Japan 2024, Part 2

15 Oct

Our first night in Tokyo was in the Asakusabashi district. The neighborhood was quiet with narrow streets, and it reminded me of the streets of Hanoi when we were there earlier in the year, but much cleaner. There’s not a spec of rubbish on the roads here.

We ventured out in search of food and stumbled upon a ramen shop. Ravenous after such a long day, we each ordered a bowl, unaware of the serving size. When the bowls of ramen came out, they left us speechless. 

The picture doesn’t quite show the sheer size of this

How do we manage all that ramen, four bowls at a go? Typically, we’d order two to three portions during meals for sharing. But we didn’t think that sharing bowls of ramen was doable with us sitting at the counter. Oh well. I could only eat half of my choice, as it was too much. I couldn’t even slurp loudly like the lady seated next to me at the long counter!

Comatosed from the gastronomic feast, we decided to call it a night after such a long day of traveling. Furthermore, we have a packed itinerary the next day.

Our hotel had a compact but practical room layout and was comfortable. We stayed only a night because the next day, we checked out and headed towards Mt Fuji.

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Japan 2024

14 Oct

I have to say Japan is fascinating and fun! Our adventure did not start well, but I’m not complaining.

We woke up at 4.00 am because our ride to the airport was coming at 5.00 am to have us arrive four hours before departure to avoid unnecessary hiccups. The queue to check in was not too long because we arrived early. So that’s good.

After checking in, we decided to have a McD breakfast. However, the ordering kiosk was down. We had to walk further down the terminal to its other outlet. It wasn’t the best tummy filler, but something light was better than nothing.

The wait was typical, likewise the routine. I got padded down the front and had to remove my Blundstone to send it through the X-ray machine. The rest of the family did not encounter this. Maybe it’s boots versus sneakers that was the reason.

Boarding was routine also, but upon strapping down, an announcement stated that we had to wait for half an hour before being cleared for take-off due to heavy traffic. Promptly after half an hour, MH70 sped down the runway of KLIA, and we were Japan-bound! Yay.

I had fish with potatoes for my on-board meal

We arrived on schedule at Narita International Airport. The airport is huge! It took us forever to walk upon disembarkation to get to the immigration counters. The queue was very long, but everything was so efficient and fast, it’s impressive.

Pokémons welcomed us at Narita!

Our checked-in luggage was out without having to wait, and we waited for our transport to pick us up to send us to our hotel. Our adventure has finally begun!

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Have Boots Will Travel

11 Oct

I love my Blundstone boots, and this is my second pair. Like the first pair, this pair had a change of sole. Hydrolysis occurred on the soles, disintegrating them to smithereens as the boots were left unused for a long time.

Despite this change, the current pair of boots are still comfortable. I would wear them daily if I had the chance. However, the weather at home is not suitable for such footwear. So, I only wear my Blundstone when I am off for a holiday at a cold climate destination; hence the motto “Have boots will travel.”

Where are we off to this time? Tokyo, Japan! Whee. Tokyo reminds me of my college days, dinosaur years back when I had to layover at Narita International Airport for my flight for a few hours before continuing the journey. But technically, I cannot say I have visited Tokyo because I never left the airport to see the city. Back then, there were no Blundstones as well. No Blundstones, no travel. Hahaha.

I look forward to experiencing the city during this holiday. There will be a lot of walking, but I’m not worried because I have my comfortable Blundstone boots! We fly tomorrow morning. Happy travels to us!

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Timely Rest

8 Oct

I’m officially taking a break from golf. Typically, on Tuesday, I’d have a round of golf. But with the tennis elbow injury persisting, it’s best to rest.

The last game on Sunday was not a good outing. There was no distance upon tee-off for fear of aggravating the elbow, and it was a domino effect for subsequent shots, taking more strokes than necessary. Sigh, it wasn’t the best, but I didn’t let it get to me. I told myself I merely wanted the exercise.

Separately, the monsoon season has started, and it rains almost daily. Remember the game last Thursday that was a washout? So, a little less golf to get a timely two-week rest might be the right thing to do. Why two-weeks? Ahh, find out on Friday! Stay tuned.

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Afternoon Washout!

4 Oct

My plans for a round of golf yesterday didn’t quite work out because Mother Nature had other ideas. It was an afternoon game, not my usual morning tee-off, and the outing was a complete washout.

