DisneyLand !!!

Thats right, you read it correctly, i went to Disneyland!!

Well, i didnt quite go in, the company i was with did not wanted to. Plus, i had made plans to go in another time, sometime during next year's winter vacation time, so i rode the sight seeing train, and went to the Disneyland Castle, or in actuality, the official Disneyland hotel, it's gift shop and the Disneyland gift shop.

It was fun ya'll. As soon as you get there, you'll feel just like a kid all over. Even if you dont see Mickey or others right off the bat, the environment itself is enough to bring the kid in you out. Then you can see the train go on top of you, its amazing. Though i must say, the entire land itself is not that big, but i guess if you put together Disneyland & DisneySea, thats a huge area to cover, haha...

So i bought some gifts, took a lot of pictures, and got some really good ideas on what to do for the next time i come. I dont care how much it cost, i'm staying in the castle next time. If there is anything called a vacation, thats it.

So i bought a monster's inc neck strap for me, with a "Men At Work" tag. Very awesome. It also has a place to hang off charms, which is nice. I also bought some postcards, they were nice, and a stitch charm to hang off my monster's inc strap. Well, another monster to add to the monster's team, haha.

Here are some pictures,


The surrounding of Disneyland




The Castle, and the other picture, when you can see the really tall castle, i think thats where the Disney Princesses lives, sharing a castle. Wonder if thats alright with them.... haha....
There is also the famous Wizard Mickey fountain, the one where Mickey gets an entire orchestra to play.
The last 3 pictures were from inside the castle hotel


Monster's Inc merchandise. The second picture, on the right you can see a bunch of neck straps, thats the one i bought, the one with the "Men At Work".


Remember how i said previously the picture of the sunset bridge in Japan is on of my favorite pictures? The one above is the latest addition......

I've now done everything i wanted to do in Japan. When i got in on Wednesday, my boss said i have to clear some leaves, and i decided to take the next day off. My friend calls me up at night and says his friends are going to Disneyland, and do i want to go along. It was so perfect, there is no one else who could have done this except the big guy up above. Slowly but surely, all that i so long for all my life, is coming to reality. My sincere thanks.......
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ArchDyeu
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Asakusa - Japanese Temple, Foreign Visitors

Thats where i went last Sunday (thats yesterday for me when i'm writing this).

Asakusa, a temple, the main gate housing the thunder god Raijin, and the wind god Fujin, as well as others. It is also a good tourist spot, i went there to get souvenirs for my colleagues and friends, since my date of return is about 3 more weeks. Its a nice place to sight see, and alot of things to buy as well. There are a long street of shops selling keychains, masks, traditional dolls, souvenirs, weapon replicas including from the art of Ninja & Samurai, kimono, yukata and toys. Its was like how Thaipusam is in Batu Caves, but all year long....

So the trip was, with my friends. We planned to meet at Okachimachi (a station near to Asakusa) for lunch. I made some plans of my own, before meeting them, i went to Ginza, Japan's most luxurious and posh shopping avenue (kinda like Orchid Street in Singapore, only way more posh). This avenue houses flagship stores for most of the major fashion labels out there, some names include Dunhill, MNG, Zara, Mont Blanc, this and that and everything. If you do a google on Ginza, the one main constant in all the searches would be "bring your wallet/credit cards cause the place is gonna wipe em' clean".

Anycase, why i went there? To get something for someone from somewhere. I did alot of searches on the net, and found something nice to get, and what better place to get it from if not from the flagship store. I had a choice between two, and i hope i made a good choice. Both of my choices were difficult to make too, haha...

Then i headed over to Shimbashi, and rode the Yamanote Line to Okachimachi, met up with Steve and his friends from M'sia and Katsu. Homies!!! Well, they were visiting Steve, and since we were going to a tourist spot anyway, they tagged along. It was fun, we had Ramen for lunch, and then headed off to Asakusa


The street market in Okachimachi. It kinda is like a pasar malam, or pasar borong equivalent. Alot of things for sale, food, groceries, fish, golf equipments, bags, sporting items, shoes, alot more. Its a good shopping place, just no malls.



These are jus some of the pictures i took of the temple, the surrounding shops, the items for sale and such. One thing i forgot to take pictures of would be the kimono/yukata display, those were really beautiful.

