterday. Vung Tao is 125km from Ho Chi Minh city(HCMC), about 90 minutes of ferry ride from HCMC.It is unsymmetric to Saigon's lifestyle, what makes it attractive is its vibrant culture, with a number of temples, churches and statues footed on the island. There is a Giant Jesus on top of the small mountain, offering a panaromic view to the surrounding landscape.


One of my daily must-do activities is to switch on the television and start searching for live telecast for any Beijing Olympic games, it's sad to note that there aren't much choices to choose from, let alone the live telecast ones, it's difficult enough to find a nice game to watch.

I mean, they have 50 over channels but just not more than 2 channels which show olympic games.


I can't help but to yell to myself, WHERE IS THE CHANNEL FOR BEIJING OLYMPIC BADMINTON????




So I decided to countdown for the days I'm going home for ASTRO Super Sports which set up 10 channels exclusively for Beijing Olympic games.It's for sure that I'll look up for the programme list for Badminton matches repeats.

One thing that will never stop is my never-ending search these few days for the Olympic medal countboard to look for the latest result.I hope our national team will end the gold drought this time, especially for the Badminton and Archery teams, though it's not the first time they claim that our team is at the peak point of getting one. Let's just have a glimpse of hope on them, who lift up high morale in participating.Speaking about the result, I'm very impressed with US's superb swimmer, Michael Phelps who made his fifth gold in the Beijing Olympic and breaking a few world records.The record-breaking 23-year-old is now 3 golds away from his quest of 8 gold medals.Out of the 10 golds US achieved, half of them were from Phelps.This result shocked me a lot, and raised my salutation towards this talented athlete.



Otherwise, my Vietnam trip will be a perfectly ideal trip. It would mean touring in the afternoon and late evenings ,and catching a few matches at home.

Of course, perfection doesn't come often.

I will say, my trip is as good as my past ones. The important element to make up a good trip is present, as I'm enjoying my good times here, be it going to the supermarket, sipping the coffee Sua Da, trying out the local fast-food are just plain pleasure for a relaxing vacation.Perhaps,I'm observing the culture through the usual daily practises apart from snapping a few photos on the splendid view of the island.

Greeting from Saigon, Vietnam

Hi everyone, I've just reached Saigon yesterday and will spend a week in Vietnam for a breeze of air, a good break time for me before I leave. Motorbikes is the mainly used vehicle in Vietnam, I see A LOT, I mean, really a lot of motorbikes scattering on the road, as if the traffic rules are of least use to them.



This trip will basically be a shopping spree besides enjoying the scrumptious local delicacies.In addition, I'll be squeezing into mouse's tunnel this Saturday in Cu Chi tunnel (pronounced as Ku Chi), quite an anticipating place to visit.

This is Coffee Sua Da ( Cold Coffee), it is a locally made coffee with a very unique mixing way.

The coffee set is very special too.



I had 2 grocery shopping during these 2 days,and to my surprise, most of the available goods are of the same brand as Malaysia, the same happens to the selling price.

I've tried Bing Bing Coconut Rice Crackers and Lemon Green Tea of a local brand.
Of course, a can of Coke is always on one grab of hand whenever I'm in a foreign supermarket, it costs me RM 1.20 for one can.





I will end this post short as the internet connection isn't smooth here, I only managed to have a quick check on e-mails and my blog. Detailed updates are to be waited.

Whoo Hoo, here comes my Vietnam Trip.