Bowling for URA


Became an accidental representative for the MND Sports Event, Bowling Tournament on Friday. Perhaps the first time ever in a bowling competition. Took on this sport as a very waste money one because you are like throwing your money into the drain....

I have not bowled for years... can't even recall the last time I've touched a bowling ball. The other teams were all very strong, amateurs but played really really well with their custom-made balls, shoes and even hand-gears, made us in this event looking like calefares. It was even mentioned that they formed teams long time ago, took up training in the CSC club every Friday. To them, it was their passion and commitment, to us, it sounded like a chore. Guess we are less of the sporting type where work and family comes first.

Win or lose, we still have to put up a good show. Here's my team, consisting of 4 lovely ladies... all singles!!


The balls looked more like balloons than 10 lbs balls... but actually they are quite heavy when posing too long.

Yep, our team played pretty well, some strikes... hmm.. no "turkeys".. hopefully not last at least.


p.s: I still can't figure out which weight of the ball is more suitable for me, the 8 lbs or 9 lbs. One of my teammates mentioned that I tend to "skip" everytime I threw the ball.. which looked awkward. Hmm, bad habits die hard.. I din even realise it myself. =(

I am imagining that I'll be having a free and easy trip to Japan this time round.

Here's what I've planned:

Japan North-east trip itinerary

Day 1 - 6 Dec 08

6am - Departure morning – 6am – reach Tokyo, 2pm

2pm - Tokyo Narita Airport– 东京-成田机场
Take express train to Tokyo Station
(About 1 hr)
3pm - Take Tohoku Shinkansen- 东北新干线 to reach Iwate Prefecture
(About 2 hrs)

Iwate Prefecture岩手县

5 pm - Morioka City Station盛冈駅 - 盛冈市
Shuttle Bus to Morinokaze Oshuku - 森之风莺宿
(40 min)
Check in Onsen hotel and dinner
It’s a beautiful hotel surrounded by mountains capped with snow and rivers below. Rest for the day~

Day 2 - 7 Dec 08

8am - Breakfast in hotel

10am- Kenji World
2pm - Lunch at Wai Wai – restaurant in Kenji World

3pm- Morioka Handi Works Square

5pm- Rest in onsen hotel/dinner

Day 3 - 8 Dec 08

Akita Prefecture - 秋田县
Niigata Prefecture 新泻县

8am - Breakfast in hotel

9am – Check out Hotel
Go to nearest station - Shizukuishi Station雫石町駅
Take Akita Shinkansen 秋田新干线

via Lake Tazawa- 田沢湖 (The deepest lake in Japan)

10am - Transfer at Amagari Station –大曲駅
12am- Akita Station - 秋田 - can visit museums, shrines and parks and have lunch at this area.

3pm- At Akita Station – Take Uetsu Main Line – 羽越本线
Travel along Sea of Japan coast

5pm- Reach Murakami Station – 村上駅
(About 15 min bus-ride to hotel near the sea)
Stop over Taikanso Senaminoyuononsen hotel濑波温泉- 大观庄
(onsen and dinner) Rest for the day~

Day 4- 9 Dec 08

Niigata Prefecture 新泻县
Tokyo

8am - Breakfast in hotel
9am - Check out

Take train to Niigata Terminal Station – 新泻駅from Murakami Station – 村上駅
Need to transfer at Shibata Station 新発田駅 to take Hakushin Line 白新 线,

11am – Reach Niigata Terminal Station – take Joetsu Shinkansen – 上越新干线 to Ueno Station Terminal
Transfer to Yamanote Line -山手線,
3pm - Stop at Ikebukuro Station – 池袋
Check in Hotel (Sunshine City Prince Hotel)

Day 5- 7 10 -13 Dec 08 (Haven planned to go anywhere else in Tokyo yet, maybe to Shibuya and Akihabara)

Tokyo – Ikebukuro-Return Singapore

Ikebukuro Station – 池袋 to Narita
Take train from Ikebukuro to Nippori (日暮里)
Take Keisei Skyliner to reach Tokyo Narita


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Estimated Cost for Japan Trip

JR East Pass Cost
Flexi-4 day travel in JR EAST (Green)
¥28,000

Hotel Stay
Day 1
Morinokaze Oshuku
¥25,000 <-- info from website, could be higher or cheaper, I just took the average

Day 2
Morinokaze Oshuku
¥25,000

Day 3
Taikanso Senaminoyuononsen hotel
¥25,000

Day 4
Sunshine City Prince Hotel in Ikkebukuro
Day 5
Sunshine City Prince Hotel in Ikkebukuro
Day 6
Sunshine City Prince Hotel in Ikkebukuro

Day 7
Return
¥112,344 <-- Price given by New Shan Travel (Hotels and SIA flight)

Food
abt $15 per meal x 3 x 7 days
¥31,250 <--- can be lesser due to hotels already provided breakfasts and dinners

There after totalling above = ¥246,594

Contingencies
Accounted 10%
¥24,659

Grand Total
¥271,253

$3,472.04<-- Singapore dollars!!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P.S: The air ticket, JR pass and hotel accommodation are the most important things you need to settle before anything else. In Japan, you have to plan your route very well so no time is wasted. Also make sure you rent a phone there because you may need to call your hotels to confirm room bookings if there is any delay.