We had a good trip sight seeing, i was busy looking at keychains as souvenirs, got some really cool looking ones for my friends and colleagues. Man, souvenirs in this country is not cheap, i think i spent about 15,000yen on just souvenirs. Well, i guess its still something to get for those i work with. I'd post pictures of those, maybe next time.

There was also fortune telling posts, where you shake the can of chopsticks, and take a sheet of the one that falls out. These were quite generically produced fortunes, as when i compare mine to my friends, all it has is good, bad and neutral with similar categories. Nothing specific. I guess thats how it goes,


The english translation goes as such, as you can read. The 2nd paragraph however was quite spot on, "A female who is not trained in the water, stand among the stream meet a severe danger. Just like feeling envious looking at other people in comfort, while you feel yourself helpless". Recently someone close to me got hospitalized for dengue fever, all ended well though, but from my point of view, i really felt helpless. If someone's reading this, how spot on is that?? haha...

A part of paragraph 3 caught my eye "The patients is hopeless, the person you wait for will not come" If the above is so spot on, i wonder about this little section right here, haha....

Then again, this is just fortune telling, according to Buddhist believe, bad fortune telling means that this is bad fortune you are going through currently, and following the ying & yang concept, after the bad, the good will come. And i also had to tie the slip onto a metal rod, kinda like a good luck tree kinda, and this will avert the bad fortune telling. Haha.... Well, these are some of the things you can expect at the temple.

After the trip, we went for a boat ride along the river. This is what we took,

The SS Himiko!!
(okay, its just called the Himiko, i added the SS part, haha)

Its a boat tour of the sides of tokyo, they take you by the river side, to see all the buildings, tokyo tower, some islands, and end up at a Odaiba, an awesome shopping and entertainment mall, right by the man made beach. Here's some of the views i took,


Inside and sides of the Himiko,



Some of the views, as well as the cockpit of the Himiko. It was a nice trip, to sight see. This is one of my recommendations for those who visit Japan, for the experience of it.

And this is definitely going into my favorite picture to date,

Haha, i shot that, might be amateur quality, and amateur camera, but that is a awesome view...

All and all, awesome trip. We had lots of fun, walking, talking, joking, eating, it was fun. I am so very grateful.
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ArchDyeu
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Goodbye, My Friend......

Dont sound so sad, its not "Goodbye Forever", just for the next month, and till i get back from holiday, haha....

My colleague is going back to M'sia. She's the 1st one to complete her assignment, and return home. I'm next, but not for another month. My last post i mentioned we had a farewell party for her and me, mine being an early one.

Last week, i remembered that today, is her birthday. Before that, my boss has asked me to come in today to have a day of overlap with her so that both of us are together when her last day came. Today's her last day. To many coincidences, and when i realized today was her birthday, i mentioned it to my admin and my colleague, and we decided to have a surprise birthday party/surprise farewell party for her.

We had pizza, 6 different kinds of pizza, nuggets and pop corn chickens, and cake. It was a festival when everyone gathered to eat and wish her goodbye


Cake, and pizzas halfway eaten, these guys are raptors......


The raptors caught in the act

One thing about the party though, as much as we planned it to be a surprise birthday/surprise farewell, all it turned out in the beginning was surprise farewell. I mean, my organizing colleagues totally forgot about her birthday till the very last minute when i stopped waiting and whispered "hey dude, its her birthday today, thats why we planned this remember?". Haha.... Then they all went "Oh yea!!!"

But we both got some gifts, since i'm gonna leave soon too. I didnt take the pictures of what my friend got, but i got these,


A decorative traditional made in japan fan of Fujin - God of the Wind and Raijin - God of Thunder. My admin when she went to a city in Yokohama called Kanazawa, she got it for me.


From everyone in the office, they bought me this T-shirt. In the red kanji, it says "Su", as in the 1st syllable of my name being pronounced in a very Japanese manner. The white kanji reads "Teppeki", direct translates as "Iron Cliff". A more literal meaning of "Teppeki" is secure, strong, unassailable or unattackable, or a dictionary meaning would be "strong enough to resist or withstand attack; not to be taken by force, unconquerable".

They really know me well, they got it in my favorite colour, and the meaning is really a spirit lifter. I'm gonna make the fan a decorative.

