Sunday, June 24 2:22 PM
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Last Minute Activation
My Saturday beauty sleep is awaken by the deafening ring tone of my hand phone...err should have switch it off earlier. A blessing in disguise, i became a few buck richer overnight. I think my boss is very genius to get my colleagues to do those activation calls, because if one see their boss or office numbers... 1st thought that strikes "Don't Pick it Up!!!" It's a forewarning that this call is nothing but trouble. However when it comes to your fellow colleagues...you can say otherwise.
Aiyo...Stuck in the mud, i can't reject the "invitation." Asking for details of what kind of emergency, what I'm suppose to do & what time i have to be there, i get changed immediately. Like a gush of wind, i ran out of my house...not forgetting to inform my dad as i run that I'm going back to work. His echo: "What? At this time?" I guess he could not believe his ear. I flap down a cab @ 10.45pm, 15mins away from the meeting time.
The taxis driver drove me quickly to my destination, i was only 4 mins late. Given a brief...the rest is predictable, i began my long night. Time pass easily with inter-conversation & jokes between colleagues, we are treated to Mac Donald take-away by our company. We are off duty @ 6.00am (Sun), one of my colleague drove, & i get a free ride home.
Overall, this is a refreshing experience. I feel a different kind of environment in the night compared to the day. I like this serenity, walking off the office building inviting the 1st ray of a new day.
Wednesday, June 20 9:09 PM
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A long Awaited Holiday
Time flies...2 weeks have passed since my 8days trip to Shanghai & Tokyo. I want share my standby experiences with all my good friends and colleagues, who might want to go there themselves someday.
DAY 1 (26 May)
3am @ Changi Airport, no problem getting on economy class from SIN-NRT as advised by the Mr.Nice security guard. At the ticket counter, served by a Mr.Handsome who get all my family member's luggage check to Shanghai via Narita. The only mishap, he forgot to return my trip summary & eventually ran to the boarding gate to pass it back to me. 2:30pm @ Narita Airport, await transit NRT-PVG. Standby on business class but the flight is a full load, confirmation will only be revealed @ 6:00pm (15mins before flight departure). I was on tender hook, if i do not get on i'll be stuck in Japan. Finally, Mr.Smile at the gate called me with all the boarding passes, however we have to seat separately. I sat by the window with an American lady, who threw her napkin after a small bite of dinner. Well i enjoyed my beef meal with their pretty presentation, a little uncomfortable resting due to the dress code (formal wear/ high-heel shoes). Reached Shanghai @ 9:00pm.
DAY 2 (27 May)
In my opinion, Shanghai is similar to Hong Kong/Macau. They have Victorian-style buildings like those in the West, & beautiful skyscraper that lights up in the night. Watching from The Bund, the view is spectacular. We try out their buns costing 1 yuan each (SGD 20cent), wonton & yuntun at 10yuan per bowl. Big in portion but not as tasty compared to SIN. Now i agree & appreciate SIN as a food paradise. We familiarize ourselves with the surrounding area, visited the People's Hero Memorial Column & Suzhou Creek. I also get a new perm @ 200 yuan.DAY 3 (28 May)
We walk the shopping district of Nanjing Rd East, they are selling souvenirs for Beijing 2008 Olympic already. Explored the garden of People's Square (Grand theater/ Shanghai Museum). We took many great pictures.DAY 4 (29 May)
Book a ticket to Hangzhou from Shanghai Railway Station. The journey took 2hrs. We arrived @ 2.30pm, immediately hoping into a van for our local tour of West Lake Cruise, Tea Plantation & Nuptial Temple. We spent the night in Redstar Culture Hotel, which provide excellent customer services. I love Hangzhou night market that starts from 9pm. Many make-shift stalls line the road selling items of all kind (shoes/accessories/clothes/toys/electronic). To make your money worth -BARGAIN.DAY5 (30 May)
Check-out of hotel at 11am, shop around the area nearby with some purchase of cds/toiletries/food. Took the afternoon train back to Shanghai, alighting at 6pm. Stayed in the dormitory at Shanghai Mingtown Hiker Youth Hostel. It is value for money with room rate est. SGD10/night with shared bathroom. A place famous with the western travellers, looming around the corridor & lobby. We took the metro to Xintiandi which look like our Paragon. A high-class shopping district with many departmental stores.DAY6 (31 May)
Woke up @ 5am, mad rush to clean-up & check-out. Left my hand phone in the room as a result of the confusion. I called the hostel from Pudong Airport reporting my lost. The staff was kind to sent my hand phone to Singapore embassy in Shanghai. I retrieved it from MFA 2 weeks later. Departed without any problem @ 10am from PVG-NRT. A free shuttle van is available to Mercure Hotel Narita. Night brisk walk in Narita.DAY 7 (1 Jun)
Travelled 1hr out to Tokyo (Ueno) taking JR train. 5mins walk away from the train station is the well-known flea market. The zoo and historical museum is around the corner too. We extend our scope to Shibuya, a teenage oriented shopping district. The girls are kawaii & gorgeous, can make one envy. I bought quite a number of chains from there. Before the sun goes down, we found ourselves in Shinjuku. We didn't spent much time there as i'm beginning to feel unwell. Down with a fever by the time we return back to Narita.DAY 8 (2 Jun)
Went to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple, the largest temple in Japan (i think so). Along the way there, drop-by small stores which sell souvenirs (key chains/charms/bags/kimono etc). Free shuttle bus to airport from hotel @ 3pm. Continued my shopping spree in Terminal 1 South Wing for 2 hrs before boarding plane back NRT-SIN.
