Side Visit to USJ & Nara

Thank God for blessing us with an affordable ticket to Kyoto such that we can explore Universal Studio Japan (USJ) and Nara Park with the extended weekend break. For USJ, it is a revisit to take the remaining rides that we failed to take the last time. Having prior experience, we took steps to avoid food and rides that are either not nice or not worth our time to queue. 

We are back!

USJ Universal Cool Japan is also having their 5th anniversary and for this current Spring term, they are having 3 new attractions: “Detective Conan: Mystery Challenge”, “Detective Conan Mystery Restaurant” and "Lupin the Third Car Chase XR Ride". However, as we failed to secure the Conan Cool Ticket Pass, we can only ride the "Lupin the Third Car Chase XR Ride" after queuing for it for 120 mins.

Lupin the Third Car Chase XR Ride

We miss the Conan daily event again. By the time we know, all the event task has been given out

A visit to Hogwarts Castle again, without the butter beer

As usual, lots of people even though this is supposed to be a low season

Spent the day slowly touring USJ till the park closed

Stayed at Hotel Keihan Universal Tower, which was conveniently located next to Universal City Station

Next morning breakfast at Top of the Universal where we have a great view of the bay area

After breakfast, it is a visit to the Nara park to look at free roaming deer. Sunday was also the Pokemon Go community day and we have a great 3 hours clearing research tasks and catching the shiny Swinub.

The Golden Temple @ Nara

Pagoda at the Park. We are also wondering why are there so many middle school students at the park on a Sunday...

The legendary deer

Engaging battle started!

Last but not the least, a light event at Kyoto Station

Upgrade of Krisflyer Membership Tier

Now... I will have 25% more miles for a year whenever I fly

India (Gurgaon, Mumbai) Work Trip (281117 - 011217)

First time going to India on a business trip, with lots of advises from my colleagues and horror stories of the past, such as Japan expatriates needed to hospitalize for 3 weeks due to stomach problems, came back to Singapore and needed MCs for 1 week...etc. To protect yourself, the common advise given is to drink only mineral water, avoid local food and to the extend of using mineral water to brush your teeth! To make the situation anything but better, the air in Gurgaon is pretty bad, as reported in the newspaper of smog engulfing the whole New Delhi city a few weeks ago. Well, at least I will come prepared with a N95 in the luggage.

Good morning Gurgaon, with a layer of smog?

India version of prata, nothing resembling the Singapore version we are used to. Dough is salty with cheese in the filling. There is no curry for the dough and the orange stuffs has a unique taste I am not used to eating

Daily newspaper update on PM2.5 level. 342...reminds me of 2013 Singapore haze

Next trip to Mumbai via Air India. Service and food is not good, plus my table is spoilt. I think next time I will try Vistara, a joint venture between Tata and SIA

A look at the polluted canal next to Mumbai Office, reminds of the pictures seen in the Singapore 60s

Well, at least I survived India, only down with a little runny nose and cough the next day, most probably due to the air....I guess....

USA (Newark, California) Work Trip (101017 - 151017)

First trip to USA for a Global OSH Meeting, joining in as a representative from the Asia Pacific region. It has been truly a blessing by the Lord for this rare opportunity, especially so when I have not even been confirmed as a permanent employee since I took on this role 2 months ago. My flight was via Singapore Airline since this was the designated airline by my company and they have a direct flight to SFO.

SIA was using the new Airbus A350-900, with a revamped entertainment system!

My hotel for the trip, but Marriott in Asia provided a much better service

Most of the restaurant around my accommodation are Asian (And they served better food compared to Singapore)

On the 1st night, we have the chance to visit downtown San Francisco for our dinner. On the way, we stop by one of the tourist attraction.

Lombard Street - 27-degree angle slope with 8 hairpin turns & landscaped flowerbeds.

Pier 39

Crocodile bread from Boudin Museum

SQ plane at SFO for the 15 hours ride back home

China (Beijing/Shanghai) Work Trip (230214 - 270214)

First ever solo work trip overseas with a mission to accomplish, unlike the past where I usually am participating in some training or Kaizen event.

 

Things did not went off on a good start though. The first thing that greeted me when I look out of the airplane window at the Beijing Capital Airport was the yellowish environment.

Welcome to Beijing

 

If there is such a thing as a pollution measuring scale here, the PSI will hit 400+, in my opinion. I will be facing this kind of environment in the next 2 days. My time in Beijing was short and hectic. After meeting will be training, followed by risk assessment review of the various departments. I can really say I did not have any spare time left for other stuffs. After I am done in Beijing, it is time to scoot off to Shanghai, which the air is so much better.

 

Met with an ex-colleague of mine on Wednesday night and he brought me to the Yu Garden (豫园). It was really nice to see the classical old buildings lighted up at night.

 

The famous Nine-bend Bridge (九曲桥)

 



Japan Work Trip (120312-150312)

On a EHS Audit trip to Japan (Tokyo). On the surface, it seems like a holiday trip, but I did not expect I have to work till 12am in the night! Weather at this time of the year was cold. Temperature around 3-8 degree Celsius. It is all right if there are no wind blowing, but once it gets windy, no amount of warm clothing helps. Living expenses in Tokyo is considered high (to me). A simple meal will cost you around 1000 yen in a restaurant. Cheapest you can get for a satisfactory meal will set you back by around 800 yen. Their transport system is also an eye opener. Firstly, they are simply complicated. Imagine 20+ platforms in a station alone! Secondly, it is the cost of the public train as you can see below.

Narita Express (4 stations stop, 1 hour ride) cost you.... 3110 yen, a whooping SGD$50!

Shinagawa Train Station

Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa

Japanese Garden at night

Imagine what I found near my hotel! Haha

4 nights in Beijing

For the 5 days and 4 nights in Beijing, sadly I am not there to enjoy myself, but on a mission to observe an energy cost saving process being done and hopefully bring back some of the knowledge back to Singapore. This is my first time to step into Terminal 3 since it is built. Well, it is not as grand as I thought. =p I am the only soul to depart from Singapore, and will be linking up with one of my colleague from Shanghai. 1 week earlier, Beijing was still under the wrath of the sandstorm. Well, that is some kind of "encouragement" for a start.
After 6.5 hours of flight time, finally, I landed in Beijing Terminal 3. The weather there is like so freezing cold? What was that? 8C outside? ok, time to wear 3 layers of clothing!

Well, almost all the trees in Beijing are barren as I supposed it is still considered winter there. For the evergreen trees, they are all baked in a layer of yellow sand, courtesy of the sandstorm 1 week earlier.

For the food wise, they are very different from Singapore. The have quite a lot of cold dishes and most of them are either salty or 麻辣 in nature. Vegetables are few, so most of the dishes are either meat or 豆腐 based. They also like to use 麻椒 in their dishes. It kind of tasted like pepper, but instead of spicy, it numbs your tongue.

This is a snapshot of the interior decoration of the hotel I am staying at on 1 of the night. Impressive isn't it?

Welcome to Beijing! PSI: 100? On 4 of the 5 days I am in Beijing, I am facing this kind of air. Well done!

My schedule was pretty tight, but I still managed to squeeze out about 3 hours on the last night to go sight seeing. Well, this is 王府井, supposedly to be famous for their good food.

If you are in Beijing and have not eaten their roast duck, it will be a wasted trip. Well we visited one of the more famous shop called 全聚德. Well, the roast duck are pretty oily and I got quite sick of it after a while. But the interesting part is that every roast duck that you ordered comes with a.....

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Quality Assurance certificate!

The famous 天安门

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And bon Voyage. I am flying home. Next time, I shall visit the great wall of China!