I'm gonna miss these guys when i leave, as much as i'm looking forward to coming back, a part of me does not want to leave. Colleagues like these, i used to have when i was working in KL, when the office was small, and everyone knew each other well. But back home now when everything is so big and the number of employees is bigger, it has become just another work place. I guess this is the part i dont want to separate from, the sense of belonging to a group of people that knows you, the part of people that you can be comfortable around. It is not easy to have colleagues who are also friends.

Well, all well ends well. Going back would be fun too. But in the mean time, i have another month to finish. This should be fun.

Thanks guys for all the gifts...!! And Thank You...!
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ArchDyeu
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Thinkin' of a Title

Most of my posts have always been accompanied by pictures, be it something i bought, somewhere i went, or what i saw. Maybe its because recently i've not been buying much, or i've not been going out much, or maybe sometimes i do go, but i'm too lazy to take pictures, but this is my second post without picture....

Haha......

Well, its not like its a bad thing, it just makes the post seem dull. I mean, come on, who wants to read a page full of words. Some pictures jus lighten the mood, and makes a point alot more easier to make. It can also make it easier to skip through for those fast readers who dont really bother about the specifics, jus the core of the matter of what is going on.

It does have its bad points. Not everyone wants to see pictures. Pictures, especially in my posts have always been about good things. I guess not everyone wants to read good stuffs all the time. Some have even said not to put up too many good things. But seriously, how low can one be to be unhappy when something good happens to others?

Well, couldn't care less. So with that in mind, let see what happened along last week and this week. There was my early farewell party last week. Basically, it was organized under the impression that i'll be leaving end of this month. But by the time the decision to retain me for another month was made, it was too late to make the party all about my colleague who is also leaving. Again, i forgot to take pictures. I mean, i felt really silly half way through the party and realizing i've not taken a single picture even though i brought my camera. But there was good food, really good food, and oh have i mentioned, the food was good? Haha, there was wine, prawns, lamb stew, and chicken, and others.....

Party was fun, everyone chatted, we ate, laughed, i got some gifts, all and all, really fun. Makes me sad i'm leaving soon.

Then i went shopping with Steve, we drove down to Chiba, where i got alot of gifts for my friends and their family. Like i mentioned before, i've packed the gifts and soon they will be picked up and shipped back, along with these two that i bought for myself




Haha, nice ain't it. They went expensive, infact, they were just basic models. Plus i got them used, so they were really cheap. I'm not a professional guitar player, i'm not even a beginner when it comes to electric guitars, only a beginner in bass. So i dont need expensive guitars, just something basic so i can start learning. Plus, if i bought something really expensive and not be able to play it, that would really suck....

I've always wanted a bass, but the electric guitar was priced for a steal, so i got it as well. The electric guitar is a basic model from Ibanez, and the bass is a Percision & Jazz bass from Fender. The bass needs a little work on its pickups, which i'll work on ones i get back, but the electric guitar's beautiful. I went the next day to a music district and got new strings for both of those, a new case for the bass, guitar stands, electric tuner and a pair of these,



Thats 2 of Vox's 5 new portable amps, they all look like that, but with different purpose. The 5 would be AC'30, Classic Rock, Metal, Lead & Bass. I got the Classic Rock and Bass. They hook up to a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is perfect for my pair of Audio Technica headphones. They then plug directly into the guitars, no dangling wires, jus plug and play. Cant get any easier.

I also got a few kinds of strings, flatwounds for both, and another extra for keeps. I also got some picks, which i inserted into the "PickBoy" that you see attached to the electric guitar. All and all, it was great fun shopping for these, and it was even more educational to find out about guitars, the types of strings, how to adjust the bridge and pickup heights, the effects and others. I also need a new tremelo bar which i forgot to get the last time, probably some other time i will. Well, even though i have alot to do, i'm happy i got these, once i get back i can start learning. Thanks to one up there, creating so many opportunities for me to grow and keep bettering myself, how grateful i am......
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ArchDyeu
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The Gifts & Recipients

Time to go back home is coming near. I have been asked to stay behind for a month more, to give a longer handover period, and help out where ever i'm needed. My colleague will be going back next of this month, as per planned, and i'll join next month. For me, it'll definitely be a little weird, moving back to KL.

