HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing everyone a Very Happy New Year and may 2009 bring you happiness and good health!

Japan Dec 08, Day 4

Enoshima / Kamakura

Japan Dec 08, Day 3

Today, we did an outing to Gotemba. It is an outlet mall near Mt Fuji. We boarded the bus for Gotemba from the Odakyu Station in Shinjuku. The bus ride took about 1 1/2 hours. We spend the better part of the day at Gotemba and I don't think I covered all the shops. The set up is very much like a US Mall.

This place is like a shoppers paradise.

In the evening, we paid one of our favorite fish restaurant in Tokyo a visit. It's called Totoichi. The best part was, the owner remembered Rus and Gerry, so despite the restaurant being fulling booked, he manage to get us a table at about 8pm.

Japan Dec 08, Day 2

What a long day. We started off from our hotel at 9am in the morning and did not return till like 8pm. We started off at Harajuku and walked ( or rather shopped) all the way to Shibuya. It was more window shopping cause everything here in Japan is so expensive. Especially recently since the Sing Dollar has devalued quite a bit against the Yen. Nonetheless, I enjoyed myself alot. I guess it was more the company.

Japan Dec 08'

Chirstmas 2008! This year my friends and I decided to spend Christmas in Japan. My last trip to Tokyo was in 2005. How time flies. Since I have access to free internet connection at the hotel, I will try to post pictures I have taken during the day. I will try to write more tomorrow as this has been a long day.

Apicius in Netherlands

I use to love to travel for work. I can still remember my first trip overseas for “work”. Well, it was more of an incentive trip for me. My boss sent me the US to attend a banking conference. I must say it was fun, attending all the talks and walking into the exhibition hall looking at all the latest in banking technology. My only task back then was to write a report and give a small presentation to my colleagues when I got back.
However, over the years, “work trips” have turned into real work. I don’t attend talks anymore. These days, my work trip are so packed, it is not even funny. I end up working like 15 hour days when I am away. But having said that, one of the perks I do get is the food, especially dinner. During my recent trip to Amsterdam, one of many I make to that city, my business partners invited me to this very nice restaurant in Bakkum, somewhere towards the south of Amsterdam. I believe it has 1 Michelin star. The pictures may not look that good cause my camera ran out of battery and I took it using my crappy iphone. But trust me, the food was good :P

Renovations, Phase 1

It has begun! I have started renovations on my new apartment. As with all renovations, it is a very time consuming process. I am lucky to have the help of my good friend Stan. I am putting a lot more effort into redoing this apartment as I see myself using the space for the longer term.
For one, it is very near my parents place so it is very convenient for me. Anyway, below is a pic of the renovations. I will put up more pictures as the work progresses.