DISNEYLAND @ MAIHAMA

Sam, looking a little puzzled XD;;

I refused to start a travel-log entry that starts with “We were late once more because I have problem waking up in the morning >_>” *coughs* ANYWAY, it was a fine fine morning we woke up to! Initially I didn’t plan to go to Disneyland on a weekend after the various comments of horror by several friends who had experience going to Disneyland prior. Disneyland = crowded. Disneyland during weekend = HORROR! But due to the fact Sam’s Japanese friend – Mitsuo knew that we wanted to include Disneyland as one of our crash stop… he asked whether we would like to join up with him and his friend walking around the place. We are of course, more than welcome that 8D

There were some communication the night prior so we were worried whether he did get our confirmation about going to Disneyland afterall ^^; Taking the subway to Maihama, we encountered a family that was having some sort of argument about which train and line to take. In English. Maybe the husband-wife pair spotted Sam and me talking in English among ourselves, she asked us for direction towards Disneyland. They’re tourist from Singapore so it feels like “HEEEYYY NEIGHBOURS!” for the moment though I’m still amused at how reluctant the husband want to ask for directions XD

Eventually after a long train ride, we reached Maihama. It as obvious where we were supposed to head to. Everyone were headed the same way anyway XD The crowds was HUGEEEEEE. I can’t describe how so many people can be packed in one place like that. But the crowd was superbly HUGEEEEEE. I’m terrified. I don’t look forward to queing up the entire day for probably just two rides at this rate. (more…)

It’s a bit early buuuuuuuuuuuut….

.. as I won’t be around online at the stroke of midnight y0 XD MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! ♥

Yes yes and I’m too lazy to do a proper card too *coughssorrycoughs* Picture taken near Tokyo Tower =P

I had been emo-ing about my stolen Playstation2 ( house got broken into. AGAIN ) since two months ago lamenting over my lost console ( old, but so much good and frustrating memories ;3; ) and above all, my lost youth *coughs* Memory Cards ( ALLLL MY GAWDDAMNED DATA!!! THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PRECIOUS GAMING HOURS!!! *headdesk* )

AHEM.

Anyway, yeah. There’ll be many instances over the month when I’ll be happily talking about games with friends here and there and suddenly the black cloud of gloom will start to rain when I remembered ..

“I don’t have my PS2 anymore… ||| ORZ”

(more…)

A little break from the travelogue ( which I had been procrastinating .. and yet I definitely need to work it til Day 05 — simply for a long belated Siam Shade concert report >_> )

My mum called me last night to inform me that my hometown is flooded. It had been raining non-stop for the past two weeks and the water level had rose drastically :\

I’d only experienced actual flood only once when I was in Primary School. My primary school is located right next to the long and treacherous Pahang River so having panic over water level rising is kinda the norm ( our school field is right next to it ) and it made the students happy because school might just closed for the week until the water subside.

The only major flood I’d heard was from my GrandAunt when she tells stories of old from time long forgotten in a galaxy far far away about the time when they practically had to be rescued via motorboats from the flood.

I’m thankful that it’s not even half as serious as my Grandaunt’s story but it’s still pretty depressing to see and recognise landmarks and places that you know being under muddy water like this:

This is the ‘main’ part of the town actually. There’s the major traffic junction just a bit ahead. Yeah my hometown is really tiny and uhhhh …. not pretty XD;;

Pictures from a dear friend and ex-classmate who’s in Mentakab. More pictures from this forum ( but is in Chinese though you can see the pictures )

What truly worries me is that my Mum said water supply had been cut off ( and will probably continues to be so for at least three days ) and there’s not much food around >_>; I hope everyone is alright at home.

ETA @ 5:00p.m. : Apparently the main roads are all under water too O_o; I can’t even go home if I wanted to since it’s all blocked. There’s no water. Nor fresh meat/vegetable. And the departmental stores are all stripped clean of their instant noodles and canned food.

… it’s another embuggerance alright >_>

ETA 02 @ 8:00p.m. : My Mum just called to inform me that TNB had announced that they’ll cut off electricity for the town tonight. The water level had reached the generator area ( some my ex classmates and families stay there too! >_< )

So there's no water and no electricity. The petrol stations all over are empty too because they can't refuel and most people went off to pump it dry already for emergency purposes. Not like they can leave the town either because the roads towards the two major highways to reach the town are under water.

And the biggest slap in the face? State water authority is forced to empty the dam soon. Yes. A DAM because it faces the risk of breaking from the inside due to the water pressure and level. Guess where the water will flow to? I can’t imagine an extra several feet of fast moving water in my hometown now. The newly updated pictures from the forum I posted above are already gnawing at me.

I hate to be so far away from my family when they’re facing something like this. I can’t even find proper word to describe my fear of flood now because I thought my Mum was joking about it last night. I grew up in the town for a good 18 years and I’d never seen anything like this. Massive flood used to be something that happens to OTHER people on newspaper to this oblivious town-kid.

I’m still holding on hoping that it’s something my friends and family blew up the proportion when they tell me of the news because yanno, Mentakab is so DAMNED BORING. I don’t know what’s worse; me being too far away and helpless and worried here or my family and friends being helpless and worried facing the flood.

TSUKIJI FISH MARKET > TOKYO TOWER > AKIHABARA > ODAIBA

Once more I failed to wake up properly before 4a.m. ( which I’m supposed to ) for the early morning rush at Tsukiji Fish Market. I’m terribly sorry that Sam have to deal with a grumpy and narcoleptic me every morning before it hits lunchtime ( my solar alignment tends to settle down somewhat then ).

Anyway, once more we hit Asakusa Station for Tsukiji Fish Market. I probably will not manage anywhere on my own without Sam because she was the one that made notes prior of which station goes where and what lines goes where next XD; The so-called planning on my side are purely selfish because all I can think of before starting this trip was “I wanna go there! I wanna see that! I MUST get my ass to this place!” without actually studying the routes to do so XD;

TSUKIJI FISH MARKET [ 築地市場 ]

To tell the truth, all the books and guides I ran through just told me that Tsukiji market is extremely near the station’s exit. But we REALLY didn’t have the slightest idea of WHERE exactly it is XD We made our way through an ACTUAL wet market ( filled with vegetables and what not ) weaving in and out following other gaijin tourists we see ( especially the ones with cameras in their hands! They HAD to be tourists, no? Yay us for being totally clueless XDD ) We thought reaching the marketplace as late as 7a.m. then will have the entire marketplace dissapeared ( like the Floating Market in London Underground a.k.a. Neverwhere? XD ) but thankfully we were not ones to be detered so easily. We’d already got a whiff of the smelly fishy smell as soon as we hit the station .. so following our nose, we managed to make our way to the ACTUAL fish market! 8D

Once again; a hell lot of pictures under the cut 8D And a bunch of too long text-diarrhea too considering this was the day we visited the most places out of the few days we were in Tokyo. (more…)