For the past 1 year and soon to be 4 months, this country has been my home. I walk most of the time to get to places, i take public transport to travel to further places, i eat different types of food and when i get bored, i cook, i eat packed food almost half of the time from a convenient store, i've really adapted myself here. Somehow, its like i'm leaving home to a new place, even though the place i'm moving to is home.

Its a weird feeling, part of me doesnt want to return, i've adapted to the life style. Another part of me is just screaming to go back, to go back to my social life i left behind, an empty apartment i left behind, my friend and family, jus screaming to go back to the stability i left behind. I think the part of me that wants to return grows everyday, but it never overcomes the part of me that deals with responsibility, work and my commitment. I have a job to take care of, and i'll return once its finishes.

As much as i am sad to leave, i'm excited to return as well. Ofcourse, i'll be sick of home in a matter of months of my return, but i guess its as they say, "home sweet home". So in preparation for my return next month, i've began shopping around for souvenirs, for my friends & family. I've knocked out a bunch of gifts for some of my friends, but i still have half a way more to go down my list. And for my colleagues as well, i guess i should get something, as much as alot of people say why, i always remind them that when my colleagues go places, they always bring back a keychain for everyone. Do on to other what you want others do on to you, and it is only right that i return the favour. I was thinking of going to a place about an hour away form here this weekend, to shop around.

I've also started finishing up some of the things i've put off, like packing up some of the stuffs i have laying around. I've also put away my already prepared gifts, and packed away other non-essentials. But i'm really not packing until i'm going home, haha....

Sad thing though, i might not be able to meet some of my friends who will be in town only next month, since i'll be spending it here. I've havent told anyone of them too, the time i need them to be online, they are not. Plus i have to break the news to my parent tomorrow, that i'll be a month late. I'm sure they'll complain, but i dont see any problems there. Guess i have to get them some more gifts, haha....

I must say, this has been a wonderful trip. I had fun, i made friends, i visited places, i grew up. I faced challenges, i met with expectations, exceed them, i proved myself, i changed point of views, i achieved alot that i can be proud of. I really have been blessed, and i couldn't be more grateful, there is much to be thankful for. Everyday is a learning experience, and i have alot more to achieve. Little by little, i'll get there.....
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ArchDyeu
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My New Vaio

I havent posted in a long time, very long time. Part of the reason is that i have been very very busy. A part of that is because of work, the other part is because i've been busy reading forums, posts and blogs about Sony Vaio, regardless of the series. I've also been busy collecting drivers and programs for Sony Vaio, to ensure all parts of a Vaio works. Plus work has been hectic, its nearing return time, hence i have a lot to prepare, and a lot to hand over to my local replacements.

Part of the preparation is getting myself my very 1st laptop, my 1st and probably my only for a long time. I've always wanted one, and was never able to, it was too expensive, the cheap ones were not capable enough, and i had more important things to take care off instead. But i finally reached into my wallet and brought out the cash, i've been waiting long enough, as i realize my dreams and goals, lets bring another one to life. Introducing, my very own, 1st, Sony Vaio VGN-CS92XS




Aint it a beauty. Might i add, this is a Japan specific model, exact model not available in other countries. Sure, the "C" series is available everywhere, but a 92XS? Haha.... Alright, alright.....

So, why this model? I've always fancied the 15.4" inch laptops. In fact, i've once argued with my friend that when i buy my laptop, it will be that size. But the "C" series is 14.1" inch, what happened? Well, when i came to Japan, i was given a company issued 15.4" inch HP laptop, which i might add have served me very well, took a lot of abuse, yet stuck with me. Its true what they say, the older you get, the wiser you get, you change. As i use it, i began to realize, that it is a big size, and it will be a little heavy, and laptops generally should not be as such, they should be small and compact. But a 13.3" inch, is too small for me, i didnt quite want that, hence Sony had me hooked with a compromise 14.1" inch.

Secondly, look at it, its gorgeous. The "C" series are the really trendy looking ones, with range of colours, compact enough and still pack a punch. Initially they had very few colours, then it grew, and they introduced the colour i picked, Noble Brown. Then i waited a while, and the series grew, to the current 92XS model. And its "Owner Made", i had this made specially for me, with my customized specs. I didnt go to wild, just maxed out the essentials, took a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo (maxed), 4 GB DDR 2 Ram (2nd best, 8GB was just too much, plus too expensive) and 256MB DDR-3 NVIDIA GeFroce 9300M GS (pre-maxed). Everything else was out of the factory specs, so its common and available on the net. But i also had the keyboard changed to English (US) keyboard, and my nick engraved into the top left hand side of the monitor. Total awesomeness.