I have yet to try this itinerary I've customarily brewed, but please feel free to copy or use it. Feedback me too if it works!

BTW the onsen ~) is compulsorily charged in those onsen hotels, even you do not get to enjoy it. So girls have to note when your menses are coming so it won't clash with the dates =)

A bit vain recently...

I bought a yukata (japanese summer kimono) from ebay. The order was US$50++ but total delivery charges added to US$85. Freakingly expensive hor? Yup, slap me hard on the face when I know it is made in China.

The parcel came in 3 weeks later~~~ due to some address error by the seller. Luckily I paid for registered mail so it wasn't too bad can still trace. Once collected, I can't wait to try it on.


Neat box~


Neat note~


Items messed up by me. Consist of the yukata, sash, obi (larger cloth) and a readily-made butterfly obi.

Pretty huh? OK, time to try it on.



I had no idea on how to put it on, so I surfed the net for info. Here are the methods. Pretty impressive huh?




Me without make-up. Spent almost 30min figuring out how to put on the sash.

That's not all.


I signed up for a makeover at Laneige for its new launch of Snow Crystal Makeup series. They invited a makeup artist from South Korea to conduct the makeover. Delighted over the fact that you only need to purchase a voucher of $50 (can be fully redeemed from products purchase) I took on the challenge.

When my friends saw the makeup artist, they find him looking pretty unprofessional, don't really have the "seh" of makeup artist. Well, in the end, I got my face "painted" by him. He put on some skin refining lotion and moisturizer on my face despite I've already put on sunblock. So, it end up my face turning quite heavily done. The snow crystal makeup don't really bring out my face well, just shimmery shimmery and very highlighted.... perhaps I was more used to the matte look.




After my makeover ... at a Hong Kong cafe. I had this feeling that people giving me strange looks, must be wondering why my face was "so like this"....

I thought I could at least end up like her. XP

* btw Evonne's not joining me for the Hokkaido trip as she cannot stand the cold that well...

The new term's starting next week!


It's going to be my 4th year and final year! How time flies, 3 years back, I was in the dilemma of whether to take up this part-time course in NUS Real Estate, considered the time to travel to and fro, assignments, projects, exams...... which probably "eat up" most of my youth. I truly felt time was not wasted, just that not enough time to exercise, go out with friends/family or even meeting new friends.... but a little bit of everything still was good enough.

During these years, I keep thinking, is it really true that we are so busy that we do not spend enough time with our love ones and enjoying the moments of being alone? Truly, we have time to eat and sleep and even surf the net and blog. It all goes with proper time management which I start to pick up and learn these few years.

Took up kick-boxing class (well, not really "kick" boxing.... it was more like a low impact aerobics) in the Bukit Merah CC on Fridays. The instructor was really a funny guy, a little sissy type but full of humour. He kept picking on me when I got all the coordination wrong during the workout then he exclaimed to all, "Never mind, even you can't keep up with the rests, as long as you all have a GREAT WORKOUT , it's fine!!!"... I've always had problems keeping up with the music and moving along with my hands and legs, when it's time to lift up the right leg, I moved my left, kind of thing. I don't really lose much weight after the exercise but I enjoyed myself doing the exercise at least a week, felt so much less guilty after some heavy meals. At least it was more fun than running on the treadmill.

My cousin broke his leg during his PE lesson, when training for his shuttle-run. His nasty friends kind of challenged him over the bean-bag run, instead of breaking the record, he broke his leg! Had an operation which involved inserting the plates inside his leg, he had to stay at home at least 1 month after leaving the hospital. It was such a pity as my aunt had wanted us to go for Northern Eastern Japan trip in December and due to this unexpected incident, she had to postpone it.

Thus this time round, I've planned to travel to Hokkaido with KK and Evonne. Booked the tour package with CTC, 7 days hokkaido winter special for $2565 pax. Due to overwhelming response, our tour was overbooked where the agency asked us to shift to an earlier date which most of us can't. After some persuasion and explanation, we managed to keep the the same date. Well, this time round, taking Northwest Airline instead of SIA or ANA/JAL because of the heavy taxes imposed due to fuel surcharges. Not compromising good flying experience, A330 from Northwest I've heard was not bad either.

After note: My sis found a cyst in her womb which she suspected her experience in eating too many chicken wings while staying in the States. Does eating too many chicken wings cause cysts?
BTW, she was dead worried and cried when telling my aunt that she will be going for operation next week.