We had three flights – only the 12.30 pm flight managed 15 holes, while my flight did 12 as we were two slots behind them. I’m unsure how many holes the third flight completed because they started on the back nine.

It was quite a sight to see all the fairways inundated with water! That’s how heavy the rain came down, as there was insufficient time for the excess water to drain. Some holes even had their tee boxes immersed in water as well. There’s no way we could have resumed.

The buggy ride back to the club was not the most pleasant as we had to deal with pelting rain from the sides and driving through big puddles of water. Despite the situation, everyone was happy with an early happy hour! Hehehe.

Drinks and titbits were on the table, and eventually, dinner. The chatter and camaraderie were most enjoyable. Sometimes, we don’t need to complete a round of golf to enjoy the company of friends.

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A New Injury! Part 2

1 Oct

The stubborn me is still playing golf with a tennis elbow that hurts to heaven! Holy moly, I need to be disciplined and rest. In the last two games, I resorted to various methods to suppress the nagging discomfort with pain relief spray or cream, elbow strap, and pain killer. Did they help? Yes and no. Sigh.

Not only does the elbow feel the pain, but the returned score is a smack in the face for confidence and ability. One can’t have it all good all the time, right? Playing good golf is never a sure thing. There will be highs and lows. There’s no need to elaborate on the highs, but lows are injuries besides putting woes, chipping yips, and endless other reasons.

I have lined up two more games to play before I give my elbow a good two weeks of rest. Hopefully, this will work. It’s no fun playing golf in pain and acquiring more injuries to hamper the activity that I enjoy most.

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A New Injury!

27 Sep

Golf is a dangerous sport! I picked up a new injury last week. After years of playing with minor injuries here and there on the body, my latest injury is on my right elbow, a new spot. It hurts, ouch.

I have to say I’ve never had tennis elbow issues all these years, but on the left wrist mostly. And I would wear a wrist brace to protect my wrist. The wrist is no longer an issue, thank goodness.

I suspect I picked up the tennis elbow problem from the tournament on Monday two weeks ago. I must have taken too much of a divot. Ouch, again. What else can I do but rest?

But the rest period is not long enough for a full recovery as I’m resting for a few days only when it should be weeks. So, I have to rethink my golf outings if I want a full recovery. Boo hoo hoo.

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The Mini Games

24 Sep

I have been unable to stop playing Homescapes, even though I have to wait for new levels to be released, usually on Friday, week after week. The app cleverly has mini-games to keep one hooked. And yes, I am hooked.

I am now waiting for Level 15851 to be released. In the meantime, the mini-games are keeping me occupied. I don’t foresee myself giving up the game. It is by far the longest game that I have played. Amazing.

Waiting again…

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The Perfect Solution!

20 Sep

Soon after my old iPhone 5S kaput, I contemplated using my current phone as my Spotify music center. The house feels too quiet without music. But having my phone blast music all day may hurt the battery’s health, and my phone is for communication purposes rather than music. So what do I do? How do I resolve this loud quietness?

It occurred to me then that I had another old phone lying around. Would you believe it when I say it’s the iPhone 5C, another dinosaur model? The phone used to be M2’s before she had further upgrades, and I just kept it alive all these years. It still works and is now handy in my current predicament.

I was excited because the iPhone 5C–despite it being such an oldie– would resolve the music void. The setup was with minimal synching because of space issues. After all, the phone has only 8 GB capacity! It’s so minuscule compared to the storage sizes of the newer phone models.

With Spotify added, albeit an older version, the iPhone 5C is now my music center! The thing to ensure the phone does not meet an early death is not to keep it connected while the music is playing. Yay, I’m a happy camper because I found the perfect solution.

A reliable dinosaur, the iPhone 5C

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Sunday Thrice Over

17 Sep

We have yet another long holiday, stretching from the weekend until today. And it feels like Sunday thrice over. The weekend golf differed from the usual schedule, with a Saturday game and a tournament on Monday.

The four-day weekend was due to two overlapping public holidays on Monday. But Tuesday is considered an optional holiday for some. For us, if it’s a holiday, enjoy it!

Since we had a round of golf on Monday, we opted to sleep in today and skip the regular Tuesday golf. The cool weather added to the comfort of a lazy Tuesday that feels like a Sunday. Nice!

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