What about the OS? Came with Window's Vista Home Basic Japanese version. Hence, my second dilemma, the OS. The laptop was supped up, but without an OS i can understand, whats the point? I took a risk, i gambled that when i get it, i can change the OS to English, reformat the whole thing and shove in a Window's XP. Hence i spent a lot of time, researching through my options, gathering information, and forming a game plan. When i got my laptop, i made a recovery DVD 1st, then had snapshots off all the drivers in Control Panel, and went to so many sites to get all the English versions of all the drivers, somewhat successfully. I also made copies of Sony's drives that were installed, just in case. Then i plunged.

As evident by my post, you can be sure that i was successful. But not after many tries and errors. Right off the bat, i was stumped when my XP Installation disc error out with a blue screen. Both my CDs. Then i realized that my new bleeding edge laptop was in a 64 bit architecture, and normal XP wont cut it. I then installed a 64 bit XP, but i was not happy with the installation, it was slow. I'm sorry, it was not slow, it was beyond slow that we need a new word to describe how slow my laptop was after the installation. I thought it needed drivers, but that did not help one bit. I was so bummed out, really sad, doubted myself for a moment.

But i didnt give up, i took the next approach, since this is bleeding edge, lets let go of the XP mentality, and move on to Vista, so i installed a English version of the original OS, Home Basic. I tell you, it was back to its native speed when i got initially, i was really happy. But my OS was not activated, even though i gave the right key from the back of my laptop. Thats Sony + Windows for ya, the activation key was actually inside the original installation, the Japanese OS. Oh boy, but thank god i made a recovery disc, i had some help from my colleagues, and got the laptop back to factory specs, extracted the key, and re-installed. During this ordeal, i found out something. The recovery disc, is also an installation disc. Guess what is installs, drivers & programs. Thats right, i could have saved a lot of time if i didnt go hunting for all those drives and Sony Vaio custom programs. But all's well end's well, i made a clean install, activated my Windows, installed my drivers, and finally got this kick ass machine working beautifully.

I was watching a show, and it was said, that if you didnt work on something with your own two hands, then it is not yours. How true that statement is, cause there is no measurement for the amount of pride, happiness & excitement i'm feeling right now. I tweaked and fixed this and made it work just how i want it to, beautifully, and i spent time and effort, and energy to perfecting it. It finally is, and according to Vista, my laptop's performance score a 4.3 out of a 5. Oh yea.....

Oh and Chun Hao, if you're reading this, i'm sorry man, i know i was thinking of between this and the Mac Pro, but i settled with this. My next laptop perhaps, i'll go with the Mac Pro, aight?

Little by little, but surely, it is all coming true. Sometimes i look back to a few years back, and think about how i was, and look at me now. How i've changed, how i've grown. Trully, god is real, and everyday i'm reminded how he works, and how he has blessed me. Amazing, I cannot say enough thanks, but i can try. Thank you.
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ArchDyeu
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G-Gear

I know, i know, but i've been really, really, lazy these days......

And besides, there hasn't been much excitement recently. Things have been rather "blah...", and dull. Winter came and went, spring is now in the air. Summer is around the corner, and everything else just slows down, with no agenda.

After my snowboard trip, i havent really done much, just work and some research on some stuffs, but nothing major. One of my research was a laptop to buy. I really like a Sony Vaio, but a MacBook Pro is also very tempting with its specs. Between this two are my choices, cause others just dont look as sleek. So i'm doing my research on which to get, and what would be a good choice.......

There are books for me to read and complete, plus i've been busy messing around with my computer as well, so yeah, its all the boring mundane stuffs

But today something came in that'll add a little excitement. I've finally received my Zune 120GB Media Player.




Jus some pictures i took. This is the Microsoft Zune 120GB Gears of War 2 Special Edition.Its as same as the regular Zune 120GB, only it was special made for Gears of War 2 as a bundle release. As you can see, the case is similar to the promotional picture of Gears of War 2, and the back of the Zune has the Crimson Tag. It also comes pre-loaded with GOW2 special picture arts, music and video, and a bunch more.

I also had to upgrade to Zune 3.0, the firmware. During installation and setup, i had to name my Zune. I choose to keep the name close to the theme, G-Gear. Sounded catchy.

I'll put up more on my thoughts and the performance of G-Gear once i'm all used to it. There are also alot of pictures of these out there on the net. For example, do read the CNET review of the Zune 120GB & the Zune 120GB Gears of War 2 Special Edition.

http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/microsoft-zune-120gb-third/4505-6490_7-33259222.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10055849-1.html

I've waited a long time for this to arrive. Almost 2 months, if not more. The timing of its arrival is unbelievable, i was just thinking about it, and it arrived. Its only for sale in the United States, and Canada, and no where else. I have to order it to my friend's mum's place, and then wait for her to send it to my friend in Japan, before he gives it to me. It was a long wait, but it was worth it. My sincere thanks to the one making all this possible.
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ArchDyeu
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Snow Day

I havent updated in a while, prolly cause i havent bought or done anything of interest. But then i did.........

Haha.....

1st, it snowed!! Not too heavy though, slightly, but for atleast an hour. I was in the office then, and suddenly everyone started going "its snowing!". It was exciting, the window's started fogging, and you cant see clearly anymore. And the windows also got covered in snow, but it melted quickly once it was over.


Then, the Saturday came, and i went to specifically look for snow. I went to Gala Yuzawa. To those who know where this is, it is a Skiing Resort!! Hahaha........


Does the ticket gives the hint of what train i took? No? I took this.......


Dont know what is it? Here are some more examples.....


Still cant guess? It is the Joetsu Shinkansen Max-Tanigawa train, or better know to the rest of us as one of the Bullet Trains. This is a newer model then the other examples, and can reach up to 300KMH per hour, if not more. As usual, impressive. And i took the 1st class reserved seats too. Awesome.


Clear day this day, its a good day for snow.


Almost there.... Huh?? That was quick. Yupe, the train ride was only 77minutes long. Thats how long the train took to cut accross Japan, from the East side, to the West side of Japan in 77minutes.

So i got to the station, checked out, and went on to buy my skiing tickets. Hold on, i didnt ski, i snowboarded!. Haha..... I have to get the snow lift ticket and the Gondala ticket before i can snowboard. The half a day pass was 3200Yen, with unlimited rides on the ski lift and Gondala. Then i had to rent the outfit, and the board. I got myself the full set, since i dont really know what to expect. Better safe then sorry, hence i got the Jacket, Pants, Boots, Gloves & Snowboard. They gave me a Freeride 155cm Snowboard (I'm using the term Freeride cause i know know more about snowboarding, haha). I got a locker to change and put my bag and stuffs in, then off to the Gondala. What is that you ask?


The Gondala that takes you from the bottom to the ski resort up top.

Scenery Shots....!!

From the bottom part, at the train station level.



Up, up, and away.........!!!


What a view from the top of a mountain. And guess what, thats only half way up. I didnt take any pictures from the hill i was boarding down from, since going up and falling down might damage my camera, but the highest peak, is really really really (3 times for emphasis) high.

Ofcourse, most of you guys must be wondering, how did it go for a 1st time to Snowboard in the 1st time snow resort, 1st time seeing mountain of snow, doing it all for the 1st time. Its too hard to explain, i'll jus let you guys laugh with the below.....

In my defense, thats how you stop! See, the guy next to me, how did you think he stopped? Haha.......


Alright, alright, i wiped out. I had my right foot's bindings loose, didnt know it was that loose that it came right off, haha.

All and all, i came out of it alive. I had one bad fall at the beginning, but by the time i came down the cliff, i was getting the hang of the board, and i must say, i loved it. It is very dangerous, for sure. Most of the time i had to fall cause of all the people around, and the kids. Not knowing how to stop proper, dont wanna take anyone out now do we? Haha.......

I'm planning to go again, soon. In about 2 and a half weeks time. This time, i'm gonna go more prepared, haha!
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ArchDyeu
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Me, Myself & I

A little unknown fact about me, i dont really like to speak of the things i plan. Anything that i plan, i dont really like to talk about it. I'd rather achieve it, or realize my goals, and let the situation speak for itself, rather than me saying what i've done, or going to do. Let it be a matter of blowing my own horn, or something simple as to a weekend trip, sometimes its just hard to get it out of me.

I'd rather address my goals rather then speak of how i'm going to achieve them.

One small reason is that there will always be some smart jackass out there to contradict my plans. Be it for whatever reason, dumb ppl are always quick to point out how their idea of achieving a goal is better than one i have. And some ppl are as stupid as to contradict even the smallest things that are trivial and insignificant. To the smallest details, like buying this or that, or taking this route instead of the other, it doesnt make a difference. Its a matter of choice.

But what can i do, ppl are always quick to speak as though they are the smartest ppl in the world, like they know everything. And because of that, i choose not to speak out or give opinion in times where i am not asked of one. Ppl come to me for advise, or assistance, and i give them, but when i hate ppl giving ideas as thought as its better, i try very hard not to do it myself.

Another reason i hate to speak of plans is when there is a someone out there with the combination of "I Know Everything" complex & "Do As I Say" complex, the infamous "Because I Know Everything, Do As I Say" complex. This is a decease, honestly. And i really really hate being told what to do. I'll accept it when i'm deprived of the knowledge of the situation, or when i'm seeking advise and am planning my next course of action on a matter, but to treat me like i have no brains to decide on my own, now thats crossing the line.

I like my freedom, and i will not stand to be stripped off my judgment.

Thirdly, i dont like to speak of something i have not yet accomplish. Main reason for this is because if i flaunt on something that i then fail to achieve, i dont think i can deal with the embarrassment. I guess part of this is my parents fault, they always flaunt me off when i was little, on my achievements and what i'm expected to achieve. Have expectations, but to boast and flaunt on something that is yet to be obtained, that not right.

I dont know if there are others, but i dont speak of my plans sometimes, is because of the fear itself, the fear of not seeing it through. I guess it works both ways, when there is pressure, one will either succeed, or fail. When there is no pressure, the failure doesnt have a big impact. I guess i'm taking the safe road by not applying pressure, hence when i fail, i wont be as miserable. But its not like i always choose this road, only when the decision involved me and me alone, like what to buy, or how to do something. When it involves external parties like work, studies, etc, a little pressure is somethings good, it makes me fight that much harder not to fail.

I shouldnt ramble on long, but i guess sometimes giving out little facts of myself helps to have a better look on me, when i try hard enough to look into myself, and re-evaluate my character.
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ArchDyeu
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Health Conscious

In a way, in my attempt to change my ways, i've become more and more health conscious. I've started cooking my meals with as little outside fat as possible, removing all the skins and fats stored in the meat. I've started boiling my meals and have them steamed. I've also done some others to make more changes. Though i'm still far from a lifestyle i'm trying to create, i'm getting there inch by inch.

And to further assist me, is my new

Sport Pulse Ring

In the box, there is a spare battery, and the manual, and a cool carrying case.


Basically, i've started to wonder about my heart rate, and i've gotten this to measure it.

Unfortunately, it's not as accurate as it looks. My 1st trial run with it yesterday, wasnt really satisfying. But looking back at my routine, this really is the most suitable device for me. I wear gloves, multi-purpose workout gloves that has wrist guard. That means, a watch or anything on the wrist must come off. An armband is next, but so far, all i've seen is wrist devices, and armband on the internet is very pricey. Hence, ideally, the ring was the most suitable.

Though it may be not as accurate as i'd expect, its certainly convenient, and its error margin is not really that big. It just needs to be a firmly placed on the finger, and i'm positive this flaw can be corrected. Thats the problem, the ring sometimes loses contact, and the reading runs off. I noticed that last night, and i woke up with a solution for it. I've not really done it, but i would soon, and then i can judge on its performance.

Its nicely designed, but its not made for a good fit, hence the misreadings......

But its definitely convenient, and i must say, quite stylish if you wear it how i do. Most ppl wear the Pulse Ring like a normal ring, with the LED display on top. I wear is LED display downwards, on my palm. Anyone who sees this only sees the band, and can only notice the LED when i turn my hand and expose the palm. It fits and feels better that way, or so it is my personal preference.

All and all, its not a bad purchase, and its definitely usable. Just, have a few adjustments, and i'm sure it'll fare well.

Cost = 3,900 Yen. About what i'd thought i'd pay........
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ArchDyeu
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